Best mods for corner speed?
 

Which mods are most effective in allowing you to carry more speed through a corner assuming you drive the perfect line?

Tires? What street legal tire is the fastest in the corners? Is 225 faster than 215?
Roll bar makes a difference? Coilovers?

It depends on the level of modification. Assuming you have minimal to no experience based on your question, your answer in order of most effective to least effective will be:

- Driver
- Tires
- Aero

Notice I left out suspension and differential.

Right now, for YOU, none of what you mentioned will matter. Driver mod will trump all.

The fastest DOT tire is a Hoosier A7.

I guess me saying assume the driver can drive the corner perfectly didn’t work :). And the only response I got starts with an assumption that I am a newb and can’t drive. Lol. I do have quite a bit of experience but it is with a stock car except for race pads and gt radial sx2 tires. I am reasonably sure I am very close to the limit of what the car can do in its stock form. So was just wondering how much of a difference to expect from mods.

When you say you’re at the limit it usually means you’re at YOUR limit and not the cars. That’s what Mike means by getting coaching as there is always room for improvement. Even F1 drivers get coaching usually from Rob Wilson.

Tire compound is more a factor than width so you want to consider that. Do one mod at a time. If the car is your daily you need to consider wet driving so that starts limiting choices for something sticky.

Have you looked at what times other drivers with cars similar to yours are posting? I know that I have a lot to learn when a guy with a similar set up as mine is 7-8 seconds faster/lap than I am.

It is not easy to compare. I know a couple of instructors who have slightly better and wider tires and some very light power mods. And they run 1-2 seconds faster. But I don’t know if it is because they are better drivers or their slight mods make a difference. I heard some guys in very heavily modified cars can run 5-7 seconds faster

From stock, you'll definitely want/need a lot more front camber, like -3 degrees minimum. Lower and stiffer is good. Depending on how streetable you want the car to be, decent street/track compromise would be ~4.5 kg/mm front ~5.5 kg/mm rear springs. Pure track maybe 8kg front 10kg rear, ish? Damping is super-important so don't skimp on coilovers. For 200tw street tires, Yok A052 is pretty acknowledged to be top dog for a few laps anyway. A7 as CSG Mike mentioned (and I'd add BFG R1-S as well) much faster and DOT/street-legal, but not really a "street" tire.. 225 vs. 215, not much between them but 225 should have a smidge more lateral grip if on commensurately wider wheels. On same-width wheels probably not much difference really. I did pretty much same lap times with 235s as with 245s on 17x9s. Also with 235F/245R and 245F/235R stagger combinations...

So very true. I learned this lesson late this season.

I asked another driver with an identical 2nd gen BRZ to ride with me because he was consistently faster than me. After that run, his response: "Get more aggressive, the car has a lot more in it". I then rode with him, and saw that while I thought I was at the limit, the car truly did have way more capability left.

Agree. Even people with similar cars who might be faster.

When I attended our novice school a couple years ago, my instructor did a lap in my car and beat my time by 8~9 seconds...in a car he'd never driven before...

That experience alone told me I have a long way to go as a driver.

My instructor did a series in a GR86 the week prior. He took me for a few hot laps in my car and took 3 seconds off my already quick laps for the day. I went straight out afterwards and took 2 seconds off my best time (times are rounded off but you get the picture). Since then I nibbled another 0.4 secs with the same setup.
I have modded the car more now so the learning starts again.

I tried different lines through corners. Earlier turn in, later turn. Trail brake, don’t trail brake. It is fun to experiment. I’d push the car until it starts losing the mechanical grip and sliding. Does this make sense?

You need a coach

You too man by your own logic. But don’t you find it ironic for all the talk about how coaching is superior to modifications, 95% of track day guys spend thousands on mods and zero on coaching.

This is a thread you started 3 years ago

https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=137651

Good luck with your driving……

You're still asking essentially the same questions 3 years later. How much have you improved in those 3 years?

Isn't it interesting that the same questions illicit the same answers from me? Perhaps, there may be a reason.

If you;re looking for confirmation bias, this is likely the wrong place. If you want real answers.... well, you got them. You don't have to like them, because it's not an easy pill to swallow, but perhaps, you should try looking from a different perspective.