darksky1984

I ran the Dunlops with 285/30's, and plan to stay with that tire height in the future, and they do shorten your gear some but it isn't all doom and gloom as some portray it to be with 3.73's. Not you in particular jRaskell, others have said that 3.73's are horrible for any racing besides drag racing. I disagree with this statement. On a road course you have to shift more, but I also get more pep once I put my foot on the pedal. For auto-x I've only had issues with gearing a couple of times but usually shifting to 3rd a bit earlier helped extend the pull and the car's torque eliminated any side effects of the early shift. You will need to be good at heal toe shifting, or left foot braking to successfully use 3.73 gears in auto-x though. But that is a useful skill to master anyways. So what I'm trying to say is that xxx/30x18 tires will be fine but will take some getting used to with 3rd to 2nd gear down shifts. But most major auto-x events have long enough straights that cars with 3.31 gears shift into 3rd as well so it's not a huge deal in my humble opinion.

Norm Peterson

You'll probably find the people who don't like the 3.73's are people who either have or had 2010 and earlier cars, with only a 6000 rpm redline and the TR3650 5-speed. On a road course with an early S197 and short gearing, two or perhaps four extra shifts a lap isn't nearly as much of a bother as when you make the big jump to 5th and find that acceleration is only a little better than nil.



I'm solidly hitting a 5900 rpm upshift light in 4th (3.55's, 285/35-18's) down the main straight at both NJMP tracks just before my braking points, so I'm probably at or a bit above 6000 by the time I actually get out of the throttle. I'd love to have another thousand rpm available just as the car is right now.


Norm

Robertatl123

Thanks for seeing that jRaskell. I was referring to the sizes on Tirerack and looked at the correct width and then must have looked at the line below on the aspect ratio. Doh!

I'm not overly concerned with the shorter tires since our region usually runs on small to medium lots and normally do not need to shift into 3rd. This may not be the best comparison, but I rarely had to shift to third in the S2000 (close ratios + 4.10 final).

On that note, I wouldn't mind getting my hands on a set of RS3s since they are a good value. My problem is finding them. The last time I attempted to get them my tire guy told me that Tirerack gets their order from Hankook and its a crapshoot with what they receive. Essentially, Hankook has, or at least, had horrible inventory methods. I guess I will try it again when I get my wheels. In the mean time I'm leaning towards the Dunlops. On a side note...Tirerack is closing out the ZII 285/30R18 (not Star Specs) for $282.00 per.

I plan on calling Sam Strano to see what he has to say as well. Hopefully, I will be able to get my list finalized soon. I have the unusual situation where I have the money, but I need to find the time to get the parts and do the work.

Regards,

Robert

jRaskell

No longer have to wait and see...

2015 PAX/RTP Index

Those are very friendly PAX indexes, especially CAM-C, which is where are Mustangs would be. The question of having actual competition in those classes still remains though, so I guess there's still some wait and see.

Robertatl123

Thanks again. It looks like I'll campaign in CAM next season. Even if I go it alone, I'll at least be able to gauge myself with everyone else, and I get the added benefit of doing everything that I want to do with the car.

Regards,

Robert

Sam Strano

Robert-

I left you a message on the phone number you left with Desiree. I also e-mailed you back.

As for wheels, I have 18x10 Forgestars too, hooked jRaskell up with his wheels for his car(s) and his car setup in general, but I've also made a number of 18x11's, or rather had them made) in various offsets for folks too. I am a Forgestar dealer.

As for what would I recommend... well like I said in my email to you we have to discuss it. It's one of the sticky things about the web and advice given on it. There is no shortage of it. Some good, a lot bad, not a lot very specific. A lot of what we do will depend on what you have to invest. Sorry but parts cost money, and until I know what we are playing with it's hard for me to figure out where best to spend the budget in the most beneficial way we can. I assume you aren't doing this in one fell-swoop, and I would recommend NOT going nuts with too many things too fast.

Dampers, springs, bars, Watts link, wheels/tires, camber plate, and a better limited slip are HUGE for the performance of the car. No single thing will make the car faster than the wheels and tires. But make no mistake when I tell you that how the car drives, the balance the feel, and all that stuff are changed massively with the other parts. And there is speed there too. Hell there is speed in a better seat so you stay planted and you know when you feel movement it's the car and not you sliding around.

Anyway, I'm here. Please remember I'm not a big-box store. I talk to people all day everyday and those calls take time, which means I'm not always immediately available to answer every call, so please be patient with me when you leave me a message.

Robertatl123

I spoke with Sam for about an hour on Wednesday. He really helped guide me in the right direction, and ended up getting me below budget. Anyway, the parts are on the way. This is what I have so far:

Steeda Ultra-lites
Koni Yellows
Strano Front and Rear Adjustable Sway bars
MM Camber Caster Plates
Fays2 Watts Link
Forgestar 18X10 Wheels
Recaro Ford Racing Seats - Short version on this...I was getting nagged on removing the side air bags.

Waiting until I get closer to the season start:
Tires - Leaning toward RS3's, but I am taking Sam's advice on waiting until the new models are released
Brake pads - Ferodo or HPS

Debating on:
LSD
Different Final Ratio

Thanks everyone for your help.

Regards,

Robert

Sam Strano

Most things well on the way Robert. Including wheels. The last thing will be the swaybar set. I had one front in stock, but Desiree had sold the last rear I had when we spoke. I have more being made now, and will ship them as a pair just as soon as they arrive.

Robertatl123

Thanks Sam. Surprisingly I received the springs last Friday. Hopefully, I will get the remaining parts by the end of next week.

Also, is it necessary to replace the lower strut bolts? I only ask, because Ford states that these are single use for model years 05+.

Sam Strano

No you don't need new ones. But you DO need to make sure you use Loctite and aren't shy about it. The bolts are fine, the nylock nuts don't hold well after on and off without Loctite. And torque them to more than the 148 or 166 (higher on later cars, but not high enough). In fact make them about as tight as you can.