Need help setting up my 1994 GT for autocross

[Shifty Powers]

Snap?? really? That is the 1st time I have ever heard that. My race class is limited to stock swaybars, never ever have I heard of swaybars breaking. Under what use have they broken?

Swaybars are unique to the vehicle and setup. You typicaly can tune oversteer and understeer by changing bar diameters. A lot of guys go to the track with multiple swaybars to tune for a specific track. Some guys run ultra stiff springs and don't use swaybars at all. Personal preferance and setup really.

That is interesting that some come with different swaybars..Kinda a cool little tid-bit of info actually. Good point though..

I am not quite sure of under what pretense the sway-bars snap.. But I do know that A LOT of sn95 cobra owners have snapped there factory rear swaybar. Lemmy try and find something about that

EDIT:
"it is a very common problem. this is due to the fact that the cobra sway bar is thicker and more rigid than a gt's. but this puts a lot of stress on the welds where they put the connecter to attach it to the car and those are what break."

 

[GeeTeeFiveOh]

Thats good information. I've decided to get the MM front control arms from stangsuspension. Should be happy with those

 

[GeeTeeFiveOh]

http://postimage.org/image/gwnniy3lb/

 

[GeeTeeFiveOh]

That's what I'm working with

 

[RichV]

That is interesting that some come with different swaybars..Kinda a cool little tid-bit of info actually. Good point though..

I am not quite sure of under what pretense the sway-bars snap.. But I do know that A LOT of sn95 cobra owners have snapped there factory rear swaybar. Lemmy try and find something about that

EDIT:
"it is a very common problem. this is due to the fact that the cobra sway bar is thicker and more rigid than a gt's. but this puts a lot of stress on the welds where they put the connecter to attach it to the car and those are what break."

Interesting. Again, first time I've seen it. The swaybar will see more twist when you're pushing the car and the framerails are floppy. So maybe that's more of the issue. The guys I run with all have caged cars which stiffens EVERYTHING. Maybe that's the difference.

 

[Shifty Powers]

It is a possibility... I wouldnt put that quote i put at 100% ... But more or less I guess it seemed to be the stock cobra swaybars that were the issue.. as far as i know anyway..

yea.. caged car could make a world of a difference im sure

 

[ReplicaR]

Setting up the car will go much further than most of the parts you can buy. I only now realize how aggressive front end alignment has to be to yield a proper amount of grip when it comes to slow speed corners. I'm currently at -3.5 degrees of camber, 7.5 degrees of caster, and 0 toe. I'm only running 0 toe because it's a daily driven car. If it were to be a weekend car, I'd have at least 1/8 inch toe out.

 

[Shifty Powers]

nice R, that is pretty aggressive as far as stock specs for alignment.. Gotta do what ya gotta do!.. I only plan on setting in -2.0 of camber since my car will not see the track nearly as much as yours for the next year..

Also did you make that hood? Cut your stocker to be a ram air type?

 

[ReplicaR]

Yeah, made the hood. No ram air effect, it vents out the heat. Heat extractor hood, I can't believe you don't remember. Didn't you comment in the thread I mean about it?

 

[Shifty Powers]

lol its a possibility man lol.. Just from your sig it looks more of a ram air then heat extractor.. guess its just the angle lol

I dont remember much lately man.. ive been away for some time now

 

[GeeTeeFiveOh]

Setting up the car will go much further than most of the parts you can buy. I only now realize how aggressive front end alignment has to be to yield a proper amount of grip when it comes to slow speed corners. I'm currently at -3.5 degrees of camber, 7.5 degrees of caster, and 0 toe. I'm only running 0 toe because it's a daily driven car. If it were to be a weekend car, I'd have at least 1/8 inch toe out.

I'm liking your alignment specifications. I went .5 toe out which after seeing yours is too much for a daily driver, -1.5 camber and 5.5 caster. Since I'll need a new alignment after this fiasco what would you recommend for me with the mods I listed earlier plus MM lower arms and bj's? I liked the feel of how I had it before but this is my first experience with high performance alignments, I'm sure you know better.

 

[Gallows]

For the future IRS mod try to find one out of a 03/4 rather than a 99/01. Right off you will have better bushings and 31 spline axles and when the time comes replace the bushings with Full Tilt Boggie Racing (FTBR) parts. I started off with a 99 IRS. It already had 31 spline axles/carrier. I added the full FTBR bushing kit, cross axis joints and adjustable tie rods. Also, take a look at a adjustable rear shock tower brace http://www.cheperformance.com/prod-175.htm

 

[LilRoush]

Just gonna throw this out there to think about: A lot of the road race guys will tell you skip the IRS and stay SRA. The idea of IRS is great, but Ford's attempt at it for the Mustang wasn't the best b/c it's designed to bolt up to the premade mounting points. You can invest in the right parts for the solid rear and end up with a better handling car for the money.
When I did mine, I looked long and hard at the IRS vs SRA issue. I ended up staying away from the IRS for a track car.

 

[Monsterbishi]

Just gonna throw this out there to think about: A lot of the road race guys will tell you skip the IRS and stay SRA.
.
.
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I ended up staying away from the IRS for a track car.

^^^ Sound advice, it all comes down to the geometry of the surface that you're racing on, IRS was designed with the thought in mind that a contact surface is not necessarily even for the wheels at any given point where the forces acting on the car are changing.

Generally speaking, for your USA style AutoX - that problem does not often present itself!

Having said that, at the end of the day, IRS is most certainly better - but whether you want to go to all the trouble for a very minor saving on the clock is up to you ;-)

 

[Shifty Powers]

Just gonna throw this out there to think about: A lot of the road race guys will tell you skip the IRS and stay SRA. The idea of IRS is great, but Ford's attempt at it for the Mustang wasn't the best b/c it's designed to bolt up to the premade mounting points. You can invest in the right parts for the solid rear and end up with a better handling car for the money.
When I did mine, I looked long and hard at the IRS vs SRA issue. I ended up staying away from the IRS for a track car.

+100 to ya on that one

 

[GeeTeeFiveOh]

I've done my reading on the IRS and from what I gathered it can be made to handle a little better when both are compared in fully built form. IRS has the benefit of increased control over uneven surfaces which shouldn't be a problem on most tracks but is great for the street. I live in Ontario and the roads are not as good as in the states. IRS also has the huge benefit of being able to adjust camber and toe to your liking, this is the part I like the most. Because of all that the trouble of switching from SRA would be worth it to me. Maybe I can find someone who would trade

Please correct me if I'm wrong or feel free to add to it.

My Maximum Motorsport front control arm are in transit and I cant wait. Have not been able to drive the car for more than a week it sucks, good thing for the trusty f-150

 

[CompOrangeSN95]

didn't read all the posts, but as far as I'm concerned if you want your car to handle you have 2 options, Personally plan on doing the griggs setup (SLA not strut) sometime in the next couple years... hopefully on a supercharged mach 1... a man can dream haha

This:
http://www.maximummotorsports.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_68&products_id=1035

or This
http://www.griggsracing.com/product_info.php?cPath=4332_4311_4352&products_id=514&osCsid=84635de2d8b1e250946db077b74dd0ca

 

[GeeTeeFiveOh]

I've looked at the griggs stuff, I love it but it is for sure out of my price range for a couple years. It is great to know that there is more upgrades possible beyond the stock style strut front end system.

 

[GeeTeeFiveOh]

You got the right idea though. I want the kind of handling that's not "typically" associated with Mustangs

 

[RichV]

You guys are going about it all wrong. You can definitely read up on the basics of what to mod. But, there is no magic recipe on what is 'the best'. It is really the driver's choice.

Most performance mods come from some sort of racing. You see a part on a race car and you want it. Whether you see it in a magazine or on TV, etc. someone sells it to you. And with the Internet, you can search or research anything instantly. You don't have to experience anything, you read what appeals and then you apply it to your car, or even recommend stuff to others.

Well, my analogy is a little different. I did the same thing for years, read magazines or the Internet for my next mod. When I started driving (with NASA), the one thing you pick up right away, is what your car lacks. And you learn that from seat time. Is the problem out back? In the front? While braking? Oversteer and/or under steer? High speed control? Bla bla bla?

So no disrespect to anyone, but reading posts about CC plates and bump steer kits and the best handling mods is just stuff repeated all over the Internet. Actual personal experiences are very few, but most guys/gals do not drive. I really encourage you guys to get out there and do it. Find out what your car needs by explaining a specific problem, not "I want it to handle like a Porsche". There's also the 'nut behind the wheel' element, where the driver mod is probably the best to improve auto-x and lap times.

I guarantee that you put a seasoned driver in a all stock Miata and a inexperienced driver in a Cobra R, that Miata driver will win every time.