Thought I would start here...
If I want to upgrade for auto-x purposes....which suspension upgrade IYO should I do first?
I was thinking the Koni struts, then springs,etc...
but also thinkin whats best for keepin my car in shape for autocross and road use
thx

 

My buddie has koni yellows and sportlines on his focus and its like a dam go kart now. I dont think that helps you much but thats my plan. Good luck!

 

id suggest doing some research on mcphereson strut suspensions, by what ive read on the subject any vehicle with this type of front suspension responds better to a mild lowering rather than being slammed on the ground. it has to do with the geometry of the suspension while turning and the amount of caster effect on the outside wheel. as far as mods for autox what class are you looking to go to?

 

This SS suspension comes right out of the box pretty well set for auto crossing. You can do some simple stuff like strut bars or traction bars without spending much really. Actually do a little racing first before you try changing anything.

 

Listen to this guy. Even though I would love to sell you some koni's with some sportline springs, I think you should first start driving in stock form. Than upgrade as necessary.

A nicer set of tires would be a great start. Or suspension..... .

How long have you been autoXing?

 

i luv the set up, yes, i came 4th out of 8 in my first event this year, and first in the second...i just want to upgrade...i know the koni and eibachs are the way to go...then i will be putting some falkens on , i was just tryin to see what i could tighten up/smooth out for some better competition...i run STS class right now...theres a lot of us out there, and i am running LADIES class, but everyone is runnin falkens or khumo tires ...
I have LSD and rear sway bar already....feels great!
I am hearin a slight knock in the left front side tho?

this is my second year

 

I would say that if you do want to get more serious than definitely look into a shock and spring setup. The Konis are adjustable for dampening and can really make a difference.

If you want to simply get better with your current set up than I would work on keeping a close eye on the tire pressures. Also do a more aggressive alignment on your car. Another thing would be to watch how some of the better drivers work out there. That is how I learned a lot....than I beat them.....

And of course seat time, seat time, and more seat time. very important.

 

Seoulgirl.. you might have mentioned before in another thread, but I'll ask again... what class are you running / want to run in?

If you are staying in stock... the you are limited. If you want to run or are running in STX, or SM, DSP.... then you have more options.

If you've not gotten a ste of r-comps, I would recommend them 1st. if you are in DS, then get the Koni's later on and leave it be. If you are moving up, or already in the other classes, then the others are better to help you.

Great job on placing 1st BTW.

 

Excellent, thanks guys...Lucky for us in NC there are about 6 or 7 auto-x clubs in the state that are 2.5 hours or less from me, so I try to get in one any weekend i can
I am running STS LADIES...and in the club im a member in theres about 9 girls racing with me, and their all really good.
always nice to have real competition!

 

Wait... you're running STS????? The Supercharged SS should be in STX with the WRX.

You might want to check into that. I think Even the N/A SS is classed in STX due to the engine displacement.

 

Cobalt 2.2 - H-stock to STS
Cobalt 2.4 - G-stock to STS
Cobalt 2.0 - D-stock to STX

As for suggestions...start small like others have said. Azenis (I'm assuming that's what you mean by Falken tires) are great, I'm assuming you already have a strut tower brace? That's a good "early" mod, as well as a larger or stiffer rear sway bar. You can do Konis to start with. If you decide later you want something more aggressive/more adjustability you can go with full coilovers.

As for me I have: Progress rear sway bar, DC Sport front strut bar, R-compounds and that's all for now. I'm going to be adding B&G coilovers, heavier duty sway bar links, GM competitive steering knuckles, and at some point in the future a subframe and/or rollcage.

Mmmmmm and something I haven't seen mentioned too much - BRAKE MODS. Get some stainless lines and decent pads.

 

agreed!!! class choice is very important and mods will dictate what class you are thrown into.
I also recommend doing mods keep you in stock class for now!!

When going into one of the modified class be prepared to put in the max mods that the class allows! your competition will be...
I made this mistake years ago... I was in a modded class w/ my Porsche and was severely undermodded for that class... I did not want to spend more $$$ on modding, so I could not win that class.

best of luck

 

just ordered the hawk pads, and lines would bump me up i just found...and i was told by two clubs im in STS....but really im not sure when i read the rule book.

 

You should definitely be in STX, it's any engine 2.0L or smaller with F/I. Steel braided lines are legal for Street Tire, it's in the rule book unless there's an update in a FastTrack that I don't know about. However, if you're running with the Ingall's installed I believe that IS supposed to bump you into DSP. I inquired about that before and was told it was only legal in SP.

 

what if the SC had the poly motor and trans mounts installed to eliminate the wheel hop vs. the ingalls... could the inspectors tell? would that initiate a class change also?
the ingalls is necessary w/o G85

 

Poly mounts are 100% legal in ST. Any mount that's not solid metal and doesn't increase the overall volume of metal in the mount is legal. In the rule book it only says that torque dampeners are legal in SP.

I disagree about the Ingalls being necessary w/o G85. I don't have it and do fine without it. I had considered getting it, but after more research it seems like the cons outweigh the pros so I scratched it for now.

 

http://www.odr-scca.org/DIY-classing.htm

http://scca.com/_FileLibrary/File/St...nufacturer.pdf

http://www.scca.com/_filelibrary/Fil...categories.pdf

the only wording i dont get is the turbo/superchargers allowed in both classes, but in STX it also allows 'up to' 2.0 L supercharged engine?

 

Technically it's "up to and including".

Simplification:

This is from Milwaukee SCCA region, they took the time to put together a quick reference for car classes:

http://sccaforums.com/linkthru.aspx?...rClass2007.pdf

And mods (obviously NOT all-inclusive):

http://sccaforums.com/linkthru.aspx?...sification.pdf

 

Check out my vid from an auto x last sunday! I ran STX and took second place. I only lost by a couple tenths of a second. www.team-crm.com/video/lj042207.wmv They guys that I was racing with, said to get a nice set of lighter weight wheels, and Falken Azenis tires and I should do a lot better!

So my suggestion is wheels, and a set of sticky tires!

 

Personally, I didn't like STX all that much, but then again the local region has built-to-the-nines WRX's dominating the class. I moved up into DSP (which is the wrong class, it should be CSP. Gotta love having a newer car that no one has a clue as to which class it runs...) and I LOVE it. R-comps on a Cobalt are priceless :-)

 

R-Comps FTW!! My region is fairly small so STX doesn't have all that many cars. It is usually two of us battleing for 1st place lol

 

Yeah, this is what I was looking at in STX:

Subaru WRX
BMW M3
Subaru
BMW M3
Mazda Miata
Subaru WRX
Subaru STX
Subaru WRX
VW GTI 2.0t
Volkswagen Jetta GLI

And in CSP:
Honda Civic
Mazda Miata
Toyota MR2
Honda Civic
Mazda Miata
Mazda Miata
Mazda Miata
Pontiac Fiero
Mazda Miata

Kinda trade off the WRX's for Miatas, which are still tough cars to beat. I dunno, maybe it's the sticky tires, I just like the SP classes a lot more than the ST classes.

 

I don't remember seeing Miatas in STX...

CSP... now THAT's a fun class ....lol... Miatas rule there.

 

Yeah, but remember the Autumn leaf last year? I believe it was Mark in the Prelude that beat me out by hundreths of a second for the last trophy???? I ran DSP. Had I run CSP..........I had a 1st place time. If only I would have known then. But it IS nice to know I can beat up on Miatas.

NM, no I didn't. Close, but not quite. Read the wrong line. Oh well. Seems like a more competitive class anyway.

 

Well, not to thread jack... but I won't be saying anything about DSP/CSP in RacePA. Don't feel like listening to MarkA about how the car is a lost cuase in that class as well.