Quote:
Originally Posted by DSMStyle
Well I'm in. I really want to do this and I now have a car that can handle it. A set of springs, upgraded sway bars, and good brakes and tires will allow me to be able to handle the event I think. And won't cost all that much.
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Tires first, brakes second. Nothing else makes a big difference. Springs arent all that necessary, and sway bars can help, but they can also hurt. They reduce chassis roll and help stiffness, which can improve your confidence, but beyond that the sway bars are questionable on a street car. Specifically in the world of racing Miatas and Colts the experts and hardcore cone/open track racers recommend strongly against rear sway bars. Also, I have found little difference when using strut bars.
What you really want is to start with a car that is as close to stock as possible with some decent tires,a good set of pads, and an alignment. This way you can work on your driving, and not sit scratching your head wondering what's wrong with your setup. Also, you can save a lot of money by finding out first hand what your car is weakest at, and replacing those particular parts as needed.
When autocrossing, I did far more with my stock Colt than most people could do with a bunch of money tossed at their tyte jdm civic with coilovers and strut/sway bars everywhere.
Even on tires, feel free to go with whatever you have. If I had jumped straight to a set of Azenis the learning curve would have been pretty steep. By starting with something that was more middle of the road, I learned much faster how to push a set of tires and where to find their limits.
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