Hey guys, how is it going? I am pretty new into this scene and am trying to do my best to setup my 00CivicEX(coupe) for autoX'n and basically good handling so here are a few questions i wanted to ask to clear a few things up for myself. (sorry in advance for bad writing skills)

BRAKES- I currently have drums in the back. Should i try to get my hands on an Si and do the disc brakes all around, or will having a nice set of slotted rotors w/ nice pads in the front and stock drums in the back do the job ?

SUSPENSION- I am currenlty running GC Coils w/ Koni Yellow shocks and they are feeling great, but just some annoying body roll b/c i dont have ANY strut/sway/tie bars at all. Now this is tricky, everyone says "SPOON, or MUGEN" but my question is, is it really worth the extra 150? or would me getting some off ebay do the job aswell ? And what should i be looking to get to stiffen up my chasis?

WHEELS/TiRES- i currently have on some 5zigen 17" wheels with Yokohama ParadaSpec2 tires. How much of a difference does having 17" wheels make on your handling compared to having some 15" or 16" wheels ?

iF i FORGOT SOMETHiNG, PLZ FEEL FREE TO ADD . . B/C AS i SEE iT, iTS ALL A LEARNiNG EXPERiENCE. THANKS!

 

Hey, I'll give you my 2 cents with here, but hopefully some others will chime in as well. btw, it sounds like you have the right attitude and are willing to learn.

Brakes- Don't worry about it for now. Upgrade your pads when it's convenient but for autox your front brakes are fine and the drums in the rear won't hold you back.

Suspension- Really good starting setup. I wouldn't worry about strut/tie bars for now, but you could really benefit from some sway bars. The stock ones from and Si would be a good start but there are tons of aftermarket ones out there and some are reasonably priced. I have a Suspension Techniques one and I'm happy with it but there are lots out there.

Wheels/tires- I'll bet your 17"s loot great but they might be pretty heavy for real performance. If you get serious about autox you may want to think about getting some 13x7 or 13x8's. Tires are cheaper, they're lighter, and because your tire diameter will be smaller you'll get shorter gearing which will help.

Good luck and have fun.

 

Also, check out the rule book of your region. You don't want to spend a whole lot of money on mods and then get your heart broken when you find out that your parts either make your car illegal for the class you wanted, or you get thrown in another class where it's hard to be competitive.

Basically, have fun. Don't feel stupid if you need to ask questions. The stupid people are the ones who don't ask and find out things the hard way. Unlike this "import racing" scene, most people in autocross events are open-minded and willing to help someone out provided that person is receptive to criticism/suggestions and does not have an elitist attitude. If you've ever been to the Q when they have Solo2 on the east lot and drag racing on the west lot, you'll know what I'm talking about. It's like night and day.

 

Thanks alot for your input guys. One question that still stays unanswered is wether it is worth buying the real deal mugen or spoon strut bars or should i just go get some cheap $50 ones . .

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by makaveli284 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Thanks alot for your input guys. One question that still stays unanswered is wether it is worth buying the real deal mugen or spoon strut bars or should i just go get some cheap $50 ones . . </TD></TR></TABLE>

Neither.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Neither.</TD></TR></TABLE>

neither ? then what should i be looking at? like what brand? what material?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by makaveli284 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">neither ? then what should i be looking at? </TD></TR></TABLE>

http://www.autocross.com/evolution/

or falkens.... or a big *** rear swaybar (JDM ITR are 23mm and easy to get, cheap from the dealer new).

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by makaveli284 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

neither ? then what should i be looking at? like what brand? what material?</TD></TR></TABLE>

I just have a Pilot front strut bar and a HP Motorsports rear. Neither one of them ran more than $60, and I noticed the difference with them on.

Pick up an ITR bar with Beaks kit for the rear.