Beginner here looking for some help
Beginner here looking for some help So the other day i had the chance to auto x my dads stock 5th gen SS and lets sayim hooked. I have a few events coming up local to me and im going to put my 4th gen in. The car is stock springs and shocks, stock front suspension, 2pt SFC's, non adj LCA, Relobrackets, and an adj panhard bar and everything is poly bushings. 17x9 wheels with some BFG all season tires. I dont plan on going ***** to the wall but what should i do as far as setup.
I saw add an extra quart of oil which i will do. Also i had stock LS1 brakes with slotted and drilled rotors with ceremic pads. I have bilstein shocks that i will put on but probably not before the first event coming up in a few weeks. Any tips for a basically first timer?
I saw add an extra quart of oil which i will do. Also i had stock LS1 brakes with slotted and drilled rotors with ceremic pads. I have bilstein shocks that i will put on but probably not before the first event coming up in a few weeks. Any tips for a basically first timer?
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Joined: Jan 2004
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From: St.Charles MO
So the other day i had the chance to auto x my dads stock 5th gen SS and lets sayim hooked. I have a few events coming up local to me and im going to put my 4th gen in. The car is stock springs and shocks, stock front suspension, 2pt SFC's, non adj LCA, Relobrackets, and an adj panhard bar and everything is poly bushings. 17x9 wheels with some BFG all season tires. I dont plan on going ***** to the wall but what should i do as far as setup.
I saw add an extra quart of oil which i will do. Also i had stock LS1 brakes with slotted and drilled rotors with ceremic pads. I have bilstein shocks that i will put on but probably not before the first event coming up in a few weeks. Any tips for a basically first timer?
I saw add an extra quart of oil which i will do. Also i had stock LS1 brakes with slotted and drilled rotors with ceremic pads. I have bilstein shocks that i will put on but probably not before the first event coming up in a few weeks. Any tips for a basically first timer?
If you still have the stock LCA's put those back on, as poly LCA will bind and cause sketchy handling. Same for the relocation brackets, remove them as they are only hurting your handling.
Watch the rotors as well as drilled rotors are known to get stress cracks. You ideally want quality blank rotors and good pads (not ceramic).
Before you go out and buy any more mods use the search aggressively as there are a ton of things out there that will only hurt you in the corners.
Go out and have some fun!
If you still have the stock LCA's put those back on, as poly LCA will bind and cause sketchy handling. Same for the relocation brackets, remove them as they are only hurting your handling.
Watch the rotors as well as drilled rotors are known to get stress cracks. You ideally want quality blank rotors and good pads (not ceramic).
Before you go out and buy any more mods use the search aggressively as there are a ton of things out there that will only hurt you in the corners.
If you still have the stock LCA's put those back on, as poly LCA will bind and cause sketchy handling. Same for the relocation brackets, remove them as they are only hurting your handling.
Watch the rotors as well as drilled rotors are known to get stress cracks. You ideally want quality blank rotors and good pads (not ceramic).
Before you go out and buy any more mods use the search aggressively as there are a ton of things out there that will only hurt you in the corners.
What mods would you suggest for a car that is daily driven and autox 1-2 a month. with a few passes at the drag strip?
The sways are a nice mod and really help.
Definitely pull the LCAs and relocation brackets -- they tend to bind things up.
Fresh oil change and add an extra quart, ensure you're using fresh DOT 4+ brake fluid and your tires are in good shape and you're good to start out.
Once you get deeper in, you'll want to upgrade brake pads and find a good set of blank rotors.
Definitely pull the LCAs and relocation brackets -- they tend to bind things up.
Fresh oil change and add an extra quart, ensure you're using fresh DOT 4+ brake fluid and your tires are in good shape and you're good to start out.
Once you get deeper in, you'll want to upgrade brake pads and find a good set of blank rotors.
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The sways are a nice mod and really help.
Definitely pull the LCAs and relocation brackets -- they tend to bind things up.
Fresh oil change and add an extra quart, ensure you're using fresh DOT 4+ brake fluid and your tires are in good shape and you're good to start out.
Once you get deeper in, you'll want to upgrade brake pads and find a good set of blank rotors.
Definitely pull the LCAs and relocation brackets -- they tend to bind things up.
Fresh oil change and add an extra quart, ensure you're using fresh DOT 4+ brake fluid and your tires are in good shape and you're good to start out.
Once you get deeper in, you'll want to upgrade brake pads and find a good set of blank rotors.
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Add the extra quart to help counter some of the oil starvation issues these cars suffer from once you start reaching higher g's around corners. Probably not as necessary for a beginner on street tires, however at $8/quart, it's cheap insurance.
I'll defer to others for more specific guidance on the brake bleed, however I just picked up a Motive Power Bleeder. In theory (haven't yet tested the execution), you fill this with fresh fluid, connect it to the cap on the fluid reservoir, add pressure to the line view the tool and then the old fluid bleeds out of the bleeder screws. Continue to push fresh fluid through until new fluids starts to push through.
I'll defer to others for more specific guidance on the brake bleed, however I just picked up a Motive Power Bleeder. In theory (haven't yet tested the execution), you fill this with fresh fluid, connect it to the cap on the fluid reservoir, add pressure to the line view the tool and then the old fluid bleeds out of the bleeder screws. Continue to push fresh fluid through until new fluids starts to push through.
Are there any downsides to having the extra qt. of oil in the crankcase for regular driving?
I've not heard of oil starvation problems with the LS engines- is there some info on that somewhere on here? ( No doubt ).
I've not heard of oil starvation problems with the LS engines- is there some info on that somewhere on here? ( No doubt ).
I've not personally encountered oil starvation under heavy G cornering, but that does not mean it can't happen. For what it's worth, I understand some oil pan designs are more prone toward it than others.
Does a stock LS1 oil pan lend itself to oil starvation? I thought the stock LS1 had a baffle in the pan and an oil scrapper for the crank. Is this true?
When I put together my LQ4 there was no scraper, just a windage tray on the block and another in the pan. Nothing like the Improved Racing baffle with trap doors to hold oil around the sump. Though, from what I gather most people run into starvation when running RComp tires and pulling a long sweeping turn.
I've only done 2 high speed autocross events, but did everything they said above. I'm far from an expert but make sure everything is in working order so you can focus on learning and have fun. No leaks, no squeaks.
I've only done 2 high speed autocross events, but did everything they said above. I'm far from an expert but make sure everything is in working order so you can focus on learning and have fun. No leaks, no squeaks.
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 515
Likes: 40
From: Orlando, Florida
Here's a data log chart comparing the factory baffle to the Improved Racing baffle on a road course:
http://www.improvedracing.com/images...GM-204_All.pdf
You can see that with the factory baffle oil pressures start to dip at about 1.0 sustained G's. With our baffle, you can pull up to about 1.4 sustained G's without any dips in oil pressure.
Generally, track days, autocrossing or drag racing a mostly stock car on street tires won't be a problem with the stock pan and baffle. Just add some extra oil (0.5-1.0 quarts) as indicated on the factory owner's manual. Once you start modifying the vehicle and running grippy tires you will start running into issues. For rock crawling, off-roading, or drifting, you definitely want a baffle and crank scraper and possibly an oil accumulator.
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 515
Likes: 40
From: Orlando, Florida
Crank scraper: http://www.improvedracing.com/crank-...ody-p-431.html
Baffle: http://www.improvedracing.com/baffle...ffle-p-30.html