Let me start by saying I've been aware of autocross for many years. but have never competed. I hope to change that by modifying my 03 5AT to compete in BSP. The car is also a daily driver.

Before you heckle me for having an Auto.. I choose it because it was either No MT Z or No wife.


From what I understand suspension is wide open

i was thinking of going with Hotchkis sway bars and springs. With either
Tockico D spec, Bilstein sport or Koni yellow shocks.

Am I shooting myself in the foot my not going with a full coil over system? My worry is that a coil over system would be unlivable in a commuting car. If I did go with coil overs has anyone experimented with different springs?

Engine/Intake:
I have a short ram intake which I believe is legal. Would a Pentium spacer also be legal? I also have one of those Bling nismo oil caps.

Transmission:
Is the upgraded valve body legal? I don’t think it is…

Brakes:
I plan on upgrading to the Track models brembo's over a aftermarket BBK mainly due to cost. I don't think this would be in violation of the BSP rules.

wheels/tires
I have a set of stock 17's that I planned mounting Kumhos to. The drawback of these is probably their weight. I'm also slightly concerned I may need to run a spacer if used with the brembo brakes which would change the effective offset of the wheel. If a spacer is needed would this still be legal?

Ground effects
Currently I'm stock. However I would like to add a nismo front bumper cover. mostly because I like it not because I expect any real performance gains. I believe this is legal as long as I don't add side skirts. Is this true?

chassis bracing
from the sound of it I would not be able to add one of those chassis ladder braces and remain legal..

what Am I missing? is there something I should do differently?

Thanks Guys!

 

I've got an auto as well and it doesn't take anything away from autocross at all. You're pretty much in 2nd gear throughout the course anyways.

As for mods you listed I'll let someone with more experience answer you. I'm BSN, only been in 5 events and on stock tires. Next season when I've got better tires I plan to run again staying in BS.

 

The swaybars will be a huge help, as well as getting matching sized tires front and rear. Otherwise the beast will understeer something fierce and be a frustrating car to drive. You might want to start with some sticky street tires (Falken RT-615's) to get the hang of how the car handles. After that, R compound tires and some skill should get you very competitive. I have been pretty happy with the stock suspension, as I can't afford anything better.
Maybe don't ask, don't tell on the tranny. I doubt anyone would notice and you can't just undo it. The Nismo LSD has helped me quite a bit, but tests have shown the viscous unit to be faster.
Depending on where you run, weight reduction could actually be a bad thing. I have had some of my best times on asphalt with a full tank of gas and a heavy passenger.

 

-coilovers will allow more adjustment (height, corner balance...) but they also cost much more.
-intake/plenum is wide open for mods
-body kits can put you into SM class...but it depends on what it is (check the '07 SCCA rule book for specifics)
-If you're going to get a set of AutoX tires, you might want to just buy a 2nd set of rims...R-compound tires will wear out quickly if driven on the street (many R-compounds aren't suited for wet conditions either)

other mods to consider:
-ECU (reflash or Utec)
-headers, ehxuast
-pullies, lightweight flywheel

**not the best for a daily driver
-lightweigth race seats, 4/5/6 pt harness
-remove stereo
-headers to straight pipe (saves $ on buying a name brand exhuast)


I'll be competeing in BSP this next year - I have coilovers and think they're very streetable; I set them close to full soft. I drive about 60 miles/day and don't mind it.



-Peter

 

Camber Bushings are a must for the front of the car. if you go BSP you can get a set of lightweight 18X10s and run 285/30/18s all the way around the car with no rubbing...

 

Are you trying to become regionally, divisionally, or nationally competitive in BSP with the Z? It's gonna be hard to make your daily driven auto Z competitive in the later 2 (depending on your division).

Sounds to me like you just want to start Auto-xing the Z and modding it at the same time. It would be best if you would define your goals a little better, since in the long run it will save you tons of $.

Also, since you have never auto-xed before you really need to start out with some street tires to really learn the limits of the car. It is a lot less dangerous to loose control of the car (and it will happen at some point in time) when racing on street rubber as opposed to race rubber since you will be going a whole lot faster on race rubber. Just get out there and have some fun, learn the limits of your car and then decide how far you want to take it.

Unfortunately the Z is not going to be very competitive in BSP with the EVO and STI now competing in our class at nationals. John Tak in his BSP EVO won nationals this year by like 1.5 seconds over the next car which was a corvette. His times also beat out the top guys in ASP. I don't really see how the EVO or STI is allowed in BSP, but who am I but a lowly racer.

1) You should be fine with springs/shocks and sways. Actually they make a pretty big difference in the way the car handles. Doesn't sounds like coilovers are really needed in your situation.

2) Spacer is legal, your oil cap is fine.

3) Valve body I believe is legal, but u might have to check the rules books on it, wouldn't really worry about it if you are not planning on going to nationals.

4) Track model brakes are legal, BBK is not (puts you in SM2)

5) Spacers are fine, your 17's are fine, but you would be better off getting another set of wheels for racing (then transportation of said wheels/tires becomes an issue).

6) Nismo front/rear lip spoilers are legal, side skirts are not (again puts you in SM2)

7) Bracing is legal

Take a look at my mods for some examples, all of my mods are legal except for my radiator which will be removed before nationals next year. Any other questions?

 

Kirkster,

I was wondering what offest you are running on your 18x10 wheels? Are you experiencing any rubbing? Do you have your fenders rolled?

 

Autocross with the car as is. You will be able to answer 90 percent of the questions by the end of the season.

 

Stop! Walk away from the car. You need to get the SCCA Solo2 rule book because some of what you've listed is not legal for BSP, as others have stated.

The first two mods anyone should do when building a car for a specific racing class are:

1. Get the current rule book.
2. Buy the factory FSM (or ESM in this case).

 

Thanks Guys I really appreiciate the quality of the responses here.

Its great advise. And I do need a service manual for this car. which one would you recommend? Just so you don't think I'm a total noob to this I have spent alot of time reading over the rules which was the catalyst for many of my questions.

what specifically in the setup above is illeagal?

As far as the AT valve body I had wanted to get it but I'm not willing to if its going to be illegal.

Being in New England the STI's and EVO's are far more common than Z's I'm that they sure they domiate the Region. I'm looking to go out and have a good time and improve. I'll reevaluate that goal after I get some experience.

This is great advise but it runs contray to my other adjenda..
perhapse I'll scale back a little.

Just swaybars and brakes for the short term. That should keep the mod bug properly fed without doing too much damage.

Thanks Guys!

 

Most people don't know their own driving style before they start modding. Not the best idea. Seat time is the best modification. Once you really know how your car performs under all conditions and how you make it perform, then you will know what needs to be modified. Once you add one part, you must relearn the car. And so on. Good luck. Stock class racing is a very fun thing to do, and you can mod your car to a point, very tastefully. I'd say to go that direction. You can have a catback exhaust, shocks, replacement rims that are the same width and height, and within +-6mm offset, and any DOT tire. Those things alone significantly change the car.

 

Thanks for the input I appriciate it.

Hey, How did that caliper paint work out for you?