So after one full local season in SMF with current setup, I finished 2nd overall missing a season championship by 12 points. But after a terrible last event, Im planning changes and improvements for next season. Current setup: tein s-techs jcw struts h-sport comp rear sway bar front and rear strut tower bars 215/45r17 direzza star specs RPF1's 17x7 alta 15% dt bpv rear interior removal 1 ball exhaust intake hawk HPC plans: 225/45r17 z214 c71(cost effective) I.E. race camber plates w.m.w. 17% stud conversion(anyone know any for M14?) ideas(if extra funding is available): koni yellows or megan racing track coil overs(would eliminate the need for above camber plates) I know a couple of you guys compete regionally and nationally and this where I intend to take this car. Only one or two events for 2012, but hopefully 2013 competing in all regional events. So I was looking for some feedback on what are necessities for next season, what I should or shouldn't do to make the car more competitive. main issues: lack of grip and very large mixes of over and understeer at anytime, I fight to make the car track straight. more low end acceleration when winding out of longer/slower corners. Any help would be appreciated and hopefully Ill see some of you guys regionally in 2012!
SMF is a street tire class? Vorshlag camber plates are tough as nails. Consider those, too. Would an X-brace be legal for that class? Poly bushings (lower control arms, trans mount, lower engine mount, and especially the TSW upper engine mount) are a good return on investment, too.
street mod frontwheel drive is open on tires vorschlag is too expensive but would love to have them. X-brace is illegal because it attaches at more than two points on the car. What bushings would you use? the race bushings or street bc i still daily my car. though a rough ride doesnt bother me, i worry about long term parts failure.
I like the regular powerflex (PF) bushings. They offer a motorsport version for the front lower control arms, but it's not necessary. The rear bushings aren't nearly as important as the front; smaller range of motion and smaller forces/loads. BSH offers a lower engine mount that replaces the stock; PF offers poly inserts that fill in the holes of the larger rubber bushing, so they're a little more compliant. The NVH is pretty significant when you first install any new poly bushings, but give it a couple weeks and everything will break in nicely. Polyurethane lasts longer than rubber and is more resistant to leaking fluids, in addition to being stiffer. Have you thought about a more aggressive brake pad, like Hawk HP+ or Carbotech AX-6? Camber plates make a huge difference and reduce tire wear, but if you're headed towards coilovers, it'll save you a lot of hassle if you research which camber plate / coilover combos are compatible beforehand. I disassembled my Vorshlags after 3 years, 65,000 miles, and 26 track days, and they look and feel as good as new. And they fit perfectly with my new coilovers.
Camber and toe are where ever they landed after I did springs and struts, an alignment is in the near future but what settings are you guys running that I could daily on without scrubbing tires. Ax6 are next when these pads wear out. With my budget being so limited I'm just trying to plan out how to get the most I can
I've had rather decent tire wear daily driving and autoxing with about 1/32" toe out front / 0 toe rear and -2.25 camber front and rear (still running stock rear control arms, adjusted as far + as they will go). I used to run more toe out up front, but it did eat thru tires much quicker. I find that toe has a larger impact on tire wear than camber. As far as fighting both oversteer and understeer at anytime: for a short time I ran some Koni (??I think) springs that were progressive rate AND way to low in the rear. The car would make wild swings from understeer to snap oversteer mid corner. Once I changed them out for a linear rate spring at a more reasonable ride height the car became MUCH nicer to drive at the limit. Jason
:eek6: Yeah I can see how that would make things unpredictable. If you are looking for bang for your buck get a good performance alignment. ESPECIALLY in AutoX with R-comps. I agree with jasonsmf on the settings plus one thing: Get 1/32nd of toe-in in the rear. With a hint of toe out in the front and toe-in in the rear the car will have very responsive turn-in. A caution: Depending on your swaybar's stiffness you might find the car tends to snap oversteer with that setting of toe-in in the rear. If it was me, I dial the stiffness out of the swaybar (either adjusting it if adjustable or swapping for a less stiff bar) in favor of the toe as that will help "rotation" without hurting grip. Whatever you chose to do good luck next season and post your results.
I'm running the TSW springs. I had lots of trouble with the shape of the front springs limiting my camber adjustment (more so than stock springs). I wasn't able to get any help from the TSW guys back then, so I resorted to some creative grinding of the springs to install them upside down. This allows me to reach about -2.25 degrees but no more. This has worked for me so far but I know it's far from a perfect solution. I hear the newer design springs are better, but I haven't yet tried a set on my own car. *STANDARD DISCLAIMER: This is a bad idea, I don't recommend that anyone modifies their springs and installs them upside down. You didn't hear this from me :wink: Jason
@jason, what wheel tire combo spec wise are you running. I can see hoosiers and ul5s, but offset, back space, tire size. Greatly appreciated thanks
My race setup is 15x9 6UL's up front (+36 offset, plus a 5/8" spacer) wrapped with 275/35/15 Hoosier A6's. 15x8 6UL's on the rear (+36 offset, plus a 1/4" spacer) wrapped in 205/50/15 Hoosier A6's. I also have a set of 15x7 6UL's with 205/50/15 Dunlop StarSpecs that I use for my summer street setup or for when I don't feel like changing over to the race tires. Hope that helps. Jason
I'd certainly agree with that, I feel that 15's are the way to go for competition use unless you must run huge brakes that prohibit them. There seem to be many options in 15" race tires too. If you are trying to find a good deal on a used set of 15's, don't forget to check out the for sale forums for the Hondas and Miatas, 15" 4x100 wheels are also very common with those cars. Jason
so here is where we stand, new mods: Bc racing coilovers(r56 springs) megan header with factory cat welded in alta exhaust wmw 17% pulley cabrio bars short shifter 15x8 konig wideopens(11.8lbs) et25 225/45r15 hankook z214 c71 and random weight loss So far im very pleased with how the car handles especially with the heavier rated springs on the coilovers. the only issue im currently having is a little midrange hesitation cominig out of WOT and immediately returning to WOT. needs a better alignment still but very pleased with results. other mods(still on car): hawk HPc rear seat delete front and rear strut tower bars 26mm hsport rear sway bar on middle setting CAI tensioner saver bushing inserts for engine mounts old mods(not on car) alta 15% pulley one ball exhaust jcw struts with tein springs 17x7 enkei rpf1 +42 215/45r17 dunlop direzza star spec New plans(who knows when): hawk HP+ slotted rotors sneed speed shop splitter or wyvern splitter wyvern wing cage corbeau fx1 wide harness gp intercooler cams injectors rmw tune strip rest of rear interior tsw xbrace