STX setup sharing thread (2022)

[jcaserta]

Was wondering what the current thoughts are on intakes? I do have a NED sandwich style oil cooler so I'm not sure if that limits me.

I'm thinking I'll finally finish the STX build I started a million years ago.

So I contribute to the thread so far car is this (obviously it's been a track car/daily for a bit):
2015 FR-S
MCS 2 way remote 400/450 springs
Karcepts big balls camber plates
Karcepts bars front and rear
Verus rear LCA with poly bushings
NED oil cooler
Grimmspeed master cylinder brace
Verus pedal spacer kit
ARP studs
17x9 RPF1 with 245 A052

Now I have to do the engine stuff and I'm a big fan of OS Giken so planning to do that as well. Want to do the JDL 4-2-1, figuring out the rest now.

[jcaserta]

The NED oil cooler doesn't have lines coming out the front so it probably actually won't affect intakes at all. Thinking I'll go grimmspeed unless someone thinks something else is better.

[Breezio]

Most people don't put on an aftermarket intake. I just run an inlet tube, mostly to get rid of the sound tube.

[Eric1855]

I just run the stock airbox and tube with some reflective heat tape on it

[jcaserta]

Originally Posted by Breezio

Most people don't put on an aftermarket intake. I just run an inlet tube, mostly to get rid of the sound tube.

Thanks. Grimmspeed advertises some pretty nice gains with it, but their advertising seems to all be untuned. I guess those don't carry over after doing the exhaust stuff and tuning? I figured it would at least do a little. Feel like this car can use every little bit it can get.

[PLX92]

In terms of perceivable improvements, money is better spent on diff/trans/steering rack bushings.

[Roadphantom]

I just focus on keeping the IAT as cool as possible to preserve power between runs. I personally use the Perrin one wrapped, but whatever you pick, you need a good tuner who can tune the MAF scale for the intake.

[steverife]

Anybody that uses Ecutek and launch control run into an issue where the car won't hold your settings?

Running the Toledo Pro, I had a ladies class driver, so we lowered the settings for the rain. It was dry for STX, so my codriver bumped it back up to normal settings and took his runs no problems. I get to the line and the car had reverted back to where we had the car during Ladies.

Next day, cars goes into limp mode as I'm driving to grid. P000A, which is a super common code. I clear the code with an OBD2 reader and pull up to the line. Totally dead pedal just like a battery reset. I've cleared codes before and not experienced that. It gets progressively better during my 4 runs and then car is fine for the co-driver. Car throws the same code and goes into limp mode on the way home.

Going to do the things one would do when they throw that code, but kinda paranoid about the Anti-Gravity in the car, too. Especially since I had the weirdness with the launch control the day before.

Anybody experience anything similar with their tune settings and/or other weird charging issues?

[donour]

Originally Posted by steverife

Anybody that uses Ecutek and launch control run into an issue where the car won't hold your settings?

Running the Toledo Pro, I had a ladies class driver, so we lowered the settings for the rain. It was dry for STX, so my codriver bumped it back up to normal settings and took his runs no problems. I get to the line and the car had reverted back to where we had the car during Ladies.

Next day, cars goes into limp mode as I'm driving to grid. P000A, which is a super common code. I clear the code with an OBD2 reader and pull up to the line. Totally dead pedal just like a battery reset. I've cleared codes before and not experienced that. It gets progressively better during my 4 runs and then car is fine for the co-driver. Car throws the same code and goes into limp mode on the way home.

Going to do the things one would do when they throw that code, but kinda paranoid about the Anti-Gravity in the car, too. Especially since I had the weirdness with the launch control the day before.

Anybody experience anything similar with their tune settings and/or other weird charging issues?

Does ecutek have live tuning? It could be that you only updated an in-memory value and that NVRAM was never written. I've seen this problem on other platforms that allow peek/poke of individual addresses, but I don't have an ecutek license to verify.

[cjd]

If anything was on the obd port perhaps it was giving you all the trouble here? So far not encountered this thati know of. Sucks that it happened at such a bad time too.

[cmiovino]

I've seen more than a few people running full suspension/wheel/brake setups in STX, but hold on doing the header/tune until much later. I'm considering doing the same - get the suspension sorted, do ~2 seasons as is, then maybe get the header and tune.

Setup to start would be RCE Tarmac 2's, front camber plates, SPC rear lower control arms, Perrin 19mm front swaybar on stiff, 17x9 lightweight heels and 245/40/17 Yoks (if they're available).

I'd assume most of the STX performance is from running the wider wheels and tires, 3-4 degrees of front camber, and great coilovers, not so much the header/tune, but getting rid of the torque dip would help. Various bushings and inserts would also come later.

Is it like 90% suspension, 10% power? Or more like 75% suspension/tires, 25% power? In terms of the overall time gains you make.

[Autoxer62]

I'd agree that in general the suspension/tire setup vastly outweighs any engine mods in an autocross. In our case we have an easy metric - SSC. As I see it, until I can run with the best SSC cars driving is number one and the suspension is number two on my agenda.

I'll probably end up doing the engine this coming winter, just because I have most of the parts and I'm tired of people asking if the engine is running when we're in grid

[strat61caster]

Probably 85/15 unless the course has no opportunities to use the additional power, or it’s got a lot of digs where it adds up, probably site/club dependent. I did it for awhile and you can do pretty well even in a competitive region.

SPC lca are not STX legal, you have to swap the inboard bearings. Whiteline takes the spc part, paints it silver, and puts In an stx legal bushing. I got mine through tirerack but it lists it as special order, other places say they have it in stock. Alternatively diftech sells a press in bushing you can press into the spc arm. Or you could just run as is because who gives a shit, there’s no advantage to the spc lca.

I definitely recommend the stamped steel piece, I had one of the fancy aluminum ones break on me after hitting a small pothole after a few years on the car.

Current hot autox suspension is shaftworks bilanx fwiw.

[strat61caster]

It’s also way more fun in STX. I did like 3 autoxs on the stock car before adding camber plates, you have to be a patient fucker to deal with the lack of camber imho.

Dialing the car in is its own challenge though, lots of ways to get it wrong, but I think I’m pickier then most autoxers when it comes to setup.

I.e. I think I saw someone mention on Reddit they have 3/4” of rake in their car, which I had that much and it worked for my local grippy site, going to a low grip site it was a mess, dropped over a half inch in the back and it hooked up nice, back to the grippy site it pushed, added a stiffer rear bar, car was better but a little unsettled, probably should’ve softened the dampers, will try that and a softer rear bar setting this weekend, only three more tnt days before nationals for me.

And as above any decently driven SSC cars can be a good benchmark.