Quote:
Originally Posted by cmiovino
I've driven on a few different setups on the street and autocross. I keep coming back to KW V3's / RCE Tarmac 2's. Valving is good on both (KW actually makes the Tarmac 2's for RCE). Great at absorbing smaller bumps surprisingly.
In general though, unless you're an experienced track driver, I'd be sticking with the stock suspension with good pads/fluid for safety. Upgraded tires maybe. No need to go tossing on some $2500 suspension when you don't know the limits of the car in stock form.
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This may be an unpopular opinion but I strongly disagree.
A car with poor tires and suspension is more difficult to handle. It has less grip and balance leaving an inexperienced driver with less room for error.
Better tires, brakes, and suspension are like training wheels for a new driver. They’ll compensate for poor driving, abrupt inputs, and small mistakes. You could say it’ll make up for some of your bad habits but that’s what you have an instructor for. They’ll let you know if you’re not smooth enough or if you’re doing something you shouldn’t ,, but with loads of grip and good suspension, you’ll get away with it when you need it most. So what if you can’t wring out every drop of what those performance tires, brake, and suspension have to offer. At first they’re there to make it easier and safer to drive and learn.
I don’t have objective data to prove it, but anecdotally, I see more people spin, go off track in the novice and intermediate groups than the advanced and TT groups at the ~15 track days I’ve done. Put another way, telling someone to learn to drive as fast as possible, brake as hard as possible, and turn at the highest speed possible in a car with crappy street tires and suspension is like telling them to learn to drive on a busy, narrow track with walls right on the edge. Compared to learning in a slow car with lots of grip on a wide and open track with lots of run off areas and zero walls anywhere. You’ll feel safer, more confident. Making mistakes is harder, and the car will respond better and will buy you time.