Changes to come....

[Cochise]

Reposted, as I meant to initially post this here in the SN95 sub-forum...

Had a great outing this past weekend at NCM motorsports park. This is considered my "home" track as I'm only an hour away and have the most track time there compared to other places. The car did really well overall. A completely different animal than the VW GTI's/R's that I'm used to. My lines were completely different in a lot of areas and I had to learn how to properly use a manual (vs. DSG in the VW). Add to that having to get used to a slightly heavier RWD car, there was a lot of learning on my part.

It was slower than my VW's, but that's not too surprising given it the slight increase in weight and it's underpowered in comparison to the VW's. Not to mention the suspension set-up was much better as well.

I will say though, Gonzo was much more fun though, despite being slower. There was much more of a feeling that I was driving the car and that my input mattered more. The overall feeling and engagement was more thrilling than the VW's

Some general thoughts, and I know this will seem like a lot, I'll keep researching the forum as well to see if some of these answers.

Brake pads - This is definitely an area that I want to improve on. I used the EBC bluestuff and while I felt confident with them I'd like to try something else. Also, I'm used to a set of pads getting me through at least 2 events. These barely lasted the event and I had to sit out some time. I missed out on 2 full sessions cause they were toast by Sunday afternoon and I wanted to make sure I was good for the 70 mile drive home.

Brakes - Is the Cobra R front brake kit worth? I'm hesitant to go with something crazy like a Baer or Wilwood kit. This is not going to be a competition car, but I would like better brakes.

Tire set up - Right now I'm running 17x9/10.5 (F/R) with 275/315. I would like to go with a square set up so I can rotate tires as needed. Plus after talking with MM, they said the 315's in the rear would likely cause some understeer due to the extra grip in the back pushing the car when I want to turn. They were right. I tested this by keeping the clutch in on a couple turns to see what would happen and it definitely reduced understeer when it was in. I've seen a few people go with a square 315 set up, which I would love to do, but not sure I have the time (or know-how) to accomplish this. My thoughts are to go with a 18x9.5 cobra R set up with 275's all around.

This is a car I plan to be able to drive daily if I want to, so please keep that in mind with your suggestions and input.

Thanks everyone!

Here are the front tires after the weekend.

Here is the video, I also posted it in the Road Racing forum.

- Armando

 

[RinerAuto]

Congrats on the successful track day. There are a lot of options for brakes. For simplicity and cost look at upgrading to the 03-04 cobra brakes front and rear. That will help a lot. I don't think you are at the point (engine and tire type/size) to need anything larger than that. The Cobra R brakes would be awesome, but are hard to find. I like that the 03-04 cobra brakes and pads are easy to find and plenty of options.

Keep a square tire setup for the reasons you listed. You may have rubbing with the 18x9.5 with 275 up front, but steering limiters will help with rubbing on sway bar and control arm. You should be able to run some small spacers on stock fenders and lugs too.

 

[Cochise]

Congrats on the successful track day. There are a lot of options for brakes. For simplicity and cost look at upgrading to the 03-04 cobra brakes front and rear. That will help a lot. I don't think you are at the point (engine and tire type/size) to need anything larger than that. The Cobra R brakes would be awesome, but are hard to find. I like that the 03-04 cobra brakes and pads are easy to find and plenty of options.

Keep a square tire setup for the reasons you listed. You may have rubbing with the 18x9.5 with 275 up front, but steering limiters will help with rubbing on sway bar and control arm. You should be able to run some small spacers on stock fenders and lugs too.

Thanks Riner! I follow you on YT and IG. I dig your content.

After some research and a bit of planning, I’m going to do those things you suggested for the most part.

I’m going to stick with 17’s and not go with 18’s. Mainly for cost reasons. I just need to find two matching 17x9 to go with what I have already.
Is the 03/04 cobra brakes the same as the Mach 1/Bullitt? There are so many more options for pads for those vs the GT.

 

[RinerAuto]

Thanks Riner! I follow you on YT and IG. I dig your content.

After some research and a bit of planning, I’m going to do those things you suggested for the most part.

I’m going to stick with 17’s and not go with 18’s. Mainly for cost reasons. I just need to find two matching 17x9 to go with what I have already.
Is the 03/04 cobra brakes the same as the Mach 1/Bullitt? There are so many more options for pads for those vs the GT.

Thank you.

17x9 will probably be easier to find used too. I used to have several sets of cobra wheels and ran from 255 to 275 on those for awhile. From research it seems the 03/04 cobra is same as the Mach1/Bullitt, but I haven't physically seen them. There are plenty of places to buy the 03/04 cobra brake kits. That will be a combo you can grow into and run for awhile, then upgrade once you're ready.