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i think it is just a weight/hp ratio; 2800 lb car / 260 hp or so approx equal to 10:1. for a heavy non-s you are looking at 3000/200 = 15:1. ballpark stuff.
you get what you pay for on the internet; instructors going to say be a better driver, spec racers are going to say to learn to drive the car you got first. i say, if you want to fiddle with you car then go for it; it won't make you slower, but it may distract you from improving technique if you are constantly relearning your car. i tend to batch it - start to get faster by the end of the season, then hide away in my garage for the winter and do a bunch of stuff to the car, then come back in the spring and start over. wrench race break repeat.
street/track alignment is tough. i did some measuring and determined that changing camber drastically affects toe such that you can't just change one on the morning of a track day without changing the other. options are to (a) learn how to do your own alignments (about $250 in tools and a few hours of your life that you'll never get back each time) or have a nearby shop do it for you as-and-when ($50/alignment if you can find it is worth the time it would take you) (b) get a compromise alignment, or (c) get a track alignment and see how you like it on the street (my recommendation).
understand negative camber. you want lots of it at the track. you can get negative camber by (a) pulling in the strut tops, or (b) lengthening the lower control arms. adjustable lower control arms are expensive and would not be my first stop in suspension mods. pulling the strut tops in is less expensive. you can get over -1 just in the factory strut tower slots. notch them with a dremmel to get more. get camber plates to get in the -3 neck of the woods OR, look at some of the less expensive coilovers. for some reason, the cheaper coilovers come with camber plates, while the more expensive do not. i am on $1300 ksport kontrol pros and have had zero problems over 5 hard years of living, can get -3 up front with the built-in camber plates, and have rebound adjustability to move back and forth from street to track. cons - control arms widen your track (good) while camber plates do not. BUT, this way you can get coilovers (and ability to corner balance - good good good) and camber adjustment for the cost of just lcas otherwise. downside - can't run them if you go spec, and would want to upgrade them if your car became a dedicated track machine (feal will rebuild).
my advice - get as much camber in the front as you can get stock - notch your strut tower if you wish. get good tires - nittos - and make a decision on wheels (track wheels will stay with you as your car evolves). do the sways - these will dramatically help with roll and maintaining contact patch, do not impact street behaviour, and are an improvement that will stay with you as your car evolves. do the brakes (motul rbf600, stainless lines, pagid yellow pads, gt3 cooling ducts). do reliability mods (oiling, 2nd gear, water pump, underdrive pully, etc.).
spend a year on that and you will be able to make a more informed decision on the bigger ticket items like coilovers and control arms (specifically, you'll have a better idea of whether you are building a track or compromise setup).
note that exhaust and seats were the biggest weight losses on jsceash's list; both mods provide benefits in other areas as well - a hp bump with the exhaust, a more stable driver with the seat. think about those if you want to start working on weight loss, power improvements, etc. harness and hans are good things to add as well.
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