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6,361
8,184
Rim = part of the bead on a wheel
Control arms =east and west normally on the front except when used with an IRS
Trailing arms = north and south used on the rear of live axle cars

kids these days!
 
42
23
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Tennessee
Rim = part of the bead on a wheel
Control arms =east and west normally on the front except when used with an IRS
Trailing arms = north and south used on the rear of live axle cars

kids these days!
Well...I gotta say. I knew about the rims but the trailing arm vs control arms really kinda rocked my world haha. Guess I have a lot more to learn than I thought!
 
42
23
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Tennessee
It's OK, I'm like the trailing arm police.. lol
Well, somebody's gotta do it haha. I'm glad you said it, though, because the internet says so many things that can lead you in the wrong direction, even when its as simple as trailing arm vs control arm. That's why I came to this site. So that knowledgeable people like you could distinguish fact from fiction, which really helps when trying to learn all about intricate car stuff online.
 
Under that constraint I think you ought to re-think the matters of lowering, spring rates, and coilovers. At least for now. But you will need to address the brakes. You may be able to get away with track-rated pads for your otherwise-OE setup (13.2" front rotors?), but the 14" SVT/GT500 kit (and track pads) is an easy go-to option. Motul RBF600 or better fluid no matter what, and some supplemental cooling for the front rotors (this can be done on a DIY basis). Suggestion - Carbotech or G-loc pads because they're gentle on rotors where other big-name pads aren't as nice (*cough* Hawk *cough*).

After a year+ autoxing my S197 in D Street I can't emphasize enough the importance of putting some attention into brake system. Definitely do the brake fluid first, we boiled ATE type 200, Motul RBF600 has been an improvement but gets dirty fairly quickly. We struggled with the 13.2 2-piston brakes on a 2-driver car until swapping to Powerstop Track Day pads at the end of the season, they aren't rotor friendly but they were much more consistent than the OE Performance Package pads/Porterfield R4-S we tried beforehand.

We are making the move to CAM-C next year with 4-piston brembos and have a lightly used set of Duralast front rotors 13.2 rotors and the Powerstop Track day front pads sitting in the garage (maybe 4-5 local events and a couple hundred street miles). As a fellow college student, albeit in year 12 wrapping up my PhD, I'd be willing to send em your way if you feel like you'll put them to use. Shoot me a PM if you're interested

Best of luck, TMO has a lot to offer as you continue with your build
-J
 

Dave_W

Cones - not just for ice cream
984
1,277
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Connecticut
Do you care about being competitive in autocross? If so, look at the rules for your organization. For SCCA, you could stay in F Street but upgrade to the larger Brembo brakes by doing a "package conversion" - change the parts on your car to ones it would have if it came from the factory with the Brembo Package option. You'd have to run 19x9 wheels (or 18x9 using the +/- 1" dia. allowance) in a legal offset; for local/regional events I wouldn't worry about things like the supposed difference in ESC programming. Don't know if the Bremdo pkg. used different springs/sways, though again at a local level the softer non-Brembo springs shouldn't be a legality concern and FStreet lets you change 1 sway bar anyway. Pro tip - check the Ford service manual to see if there are instructions on slotting the strut mounting hole for Street category-legal camber change (shoot for -2 deg.). Camber plates are a better solution, but would bump you to Street Touring.

For track fun (especially with your daily driver), first concentrate on reducing the likelihood of having an "off" and limiting the damage if one happens. Brakes to stop the car safely, appropriate safety gear, and driver training to feel when you're losing grip and learning to make a fast but smooth recovery when you do. Generally, big, sticky tires have an amazing amount of grip right up to the point that they have almost none. Narrow crappy tires typically give you more warning and are more gradual when they start to lose adhesion, giving you more time to correct, plus you're travelling at a lower speed when they do break free. Now, I'm not saying to show up on no-name all-season tires; use something that can bang out full sessions without getting overheated or chunking out from tread squirm. This is probably an unconventional suggestion, but doing some quick searching at Tire Rack for a fit on 19x9, maybe the Falken Azenis FK510 in 265/30-19, having them shaved from 10/32" down to 6//32" to start. Again, -2 to -3 degrees front camber will do wonders for improving tire life.

As long as nothing is worn out, for the first 2-4 track days I woudn't do anything to the suspension, other than camber plates or service manual-approved strut slotting for front camber (tire life). Yes, you'll have a good amount of body roll, but that roll is a visual input that reinforces the lateral g-load sensed by your inner ear and body/seat interface. I posit that having more inputs to your brain helps develop your "speed sense" faster. After a few events, you'll also have a feel for how the car handles near the limit, and how you might want to choose spring/sway rates to improve the balance. Or just hit the Easy Button and get the Ford Performance handling package.
 
42
23
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Tennessee
Do you care about being competitive in autocross? If so, look at the rules for your organization. For SCCA, you could stay in F Street but upgrade to the larger Brembo brakes by doing a "package conversion" - change the parts on your car to ones it would have if it came from the factory with the Brembo Package option. You'd have to run 19x9 wheels (or 18x9 using the +/- 1" dia. allowance) in a legal offset; for local/regional events I wouldn't worry about things like the supposed difference in ESC programming. Don't know if the Bremdo pkg. used different springs/sways, though again at a local level the softer non-Brembo springs shouldn't be a legality concern and FStreet lets you change 1 sway bar anyway. Pro tip - check the Ford service manual to see if there are instructions on slotting the strut mounting hole for Street category-legal camber change (shoot for -2 deg.). Camber plates are a better solution, but would bump you to Street Touring.

For track fun (especially with your daily driver), first concentrate on reducing the likelihood of having an "off" and limiting the damage if one happens. Brakes to stop the car safely, appropriate safety gear, and driver training to feel when you're losing grip and learning to make a fast but smooth recovery when you do. Generally, big, sticky tires have an amazing amount of grip right up to the point that they have almost none. Narrow crappy tires typically give you more warning and are more gradual when they start to lose adhesion, giving you more time to correct, plus you're travelling at a lower speed when they do break free. Now, I'm not saying to show up on no-name all-season tires; use something that can bang out full sessions without getting overheated or chunking out from tread squirm. This is probably an unconventional suggestion, but doing some quick searching at Tire Rack for a fit on 19x9, maybe the Falken Azenis FK510 in 265/30-19, having them shaved from 10/32" down to 6//32" to start. Again, -2 to -3 degrees front camber will do wonders for improving tire life.

As long as nothing is worn out, for the first 2-4 track days I woudn't do anything to the suspension, other than camber plates or service manual-approved strut slotting for front camber (tire life). Yes, you'll have a good amount of body roll, but that roll is a visual input that reinforces the lateral g-load sensed by your inner ear and body/seat interface. I posit that having more inputs to your brain helps develop your "speed sense" faster. After a few events, you'll also have a feel for how the car handles near the limit, and how you might want to choose spring/sway rates to improve the balance. Or just hit the Easy Button and get the Ford Performance handling package.
For me, I'm not too concerned about autoX. That is just a place many people have suggested starting at, and I would just do that as a fun weekend outing. My end goal is either SCCA or NASA, nor sure which one yet. You do raise a good point that I didn't think a out and thats classes. I never thought to look at what mods move me into another class, but I'll definitely do that now.

I've also never heard that opinion on keeping the suspension stock but that does make sense. I'm also trying to do mods that make the car look good, too, as it will see mostly street time for a while. So when I get to suspension, whether before or after a few track days, do you recommend doing sway bars and/or trailing arms (thanks @blacksheep-1) at the same time as springs and shock/struts or spacing those mods out?

Thank you so much for you input! Really got me thinkin now!
 

Norm Peterson

Corner Barstool Sitter
939
712
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
a few miles east of Philly
I've also never heard that opinion on keeping the suspension stock but that does make sense.
Start your HPDE out with the car behavior you know rather than the car behavior you think you'll want to like.

You have to figure that Ford did a decent enough job with the basic suspension geometry at least, focusing at and near their design ride height. It's just softer with bigger compliance effects for the purely street duty of less talented drivers.

I look at spring and bar stiffnesses as parameters that can get into "the realm of diminishing returns", and from that, a car that sees 96% street miles and 4% HPDE miles really doesn't need to be as stiffly suspended as a car that you'd chase trophies and contingencies with at time trial or autocross.


On the matter of appearance . . . there's a lot of satisfaction to be had with a car whose appearance differs only subtly from stock but which performs a good bit beyond what that appearance suggests. Years ago (and over on the street racing scene), we called them "sleepers".


Norm
 

ChrisM

Mostly harmless.
1,180
1,419
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
3-5 Years
South Carolina
My end goal is either SCCA or NASA, nor sure which one yet.

The nice thing is that both of these programs offer events for all levels of driver, from no-experience novices to professionals, with no obligations for competition or modification rules SCCA and NASA aren't end goals in and of themselves, competing in their various class competitions are. You can do both autocross and track days to start out and get a feel for which you prefer or just keep doing both. Something to keep in mind though is that if you do keep it up, you may find yourself wanting to compete in one of their classes so you need to look at what modifications are permissible. This is another good reason to stay stock. Many drivers find they've modified themselves out of a class they want to compete in before they've even risen to that level and have to go back and replace a bunch of expensive parts, or they've decided they'll modify things how they want and end up in the "refinancing the house just to be competitive" category.
 

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