serious race prepped build and i need some advice.
04-05-2011, 04:42 AM
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serious race prepped build and i need some advice.
okay. i have a 06 base 350z that i've completely gutted and i am about a quarter through the build. im trying to get it completed in the next two months shortly after i attend skip barbers school. im building it currently for NASA's PT or ST series depending on where my car end up after the Tech inspection and then im going to try moving into scca's sto or a pro series if i can.
purchases so far.
Clutchmasters light weight fly wheel
Clutchmasters fx300 pressure plate and clutch disc
auto power industries weld in six point which i will build onto.
sparco seat and wheel
xxr 19" 8.5 and 9.5 unfortunately got an ebay chubby and bought without thought.
about to purchase an os giken lsd 1.5 way today or tomorrow going to do a little bit more research on it first.
i've custom fabricated exhaust to run out behind the passenger door.
replaced rear windshield with lexan
and spent a couple thousand on a suit and gloves and shoes and all those goodies not to mention tools namely a m3 tube bender and a tig welder because we only had a miller mig.
now my questions are if i can find serious straight racing coilovers without all the comfort settings jazz. also want to have adjustable rebound and compression without blowing more than 1500. everybody in every forum ive looked at is talking about a mild street car they take to the track and this is not my situation. my lady z will never be street driven again and the same goes for brakes. id like to find 12 inchish four pistons without spending 5 grand. i already know im going to get a haltech standalone ecm but i was going to wait a couple weeks or so to get the roll cage completely done before i start completely rewiring everything. this is the first car i am fully race building and any suggestions will be appreciated, especially if you can give me links or phone numbers.
Brett Hawkins.
purchases so far.
Clutchmasters light weight fly wheel
Clutchmasters fx300 pressure plate and clutch disc
auto power industries weld in six point which i will build onto.
sparco seat and wheel
xxr 19" 8.5 and 9.5 unfortunately got an ebay chubby and bought without thought.
about to purchase an os giken lsd 1.5 way today or tomorrow going to do a little bit more research on it first.
i've custom fabricated exhaust to run out behind the passenger door.
replaced rear windshield with lexan
and spent a couple thousand on a suit and gloves and shoes and all those goodies not to mention tools namely a m3 tube bender and a tig welder because we only had a miller mig.
now my questions are if i can find serious straight racing coilovers without all the comfort settings jazz. also want to have adjustable rebound and compression without blowing more than 1500. everybody in every forum ive looked at is talking about a mild street car they take to the track and this is not my situation. my lady z will never be street driven again and the same goes for brakes. id like to find 12 inchish four pistons without spending 5 grand. i already know im going to get a haltech standalone ecm but i was going to wait a couple weeks or so to get the roll cage completely done before i start completely rewiring everything. this is the first car i am fully race building and any suggestions will be appreciated, especially if you can give me links or phone numbers.
Brett Hawkins.
04-05-2011, 05:30 AM
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You'll not get an answer here
IMHO serious questions get answered with mocking or insults. Maybe if you went to or called one of the tracks you intend to race you could find someone with the expertise and willingness to give you a serious answer.
Either way, good luck.
Either way, good luck.
04-05-2011, 06:27 AM
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Brett,
The problem you will have with getting a serious answer here is the way you are going about the build.
An examples. I don't have any personal experience with XXR wheels but believe (from what I have read), they are cast wheels that are heavy....probably fine for street and light track but not true track wheels. Also, probably should have got them in 18, not 19 size (better from a weight and rolling mass perspective and cheaper tires)
Usually, you would want to pick the class you want to run in and then build the car to the specs of that class. And, usually one should start with a class that allows less modifications so that resources can be focused and track time can be gained.
So, for a bit of assistance:
Brakes - Look at the wilwood kits, they are the best price/quality pick. If still too expensive, try to find a brembo setup off the track model 350z and don't skimp on pads or fluid.
Suspension - Not really going to find a new double adjustable race coilover kit for under $1500. May want to see if you can find a beat up used set and have them rebuilt to your specs but still probably in or over the $1500 area. If you are interested, I have a set of KW Clubsports in need of a rebuild...just PM me. Otherwise, look for some Koni's, have them valved the way you want them and get some good springs to go with them.
The problem you will have with getting a serious answer here is the way you are going about the build.
An examples. I don't have any personal experience with XXR wheels but believe (from what I have read), they are cast wheels that are heavy....probably fine for street and light track but not true track wheels. Also, probably should have got them in 18, not 19 size (better from a weight and rolling mass perspective and cheaper tires)
Usually, you would want to pick the class you want to run in and then build the car to the specs of that class. And, usually one should start with a class that allows less modifications so that resources can be focused and track time can be gained.
So, for a bit of assistance:
Brakes - Look at the wilwood kits, they are the best price/quality pick. If still too expensive, try to find a brembo setup off the track model 350z and don't skimp on pads or fluid.
Suspension - Not really going to find a new double adjustable race coilover kit for under $1500. May want to see if you can find a beat up used set and have them rebuilt to your specs but still probably in or over the $1500 area. If you are interested, I have a set of KW Clubsports in need of a rebuild...just PM me. Otherwise, look for some Koni's, have them valved the way you want them and get some good springs to go with them.
Last edited by jnathan68; 04-05-2011 at 06:30 AM.
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04-05-2011, 06:56 AM
#9
I know you have already started but you may want to rethink your build logic. The best way it to decide what group/class you want to run and then build the car to that spec. Too many people have built cars only to find that they don't fit into any class, they are in a no-mans land. If that happens then the only option is to de-build the car to get to spec, or move to an unlimited class which is only competitive if you are willing to spend $100K or so.
It is possible to build to two different racing organizations like NASA and SCCA, but you will need to make compromises and the only real cars I see comptetitive in both are Spec Miatas and GT1/ST1 cars
Just food for thought.
It is possible to build to two different racing organizations like NASA and SCCA, but you will need to make compromises and the only real cars I see comptetitive in both are Spec Miatas and GT1/ST1 cars
Just food for thought.
Last edited by mhoward1; 04-05-2011 at 06:57 AM.
04-05-2011, 07:42 AM
#11
auto power industries weld in six point which i will build onto.
04-05-2011, 08:36 AM
#12
I know you have already started but you may want to rethink your build logic. The best way it to decide what group/class you want to run and then build the car to that spec. Too many people have built cars only to find that they don't fit into any class, they are in a no-mans land. If that happens then the only option is to de-build the car to get to spec, or move to an unlimited class which is only competitive if you are willing to spend $100K or so.
It is possible to build to two different racing organizations like NASA and SCCA, but you will need to make compromises and the only real cars I see comptetitive in both are Spec Miatas and GT1/ST1 cars
Just food for thought.
It is possible to build to two different racing organizations like NASA and SCCA, but you will need to make compromises and the only real cars I see comptetitive in both are Spec Miatas and GT1/ST1 cars
Just food for thought.
Make sure the Autopower cage meets the SCCA/NASA tube OD and wall thickness rules. You'll need 1.750" OD and .095" wall thickness. Autopower has been selling their 1.5" x .120" wall cages as SCCA legal for cars with a GCR weight of 2,700 or more and that's not true.
04-05-2011, 08:54 AM
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OP wanted to know about racing, what better way to learn by going to the motorsports link i provided and read the threads pertaining to what others are using, doing some research. nothing humorous intended at all
04-05-2011, 09:27 AM
#14
As you can tell from all of the other replies, there are some awesome people in this section of the forum who have a wealth of knowledge which they are always willing to share.
As you are located in Knoxville, I am thinking that VIR may be your track of choice. If so, I would highly recommend doing some events with Triangle Z - Tarheel Sports Car Club.
Anyway, welcome and will look forward to meeting you later in the year
04-05-2011, 10:06 AM
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Wilwoods are def a good choice for brakes.
as for coilovers ive been running fortune auto 500 series with swift spring upgrade for 5 months now, ive owned several great brand name coilovers and these have absolutley topped them. they dyno every set so they are perfectly matched and they can valve them to your specs, i got mine for less than 1500. and if no body believes in these cause they are a newer company look into the redline time attack and youll see several cars are winning with them.
http://www.fortune-auto.net/newjerseytime2010.htm
as for coilovers ive been running fortune auto 500 series with swift spring upgrade for 5 months now, ive owned several great brand name coilovers and these have absolutley topped them. they dyno every set so they are perfectly matched and they can valve them to your specs, i got mine for less than 1500. and if no body believes in these cause they are a newer company look into the redline time attack and youll see several cars are winning with them.
http://www.fortune-auto.net/newjerseytime2010.htm
04-05-2011, 10:11 AM
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OP, please do not be put off by this kind of smart @ss response.
As you can tell from all of the other replies, there are some awesome people in this section of the forum who have a wealth of knowledge which they are always willing to share.
As you are located in Knoxville, I am thinking that VIR may be your track of choice. If so, I would highly recommend doing some events with Triangle Z - Tarheel Sports Car Club.
Anyway, welcome and will look forward to meeting you later in the year
As you can tell from all of the other replies, there are some awesome people in this section of the forum who have a wealth of knowledge which they are always willing to share.
As you are located in Knoxville, I am thinking that VIR may be your track of choice. If so, I would highly recommend doing some events with Triangle Z - Tarheel Sports Car Club.
Anyway, welcome and will look forward to meeting you later in the year
anyway OP, good luck with your set up and have fun, that is the whole point of modding the car right?
Last edited by Z04; 04-05-2011 at 10:14 AM.
04-05-2011, 10:26 AM
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From what I remember the xxrs weigh something like 23-27lbs PER wheel. That's much heavier than stock. If this was a serious race build I think you would have either done research and looked for an ugly set of lightweight wheels or just stayed stock.
Just my 2 cents
Just my 2 cents
04-05-2011, 11:33 AM
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to z04 thanks. if i knew how to navigate these forums better i might have been able to find that.
ksechler i plan on asking the skip instructor all these questions.
jnatha68. i bought those wheels two years ago before i understood the difference between vertical load from downforce and vertical load from weight. two of the rims are busted anyway and i wouldn't trust them to race anyway. i was just trying to give an accurate description to show where im trying to go with it. believe i have poured over all of scca's rules and regulations for literally hours and i refuse to put on a restrictor plate and drive around with a spare tire for T3, and i am not going to spend thousands on nismo products that would hold me back from moving into scca's sto eventually. and that left me with nasa pt series. and if i get booted into the st unlimited it will still be track time.
beta motorsports good call. im calling them right now. if the did it wrong though it will be there bad because i specifically asked it if was approved and i made sure about the wall thickness but i assumed they would have know the rest.
this is my first time doing a build and though my father is an ase master certified all he ever built was god awful straight line putty magnets so ive been working through handling modifications by researching
ksechler i plan on asking the skip instructor all these questions.
jnatha68. i bought those wheels two years ago before i understood the difference between vertical load from downforce and vertical load from weight. two of the rims are busted anyway and i wouldn't trust them to race anyway. i was just trying to give an accurate description to show where im trying to go with it. believe i have poured over all of scca's rules and regulations for literally hours and i refuse to put on a restrictor plate and drive around with a spare tire for T3, and i am not going to spend thousands on nismo products that would hold me back from moving into scca's sto eventually. and that left me with nasa pt series. and if i get booted into the st unlimited it will still be track time.
beta motorsports good call. im calling them right now. if the did it wrong though it will be there bad because i specifically asked it if was approved and i made sure about the wall thickness but i assumed they would have know the rest.
this is my first time doing a build and though my father is an ase master certified all he ever built was god awful straight line putty magnets so ive been working through handling modifications by researching
04-05-2011, 12:09 PM
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to z04 thanks. if i knew how to navigate these forums better i might have been able to find that.
ksechler i plan on asking the skip instructor all these questions.
jnatha68. i bought those wheels two years ago before i understood the difference between vertical load from downforce and vertical load from weight. two of the rims are busted anyway and i wouldn't trust them to race anyway. i was just trying to give an accurate description to show where im trying to go with it. believe i have poured over all of scca's rules and regulations for literally hours and i refuse to put on a restrictor plate and drive around with a spare tire for T3, and i am not going to spend thousands on nismo products that would hold me back from moving into scca's sto eventually. and that left me with nasa pt series. and if i get booted into the st unlimited it will still be track time.
beta motorsports good call. im calling them right now. if the did it wrong though it will be there bad because i specifically asked it if was approved and i made sure about the wall thickness but i assumed they would have know the rest.
this is my first time doing a build and though my father is an ase master certified all he ever built was god awful straight line putty magnets so ive been working through handling modifications by researching
ksechler i plan on asking the skip instructor all these questions.
jnatha68. i bought those wheels two years ago before i understood the difference between vertical load from downforce and vertical load from weight. two of the rims are busted anyway and i wouldn't trust them to race anyway. i was just trying to give an accurate description to show where im trying to go with it. believe i have poured over all of scca's rules and regulations for literally hours and i refuse to put on a restrictor plate and drive around with a spare tire for T3, and i am not going to spend thousands on nismo products that would hold me back from moving into scca's sto eventually. and that left me with nasa pt series. and if i get booted into the st unlimited it will still be track time.
beta motorsports good call. im calling them right now. if the did it wrong though it will be there bad because i specifically asked it if was approved and i made sure about the wall thickness but i assumed they would have know the rest.
this is my first time doing a build and though my father is an ase master certified all he ever built was god awful straight line putty magnets so ive been working through handling modifications by researching
)