[maytag]

Originally Posted by Topless

Now it's time to look up track records for similar car at the local PCA and NASA websites. ...... If you are 1/2 second off the track record in a similar car, it might be the car. If you are 5 seconds off the track record, it's you.

We're lucky that SteD0x did it for us already, in a post yesterday:

Originally Posted by steved0x

Looks like a 2:18.252 set last year, the lap you shared in the other thread was a 2:22.54, which is (in seconds) 138.252/142.54=97% so by my metrics that is smoking fast!

That's a SPB record, so we can assume a fully-prepared car. Are you suggesting (topless) that I should be able to get within 1/2 second of this record in my 147k mile car without modifications? to me, that seems ambitious. But if you've seen that be the case, I'm all ears. Personally, I think there's still maybe 2 seconds I can find by smoothing some things out. But I don't think there's 4 seconds. Maybe I'm wrong?

Frankly, if you're telling me it's possible to get within a 1/2 second of the lap record without spending $30k to build a SPB, then that would become the MOST EXPENSIVE half-Second in the HISTORY of half-seconds. haha

Originally Posted by The Radium King

understand negative camber. you want lots of it at the track. you can get negative camber by (a) pulling in the strut tops, .... 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 ..... 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. ..... this way you can get coilovers (and ability to corner balance - good good good) and camber adjustment for the cost of just lcas otherwise.

my advice - get as much camber in the front as you can get stock - ..... get good tires - nittos - a..... do the sways - these will dramatically help with roll and maintaining contact patch, ..... 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).

This advice is speaking to me this afternoon, along with some of the others here. maybe because it includes some of the direction I've been going anyway: RBF600, GT3 Cooling ducts, water pump & t-stat, UDP, etc etc.

I'm still seeing conflicting opinions on square vs staggered.