How would you go about suspension upgrades for autocross?

[Lionel'z Camaro]

I know drag racing and autocross are two different things and I want to know what different parts I need to put on so that my car is definetly set up for autocross. I'm confused about the panhard rod and the torque arm. To me, I understand it as the panhard rod is made for autocross and the torque arm is made for drag racing. Thanks for your help.

[BLLDOGG]

do a search man. this stuff is descused in the suspension section all the time [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[John_D.]

Unless you've lowered the car, I wouldn't worry about a panhard rod.

Mods that help the most with autocross:

1. Shocks - autocross is all about transitions. Shocks tame the car. Bilstein's or Koni's.

2. Sway bars - quick and easy, keep the car flatter, which helps with camber control on the fronts. 32/19, or hollow 35 in the front with a solid 19 or maybe a 21 in the rear. The 21 will make the rear step out more easily.

3. Springs - some stiffer front springs wouldn't hurt. Or a solid 35 bar in the front.

4. Alignment - negative camber somewhere between -1 and -2. Zero toe. You can go more extreme, but it starts to impact daily driveability.

5. Tires - race rubber will help once your skill comes up. Street tires will help you find the areas you need to work on, race tires will hide problems. When you're ready for race rubber, that will take a couple of seconds off your times.

6. Better brake pads. This can come after better tires. Not a track pad though, because you'll never get it warmed up enough.

7. Practice/training - maybe this one should be #1. Learning to not overdrive the car/tires. Learning to be smooth. Learning to look ahead instead of at the turn you're in. Learning how to lead instead of turn late, especially slaloms.

[ November 11, 2004, 11:20 AM: Message edited by: John_D. ]

[Lionel'z Camaro]

I appreciate it.

[whiteshark]

I think good tires make the most difference. Doesn't matter how good your car can handle if your tires can't hold the road. I woulnd't recomend dishing out the cash for auto-x tires as a beginner (unless you just have $ to burn) but just some good street tires help out an amazing amount. Experience helps out alot too.