STX Rules and Setup Questions

[Ranatsu]

Originally Posted by Turkish

Question for the vets: I am strongly considering ST coil overs for my STX build of C'Thulhu (see sig) and was wondering how well those will hold up to autocross duty. This car also serves as a DD and I am on a bit of a budget. I am trying to stay under $1k for coilovers and the ST seems like a good candidate. That said, if they're going to wear out after a couple seasons, then obviously that is not a good long term solution. I did a quick search of this thread for coilovers and did not find anything helpful towards my question. I am currently competing in the novice class in my local club and definitely have A LOT to learn about this fun and amazing sport, thanks in advance!

If you're looking for good coilovers for <$1000 you're going to have a bad time.

Why not just go with Koni's and springs? Its cheaper and will probably out perform anything you can find in that price range.
I have Koni's with the RCE Tarmac Springs.

[Turkish]

Originally Posted by Ranatsu

If you're looking for good coilovers for <$1000 you're going to have a bad time.

Why not just go with Koni's and springs? Its cheaper and will probably out perform anything you can find in that price range.
I have Koni's with the RCE Tarmac Springs.

How do the Koni's with the RCE Tarmac springs feel when driving out on the street? Would you DD with them?

[2superblus]

Or you could save up a little bit more and go with the Feal 441's for $1350. Swift springs and Camber plates included.


http://www.rallyracingsuspension.com/page16.php

[Grimlock]

Originally Posted by Ranatsu

If you're looking for good coilovers for <$1000 you're going to have a bad time.

Why not just go with Koni's and springs? Its cheaper and will probably out perform anything you can find in that price range.
I have Koni's with the RCE Tarmac Springs.

100% agreed.

Originally Posted by Turkish

How do the Koni's with the RCE Tarmac springs feel when driving out on the street? Would you DD with them?

I have Konis and RCE Yellow springs. They feel like stock on the street - firm but not harsh. Just don't be an idiot and turn the shocks to full stiff.

[xDanger_208x]

Quick question..
What are you all raising your rev limiter too?

[EN2_Squirrel]

Originally Posted by xDanger_208x

Quick question..
What are you all raising your rev limiter too?

Haven't decided yet. Will ask my tuner when that time comes. I think 8k good

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

[Ranatsu]

Originally Posted by Turkish

How do the Koni's with the RCE Tarmac springs feel when driving out on the street? Would you DD with them?

I run the Koni's with Tarmac springs. The only difference with my autocross setup and my daily setup is the tires I drive on.

I find that the Koni+Tarmacs are a decent combination, they are firm but not "sweet jesus I'm going to need back replacement surgery" stiff. I personally think they ride better than the stock setup does.

[Ranatsu]

Originally Posted by xDanger_208x

Quick question..
What are you all raising your rev limiter too?

Mine is at 7850 in first and second.

[jprice130]

Originally Posted by Turkish

Question for the vets: I am strongly considering ST coil overs for my STX build of C'Thulhu (see sig) and was wondering how well those will hold up to autocross duty. This car also serves as a DD and I am on a bit of a budget. I am trying to stay under $1k for coilovers and the ST seems like a good candidate. That said, if they're going to wear out after a couple seasons, then obviously that is not a good long term solution. I did a quick search of this thread for coilovers and did not find anything helpful towards my question. I am currently competing in the novice class in my local club and definitely have A LOT to learn about this fun and amazing sport, thanks in advance!

I recently was wrestling between the ST coilovers and Koni/RCE Tarmacs (or Yellows) myself. I too, was looking for something that was inexpensive, comfortable around town, and mildly competitive for local AutoX.

The Koni/Tarmac setup is probably the higher performing option; especially since the Konis have adjustable dampening. The Tarmacs also have a higher spring rate in the front (280 lbs front and rear), while the ST coilovers are 230 lbs in the front and 280 lbs in the rear.

So why did I choose the STs?
1) They were cheaper ($750 - $800 Shipped) and the 5 year warranty will likely exceed my interest in the car (just being honest with myself). If my math is correct, the Koni/Tarmacs would run a little over $1000 and you'd still need to gut the front stock struts.
2) I wanted to go a little lower than the 0.8" that the Tarmacs go and get the exact ride height I wanted. I also wanted to be able to play with the rake of the car and have it corner balanced.
3) I wanted more inbound front strut clearance. Tarmac springs are the same diameter as stock springs, so you have to be a little more picky with the wheel offset and tire sizes you choose for STX. Any aftermarket coilover (including STs) will have a smaller diameter spring and will provide more fitment flexibility up front.

As for your question about longevity over a number of AutoX seasons....I obviously can't answer that since I've only had my STs for 2 months and only have about 8 AutoX runs on them. STs are made by KW and they have a good reputation for quality. Plus you have a 5 year warranty if they do give you trouble.

Hope that helps!

[Turkish]

Originally Posted by jprice130

I recently was wrestling between the ST coilovers and Koni/RCE Tarmacs (or Yellows) myself. I too, was looking for something that was inexpensive, comfortable around town, and mildly competitive for local AutoX.

The Koni/Tarmac setup is probably the higher performing option; especially since the Konis have adjustable dampening. The Tarmacs also have a higher spring rate in the front (280 lbs front and rear), while the ST coilovers are 230 lbs in the front and 280 lbs in the rear.

So why did I choose the STs?
1) They were cheaper ($750 - $800 Shipped) and the 5 year warranty will likely exceed my interest in the car (just being honest with myself). If my math is correct, the Koni/Tarmacs would run a little over $1000 and you'd still need to gut the front stock struts.
2) I wanted to go a little lower than the 0.8" that the Tarmacs go and get the exact ride height I wanted. I also wanted to be able to play with the rake of the car and have it corner balanced.
3) I wanted more inbound front strut clearance. Tarmac springs are the same diameter as stock springs, so you have to be a little more picky with the wheel offset and tire sizes you choose for STX. Any aftermarket coilover (including STs) will have a smaller diameter spring and will provide more fitment flexibility up front.

As for your question about longevity over a number of AutoX seasons....I obviously can't answer that since I've only had my STs for 2 months and only have about 8 AutoX runs on them. STs are made by KW and they have a good reputation for quality. Plus you have a 5 year warranty if they do give you trouble.

Hope that helps!

I priced both out on FT86SF's site and the Koni/Tarmac setup was not much more than the ST's due to their price reduction from MSRP. The 5 year warranty is attractive though. That is why I am on the fence between the two. I have been flip-flopping between both setups for a while now. I am planning on 17x8" wheels with a 35-40mm offset, I don't think I should have fitment issues with either setup.

[jprice130]

Originally Posted by Turkish

I priced both out on FT86SF's site and the Koni/Tarmac setup was not much more than the ST's due to their price reduction from MSRP. The 5 year warranty is attractive though. That is why I am on the fence between the two. I have been flip-flopping between both setups for a while now. I am planning on 17x8" wheels with a 35-40mm offset, I don't think I should have fitment issues with either setup.

Okay cool. I didn't realize the Koni/Tarmac setup had gone down in price, so that's not too bad. Also, if you're going with 17x8 wheels and 35-40 offset, then you will definitely be fine with fitment. Good luck figuring it out!

[Turkish]

What differences would I possibly notice between the koni's vs Bilstein B6 vs Bilstein B8 shocks? Would I find myself wishing I had the Bilsteins over the koni's or are they more or less similar and the price difference is mostly just brand mark up? If it is worth a couple extra bills, then I would definitely consider it...

I am not really familiar with these companies, this is my first sports car, my first project car, and my first time participating in anything like autocross. So pardon my ignorance and constant questions! Thanks to all in advance!

[piknockout]

Some videos from Dixie in Danny's FRSarri.

Day 1 with a 44.648 on my third run. Kind of drove like azz, late on turn in, double turning like I shouldn't. Had to brake a bit more than I wanted to on the last offset to keep the car under control. I'll have to post up Shane's outside video, but you can see the rear kick out at that point. As day 2 points out, I had at least another half second out there that I failed to get. Luckily, Brian failed to get it as well with a very loose car and I was only 0.040s behind on Day 1.

[ame]http://youtu.be/T0JtPJAqTyg[/ame]




And here's Day 2's fastest raw time of 44.098 +1. Had to switch to a different camera angle due to the impending storm since I didn't want to have a soaked camera. This was my third run and about 5 minutes before the heavens opened up, as you can see the squall line coming in. I hit the second cone in the first set of offsets, just turned down a bit too early. My second and third runs felt so good, I finally clicked with the car and it was fantastic. This run would have given me the win by 0.005, but alas my slow, safe first run was my clean one putting me about 0.9s back. Dirty for dirty on Day 2 though, only about 0.2s back as Bryan had a 43.877 +1 on his second run. I'm okay with only being 0.2s back of that guy.

[ame]http://youtu.be/5jHnwd7JDqM[/ame]



Very happy with how the weekend turned out for only being the second event of the year. I only wish things had clicked a bit better on Day 1 as there was an opportunity to get a lead while Bryan still had Sebring on his mind. :p

Funny story I heard about that cone on my final Day 2 run. Heard from a source that during the audit they couldn't find the cone on any of the audit sheets and nearly took it off. But then they found it at the last minute. Not that it matters, I knew I hit it and would have protested the lack of cone on that run. Well, I thought it was funny at least.

[jprice130]

Nice driving Josh, I was hoping to see you or another 86er take Bryan H. down, but he is pretty dang tough.

So, you're not missing STU at all?