Thread: Roll Cage
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Old Nov 9, 2007 | 06:06 PM
  #11  
white_n_slow's Avatar
white_n_slow
it's my D in a B
 
Joined: Aug 2001
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From: Your Mom's House
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Then I would skip the roll cage. Like I mentioned, unless you want to wear a helmet around town, its not really the safest thing for a DD. Even the nerf tubing they sell still isn't the safest.

And sorry, I just have to give this rant as a disclaimer before I go on: modding the hell out of your car wont make it any faster unless you improve yourself as a driver. The best set up car in the world with an ok driver will still get stomped by an old hand in an '84 Civic. The best thing you can possibly do to improve your times is to take a few lessons and get lots of practice.

...ok now that thats done...

You are already in SM (because of the motor swap), so your options are pretty open in terms of what you want to do with the suspension.

And let me just say this: TIRES ARE BY FAR THE MOST IMPORTANT AUTOCROSS MOD. This doesn't mean go out and buy a set of Hoosiers... in fact I wouldn't recommend R tires for a noob or even an intermediate autocrosser (myself included). But some decent tires will go much farther in improving your times than pretty much any other mod.

If you're worried about rigidity, there are quality strut-braces and tie bars out there that will help. If I had to do it over again, I would skip the front lower tie bar (didn't really notice anything, but the car was pretty sorted by the time I put it on). I would get a rear tie/sway bar combo (Comptech, for instance) because it kills two birds with one stone and eliminates the possibility of subframe tear-out. Even the beaks/itr combo require frequent checking to make sure everything is snug. A word on strut braces: there are plenty of shitty ones out there that wont do jack... go with a reputable name.

I'm not so sure about your sway bar choice. Having a larger front sway bar increases understeer, other factors being equal. Understeer is the enemy in autocross... this is why I went with a 21mm front bar to compliment my 22mm rear. Some guys run with no front bar at all.

As for springs and shocks, you're on the right track with the koni yellows... I've yet to find anything definitively better for autocross. Springs, well, there are lots of options, and there is no "best" spring rate combo. It all depends on your driving style. Ground control coilovers are a cheap way to get any spring rate you want and adjust the ride hight to your liking.
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