seadoo

I live in Sebring, FL and I want to go to their hpde's and open track days. for the money I would rather buy a camaro and spend all the extra on strano parts then buy a vette and have NO money left over.
Im sure most of you know, Sebring is known to be one the roughest tracks around and I know that solid axle's are best for this, but im sure it can be done. I heard that softer springs are best for vettes that run at Sebring.
Sam Strano, think I can have what I want? I do still want to drive the car on weekends as well.
Does anyone know the weight distribution is on a Camaro?

thanks

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

I think you can have what you want.. I have a number of customers who run @ Sebring. It is and will always be a solid axle car, but you'd be amazed how good you can make a solid axle car with the right parts.

Major_Lee_Slow

iTrader: (1)

The weight distribution on the car is roughly 54/46 give or take a few percentage points depending on driver weight/fuel load/options/lack of interior/etc...

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

I scaled a Firebird I setup the other day... still with the battery in front... with a full tank is was 3505, and the distribution was 55.5/44.5

Major_Lee_Slow

iTrader: (1)

Damn I'm good.

Actually I just scaled my car last week, that's how I knew.

seadoo

thank you Sam and Major Lee Slow!
Sam what setup you think would be good for a rough place?
also, i am looking to get a LS1 Z28 6spd hardtop and replace the seats with corbeau's and a harness bar, wheels/tires too.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

I happen to think a set I do would be good as I don't run ballistically stiff springs, and get a lot of my roll control from bars. I also demand great shocks, which matter more and more the less like glass the road becomes......

I also think Corbeau seats are junk.

Major_Lee_Slow

iTrader: (1)

I second the Corbeau seats being junk, but please let me elaborate on Sam's point. I own a set and only use the car for autocross and they look like crap after only 2 years.

The slider set-up is so bad that one can actually feel the seat move around under heavy cornering loads (I weigh 215 lbs). I fixed that by having a custom set of seat brackets made.

Thirdly, they are extremely uncomfortable. But considering I only drive the car 60 seconds at a time, I can live with that. But after 2 days of Evo school, I've gotta a few bruises on my back from the seats.

seadoo

holy cow! thank you very much for the info Sam and Major. what seats will be comfy and supportive?

Major_Lee_Slow

iTrader: (1)

Sam, why don't you field this on, I'm 100% certain your butt's been in many more different seats than mine.

seadoo

sam? what street seats are good?

00 Trans Ram

iTrader: (5)

Sam's setup is a wonderful starting point. You may find that it is exactly what you want. Or, you may want to change a few things. But, he'll get you at least 90% of the way there.

Without going into detail (I can, if you want), you can make your car outperform almost any other HPDE car that arrives. Some race tires, bolt-on engine parts, good suspension, brake pads, and strategic weight distribution and you can run with new C6 Z06s and Vipers.

Given the above modifications, I'd suggest spending as much on shocks as on any other class of components. Bilsteins will be good, but Konis or better will really help you on that track.

Also, don't waste money on new race tires. Spend $300 on take-off DOT-Rs or slicks. I suggest getting some 18" wheels. Take offs in 18s are much more plentiful.

seadoo

Thanks 00 Trans Am.
does the 18X10 C5Z wheels fit on the front of a F-Body?

South

How would adding a Ford 9" effect the weight distribution?

1981TA

iTrader: (7)

South, it will shift it some, but not in a way that will positively impact handling. From what I understand, 9" rears weight more than 7.5" 10-bolts. This extra unsprung mass ends up being harder on suspension parts. Here's a quote from the WIKI on "Unsprung Mass:"

"The unsprung weight of a wheel controls a trade-off between a wheel's bump-following ability and its vibration isolation. Bumps and surface imperfections in the road cause tire compression—which induces a force on the unsprung weight. The unsprung weight then responds to this force with movement of its own. The amount of movement, for short bumps, is inversely proportional to the weight - a lighter wheel which readily moves in response to road bumps will have more grip and more constant grip when tracking over an imperfect road. For this reason, lighter wheels are sought especially for high-performance applications. In contrast, a heavier wheel which moves less will not absorb as much vibration; the irregularities of the road surface will transfer to the cabin through the geometry of the suspension and hence ride quality and road noise are deteriorated. For longer bumps that the wheels follow, greater unsprung mass causes more energy to be absorbed by the wheels and makes the ride worse."

Now, that said, the benefits of going to a 9" rear end far outweight (pardon the pun) the negatives for most people--especially for drag racers: You get a MUCH stronger gear set, you no longer have to worry about C-clips (which virtually eliminates pad knock back if you run road courses), and you have a lot more variety and availability in the aftermarket parts arena.