97formula808

ok i have a spare 96 camaro that i want to make an auto-x car out of. i need a recipe for great handling. here is what i was thinking of so far.

BMR LCA's poly/poly
BMR Adj. Torque arm
BMR extreme strut bar
BMR 32/21 sway bars
BMR Adj. Panhardrod
Bilstein HD shocks
Eibach pro-kit springs
BMR boxed SFC's


can i have comments on the parts and does anyone want to add anything? thanks

Steve0

Well... in my opinion, suspensions are like... a set of shoes. Just like some people like Nikes and some people like Reeboks, different people are going to have different suspension set ups that they perfer. I would first suggest tryign to find someone who has done modifications similar to what youre plannign to do and taking their car for a spin. Nothing beats experience for trying to determine which set up you like the best.

if youre really trying to build a well put together car for Auto-X, here would be my suggestions.

1. I wouldnt want to run poly bushings with your LCAs... they will be more prone to binding. Rubber bushings would be better for a car meant to turn..

2. Youre gonna want to run a matching spring/shock package. The bilsteins arent made for lowering springs nor the high spring rates of the Eibachs. If you like Eibach springs, SLP sells a set of Eibachs and appliaction specific Bilstein shocks. If money is no object and youre really trying to build the "ultimate" suspension, you may want to look into a set of adjustable coil overs, running Koni adjustable shocks.

3. Swaybar wise, I know of atleast 2 companies that make a 35mm front bar and it seems to be a really popular choice.

You can get a 1LE 32mm bar for under $50 though and its a good value for the money. I'd be more inclined to stick with the 19mm sway bar if I ran a 32 front. Running a 21 rear will make your rear end a lot more "skittish" so to speak.

Going for "ultimate" though, I'd run a 35mm front with a 21mm rear.

4. I believe SFC's will bump you up a class in auto-x... just be forwarned. I dunno how serious you plan on competing.

So in conclusion... with money being no object I'd run a coilover set up, using an adjustable shock, 35mm front sway with a 21mm rear. And I'd run rubber bushings in the LCA's. I would skip over the strut bar, I doubt you'd notice it was there. I'd also save my money on the torque arm and put it towards a really nice set of tires and front brake upgrade.

If you were trying to do it on a budget, I'd keep the stock springs, run Bilsteins, a 35/21 sway combo, 1LE bushings for the LCA's and a nice set of tires. I'd also look into upgrading the front brakes to the LS1 set up if I went this route.

I'm sure more people will chime in with different opinions...

97formula808

thank you for the great reply
can anyone else chime in? this is not a car thats going to be on the street much. this is an auto-x toy. money is not a factor here, like any of my projects were . i want to spend about 10 grand in suspension.

Camarocracy

In that case, buy parts made out of chromemoly [spelling?], it's lighter then the regular steel. And get parts with spherical rod ends. No binding issues when you have metal in place of rubber/poly.

Your best bet is to talk to Sam Strano. He can hook you up.

Steve0

I was browsing the web this morning and saw this post over on frrax.com. Its someone with a setup similar to what you were asking about. Hopefully it'll help you out.

http://frrax.com/rrforum/index.php?a...=3&t=6040&st=0

97formula808

thanks guys. i heard rod ends need to be replaced often. is this true? thanks for all your help.

v7guy

about every 7500 miles or so. You can build you own stuff here http://www.jonaadland.com/Z28/Mods/L...minumLCAs.html . After that go visit frrax and do a search, then spend the next week allowing 3 hours a day in front of the computer for reading.

Topics to search for BMR, LCA, Coilovers, Autocross. etc. Lots of very valuable info. With that said, don't give money to BMR.

kgkern01

I agree, check out frrax.com and do a search over there on suspension setups. Also, most of us autox/road racers stay away from BMR parts, they are made mostly for drag racing, not autox/rr, and some parts have been known to fail under those stresses on many occasions.

Setup also depends on the autox class you plan on running, f-stock, street prepared, or street mod?

Brakes definitely need to be upgraded to at least LS1 brakes with good autox pads, such as Hawk HP+ or carbotech, etc.

Koni's, either SA or DA are ideal for shocks.

Springs, most are running Ground Control coil over setup with front straight rate springs usually in the 500-600lb range and rear either 150-175lb.

Swaybars, front I would skip the 32 and go with either Strano 35mm hollow, ST 35 solid, or Hotchkis 36.5 hollow
Rear, I would try the stock 19mm first with poly bushings/endlinks, then deciding if you need more from there. If you feel you do, I would go either 21 solid or 22 hollow, and would be best to go that only if upgrading the diff to probably a T2R to help with applying the power.

PHB, go rod ended, such as on the link SteveO posted, poly still allows some deflection.

Rear LCA, stay stock, 1LE, or rod ended, poly will bind, which is bad for snap oversteer.

SFC will put you from E-street prepared into Street Mod, and if you choose to do that, then go with SLP or Kenny Brown double diamond SFC, they offer the most support.

Driving schools and seat time will offer you the best gains in your times though. You will also need some race tires, most are using 17x11's on all four corners.

Any further questions should be searched on frrax.com IMO. There are a LOT of very smart and experienced fbody racers over there.

Sam Strano

Your whole list is pretty much wrong if you are really looking at making the most competitive/best handling car you can.... Competitive 4th gen autocross cars are something I know a little about.

From parts that aren't suitable for the job, to mis-matches with other parts...

$10k in suspension? You can do that, and you'd be wasting about 7 or 8k of it! All you need to do is use proper parts selection, and frankly in order to spend that much money you'll end up in a class where you will never be competitive, which goes against your goal.

Camaro_Maniac63

See the e-mail address in 01 FS Z28's signature? Well, e-mail him and ask him for his phone number. Then, give him a call and he will help you out and make your car handle pretty darn good. After that, you can use the whole-lotta-money that you will save towards a nice head/cam package....

kgkern01

^^

NOSCaMaRo

You want items such as control arms and panhard bar with spherical bearings for auto cross. Poly will bind under hard loads when stressed like that

Sam Strano

Not if he wants to remain in a class where the car is most competitive. Different control arms, and anything other than rubber or urethane bushings in *any* arm is not legal until you get into classes where an f-body is pretty much outgunned.

If he's not really serious, then he can go nuts and end up wherever, I just thought those things should be pointed out.

MattKins

Just a thing I noticed a few posts up...Chromoly (or 4130 Alloy) is no lighter than any other steel, however it is stronger (higher yield strength) than "regular" plain carbon steel.

Sam Strano

CM is stronger than mild steel given the same thickness, but CM is no lighter. So what folks do it run, or offer CM and use thinner pieces. Same strength, less weight. In the end, CM parts aren't really stronger than mild steel, but lighter. The only exception is if someone builds a CM part to the exact same specs as steel, which to my knowledge no-one does because it doesn't save weight.