Injected1

iTrader: (4)

Ok...I have been drag racing for just 5 short years now, and while I still find it incredibly fun, I want to try my hand at something new. I have decided I want to venture into road racing, and there is a "near-by" (4 hour drive), track that does open course 1lap 1 car at a time events until I can afford to go to a driving school.

Ok, while I want to try hand at road racing, I want to keep the car suitable for drag racing, and I am not looking for some extreme road race car, I care more about streetability and having a nice daily drivable car then having the fastest best handling car on the track. Simply put if I want to win I will build one from the ground up.

In all the reading I have done, the main difference between drag setups and RR setups is the front spring/shock combo, and alignment. Someone correct me if I am wrong here.

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

And bushings and sway bars and tires and ride height and weight bias and brakes and torque curve ... but other than that, they are about the same.

Injected1

iTrader: (4)

hahaha....yeah, you have a point.
Basically my plan was, to get double adjustable shocks on the front, and have 3 settings on them (RR, DS, DD),
Pop the front sway bar off at the DS.
Ride height, needs to remain good for the street, so I will find something that will be good for all 3.

Weight bias and torque curve are the only thing I can't deal with on a trip by trip basis, but I pretty much am planning on a broad torque curve (220/224 .581 116.5 cam decent heads, cam is already on it's way)

And I plan on putting drs in skinny's on my stock wheels, and better tires on my 17x9.5 17x11 ZR1s

John_D.

iTrader: (2)

DA's are probably overkill. (too many combinations of adjustments, and from what I understand most people set the compression adjustment all the way to one end of the scale and just leave it there anyway - which ends up being nearly the same setting as an SA).

SA's will help.

For just getting out there and trying it, stiffening up the front and good front pads would be a good starting point.

Lots to do from there, depending on what you decide after the first few events.

For stiffening the front, doing it with the sway bars (vs. the springs) lets you switch the rate more easily between RR and drag.

MeentSS02

iTrader: (11)

I'd be more worried about brakes than anything...you need some good pads that won't fade on you and some good rotors to handle the heat. Brake fluid is also important...boil that and you're SOL regardless.

Personally, I'd set it up for road racing, and resign myself to the fact that I'd never be cutting 1.5 60' times and be happy with that. A road racing car can easily make it down the drag strip, but the opposite doesn't hold quite as true.

subtlez28

iTrader: (15)

My $.02:
If you have stock springs, keep them. Get some Koni SAs. This will allow tuning ride to your liking, and you can get a modest ride hieght reduction w the lower perch/spring mod.

Get a single adjustable (double adjustable is again a waste-should only need to be adjusted once, so on car adjustment realy isn't a strong selling point) rod end panhard bar. The stock bushings allow too much lateral movement, makes the rear "hop" around over bumps.

Strano Sway Bar Set.

Performance minded alignment. This will NOT hurt you at the drags. Zero toe-good for turn in and less scrub at dragstrip. As much negative camber as you can get evenly on both sides (one side will often have different limits) shoot for -1.5. Tire wear will not be horrible as your alingment guy may say. And Alot of posetive castor-again good for high speed stability-road or drag. I'm thinking I got 4.5...

Good brake pads and fluid-as earlier stated.

And last but not least, GOOD TIRES!!! Something with under a 300 treadware 4 sure! As sticky as you are comfortable paying for. Get a high perf tire--NOT an all season. The bigger the tread blocks the better! The wider the better-275s fit easily. And personally, I really dont see the need to go over 17s (just MHO).

You've no doubt read this b4, but talk w Sam Strano. He is the only place to get the Strano bar set, and is very informative. He can set you up w all the above stuff (except tires?).

00 Trans Ram

iTrader: (5)

Remember this when you are making compromises between good handling on the road course and quick times at the drag strip - which one is more likely to kill you? On a drag strip, if you lose it, you may scrape along a concrete wall for a few hundred yards and/or total the engine/rear/tranny. On a road course, if you lose it, you could go head-on into a wall at over 100mph or flip a few times through the dirt.

Like MeenTSS02 said, a RR car will do OK at a drag strip - a drag car is just plain dangerous on a road course.

Injected1

iTrader: (4)

I would like to thank you all for your input thusfar.. Brakes has been a big point made that I haven't pondered over much. Does anyone have a suggestion on a good break kit that isn't going to destroy my bank account?

gun5l1ng3r

I think a set of brembo blanks or Autozone blanks(they will both be worn OUT at the end of a track day) will do well. Also, some pads from Carbotech(?) seem to be the recommened race only pad. I have a set of HPS pads on my Daily Driver and they seems to work better when warm and don't fade.

MeentSS02

iTrader: (11)

As for the rotors, I'd say Brembo blanks as well (although I have no experience with them personally). Pads? No clue...

Injected1

iTrader: (4)

I appreciate all the help yall, if anyone else wants to add on, I am intersted in listening.

Viper

iTrader: (6)

www.frrax.com will help you a ton

MeentSS02

iTrader: (11)

Here's an example of a road racing car that does "okay" at the drag strip too:

www.lgmracing.com/lg140.wmv

Granted, that's their race car, but still...it'd whoop my car's *** all the way to the grocery store. And back.

PowerShift408

iTrader: (44)

I'm in the same boat as you Injected1, I have fun drag racing, but want to try something different as well. I've got the eibach pro-kit (Don't know how good this is for handling the twisties, but they were on the car when I bought it and I love the stance), Spohn tubular LCAs w/ relo. brackets, BMR sfc, Koni SAs, and a UMI stb.

How does that sound so far to your more experienced road racers? How about adjustment recommendations for the SAs. Right now they are soft as possible in the back and 6/10 firmness in the front. Also, I think I would be correct in assuming that the rears need to be taken off the car to adjust them. Would I be correct in that assumption?

John_D.

iTrader: (2)

The relo brackets may need to be adjusted closer to stock to avoid roll oversteer.

The Koni SA rear shocks should be adjustable from inside the car, on top of the shock. Should have a white **** to temporarily put on top to make the adjustment.