Auto X newb

[89yotarollagts]

so i took the classes last summer (autocross driving school) and because hooked on auto X like everyone said i would i learned alot and im ready to take on my first event... however my car isnt... also during the summer i purchased a 00 grand am gt.. the toyota still is a daily driver during the summer but i really wanna set it up for an auto X car..

my point is what is a good route to go and what should i be looking to purchase to make my car sumwhat competitive... i know some might say Track time wich is very true but i want to have a decent setup before i get to far into it and work on the details later on as i gain experience...

last summer i ran my car purely stock with fairly decent all terrain tires.. i had noticed i was loosing alot of traction with these tires as i was able to feel them break loose when at a sharp corner (this could have been sumthing to do with my tire pressure i know the techniques* about tire pressure i just didnt play with it to much the day of the event

at the event i had some spectators i knew video my runs so i could check them out later and i noticed my suspenssion was very sloppy and needed some work... my goals this winter are to buy a spring/strut combination of sum sort... i now have 205/50/15" street tires but i am not sure i want to run the car with these as i dont wanna be purchasing new tires all the time... also i have boughten and installed a Camber kit so i will be able to lower the car and be able to adjust everything to specs..
i know you all have your opinions but from what i have gathered and would suite my needs best...
as of right now im thinking about purchasing

new bearings all around car
Apex springs
KYB GR2's
drilled/slotted front rotors
2 cheap ass 185/50/14" tires

any opinions or comments/advise would be greatly appreciated
feel free to email me Polaris659@aol.com / instant message polaris659

Please &
Thanks
Dan

[SmokingTires]

Well I don't know what bearings your talking about... Maybe Bushings? Those make a huge difference.



When modding your car, you have to take into account the classing system. There are single mods that are only allowed in higher classes. But if you do that one mod, your now very ill prepared for that class because you don't have everything else allowed in it like other people do.

You will want to figure out what you are going for, and what your budget is. Do you want to be fastest in your class, or are you going for Fast Time of Day? And if you are in a higher class, do you have the skill to keep up with the drivers in it?

My suggestion would be start out next year in Stock class just to get more seat time.

In stock class you can do all of these Mods:
Struts (adjustable are fine, coilovers aren't)
Wheels have to be stock size (width and dia.) with a maximum differing offset of 1/4"
You can put in a
Alignment (increased camber)
Front sway bars ONLY
Exhaust is free, downstream from the Cat
Drop-in filter
Lap belt
plugs and wires
Tires (a Good set of Kumho V710's will do wonders)

In Stock, you can run R Compounds which have the most grip you could ask for in a tires.


Here's SCCA's classing and what mods you can do in each:
http://scca.com/_filelibrary/File/2005SoloRules.pdf


I would suggest staying in a lower class for a while until you become a better driver. The higher you go in classes, the better you have to be to keep up in the PAX.

[89yotarollagts]

yea i am aware of that class and what you are talking about... my only problem with the list your talken about would be exhaust i have a header/dp on my car as well... also, i meant bearings as these are important to pass inspection everytime and also being factory bearings they would wear alot faster so i think its a good time to replace them... also you mentioned sway bars ? my car comes factory with both.. are you talking about aftermarket stuff or cant you have them at all to be qualified ? also as far as tires im just looking for some cheap ass tires nothing special really im going shopping at the junk yards sumtime soon here and im sure i can find some good rubber their for cheap

[SmokingTires]

^
You'll never find good tires for cheap... You can try all you like, but you'll always be 4 seconds behing the guy on R's

I didn't know you meant wheel bearings. Yeah, if those are bad, Im suprised you can stand driving it with that wobble. And the noise they make.


By sway bars I meant aftermarket. You can add a larger aftermarket front sway bar, but not rear in stock class.

However since you have headers already, you'd be in a Prepared class. I'd either remove it (since your 4cyl doesn't gain much power from them anyways), or save up some major cash to get you up to full Prepared level. That's a lot of work to do.

[89yotarollagts]

removing it would be a Big problem since their was kinda a reason for replacing it.. id have to fab up a whole new dp since the factory mani wont fit on the header dp..


basically id say its not gunna happen since it would be alot of work and money to do it just not worth it either since i did throw out a really big buck to get this setup

[SmokingTires]

Originally Posted by 89yotarollagts

removing it would be a Big problem since their was kinda a reason for replacing it.. id have to fab up a whole new dp since the factory mani wont fit on the header dp..


basically id say its not gunna happen since it would be alot of work and money to do it just not worth it either since i did throw out a really big buck to get this setup

It will just take time. I saving up a whole winters worth of money to prep my car for D-Street Prepared. I'm giving it the works. But it will be worth it next spring.

[89yotarollagts]

well i read over your link and the street touring class which is below the prepared class says i can have aftermarket springs/struts.. basically everything i said.. along with a header as long as its emissions legal.. wish i could copy and paste it but its not letting me at the moment

[SmokingTires]

Originally Posted by 89yotarollagts

well i read over your link and the street touring class which is below the prepared class says i can have aftermarket springs/struts.. basically everything i said.. along with a header as long as its emissions legal.. wish i could copy and paste it but its not letting me at the moment

I thought STS doesn't allow headers. But yeah, if you can go for it. It's one of the most competitive classes.

[89yotarollagts]

well i will worry about it when it comes time.. as for now (this upcoming winter) i wanna get a list going on what i will want to buy for the car... my biggest upgrade that i am going to need most is the spring's & struts

[nort0188]

The point of suspension mods is to modify the car's behavior in order to use your tires more effectively. I'm at a loss for words right now... I want to be sure to explain this correctly.

Velocity * Weight = Load (No, that doesn't make sense... live with it)

A tire has a certain limit to the load it can bear. With a stock suspension, the body roll will be forcing more weight to one side, thereby overloading the outside tire, and it will reach that limit quickly. Reducing body roll will disperse the load between the two tires more evenly, resulting in less weight on the outside tires, and therefore a greater velocity you can carry through a corner before reaching the tire's limit.

In short, roll reduction (shocks, springs, swaybars) will result in less weight put on each tire for a given speed. Therefore you can increase that speed until the limit of the tire is reached. But the gains are minimal unless you have a tire that can benefit from it. The greater your tire's overall limit, the greater the gains will be.

The same theory can be applied to braking as well. The less dive you have (springs, shocks), the less weight there is on the front tires. The less weight there is on them, the more slowing they can do before reaching their limit. Also, the stickier the tire, the more grip it will have. You can always lock up your brakes, so it's obviously not the brakes themselves that's the problem.

I'm sure if I were smarter I could get into it more and prove to you that tires are the way to go, but I'm not. Maybe in a few years when I'm done with college.

Look on different autocross related boards, you can find people selling used tires, or even giving them away for free. Look for Falken Azenis, Kumho MX, etc... top-of-the-line street tires, and run in street-tire index, STS, or even SI, since you're a newbie.

If you plan on keeping this car as a daily driver and autocrosser, I suggest the following:

Max-Perf street tire (Azenis, MX... there's a new Hankook out too)
Adjustable shocks (Koni, KYB AGX, etc...)
Front sway bar (Adjustable if possible)
Rear sway bar (STS or higher, adjustable if possible)
Front brake pads (Hawk HP+, HPS)
Autocross alignment (Custom camber & toe settings)

No one in MAC will really care if you lie about the mods unless you're dominating your class. Don't mention the header and you can run in stock class.

BTW, if you don't plan on keeping this car for very long, just try to find some good tires, and leave it at that. Save your money for the Pontiac.

[89yotarollagts]

thanks for the reply but i am limited to what i can put on the ae92 i know KYB doesnt make the AGX adjustable struts for the ae92 i would and probly am going with the gr2's.... also sway bars arent adjustable as far as i know... i know whiteline sells sway bars but im unaware of them being adjustable... as far as tires im not sure what i wnt to run yet.. if i get sponsored by firestone i will probly run my 205 Fuzion ZRI'S which are a good street tire and should be a perfect tire for the car

[89yotarollagts]

thats all u guys got for me as far as advise & Tips ??? not sure what else their is to cover but anything helps

[CamNub]

A little o/t but what is the front to rear balance on the ae92. Also for the camry if any of you know.

Thanks,
-Jimmy

[89yotarollagts]

if you havnt searched for it allready id try that... im not sure what it is

[CamNub]

Originally Posted by 89yotarollagts

if you havnt searched for it allready id try that... im not sure what it is

Alright. Even though you have a car, If you really enjoy Autocross, you should probably get a car that has front to rear balance ratio as close to 50-50 as possible.