feedback on autox suspension setup

[Xevuhtess77]

these are my plans.... how quickly they will be carried out depends on availabilitiy of money

mille miglia evo5 16x7.5 (cheap $139, wide, and light 20 lbs)
yokohama avs es100 (its a toss-up, any suggestions?) in 245/45/16
eibach springs
tokico blue struts
whiteline rear sway bar

that is probably the order i will carry out my plan in.

i need the most feedback on tires/wheels! thanks

[EKam]

I can tell you right now ES100 is not good enough, get some Falken Azenis or R compound.

Good tires and brakes comes before suspension for auto-x.

Also 245 tire is not going to mount on a 7.5" wheel.

[initial-T]

hmm...i say get some stiffness b4 you go with looks. the lighter wheels will help, but better cornering and stability will be accomplished with the springs and sway bar.

[Xevuhtess77]

i dont want to get r compounds, that would put me in a higher class wouldnt it? plus i still need to use these tires for street during the summer. perhaps ill go for falken azenis, i saw a real lot of people at the autox events have them (but they seem to be more expensive, and tirerack, where im gettin the wheels, doesnt have them)

what size tire should i get on the wheels then?

[Xevuhtess77]

my aim with teh wheels isnt looks, i want a wider tread for more grip and a shorter sidewall, as well as lightness

[EKam]

Originally posted by Xevuhtess77
what size tire should i get on the wheels then?

1. Do a search, learn about increasing wheel/tire size.

2. http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

[amerikim]

IMHO, go with the suspension first.
And might as well mount the sway bar at the same time.

I went the way of the wheels first.

[EKam]

Originally posted by amerikim
IMHO, go with the suspension first.
And might as well mount the sway bar at the same time.

I went the way of the wheels first.

Not when you're going auto-x.

Stiffer suspension make the tires do more work. If you got crappy tires with upgraded suspension there's almost no point in doing auto-x.

I know this because I did what I just said above.

[initial-T]

Originally posted by Xevuhtess77
my aim with teh wheels isnt looks, i want a wider tread for more grip and a shorter sidewall, as well as lightness

good point. for a while, you'd still be in the stock division with wheels and tires and it'd give you time to practice against not-so-hardcore competitors in STS and stuff.

[Wraith]

Originally posted by UfoZ8myCow
off the top of my head... for a hardcore auto x setup on 7.5" wide wheels... I would go with 235 series tires in the front and 225 in the rear. the front wheels (your drive wheels) are what are really important in getting the power to the ground, cornering, and braking. falken azenis are probably your best bet and are not too expensive in 16 inch sizes.

since the camry is notorious for understeer... A good track set up would be running 235's all around but running a 7.5" wide rim in the front while running a 7" rims in the back... And you could go stagered set up 16" in the front and 15" in the back... And if you can get your self custom springs run stiffer springs in the back than the front ...

the idea behind the less wider rim in the back are for aggressive turn in ... The stiffer springs in the back is for oversteer and the smaller rim with bigger side wall would do the same...

[amerikim]

Originally posted by EKam
Not when you're going auto-x.

Stiffer suspension make the tires do more work. If you got crappy tires with upgraded suspension there's almost no point in doing auto-x.

The only way I see stiffer suspension making tires do more work is because of the ability to push harder in the turns with a better suspension - hence lower times. Worn, sloppy stock suspension wobbling through turns on oversized tires? Come on...

Since dollar$ is an issue, I would go route of suspension because you can still run appropriate tires on stock or steel wheels. Suspension is about $700 not installed. I would run lower profiles on stocks because I would not be looking at speedo anyways.

But I guess it really depends if you are there for race or for show.

[5Sfte]

Instead of the long term spring/strut setup, you might want to invest in those new coilovers Wraith posted about. He even mentioned a group buy.

[Wraith]

Originally posted by 5Sfte
Instead of the long term spring/strut setup, you might want to invest in those new coilovers Wraith posted about. He even mentioned a group buy.

the problems with that is when using after market suspension on autocrossing .. This would throw you into a much higher class...

[5Sfte]

OIC

[EKam]

Originally posted by amerikim
The only way I see stiffer suspension making tires do more work is because of the ability to push harder in the turns with a better suspension - hence lower times. Worn, sloppy stock suspension wobbling through turns on oversized tires? Come on...

If you pushes the tires harder with less suspension travel, they will just lose traction quicker.

Tires is what keep your car in traction.

Better suspension does not equal better traction when you got crappy rubber.

Obviously, better tires equal better traction.



Like I said I know this from experience.