Smokey13

Switching gears (pardon the pun) from drag to auto
Well this past weekend went with some friends to Barber Motorsports in Birmingham, AL (which was not the party town i was hoping despite staying just off campus in downtown).
Rode with my bud in his Corvette Z06. Holy crap that is some fun there.
So im completely redoing the car and i dont know what suspension to get.
Im hoping to be eventually running 400 to 450 HP
I want to be able to adjust caster for sure but im on a budget.
Basically its gonna be a track/show/weekend car. Gonna keep a/c but gutting the back of car adding a rool bar cage thingy racing seats and harnesses
Any ideas?

SKCobalt

As shown in my sig I have pedders, stock shocks, and a OTTP hardcore swaybar with some different tires and I have a blast. More horsepower doesn't necessarily help with autocross events. I have seen guys in pretty well stock neons with dot-r tires be competitive. Not to say that the hp goals won't be an adventure or hinder you but I would probably focus on suspension first and then get more power once your chassis is set up how you like it.

redcobalt07

iTrader: (18)

i have the full fe5 suspension, and am just about to get into autocross

Wangspeed

iTrader: (2)

Drop the idea of getting more power and learn how to drive low power cars, fast. You can run rings around other "fast" cars if you know how to drive. And 400 whp in a fwd car would be an exercise in frustration.

PenguinPIE

iTrader: (5)

qft. i suggest starting out with stock suspension. getting fancy suspension and tires will hide your flaws and bad habits too easily

Smokey13

The 400hp is for my own personal reasons. All types of racing like this are won or lost in the corners, not the straight aways. Just like drag racing is won at the tree. Ive been racing since 13, motorcross and such, drag racing since 16. i know about racing, just didnt know what suspension set ups people are using in the balts and 400 hp is low hp even in a fwd, if you do it right.

Smokey13

But like i said this wont be a track only car.
The events ill be going to have mixes of next to stock ricers and muscles to GTR's Audi R8's Ferrari's Porsche. I did see a built Dodge Dart (1969 i think) hold its own. I was riding (passenger) in a Z06 over 500 HP full suspension gutted "track rat" as he called it, running Hoosier slicks, and we had one of thsoe GTR's just fly past us. BTW this isnt racing, non competitive events. You go run in a class normally 2-3 days, 3 or more 20 or 30 min track sessions per day run as hard as you want. If i wanted to get competitive id build a car from the ground up

jboogie

iTrader: (3)

400+ hp before you learn to drive and your gonna get embarrassed by stock miatas. just sayin

Smokey13

Ive raced dirt track, took 1000+ hp cars down the strip, topped out an R1, and tore up downtown in a 700hp twin turbo trans am. never wrecked..... in a car.

PenguinPIE

iTrader: (5)

well to answer your question, Pedders springs + SS/TC Struts an Shocks (if you are not TC) would be a good set up

also grab an OTTP Hardcore rear sway bar and you should be in pretty good shape suspension wise

SKCobalt

X2. The setup PenguinPIE is probably the best setup aside from spending a pile on good coilovers.

F_Imports_09tc

iTrader: (1)

FE5 suspension bits with pedders springs, powell harcore bar, delrin leading and spherical trailing CABS. First thing to get would be good tires. Like was said above, for auto-x more hp isn't always better. Had a guy(superb driver) come to a local auto-x (miata club) in a late 80's Corolla basically stock minus wider rims with Star Specs. The Corolla whipped at least 90% of the competition. Auto-x is all about driver skill.

Smokey13

Any of these suspension have adjustable caster?

scottherbert

No. Short of relocating the strut tower mounts (a small possibility -- it was done by GM on some 'track-only' vehicles).

Scott

montecarloman

Short answer is no but the long answer is sort of. If you've got someone who's got the car on an alignment rack and has access to a port-a-power (type of bottle jack) you can loosen some of the cradle bolts and then use the port-a-power to push the cradle around. Caster is just the difference between the upper and lower mounting points, doesn't matter which moves as long as they move in the right direction. I haven't tried in on my car but I have seen it done and it does work.

G Speed

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I'm still rocking my stock conti's :P

Leafydialupking

iTrader: (1)

Wait he's talking about 400 horse and you guys keep suggesting some springs on the stock struts? COil overs my man, dual ride height adjustable ones with pillow ball mounts, a rear swaybar, bigger brakes, poly bushings, running the proper tire for you track. A good street tire for a car like this would be something like a bridgestone re11 or dunlop star specs. If you're going to spend all the money in the engine bay spend some money on the chassis too.

PenguinPIE

iTrader: (5)

we are suggesting pedders on TC struts shocks because we are not really recommending 400hp fwd autocross...

but of course a decent set of coilover would be better, if is is not a DD in my opinion

HB_SS/TC

iTrader: (1)

Some new CABs would be a nice upgrade

Leafydialupking

iTrader: (1)

coilovers are fine for a dd, not for a family car though. If you're only auto-xing for fun then build your car however you want then figure out what class that puts you in and go out there an have fun. If you're actually a good enough driver to be competitive then consider staying in stock class and buying a set of R comps.

Grishbok

ok this kills me, if youve never wrecked then its all so clear. You have this false confidence in your abilities. We see this ALL THE TIME right up till the first time you slam into tire wall because you thought you could start racing a 400+hp FF car. I mean seriously, you do realize that gt2 cars typically only push 550. Racing on dirt, entirely different discipline. Drag racing? seriously? your talking circuit track here, the two dont even compare. The undertone in this post right here? tells me you are not ready to be on the track, at all. i hope you can prove me wrong, but youll have to kill your ego before it kills you.

JT-KGY

Agreed.

Thought that would be the whole point of going from drag to autox...
Beating a Z06 in your 260hp FWD will be soooo satisfying.... though beating his 400+hp FWD Cobalt SS
in a stock Cobalt SS will be too.. heh

northvibe

iTrader: (1)

thats what I have and the car handled GREAT...except my tires were complete ****.

jboogie

iTrader: (3)

haha That's one of the great things about autox. A few years ago I beat a brand new ACR Viper in my Saturn SC2. He was a rich cocky bastard too.