STX Set-Up Sharing & Results Thread

[race2win]

Hello everyone, since these cars are relatively new & there are so many parts options coming to market that can be utilized in STX, I decided to start a thread where we can share detailed information on our setups. I have an extensive Miata background, & one of the great attributes of that community is how they share information in a general effort to put those cars up front in competition. Sure, the FR-S/BRZ will arguably be "very" competitive in STX, but we have a big learning curve ahead of us this year getting the cars set-up...something the BMWs & RX8s have a BIG head start on. My hope is this thread becomes a great resource of information for everyone from the casual weekend novice to the veteran National level competitor!

There are some fabulous build threads on this forum, & Scooby South started a fantastic post regarding the SCCA STX rules & what's allowed, the purpose here is not to replace those threads but to hopefully help centralize detailed set-up information such as alignment settings, ride height, tire pressures, etc. Throughout the season I will be partnering with the knowledgeable staff at Edge Motorworks to get our BRZ set-up, & I will be sharing as much info as possible as we go along with results from both testing & competition events.

Please keep it on topic and close to the same format as you can, questions regarding parts legality, track days, road racing, what size part "X" will fit, etc should all be directed to other more appropriate threads. This thread should be for replies about tuning the setups/results of changes/suggestions to help others as they install parts and/or deal with problems, etc. Start by posting your initial set-up as a reference and/or what your plans are for each category if applicable, I will go first...

Edge Motorworks BRZ, STX #30/130, drivers Mark Scroggs & Gordon White

Suspension -
Shocks: Off the shelf KW V3
Springs: Standard KW V3, 6.1F/7.1R (340/400)
Camber plates: Vorshlag
Rear camber: Ordering Whiteline offset bushings first, may possibly get adjustable LCAs
Anti-roll bars: Eibach 25mm solid adjustable front/Eibach 19mm adjustable rear, both set on the stiffest setting
End links: Stock
Upper strut bars: None
Bushings: So far just Whiteline rear crossmember bushing inserts

Alignment & suspension settings -
Ride height: Approx 5" from the pinch weld to the ground front & rear
Rake: Zero now but will be experimenting with reverse rake
Alignment: -2.7 camber/7.4 caster/0 toe front, -2.6/ 0 toe rear (rear camber will be reduced when offest bushings are installed, targeting -1.8 to -2.0). Most likely will need more front camber considering soft spring rates
Shock settings: Valving set the way they came out of the box as a baseline
Weight: 2620 lbs so far, no "trunk junk", less than 1/8 tank fuel, rear muffler removed, 4-5 lb battery, otherwise box-stock.
Corner weights: LF-824, RF-762, LR-638, RR-581, Left-1462, Right-1344, Rear-1220, Crossweight is at 49.9%, all with 185lb driver, not bad to start
Tire pressures: For first event started at 38F 35-36R but dropped to 36F 32R & went faster. Will try even lower pressures next event & provide update.

Note- These set-ups are a "best guess" baseline at this point, everything was just installed into the car yesterday & we had very little information to go on regarding ride height & alignment. Our first test event is this coming weekend, so lots of adjustments are still to come.

Engine & drivetrain -
Header: None yet, considering Nameless equal-length when available
Over pipe: None yet, looking at Perrin
Front pipe/cat: None yet, looking at Perrin
Intake: Perrin CAI
ECU: ECU Tek set-up purchased, need options on tuning.
Crank pulley: Perrin
Motor mounts: Perrin
LSD: Stock Torsen for now, possibly OS Giken later on...not convinced it's necessary at this point
Dyno results: Baseline test pending...

Wheels/Tires, etc -
Wheels: Black 17x9 Enkei RPF-1 45mm offset
Tires: Dunlop ZII 255/40-17, BFG Rival 255/40-17 when they become available
Wet tires: Either Michelin Pilot Super Sport or Toyo R1R, still un-decided.
Brakes: Stock
Battery: Shorai Lithium 4lb
Seats: stock

Notes -

As mentioned above, the suspension settings are a "best-guess" right now in regards to an optimal autocross set-up.

Eibach front sway bar - When used with the stock end links, the end of the bar comes in contact with the lower control arm.

We ground off material from the end of the bar as a temporary fix, adjustable end links will be ordered ASAP.

That's about it for now, feel free to add categories to that list if it's an STX legal upgrade (legality questions should be directed towards the other thread). Hopefully this will be a great source for set-up information this season as we all start figuring these cars out!!

Edit - Pic of our car after our build yesterday...

[Simmons]

JSC Speed/ Moto East/ JDL Auto Design
BRZ

Eric Simmons/ Corey Ridgeck
171/ 71
STX




Suspension -
Shocks: Off the shelf KW V3
Springs: Standard KW V3 for now
Camber plates: MSI
Rear camber: none
Anti-roll bars: Whiteline 20mm adjustable front, stock rear.
End links: Adustable whiteline
Upper strut bars: None
Bushings: So far just Whiteline rear crossmember bushing inserts

Alignment & suspension settings -
Ride height: low (have to measure)
Rake: Zero
Alignment: 3-4 camber 5.5 caster/0 toe front, -2.6/ 1/8 toe inrear (rear c
Shock settings: still playing with them
Weight: 2645 stock race ready , will know new weight after corner ballance/
Corner weights: don't know yet
Tire pressures: no idea on Z2's yet

Engine & drivetrain -
Header: Sponsored by JDL Auto Design, coming real soon
Over pipe: Perrin
Front pipe/cat: Perrin with HFC
Cat-Back: Perrin non res
Intake: Perrin CAI, and tube
ECU: Sponsored by Moto-East using Ecutek 93/ e85
Crank pulley: Perrin
Motor mounts: stock
LSD: Stock Torsen
Dyno results: Best so far 191/ 161 std.


Wheels/Tires, etc -
Wheels: 17x9 Enkei RPF-1 45mm offset 5mm spacer
Tires: Dunlop ZII 255/40-17, BFG Rival 245/40-17 when they become available
Wet tires: Dunlop ZII 255/40-17 for now
Brakes: Stock
Battery: Shorai Lithium 1.5 lbs
Seats: stock for now

[Scooby South]

Nameless Perfomance/Kartboy/Wheeldude
BRZ
Bill Cook
86/186
STX


Suspension -
Shocks: Off the shelf KW V3
Springs: Custom rates
Camber plates: Cusco
Rear camber: Whiteline LCA's
Anti-roll bars: Whiteline 20mm adjustable front, STi/WRX rear.
End links:Front: Adustable whiteline Rear: Kartboy
Upper strut bars: None
Bushings:Whiteline rear crossmember bushing inserts,Whiteline rear diff bushing kit, Kartboy Transmount insert, Whiteline Steering Rack bushings. Whiteline Inner and outer front control arm Bushings.

Alignment & suspension settings -
Ride height: secret
Rake: +3/8 in
Alignment: -2.9 camber 5.6 caster/0 toe front, -2.00 camber 1/8 toe rear
Shock settings: base settings plus/minus depending on course
Weight: 2577 race ready
Tire pressures:40/38 preliminary on the Z2's...pretty much the same on the RS3's

Engine & drivetrain -
Header: Nameless Performance
Over pipe: Nameless Performance
Front pipe/cat: Nameless Performance
Cat-Back: Nameless Performance
Intake: DIY
ECU: Sponsored by Nameless Performance Ecutek 93/ e85
Crank pulley: Kartboy
Shifter: Kartboy
Shifter bushings: Kartboy
Motor mounts: Cusco
LSD: Stock Torsen/Guard Transmission LSD being setup.
Dyno results: Best: 192/ 158

Wheels/Tires, etc -
Wheels: 17x9-42 Rota Titan/17x9-42 Rota DPT
Tires: Dunlop ZII 255/40-17, Hankook RS3 245/40-17
Wet tires: Dunlop ZII 255/40-17
Brakes: front: Stop-Tech 4pot/2 piece rotors/stainless lines/Motul 5.1 Fluid
Rear: Stock Subaru 2 Pot with Stock Rotors
Battery: Ballistic 3.5 lb Lithium/Ion
Seats: Competition Drivers seat. Corbeau FX Wide . custom Brackets that incorporate Stock Sliders... then back to Stock When not in competition.

[UncleFester]

Chad Williams - BRZ 6MT
STX #85
Region - Washington DC

Suspension -
Shocks: Off the shelf KW V3
Springs: Standard KW V3, 7.1F/6.1R (400/340)
Camber plates: Vorshlag
Rear camber: AP LCA's
Sway bars: Hotchkiss 23mm F & Whiteline 16mm
End links: Whiteline F; Hotchkiss R
Upper strut bars: Cusco F & R
Bushings: Whiteline rear cross member, diff, and shifter bushing inserts

Alignment & suspension settings -
Ride height: 12.5" from hub to fender.
Alignment: -3.0 camber / 7.5 caster / 0 toe front, -2.0 / 0 toe rear
Weight: 2640
Corner weights:
Tire pressures: 32F & 30R

Engine & drivetrain -
Header: P&L EL
Over pipe: Motiv
Front pipe/cat: Motiv
Intake: FA20club V1
ECU: EcuTek (FA20Club)
Crank pulley: Perrin
Motor mounts: Cusco
LSD: OEM
Dyno results: 204hp / 164 ft/lb on E77, 186hp / 151 ft/lb on 93

Wheels/Tires, etc -
Wheels: 17x9 Enkei RPF1's
Tires: 255/40/17 BFG Rivals
Wet tires: Same
Battery: Ballistic Li/Fe
Brakes: AP Racing Sprint F, Stainless lines F & R, Ferodo pads F & R

[GTM_Challenge]

Have the V3 spring rates been confirmed? When I called KW last week, they told me the V3s came with 230 lb front and 285 lb rear springs, while the clubsports had 340/400 lb springs.

Edit *Just called again the they gave me the same spring rates*

**Edit Edit** It appears as though I was given wrong information. Does anyone know the spring rates of the KW Clubsports? V3s are apparently 340/400 lb as everyone has stated.

[race2win]

Had a great debut event for the Edge Motorworks BRZ yesterday, our 4 drivers ended up 1st/5th in STX & 2nd/15th in PAX for the guys, & a 1-2 finish for the ladies in STXL! Here is a link to the results page... http://www.sfr-solo.org/solo2/Result...und02.html#stx

The event was at the Marina Airfield near Monterey CA, medium grip flat concrete, sunny with temps in the 50-60 range with a very brisk wind. The course was...ummm tight & challenging to say the least . Lots of slaloms, but with only 50' between cones it was tough to get through clean. There was a couple very tight turns that took the car well below 4K RPM, so the lack of torque in our stock engine really hurt in places, but overall I don't think the course really favored any one particular car (except a crazy fast ES Miata driven by a good friend ).

The car was VERY good right out of the box handling-wise, very balanced with just slight understeer in places. The tires are brand new & are still coming in, but the other fast BMW drivers in our class were also on new or nearly new ZIIs as well. We made no changes to anything mechanically all day...didn't even touch the shocks from their factory settings, just played with tire pressures throughout the day. The car felt very good, so we didn't want to potentially upset the balance knowing the tires were still coming in. We started tire pressures at 40F 36R, but dropped the fronts to 38 to cure some entry & mid corner understeer. Tire temps were very even across the surface of the front tires, indicating our alignment settings in front are very close to optimal. My final 2 runs were done virtually back-to-back, & while the grip still felt VERY good, I could feel the tires get much more resistant to slip-angle towards the end of the run. These tires definitely don't like sliding at all, but it felt worse with higher surface temps. I checked temps right after my last run & they were over 140*.

We also did fun runs in the afternoon & decided to try lower tire pressures...36F 32R, & we all went marginally faster & the car felt better. My best was a 48.506 with a passenger, so maybe a low 48 was possible compared to my 48.7xx competition run earlier. At that point I think I was getting the most from the car as was possible...for me at least. I'm now reading that others are having success running even lower pressures on the ZII's than we did, so we will experiment with that in the future.

We started spraying the tires at anything over 120* & it definitely felt better & easier to drive. Just to be sure I ran my last run without spraying (126* before going out) & once again could feel a difference...overall grip still very good, but more difficult to drive at the limit. So it seems that these tires are similar in behavoir to the outgoing Star Spec, but their temperature threshold is higher & only need spraying in the most extreme situation (as in 4-drivers ).

Overall we are VERY happy to be competitive with some VERY fast drivers that are consistent trophy winners at Nationals so early on, & we were amazed at how good & consistent the car felt without any adjustments. However, we know there is still a lot of time to be gained if we want to be competitive Nationally. It's hard to imagine there's a ton of time left in the car based on how good it feels right now, but I'm guessing we'll need to find another second out of the car to compete with the best BMWs & RX8s.

[dvsidboy]

So mine is in the very early stage, but I will update as parts go on.

NWMotiv.com / Perrin Performance / ForgeStar / MotivConcepts / AMR Engineering Project BRZ

Chris Wold - BRZ
STX #132
Region - Oregon (Portland)

Suspension -
Shocks: Stock
Springs: H&R Sport
To Come: AMR Coilovers / Swift Springs (Rates not yet decided)

Alignment & suspension settings -
Ride height: Need to measure
Rake: ~+1/4in
Alignment: Stock, need to measure
Shock settings:
Weight: ?
Corner weights: ?
Tire pressures: ~38, needs confirmation

Engine & drivetrain -
Header: None yet
Over pipe: Motiv
Front pipe/cat: Motiv
Intake: Perrin Performance
ECU: EcuTek - Perring Performance
Crank pulley: Stock
Motor mounts: Stock
LSD: OEM
Dyno results: ?

Wheels/Tires, etc -
Wheels: ForgeStar F14 18x9 (18lbs)
Tires: 245/40/18 Federalies WOO WOO, Changing to BF Rivals
Wet tires: Same
Battery: Stock
Brakes: Will be EBC Yellow Pads and Rotors
Seats: Stock



First event was a success, was able to take 1st place in STX class. Altough I was really happy with my overall PAX finish for how the car is still in the early stage. I finished 24th out of 108 drivers in PAX and 28th in RAW, really happy.

Here is in car video:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3xdFY778HY"]NWMotiv - Project BRZ 3-3-13 Autocross - YouTube[/ame]

[Simmons]

I ran the car at the test and tune event this weekend, it was Only a high of 40 degrees out. The car was loose on throttle, and a handfull to drive. I ended up with a decent run by the end. Here is a Video from one of the runs, not the fastest because the camera went dead.

[ame]http://youtu.be/MbiNfX_b8gI[/ame]

Simmons

[race2win]

Another fantastic outing for the Edge Motorworks BRZ this past weekend, we made some changes since the last event & are VERY pleased with how the car is working. It was another busy weekend...2-days of autocrossing with 3 drivers for a total of over 50 more runs in the car! I am still recovering, with all the driving/wrenching/coaching/working etc. I can't remember a busier weekend autocrossing!

Once again we were on the concrete at Marina Airport, temps around 60-65* all weekend with sun & clouds, & as always there a brisk wind. The course, as anticipated, was a stark contrast to the last event...VERY open & fast, lots of sweepers & accel zones, a couple tight corners, & almost zero transition. Since the last event we installed adjustable rear camber arms to reduce rear negative camber, added very slight toe-out in front, & installed the Perrin 93-octane tune.


I ran out of group Sat morning to hopefully get the car adjusted so that Gordon & Brenda cound run for points in STX in the afternoon. The car felt really good...very noticable power increase from the tune, especially in the midrange. There was a moderate push on corner entry & through mid corner though, but then would get fairly loose on corner exit as I transitioned to throttle. Overall the car still felt REALLY good & my times were pretty quick, but since I was running out of class I really didn't have a reference point yet.

Before my afternoon runs (again out of group) we decided to start making suspension adjustments to the car for the first time to try & get the car to turn better & settle it down coming out of corners. With some valuable advice from my friend Scott Fraser (CSP National Champ), we made a slight ride height adjustment & made some rebound adjustments on the shocks. Scott was right on, those small changes transformed the car! The push was almost gone, & even though the oversteer was still there it was easier to drive. I made a couple more shock adjustments between runs & the car was fantastic! Scott insisted there was more & suggested more rear rebound...well, the good news is we found the limit, the bad news is that for the 1st time the car was almost un-drivable. Dialed back the adjustments a little for my last run & it felt much better, for a best run of 40.0xx, which was .8 quicker than I had gone in the morning. Once again though, I was running out of group (STX would be running in the next run group), so at that point I still had no solid reference. That would be solved shortly after however, as the reigning National Champ was there driving the BMW he won it with.

Unfortunately, I had to work course while STX was running, so I had no idea what times everyone was turning, but MAN Bryan looked fantastic in the BMW After all the dust settled he won STX with a 40.5xx, & Gordon was 4th in the Edge BRZ about 1.2 back, as unfortunately the set-up was a little too loose for his liking & he struggled with having confidence in the car.

Some disclaimers...first off, as good as it feels to be quicker on the clock than Bryan, not only was it his first time in the BMW since 2012 Nationals, but it was also his first time on ZIIs. The car also had some significant set-up changes since he drove it last as well, so needless to say I think I may be at a more comfortable spot in the BRZ at this moment than he is in the BMW. The cool thing is that we are in the mix for sure, with just a few more tweaks I think we are ready for the El Toro Pro Solo!!

For Sunday I dialed back the set-up just a little to make it a little more drivable, & dropped pressures to the lowest settings yet...33F 28-29R. The car was better than ever, so much confidence, you could literally place it where you wanted. Unfortunately Bryan was not there Sunday, so the Edge BRZ ended up 1st & 3rd in class, but most importantly Gordon & Brenda were able to go much faster in the car than on Sat. I was within a tenth raw time of one of the country's fastest STU Evo's, not such an easy task on such a power course, & I Paxed 13th. Now, while that may not sound very impressive, out of the 12 drivers ahead of me in pax 5 are past National Champions, & 10 of them drove cars with well over 350 HP & 295+ Hoosiers or race slicks...considering how open & fast the course was I'll take it. Plus I was the highest paxing street tire car period

Sorry for the long read, next stop El Toro for the Pro Solo...we should have a few more tricks up our sleeves by then as well!!

[neurokinetik]

Has anybody attempted to make roll couple calculations yet? I'm considering trying it to get some idea of what the balance might be with different combinations of swaybars and springs. Since I already have that number available from my old Miata (using the old FatCat Excel sheet), it might give me a better idea of what direction I need to go with setting this car up.

I think all we need is the wheel rates for the various springs and swaybars, and we should be able to calculate the roll couple for our cars.

[BlaineWasHere]

I'll post up my car/build too. My car is 100% DD so I'm limited to certain extent as I've got to keep the car somewhat comfortable... but just somewhat. I'll also keep updating it as the build moves forward later this season and much better for next. I'm really here to learn from everyone else!

I have no sponsors except for myelf, STX #59/159, drivers Blaine Sparling and Andrew Sparling

Suspension -
Shocks: Off the shelf KW V3
Springs: FLIPPED 400F/340R
Camber plates: N/A
Rear camber: N/A
Anti-roll bars: N/A
End links: N/A
Upper strut bars: N/A
Bushings: N/A (prob won't do many bushings as I don't want to bounce off the road

Alignment & suspension settings -
Ride height: About 2" from pinch weld to ground front and rear with a little less in the rear for a slight reverse rake. (Yes I scrape over speed bumps ect and I can't have more than one passenger in the car).
Alignment: -1.5F -2.0R.
Shock settings: Stock, haven't even started this yet.
Weight: ???
Tire pressures: Last weekend on concrete with RS-3s I found 37F and 32R to be fastest.

Engine & drivetrain -
COMPLETELY STOCK! This is the last part of my build honestly. I'll get a muffler delete soon, but mostly for the wight.

Wheels/Tires, etc -
Wheels: Black 17x9 et42 Rota Grid COMING SOON: ORANGE 17x9 RPF1 et45 + 5mm spacer.
Tires: 245/40/17 RS-3s. With stock power I think I'm gonna stick with 245 over 255, I guess we will see.
Wet tires: NA
Brakes: Stock
Battery: Stock
Seats: Stock

Notes -
My build is unique in a few ways. First I'm pretty new to AutoX, only a few seasons in a completely un-prepped MKV GTI (FWD Pig) and this is the first RWD or manual trans car I have EVER owned in my life!!! The second way the build is unique is this is my only car!!!! I already have 24K miles on my car and it's my DD I use for work to make sales calls!

Video -

This is from last weekend at Marina Airport in Marina, CA. The Edge BRZ was also at this event.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jogyev3NzQ0"]Blaine AutoX 3/16-3/17 Scion FR-S - YouTube[/ame]

[Evil86]

PPE Engineering

Kevin O'Neill and Elliot Speidel

Suspension -
Shocks: Koni sa sport rear, Koni da 8612 front
Springs: Eibach 375/430
Camber plates: Ground Control
Rear camber: Want LCAs
Anti-roll bars: Hotckis 25.1 hollow adjustable front/19mm adjustable rear
End links: Hotchkis F & R
Upper strut bars: N/A
Bushings: Whiteline sub-frame bushing inserts
H&R camber bolts
Robispec rear tophats


Alignment & suspension settings -
Ride height: Approx a bit over 5" from the pinch weld to the ground front & rear
Rake: just a tad
Alignment: probabaly as negative as possible knowing my co-driver, however up to 4 degrees neg. camber
Shock settings: dunno, my co-driver is still experimenting (stock valving)
Weight: 2630

Corner weights: I will find out later

Tire pressures: For first event started at 38F/R but dropped to 36F and went faster. Still breaking in the ZIIs and experimenting.
Hankooks 38 lbs all around.

Engine & drivetrain -
Header: PPE Engineering 4/2/1 ceramic coated equal length headers
Over pipe: PPE Engineering
Front pipe/cat: PPE Engineeringq
Intake: DIY CAI
ECU: Moto-East Ecu-Tek tune
Crank pulley: stock
Motor mounts: stock
LSD: Stock

Dyno results: none yet

Wheels/Tires, etc -
Wheels: Black 17x9 Enkei RPF-1 45mm offset
Tires: Dunlop ZII 245/40-17 for local events, Hankooks RS-3 255X40X17 for national events
Wet tires:n/a
Brakes: Stock
Battery: Some 6 lb. Motorcycle battery
Seats: stock

[whataboutbob]

Stangarone Motorsports

Robert (a.k.a. Bob) Stangarone

Suspension -
Shocks: factory struts
Springs: RaceCompEngineering yellows
Camber plates: factory (Whiteline COMCs in the box waiting to be put on)
Rear camber: factory (Whiteline LCAs on order)
Anti-roll bars: Whiteline 20mm adj front (on softest presently) and 16mm adj rear (on medium presently)
End links: Whiteline adj front and rear
Upper strut bars: Whiteline (front)
Bushings: Whiteline front LCA bushings (main and anti dive/caster)
Camber bolts: Whiteline (front)
Subframe bushings: factory (Whiteline subframe in the box waiting to be put on)


Alignment & suspension settings -
Ride height: Approx a bit over 5" from the pinch weld to the ground front & rear
Rake: just a tad
Alignment: -1 3/8 in front, -1.6/-2.0 in rear
Shock settings: factory
Weight: not sure

Corner weights: not sure

Tire pressures: I've ran 42F and 34R, 36 square, and 34F and 42R. 34F/42R might be the best so far as it allowed me to rotate the car on exit nicely.

Engine & drivetrain -
Header: factory
Over pipe: factory
Front pipe/cat: Invidia N1 cat-back, Invidia front pipe with high flow cat
Intake: aFe dry
ECU: factory
Crank pulley: Perrin
Motor mounts: stock
LSD: stock
Differential bushings: factory (Whiteline in the box waiting to be put on)
Transmission bushing: Whiteline

Dyno results: 176WHP,140FTLBSTQ @Evasive Motorsports

Wheels/Tires, etc -
Wheels: Black 17x9 Enkei RPF-1 35mm offset
Tires: Dunlop ZII 245/40-17
Brakes: Stock
Battery: Stock
Seats: stock

[Evil86]

I am really unhappy with the Zll tires, we are slower on them compared to the hankooks, and I liked the Zl tires better. We really dropped pressures from rs-3 levels. At least a second or so slower than the hankooks on good quality airport asphalt on a 50 - 60 second course, very peaky. We have the tires down to low 30s.