Gizzo

I have an EK ex sedan w/D16y8 5-speed. I am planning on starting autoX this summer and not using the car as a much of a dd. The susp/brake parts I have so far or are on the way include:
-KYB AGX shocks/struts
-SRR rear sway/tie bar combo
-Tenzo big front rotors
-Brembo rear rotors
-Del Sol trailing arms for rear disc conv
-Civic SI stainless brake lines
-PBR/Axxis Metal Master brake pads (F+R)
-Tenzo 2.25" springs
-Civic SI e-brake cables
-Civic SI 40/40 prop valve
-Konig Reign 17"(old) w/Kumho 712 215's
Does anyone have any suggestions of additional parts I should get while I have the underside disassembled? How does this sound for starting out in autoX? Thanks for the help!

AutoXer

Should just leave it stock, or just do brake pads and tires.

By doing a brake conversion, you just put yourself into street mod, and without turbo / build / SC or some other major modifications, you'll never be anything close to competitive.

While I realise it's about fun, coming in 10 seconds behind the next guy can get frustrating. It's best to learn on a slow stock car, because it doesn't cover up your mistakes and makes you a much better driver.

With that being said, if you want to do suspension, that would put you in STS which you might have a chance of beating someone in.

Gizzo

Well, the parts I listed are parts that I already have or will have in a couple days, so I guess it's not a question of whether or not I am going to do it. The car will be turbo, but not until mid-late June. My friend said that when you start in autoX, you are put into the lowest class until you have two wins. So, I am just wondering I this setup will be sufficient once the car is turbocharged.

h22John

Well looks like the first thing you need to do is take a look at the rule book for scca competition and classing your car. Figure out which class you want to run and THEN modify your car to those class limits. Your setup is looking descent but there are def a few things I would change.......shocks/springs. Koni in my opinion are a superior shock and I wouldnt put tenzo springs on my car, I dont know how much r&d went into them and they arent exactly a serious performance company. I'd also lose the 17's as fast as you can and opt for some 15in wheels. I'd be worried about bending a rim or something, not to mention tires are much more expensive, you'd be doing yourself a big favor in the long run IMO............John

Gizzo

Hmm, I know I have seen a lot of bad comments about Tenzo, but I have had the springs and Konig 17" wheels for a little over 3 years and I really like the way the car handles even with stock struts/shocks. Maybe I'll just have to pick up a cheap 91' DX hatch and try that out vs. the EK sedan before I install everything...

Gizzo

Well, I looked at the SCCA classification rules and it looks like my car will fit into the Street Touring category before turbo with everything except the larger rotors

AutoXer

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Gizzo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Well, I looked at the SCCA classification rules and it looks like my car will fit into the Street Touring category before turbo with everything except the larger rotors</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah, that would be STS. Not only the bigger rotors, but a rear brake swap will put you into the SM class as well.

If you're planning on running ST, I would suggest regular Brembo blanks, and leave the drums alone. Bigger rotors and rear swap won't yeild much of a performance gain.

If you're actually looking to upgrade your suspension, and have the KYBs already, I would suggest either the Eibach Pro-Kit or H&R sport springs. If budget isn't an option, then go with Koni Yellows and GC coilovers.

For wheels, I run my 14" stock steelies with Falken Azenis on them. You may want to look into that, because the 17" are a bit large, and you could easily damage them if you're not paying attention to how much you're rolling your sidewall.

I think you've run into what alot of guys do when they first start modding their car and want to track it without looking into what type of competition they'd like to do and end up way over thier heads. I know that's what happened when I first went out into ST with only an intake as a mod. It's tough to have a go fast, blinging street machine and be competitive on track when people are building cars to the limits of the rules in a particular class.

Sure, I'd love to boost the hell out of my car, but I don't want the expense of trying to be competitive in SM. Since almost every weekend is an Auto-X or track day for me during the summer, I'm willing to live with it. And you'd be suprised how fast a good handling stock car can be. It's all about the driver, and that should always be improved before the car.

SkyeC

With the turbo and brakes, you'll be in SM. That means you are guaranteed to lose. This is where motor-swapped or super/turbocharged M3s and such play, not slow Civics. Trust me, I know.

If you are just there to have fun, winning doesn't matter, but you seem to be all about "winning."

FWIW, I have a B18C'ed 92 Si w/ Konis/GCs/blah blah and I get killed in SM. Not only is my car slow but my driving skills are ****. I've been autoxing for a couple years now and really wish I had a stock motor so I could better my skills. The car is honestly too fast for me to learn on correctly.

Oh yeah, get rid of all the cheap Tenzo garbage. Save up for quality parts. Autocrossing puts a lot of wear on parts and I wouldn't trust stuff like that.

Gizzo

Yeah, I'm not all about winning and don't think I've stated anything to imply so. I just want to have fun at first and learn the basics. I guess I will take the EK to a few events to try it out, but if I want to be competitive, it sounds like I'll have to but another car like a stock HB and modify it for stock class until I can put together some serious cash.