STX Rules and Setup Questions

[CoolHandMoss]

Since I bought my car which was prepped for stx already with 400/400 springs I've had a strong feeling that the 400/400 was way too stiff. The car feels pretty good but i feel like it should have more grip and more predictability. So I finally swapped in some 275 lb springs on the rear with the intention of lowering the front almost as much and already the improvement is unbelievable. The car is so much more planted, easier to drive, and just grips much better over smooth surfaces or rough. I don't know how the general community came to like the 400/400 setup but I am stunned at the improvement from softening even just the rear springs. Just some food for thought.

[smg1138]

Originally Posted by CoolHandMoss

Since I bought my car which was prepped for stx already with 400/400 springs I've had a strong feeling that the 400/400 was way too stiff. The car feels pretty good but i feel like it should have more grip and more predictability. So I finally swapped in some 275 lb springs on the rear with the intention of lowering the front almost as much and already the improvement is unbelievable. The car is so much more planted, easier to drive, and just grips much better over smooth surfaces or rough. I don't know how the general community came to like the 400/400 setup but I am stunned at the improvement from softening even just the rear springs. Just some food for thought.

Do you race on bumpy courses? I could see softer springs working better for that. My 400/400 setup works best on relatively smooth skid pads and tracks. Can’t see wanting to go much softer though. That being said I run the stock rear bar just with poly bushings instead of the stock rubber.

[oinojo]

[strat61caster]

It takes springs, sways, alignment, and a little bit of everything else to balance a car.

You can probably make 400/200 loose as hell with a big rear bar, no toe and whatever gets the front planted. You can definitely make 300/500 push with no rear bar, a bit of toe in and a bigger front bar. If you prioritize certain things in your setup like minimizing toe or keeping soft sways or soft springs you can end up in drastically different places than someone else.

400/400 was available early on with a good double adjustable off the shelf from RCE, most off the shelf 'do it all' kits are around 6k +/- and you have to go hunting for anything different.

A worn or improperly adjusted damper can make any spring feel like crap. Probably not the case but worth mentioning. I think I heard a car or two running similar rates to above based on Stranos advice? Makes sense to me if you're prioritizing zero toe and are using a stiffer sway bar than OE and getting the car to match a driving style.

I wouldn't judge a setup based on spring choice alone, lots of things can work on this car and I have a feeling it'll be a decade before setups truly converge. BTW OE rear rate for an FRS was 211# I think there's some lowering springs stiffer than 275. It'll be interesting to see some SSC/STX cars on a budget compete over the next few years.

Edit: Eibach Pro Kit springs for SSC are 275 rear

[cjd]

In the rain, lower spring rates definitely seem to help. Saw an SSC car take top PAX in conditions that were barely above freezing, and wet... and the stuff falling from the sky shifted to ice pellets as we were cleaning up. I have no idea what their swaybar setup or alignment was, but of course the sways for SSC can be pretty stiff.

Who would have guessed snowflake class was really about weather conditions though?

[Simmons]

Originally Posted by cjd

In the rain, lower spring rates definitely seem to help. Saw an SSC car take top PAX in conditions that were barely above freezing, and wet... and the stuff falling from the sky shifted to ice pellets as we were cleaning up. I have no idea what their swaybar setup or alignment was, but of course the sways for SSC can be pretty stiff.

Who would have guessed snowflake class was really about weather conditions though?

The Falkens work really good in the cold, or wet. We saw this at the Pitt tour


Simmons

[tony_r]

SSC is better the worse the surface conditions are. Add grip and it all falls apart. No doubt an STX car would be just as good if not better with some minor changes for conditions. But that's the thing; a lot of people set up their car for optimal conditions, not the worst conditions.

Therein lies one of the issues that stiffly spring cars suffer from. It's sometimes not realistic to swap springs on site. Moreso, with custom valved shocks, you sometimes don't have the desired range to work with a softer or stiffer spring. For something like AX with highly variable surface changes and conditions, it's much easier to tune with bars than springs.

There is more than one way to skin a cat, though.

[smg1138]

Looks like it's finally about time to replace my OEM rotors. What do you guys recommend as replacements? Should I get slotted or just stick with blanks? I'm still using the stock calipers with Winmax W3 pads.

[cjd]

Originally Posted by smg1138

Looks like it's finally about time to replace my OEM rotors. What do you guys recommend as replacements? Should I get slotted or just stick with blanks? I'm still using the stock calipers with Winmax W3 pads.

Unlikely to make a difference. Whatever you prefer, but normal cheap blanks are all you need.

[smg1138]

Originally Posted by cjd

Unlikely to make a difference. Whatever you prefer, but normal cheap blanks are all you need.

Any particular brand? I seem to remember reading somewhere the OEM rotors are made by Brembo?

[DocWalt]

Get Centric blanks.

[bmacfrs]

2nd that.

Originally Posted by DocWalt

Get Centric blanks.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[CoolHandMoss]

Originally Posted by smg1138

Do you race on bumpy courses? I could see softer springs working better for that. My 400/400 setup works best on relatively smooth skid pads and tracks. Can’t see wanting to go much softer though. That being said I run the stock rear bar just with poly bushings instead of the stock rubber.

I'd say the lots I run are fairly average. But I wouldn't even say I had any particular trouble on bumps with the stiffer springs. The car still grips better on smoother surfaces with the softer springs, even with good warm rival S 1.5's. I'm on the stock rear sway also and I don't think I'll change it.

As for comparisons to SSC, seeing how well SSC is doing compared to STX was the final push to convince me to try going softer. There is no reason at all that an STX car shouldn't be significantly faster than an SSC car and the only only aspect of the SSC car that could possibly be anything but a disadvantage compared to an STX car is the softer springs. But yes it certainly depends to an extent on conditions, driving style and preference. I just think it's an interesting topic. The improvement I have experienced has been so drastic with the softer springs that I just think it's worth some discussion. Though, I may be speaking too soon as I haven't actually raced it yet. I may feel a little differently if it starts under-steering badly on course. I'll report back after the 12th. I'm racing with the same crowd again that I last did on the stiffer rear springs so I'll compare my finishes for a rough indicator.

[dvalue]

Anyone ever reach a consensus on if the transition control was legal?