Auto-X season is here!

"WarShrike" (warshrike)
03/11/2015 at 22:36 • Filed to: None

And I'm really missing my car. Down since August, waiting on parts and it is driving me crazy!

Hope to have it back up, running and dyno tuned before May...

DISCUSSION (16)

 V8 Rustler > WarShrike
03/11/2015 at 22:47

Firebird in an autocross? Cool

WarShrike > V8 Rustler
03/11/2015 at 22:50

Yup, they enjoyed the show.

Car handles really good, needed better tires so I didn't have my konis dialed up to the firmer settings.

Lots of suspension work, my friend that had the red Z06 parked next to me said that I was cornering flatter than some of the Corvettes out there.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > WarShrike
03/11/2015 at 22:59

I can't wait for the season to start here!

Going to pick up my tires from TireRack headquarters on the 21st, and our first race should be on April 4th. Gonna try to run a few national events too, with my first one being the Wilmington Prosolo in May.

I'm also going to be writing about my season on buildraceparty.com, which should be a lot of fun.!

 V8 Rustler > WarShrike
03/11/2015 at 23:06

Kudos for breaking the stereotype that Muscle Cars can't turn. The haters are the ones that can't turn.

My citroen won't start > WarShrike
03/11/2015 at 23:22

But is it a V8 doe?

JGrabowMSt > WarShrike
03/11/2015 at 23:28

I was just thinking about having my suspension done when I have it apart for brakes and bushings.....hm

WarShrike > V8 Rustler
03/12/2015 at 01:21

Yeah, it sure isn't a Miata, but I'm just out there having fun.

WarShrike > My citroen won't start
03/12/2015 at 01:22

Nope, it has fooled some people with the engine setup so that's why it has the plate.

Ported heads/intake, cam, longtubes, T-56 trans and a lot of suspension/chassis goodies.

WarShrike > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
03/12/2015 at 01:26

I really need to sack up and get a spare set of wheels so I can get some good sport compounds.

Main goal is a "squared" set of 18" vette wheels so I can upgrade later to a big brake kit (open road race and other things).

WarShrike > JGrabowMSt
03/12/2015 at 01:31

I really like my setup, I have some poly bushings but the important ones are the heavier duty Moog bushings. Car is actually really quiet chassis wise especially after I found about $2.50 in change under the carpet during my manual trans conversion. That was change from previous owner, I never carried spare change except in a little coinholder in the armrest.

Current suspension loadout:
Front:
Strano 35mm swaybar
Strano SP141 springs
Koni Yellow 4/4 shocks
PARacing Tubular K-member RR
UMI Performance 3-point SFC's

Rear:
Strano 22mm swaybar
Strano SP141 springs
Koni Yellow 4/4 shocks
UMI Performance LCA's
UMI Performance Adjustable Panhard Bar

 V8 Rustler > WarShrike
03/12/2015 at 02:27

That looks very cool. Seems like a quicker steering rack would be a great update. I wish we had autocross events in my city, as we have none.

WarShrike > V8 Rustler
03/12/2015 at 02:32

Yeah, a rack out of the V8 car is on my list.

Evil Minion > WarShrike
03/12/2015 at 03:45

Can't wait to get back to more events!

On a side note, back when I was with the Finger Lake SCCA, there was a guy with a stock WS6, that managed to fit some wide wheels with 315 road tires all around!

Guy was a hell of a driver too; posted fastest time of the day in that thing among the cars, including an Elise that that had the second fastest time... by over half a second! Those things can indeed turn if driven properly (and have massive rubber).

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > WarShrike
03/12/2015 at 09:45

It's definitely worth it. I picked up a used set of Kosei K1 TS's for $450. The wheels are in great shape, and having a spare set allows you to go a lot bigger on the tire than you would on a wheel that has daily duties too. In my case I'm getting 235/40s on a 17x7 wheel.

WarShrike > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
03/12/2015 at 12:38

Yeah, I've got a lot of heft to throw around. I'm running 17 x 9.5 Speedlines with 275 width street tires.

I do want to get an 18" wheel to open up tire options and move closer to a 315 on all four corners since keeping the momentum up in the corners is the biggest thing for me since I don't have that V8 torque.

WarShrike > Evil Minion
03/12/2015 at 12:42

Yeah it's a good trick and they really do perform well with a good driver. They don't get good credit since they are mostly considered straight line cars even though the up level Firebird got the name Trans Am from the Trans-Am series in the 60s.

The guys on the F-body road race/autox forum (FRRAX) have a lot of well documented tips/tricks on getting a good 12" tire under all four corners for maximum grip.