Building budget FWD autocrosser?

[Toshiro]

Hey everyone, I would like to get some opinions on what I should add to my car to make it fairly competetive for a Solo2 autocross. I'm on a budget (about $1000 right now, plus part time job), so I won't be getting huge turbos and such. I think I want to set my car up for E-Street Prepared, based on what I've read (stock boost, etc).

Here's my mod list so far:
17x7.5 Kosei K1 Racing rims
225/45/17 Yokohama AVS ES100 tires
Front 98 GSX stock calipers and rotors (blanks)
Front Axxis Ultimate pads
BOV dump tube hack
K&N drop in panel filter (stock replacement)
Boost gauge, Volt gauge, EGT gauge.

What should I put my money towards, and what mods should I shy away from to stay in a class where I can compete?

P.S. My car is FWD turbo.

P.P.S. The autocrosses start in April.

 

[DSMSpyder99]

well you should have gone with a 1G if dsince they are cheaper and already have a bigger turbo. Well i dont know what class your entering but balance is the key. Since the 4G63 already has more HP and lb. ft of torque than your average I-4. I would invest money in a set of Tein Coilovers and a big brake kit

 

[Toshiro]

One could also say I should have gone with an AWD, too. I like 1Gs, but when I was looking for a car (desparate, no car for 2 weeks), my 97 GST popped up first. The idea is to make due with what I have while still being able to have a reliable daily driver that won't make my kidneys explode.

I just upgraded the front brakes, so I won't be touching those for a while. I've considered Tein Basics or SS, but some people have been giving mixed reviews of them. But I probably will either go with Tein SS or GC/Koni Yellows. Whichever is better.

 

[Thomas91169]

wheres there autoX courses here in cali? right now i live in modesto, but come summer im moving to chico. id like to get into autoX. sounds fun.

 

[Toshiro]

I guess all the autoXs around here this year are going to be in Stockton, according to http://www.sfrscca.org/solo2/Sacramento/index.html . I've never been to one, but sounds awesome to me, too. Look for a silver 97 GST if you go, heh.

 

[jim97gst]

http://www.wincom.net/trog/autocross/

I wouldn't mess with the brakes other than pads. The bigger brakes will mostly buy you fade resistance, which isn't an issue on the average autoX course.

EGT gauge is not really needed with the stock turbo. Voltmeter isn't really that important either from an autoX perspective.

Instead of the drop in K&N, I'd spend another $50 and get a cone filter setup.

A harness would be really nice to have. I keep saying I'm going to get one but haven't yet. Sliding around in leather seats trying to hold on to the steering wheel sucks.

If you're really on a budget and want to build it exclusively for autoX, I wouldn't touch the engine and would focus on the wheels/tires/shocks/sways. You WILL get beat by some guy with a Ford Focus or similar with a stock engine, good tires, and good driver.

Also, ESP has a regulation for the stock boost controller, not the stock boost level. A full exhaust/intake/UICP/1GBOV will give you nice 20 psi spikes at the low end.

 

[Toshiro]

The stuff I listed is stuff I've already done. The car came with the K&N drop-in, but everything else was done by me. I got the gauges before I decided I wanted to have an auto-x car, and I agree they won't help too much if I'm not going to modify the engine. Thanks for the input and the good link. BTW I have cloth seats, would you still recommend harnesses?

 

[jim97gst]

Sorry, I didn't read your post carefully.

Probably your best bang for the buck would be a set of R compund tires (Kuhmo Victoracers for example). But those with a second set of wheels will blow about your whole thousand dollars.

Where I autocross, you can run in a daily driver class where you compete against only others on street tires. But then you end up competing against a bunch of people in different groups using PAX scores. STX is another option where everybody has to run street tires. This class is pretty well dominated by WRXs.

If you decide to stay on street tires, I would recommend the following.

4 Koni Yellows - $600
RMDSM sways - $300

So that leaves $100 that could be used for any number of other small items. I would probably say a harness. Again, I don't have one myself, but I have plans to get one soon. A lot of people will say it helps A LOT. You could also get front and rear strut tower bars. A front lower tie bar. Maybe even a camber adjustment kit to get yourself more negative camber in the front. Just go do a few races with the car how it is and see what you like and dislike about it.

 

[DSMeclipse4G63]

fwd is better for autocross than awd. sorry for the hijack
Andrew

 

[Toshiro]

Thanks for the replies, I'll probably order some RMDSM sways this week. They're on sale for $250 + shipping.

Also, why is FWD better than AWD for autox? I figured that since AWD was better for a road course (more power out of corners), it would be better at an autox.

 

[Toshiro]

Got my RM sways today, I'll install them next week. Also shaved my "eclipse" and "gst" today.

 

[jim97gst]

Dude I like your gauge cluster above the radio. Was that a custom job, or can you buy a bezel that fits in that spot?

 

[Toshiro]

Thanks man, I bought the plate on eBay, search for "DIN gauge." The only problem with it is my way is kinda permanent, because the plate didn't fit really tightly into the car, so I kinda "secured" it (*cough*glue*cough*). Also, my GReddy gauge didn't have any mounting stuff (sold seperately :thumbdown ), so I had to "secure" it to the plate. If that makes any sense.

 

[Larry L]

SUSPENSION, SUSPENSION,SUSPENSION!!!

 

[Toshiro]

Hell yeah, right now I'm saving for some coilovers. It's looking like it's going to be Tein SS right now.

GC/Koni is around $1K, so is Tein SS, I figure I've heard mostly good things about both, but the Tein stuff is designed to work together instead of seperately.

 

[DSMeclipse4G63]

2wd will rotate better than awd...with good tires and suspension fwd will be faster than awd. Being much lighter if traction is acquired then youll dominate.
Andrew

 

[RallyxDave]

So with FWD you are gonna "rotate" better than AWD??? What, you gonna rotate your front end around some cones? More likely you're gonna get lots of understeer and one wheel spinning around the corners as you try to apply power. The fastest DSMs in autox are AWD, check it out.

 

[DSMeclipse4G63]

I dont understeer...people say these cars do that...I mostly oversteer. The only time Ive ever understeered is when I first bought my car and boosted around a turn on worn all season radials. I havent since..the only way I see my self understeering again is if I do they same slame the gas and full boost around a wet corner, which I wouldnt do on the street or a race.
Andrew

 

[SLOWGST]

tires are definately the most important component, but for suspsion yeah I would agree with a GC/Koni setup, just specify how stiff you want the springs, depending on your preference. I have 450/300lbs and they ride fine around most bumps. You should go stiffer if youre serious about autox. If you cant afford it with the swaybars, you can get tokico adjustable shocks which are cheaper and work pretty well for the money. YOu can get used coils also to save money... i dont THINK they sag the way progressive springs do after decent use.... i got mine for 275 in great shape

No-name STBs are cheap and usually work well so they arent a bad investment either

 

[FyxxterZC]

Eclipse rs front sway bar (yes I said rs, I belive it's smaller than the gst stocker) or just remove it altogether when you are at the autocross (better turn in)
Try a gsx rear sway could be legal under foward backdate mandates
if not get a good thick rear sway bar
rre lower stress bar (connects tranny with subframe I believe)
rre front strut tower bar
victory performance rear strut tower brace (mmm beefy)
Wide a tire as you can fit (225's if all else fail) also on a side note tire compound will make a big difference here as well. I personally would buy kumho victoracers for the dry and some kumho ecsta supra 712's for daily/wet weather.
go with a higher tire pressure in front and lower in rear (I start out around 2 psi off max rated pressure on the fronts and about 4-5 psi less in the rear, use some shoe polish and find where you want it to be)
be smooth, leave in second gear if you can let the car pull
make sure you have over 3/4 a tank of gas (fuel slosh is a biatch)
try not to visit many super tight courses (ps cutout is a biatch too)
suspensions all up to you, personal and financial preference.
don't expect to much, just have fun. Good luck to you.
Stay away from the 1g bypass valve mod in above post, you will get put in street mod if you don't. Theres been a big stink over it the past few years. I remember seeing a guy who dominated street prep only to be contested by a ruley subaru wrx driver. Rules could have changed when I was last autocrossing but I don't think they have. Personally I"d go with the tirerack combination on suspension though. The h and r springs are suppose to have a pretty good spring rate from what i've heard. Koni's up front, kyb agx's in the rear. I think you'd be happy with that setup once dialed in good.

ps. you'll get frustrated a lot without an lsd, be patient, modulate. or just buy an lsd preferably a clutch type like kaaz. buy this book "secrets of solo racing" by henry watts. ummm.......if I think of anything else I"ll edit. Don't forget your dot approved helmet! unless of course you like smelly rent-alls.

 

[theTuner]

Not trying to start a flame war , but
FWD is better then awd in lots of ways, but AUTOx is not one of them.