AUTOX/ROAD RACING QUESTIONS? READ THIS FIRST
I have been seeing more posts lately. With people asking about Road course/Autox setups. So this will be my write up on the subject.
First decide how extreme you want to go in this type of racing. Modifications can and will put you in differnt classes(just like drag racing). And it can hurt you if rest of car is not on par with others. Due to one change that put you in a class.
Setting up your car:
SUSPENSION SUSPENSION SUSPENSION! I can't strees this enough. Focus on things to make the car tighter and more stable.
Control arms:
You want rod end/roto-joint. poly ends bind and limit axle articulation. And have them set at proper angle. pointing to cars center of gravity.
SFC:
Both 2 point and 3 point make a differene. I preffer 3 point because more cross bracing. Weld them if possible. Makes it less likely to stretch control arm mounting points.
Panhard Bar:
Adjustable Rod end/Roto-joint. Less deflection this way and you can center your axle. Another great option is a Watts Link it is more costly but removes the inherated nature of the Panhard bar. Since the PH is attached to the car on one end. It creates a point that causes it to shift the axle to the passenger side on axle exstension and compression. The Watts link removes this issue and keeps axle on center at all times.
Torque Arm:
You want it to be adjustable. So you can set proper pinion angle. Course racing is different from strait line setup. Due to the obvious difference in what the car is doing. i set mine at 1.5 Degrees. but each car is different. So test and tune to find what works for your car.
And remove the mounting point from the trans tail housing. Course racing is just as abussive on the trans tail housing as drag racing.
Full length or short Torque Arm:
Full length! Short cross member styles make the car unstable during braking and acceleration. When you are going into or leaving turns.
Sway Bars:
35/22 is a proven setup. And will be much better then our stock ones. I prefer the adjustable rear sway bars. They give you 3 mounting points that will change the characteristics of the sway(soft-firm). So you can fine tune you car to track conditions.(Hellwig and Strano offer these)
Upper/Lower A-arms:
New ball joints and bushings will do wonders. But if you want to step up... Any after market A-Arm works. Comes down to if you want adjustable or not. Adjustable will give you more fine tuning options. If you don't want adjustable the stock uppers are fine. aftermarket upper A-Arms(non-adj) offer almost zero benefit.
Springs/Shocks:
There is two types of spring progresive and Linear. Progressive is softer when not under load. And will become stiffer as they are compresssed. Linear is the same rate at all time. And will maintain that rate no matter where it is in its travel. I preffer linear. I makes setting up your shocks easier and more predictable. BMR and Strano are both Linear and are the exact same.
For shocks there are many options (adjustable KYB,Bilstein,Koni,QA1,Vicking ect). It comes down to budget and what you want. I preffer adjustable in either single or double. Because shocks are not a one size fits all thing when it comes to springs. And you can adjust compression and rebound to work with your spring choice.
K Member:
The stock one is a stoute piece. It just comes down to if you want to cut pounds off your car.
Brakes:
The stock ones can be improved with SS lines and better pads. But show there short comings at higher speeds and more agressive brake use. A common upgrade is LS swap. which will give you larger rotors and dual piston setup. I do suggest pressure cast calipers(C5 calipers) over 98+ LS gravity cast. If you are road course racing. And they experiance high temps for long periods. Because Gravity cast are more likely to spread.
Beyond these you are looking at Wilwood,Bear ect. which will give you the best brakes possible. But are not needed until you go extreme in your setup.
Tires:
This is very important to focus on. Every day econo tires will hurt you. No matter at what level your are racing. And are not designed for this type of driving. But luckely there is many good options for tires that are also DOT aproved. One that come to mind and my personal favorite is Nitto NT-01 tires. But there are cheaper but still good options out there. if you are just getting into this. And don't want to go crazy.
Lastly start small. Compete in stock classes and work your way up. It will give you chance to learn your car. And improve yourself as a driver.
If anyone has any questions. Be it pointers on setup or where to start in this form of compitition. Please ask and i will do my very best to help you!
I will get notified if anyone posts on this thread. And will check this section often.
