munsterz28

iTrader: (11)

was looking to get into auto cross with my 1996 z28. full exhaust and a baby cam. suspension and rear end are untouched. i come to you guys asking advice. i am wondering where do i start and finish suspension wise? first mod to last mod. whats your opinion? thanks in advance for the help!

mfb_birdman

iTrader: (1)

Lots of info available here I am kinda in the same boat. Start with the sticky Suspension and Brake faq. Sam Strano is a fantastic resource, just search his name and you can surly spend a whole day gathering all sorts of info here.

From what research I have done your general recommendations will probably be Koni shocks on all 4's and some good tires in combination with a good alignment. Then some updated sway bars would probably keep you satisfied for awhile.

I think your cam may move you into some higher classes though which will be tougher to compete. But if its just for fun who cares right?

therealcreeper

iTrader: (37)

if you want to be competitive mod for ESP:

Koni SA's
Strano springs
rod ended adj phb
stock lca's with solid rubber bushings
35/21 or 22 swaybars
very sticky tires
sfc's (i believe 2 points are ESP legal as long as they're only welded to the frame)
hawk HPS's and good fluid

biggest things are tires, shocks, and swaybars. you'll be a lot better off doing some autox bone stock on street tires first though. a great suspension setup/tires will hide a lot of mistakes and make it harder to learn. i did 2 autox's pretty much stock and then just started modding like crazy. i'm not fast or competitive but it's a ton of fun.

munsterz28

iTrader: (11)

thanks for the tips guys!

MrEddie

Yeah, a good set of tires and sway bars made the car feel a lot better for me - shocks will be next. I started bone stock (suspension that is) and just had fun learning. The stock goodyears howl when pushing too hard, so that helps. You will notice the car leaning in turns/slalom with stock setup, but sway bars help out. I can't comment on shocks, but from what I've heard, they make a huge difference (konis that is).

Racin'Z28

iTrader: (7)

MunsterZ28, where are located at? Any chance in Munster IN, or is it some other Munster?
Or not even related to location at all?

Ironhead

Agreed except for the SFCs.

They won't hurt but you don't need them. I had a set on the car for years until I cut them off. Never missed 'em. My car has over 110K miles on it.

Also add in a good limited slip diff. Absolutely 100% mandatory.

Very big sticky tires are good to have too but they aren't necessary to have fun.

Here's what it could look like when you're done.




FWIW the cam will put you into some ugly classes. The good news is that, with some restrictions, you can happily mod beyond the list above. The bad news is that without a lot of work, you won't be competitive beyond the local level.

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

first off you need to know how the classing is done for the particular race/club youll be in. not every club goes by scca rules. see how their rules are done, then pic the class youd like to be in, and build to suit. theres no sense in throwing 1000s of $ into the car if its just your first time. try it AS IS a few times, then see if its something you want to pour money into.

XtremeModifier

And if you are thrown in some ugly class, do what I did. Run stock as a non-comp (did that with an mx6 that otherwise would have been in F-Modified). Yes, you won't get any trophies (won't even have a shot at them) but you will get to see how you are doing against similarly-capable cars. And as others said, you can still have fun.

- JR

Racin'Z28

iTrader: (7)

I would agree. Start off as you are. As you learn about auto-x, and learn more about your car and how to drive it, you can slowly add parts. Ask the guys with other ESP cars or similar F bodies. Most guys are very approachable and love to talk about their car and what they did to it.
Best advice is just go, try it out, and have fun. You'll become addicted very quickly. The car is almost always never the limiting factor, it's usually the driver. You can have the greatest most expensive mods, buy they won't mean **** if you don't know how to drive your car (this isn't personal towards you, just a general factual statement).
Start slow and learn as you go. I started in F-stock, did it for two years, then moved up to ESP the following year. It's all about seat time, seat time, and more seat time.

Also BTW IronHead, Beautiful Car. It's really sticking flat through that turn.
And man, I always loved those CCW wheels. 315's x4 too. Maybe I'll step up to those next year.

munsterz28

iTrader: (11)

thanks for all the advice guys. ill get into contact with local groups and go from there. just doing this for fun right now but i do like to win

z28bryan

iTrader: (7)

Yeah before I autoxed, I just wanted to mod my car. The more mods the better. After joining autox and realizing most mods just make my car harder to win with, I've since changed my drive to modify my car. Not to mention, some mods are probably making it harder to win regardless of the class.. such as parts that increase oversteer.. we don't need more oversteer that's for sure

UMI Sales

iTrader: (1)

Hello
I just wanted to throw out a few options for you as far as suspension products go and why. Below is a link to show you what all UMI Performance has to offer.

Sway bars- To help eliminate body roll and increase your handling and performance.

http://www.umiperformance.com/catalo...0lonv4jjudvl83

Adjustable pan hard bar- Allows you to center the rear back under the vehicle due to it shifting when the vehicle is lowered. And I would suggest a poly/rod end combo. To hold up under stress and eliminate any binding issues.

http://www.umiperformance.com/catalo...0lonv4jjudvl83

SFC's- To allow for maximum weight transfer and keep the vehicle solid. And also protect the vehicle from body damage by keeping the dimples off the rear of the quarter panels.

http://www.umiperformance.com/catalo...0lonv4jjudvl83

Adjustable torque arm- To allow you to adjust your pinion angle and fine tune the rear end. I would highly recommend the full length arm. To do benefits with breaking cuts down on over steering compared to the shorter arms.

http://www.umiperformance.com/catalo...0lonv4jjudvl83

If you have any other questions feel free to ask and I will be more than glad to help!
Thanks
Brad

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

this coming from a guy with a pic of a cone shoved under his car...............

z28bryan

iTrader: (7)

I just noticed that. Great pic!! That's a pic that I need of my car. I'm often the guy who gets the most killed cones run of the day

munsterz28

iTrader: (11)

thank you sir!

UMI Sales

iTrader: (1)

No Problem Glad that I could help! If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Thanks
Brad

Racin'Z28

iTrader: (7)

Yeah, duh, that's the whole point of the picture. I have lots of pics with no cones "getting hit". I'm just not so self concerned about a pic with a cone that I wouldn't post it. You're missing the whole point. Lighten up dude.

This guy gets it......it's about having fun and not being so damn serious.

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

apparently you have no sense of humor or sarcasm.

munsterz28

iTrader: (11)

i need the full size pic of your avatar