Dedicated Track/Race Suspension

[phastafrican]

Originally Posted by Iwannajag

I am looking to race in the NASA PT class.
My definition of suspension is coilovers, springs, control arms, camber plates and bushing. Not include any brake system components.


I do not have any alignment and suspension experience nor do I have experience building a race car. So I will be seeking professional help and start learning from there.


I live in the Chicago area and will be most doing the tracks within a few hundred miles (Blackhawk, RA, Milwaukee Mile, Autobahn, Gingerman)


I will continue to do HDPE to get seat time and get familiar with the car.

Can't race PT at that Weight : Power ratio.

[Iwannajag]

But not starting with FI so will be stock MA and will need to move up as needed

[phastafrican]

Originally Posted by Iwannajag

But not starting with FI so will be stock MA and will need to move up as needed

I can tell you right now that racing an FA20 wheel to wheel on just FI at 400hp is a bad decision. But I digress.

You asked for suspension advice. Here's mine. Read through the forums, any well received coilovers setup will meet your needs. You've got some time before you bother with anything around 5k.

RCE T2, Ohlins, KW v3, Mann Engineering, TEINs, etc. There are tons to choose from. Just pick one. Unless you just pay for a racing school, you won't be racing for at least a year. In that time, you'll learn enough to make a more informed decision on your own.

[Racecomp Engineering]

I agree. Take your time, get familiar with the car at track days, read as much as you can, and when you're ready...budget out your full car build AND the costs of racing. Then add a lot more on top of that because that's how racing works.

For just the suspension, $5k can get you a very nice track day and time attack level suspension. Wheel to wheel racing on hoosiers is a different beast. It will ask more of you and some level of ability in tuning the car is highly recommended. A year of getting familiar with the car could be pretty useful in the long run.

- Andy

[King Tut]

Originally Posted by phastafrican

Can't race PT at that Weight : Power ratio.

Nope. He is looking to go straight to the pointy end and run in ST1 with those weights and power levels. OP might want to look at the kind of competition and budgets he will be facing in ST1. I would download the NASA CCR and the ST1 rules documents as a starting point:

https://nasa-assets.s3.amazonaws.com...282/2015.1.pdf

https://nasa-assets.s3.amazonaws.com...er-Touring.pdf

[wparsons]

IMO, get a good set of coilovers that will work on street tires and get comfortable with the car. Take a year or two to gain some experience, and plan on taking at least a couple racing schools.

Spring rates that will be optimal for full slicks won't be ideal for street tires, same the other way around.

Jumping straight into a class like that without extensive experience is going to be a frustrating experience.

If you're determined to go full out from the start, budget at least $10k on suspension. That'll include control arms, bushings (or spherical bearings), etc plus the springs/shocks/upper mounts.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by Iwannajag

I am looking to race in the NASA PT class.
My definition of suspension is coilovers, springs, control arms, camber plates and bushing. Not include any brake system components.


I do not have any alignment and suspension experience nor do I have experience building a race car. So I will be seeking professional help and start learning from there.


I live in the Chicago area and will be most doing the tracks within a few hundred miles (Blackhawk, RA, Milwaukee Mile, Autobahn, Gingerman)


I will continue to do HDPE to get seat time and get familiar with the car.

I think you should revisit what your goals are with the car. I understand that you're looking to make a potent machine, but the nut behind the wheel has to be strong enough to tame the beast.

Leaving the power aspect along, and downgrading the tires while your learning will be much more productive.

As for the suspension components, I think I have a pretty good idea of what would be safe for you. Send me a PM.

-Mike

[Shankenstein]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

I think you should revisit what your goals are with the car. I understand that you're looking to make a potent machine, but the nut behind the wheel has to be strong enough to tame the beast.

Leaving the power aspect along, and downgrading the tires while your learning will be much more productive.

As for the suspension components, I think I have a pretty good idea of what would be safe for you. Send me a PM.

-Mike

There was an article in this month's in SportsCar, Randy Pobst said that a BRZ with RCE Tarmac II coilovers on sticky tires "The Best Handling Car Ever"



Just sayin'... that guy probably knows track cars better than any of us. Use solid quality parts, set up your car, and enjoy!