DRAG SETUPxxxxhandling setup now

[Yaba3800]

hey guys, im kindof trying to gear my car for straight line, while keeping it as a normal daily driver. i think i will do shocks next, what brand/model would yall recommend? also for susp. is the best way to go : z rear, umi perf. lca's and torque arm? thanks

[ September 10, 2005, 03:06 PM: Message edited by: Yaba3800 ]

[99v6cam]

Shocks I'd recommend bilstiens. While expensive they are for thier quality. UMI offers great products and I'd recommend you LCAs, the chassis mounted torque arm and maybe subframe connectors (dpenedning on how far you plan on going with your mods).

[Tru2Chevy]

If you are seriuos about a street/strip setup, don't go with bilsteins. The only way to do it right is to get Hal/QA1 adjustables.

- Justin

[Yaba3800]

ok and if i want awesome handling will that kill my straightline? ive decided that my favorite car to drive is my sisters 2000 merc. cougar which will leave anythin in the turns that ive ever seen... 2.5v6 does good in the straights too. so i think i want good handling. what setup is good for handling? lcas?

[slow6]

sways

[Yaba3800]

thats is? weak sauce

[Vracer111]

Originally posted by Yaba3800:
thats is? weak sauce

A 4th generation V6 Camaro ('98+ that is) with mild suspension upgrades will devour corners for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A Mecury cougar...even one similarly upgraded has absolutely no chance in comparison.

Mods needed:
1. Good dampers (either Bilstein HD's or Koni Sports)
2. Upgraded swaybars 35mm front/19mm rear should be fine.
3. 17x9.5 wheels with wide sticky 275/40-17 tires (say Kumho MX's or Falken Azenis RT-615).
4. Good brake pads: Hawk HPS or HP+ (HP+ if you don't mind dusting and near instant stopping power.... :D )

There you go.

[Yaba3800]

awesome thanks. how about a 1le sway 32mm up front and a 21mm in rear? also im pretty sure that no camaro could touch the coug. its a new one a 2000 and its way outta my cars handling league. thanks a bunch by the by

[95Batmobile]

Originally posted by Vracer111:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Yaba3800:
thats is? weak sauce

A 4th generation V6 Camaro ('98+ that is) with mild suspension upgrades will devour corners for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A Mecury cougar...even one similarly upgraded has absolutely no chance in comparison.

Mods needed:
1. Good dampers (either Bilstein HD's or Koni Sports)
2. Upgraded swaybars 35mm front/19mm rear should be fine.
3. 17x9.5 wheels with wide sticky 275/40-17 tires (say Kumho MX's or Falken Azenis RT-615).
4. Good brake pads: Hawk HPS or HP+ (HP+ if you don't mind dusting and near instant stopping power.... :D )

There you go. </font>[/QUOTE]1. You forgot Hal QA1 coil overs, which are near koni quality.
2. Those sways are too big for a V6 car
3. Kuhmo's are trash, if you want to handle go with Pirelli, BFG, Michelin... not kuhmo.
4. Definately go with the HPS pads, they're nice.

[V6Bob]

"how about a 21mm in rear?"

On stock V6 springs, a 21mm rear is definitely too big and a 19 may be too big.

The thing about big rear sway bars is that you're risking poor emergency handling and not getting much benefit. The car will feel "lively" in normal driving, which is why some people like them, but it isn't any faster, and it may be entirely too "lively" in rain or in an emergency swerve.

[Vracer111]

1. You forgot Hal QA1 coil overs, which are near koni quality.
2. Those sways are too big for a V6 car
3. Kuhmo's are trash, if you want to handle go with Pirelli, BFG, Michelin... not kuhmo.
4. Definately go with the HPS pads, they're nice.

1. I guess QA1 HAL dampers could work for a daily driver but Koni's and Bilstein are what most autocross/roadracing F-body cars use.

2. If you think those sways are too big for a V6 you then you wouldn't like my 36.7mm fronts with 25mm rears. It just takes the proper tires and dampers to make it work correctly.

3. Kumho MX's trash? You do know they are essentially equivalent to BFGoodrich G-Force T/A KD's for half the price? I mean all the Corvette Z06, BMW M3, Dodge Viper SRT-10, and Camaro SS guys that use them for racing/track days and like them better than Michelin Pilot Sports Or Pirelli P-Zeros must be nuts right? ;) Michelin Pilot Sport series and Pirelli P-zero series tires = much more expensive yet insignificant performance difference in comparison with the Kumho Ecsta MX's.

[Yaba3800]

ok v6bob i hear your the man to talk to .(or batty)
which setup then? should i go with all 1le or what?
qa1 coilovers are adjustable hiegth? that messes with your alignment which wears your tires down fast right? ive got falken ze-512's that are staying on for like 35,000 more miles [img]smile.gif[/img]
and just pads will change my braking? where can i get hks pads to fit? how hard to install?

[Vracer111]

Originally posted by Yaba3800:
awesome thanks. how about a 1le sway 32mm up front and a 21mm in rear? also im pretty sure that no camaro could touch the coug. its a new one a 2000 and its way outta my cars handling league. thanks a bunch by the by

Don't sell the 4th Gen Camaro so short. Properly setup it makes for great handling autocross car. And roadcourse handling is on par with all the proper trackday "sport cars" - C5 Corvettes, Mazda Miata MX-5's, and BMW M3's. It would have to be one seriously modded 2000 Cougar to equal the performance capability of the 4th Gen Camaro.

To give you a data point on the last generation Cougars handling verses the V6 Camaros handling in a round-about way, I have results from the Houston SCCA 'April' autocross event HERE. Below is the map of the course ran at that event:



My '98 Toyota Tacoma Extended cab (STF class, #223) best clean time was 54.588 seconds. The '99 Cougar (STS class, #37) best clean time was 54.480 seconds. So that '99 Cougar was officially only 0.108 seconds faster than my '98 Tacoma Extended Cab. For a Cougar to be running in STS class would mean at a minimum it has upgraded dampers/springs, upgraded swaybars, your standard STS class street tires (Falken Azenis RT-215 or RT-615, Kumho Ecsta MX, or Hankook R-S2 Z212 most likely), and good brake pads (Hawk HPS/HP+ or other equivalent.)

Now is when the V6 Camaro comes into play. Do you know how much quicker my '98 SM class Camaro is around the typical autocross course than my '98 STF Tacoma?

4.xxx seconds... with about 2 seconds of that because of the Nitto NT-555RII tires and the other 2.xxx seconds of that because of the F-Body suspension design. The only suspension mods the camaro has is Koni Sport SA dampers, Hotchkis Sport Swaybars, 17x9.5 Z06 wheels with 275/40-17 Nitto NT-555RII's, and Hawk HP+ brake pads Front / Hawk HPS pads Rear. Everything else stock except for Hurst shifter, K&N filter, aftermarket flowmaster muffler, Autopower 4-point rollbar, 4-point harnesses, and stripped interior from the 4-point rollbar back.
So if I swapped to street tires, say Kumho MX's, and ran the Camaro instead of the Tacoma I would have only have been 2 seconds quicker than that '99 Mercury Cougar.

Still think Camaro's can't handle? :D

[kristen]

my set up
EDELBROCK TORQUE ARM
BMR LOWER CONTROL ARMS
BMR PANHARD ROD
BMR STRUT TOWER
BILSTEIN SHOCKS

[Yaba3800]

what bout the a -arms from umi?