I've started doing some research, and was curious if there were any obvious differences in set up between Autocross and Roadrace. I understand that cooling will be more important in RR due to longer track times. Brakes are a must, I know. One thing I wasn't sure about was the front sway bar. A lot of autocross information points to a beefier one, but seems like it could push on the long sweepers. I'm thinking there would be conflicting dynamics. Has anyone done both, and can make a knowledgeable contribution? I don't think I'm an Autocross kinda guy, but it seems that's what a lot of guys do on here. Thanks ahead of time for your valued intellectual property.

 

More people do autocross, because it's cheaper, easier, and safer. Road racing is far more enjoyable, but it costs a ton more, risks your life, and is far more prone to car damage.

The front sway is a pretty complicated topic - I wouldn't be worrying about that right now when you are at ground 0. I use the stock sway as do many. I am not sure where "a lot of information points to a beefier one" unless it was on some other website or other car. yes, the front sway can be a very good upgrade but only if you know exactly what you're doing and apply it properly to the rest of your system upgrades. Maybe you meant to say rear sway? Wayyyyyyy more people have an upgraded RSB than FSB, but both can be very useful if combined with the proper parts and setup.

I do both, but I really only autocross because I didn't have time to compete nationally in time trials (NASA). Since I couldn't do that, I wanted to have at least some high-level competition, so I did SCCA Solo II. It's pretty boring and has very little reward for all the time and money spent, but it's easy and very low risk.

 

You are right, not a lot of information, but I did see it, which is why I questioned it. I knew that most people started out with the RSB, but I thought, maybe I missed something along the way, as I didn't know enough about the competition side of the Evo. When I read about the inside wheel coming off the ground, I thought there was a fix. Anyway, enough about that.

How about general suspension settings are they generally the same? -2.0 in front with 0 toe, and about 1.4 rear camber with 1/16 out ?

Tire width? Is it the same? I'd guess not being one would retain more heat in the tire because of the heat sustained in the tires. Would I use a RA-1 or NT-01 or a R888? I am planning a trip to Savannah, GA for a track day with the South Easten Cobra group in April, at Robling Road (sp) and I am really trying to be prepared. Thanks to those who offer their input.

 

No, they aren't generally the same unless you have stock suspension. What you listed was close to optimum for stock suspension (less rear camber), but very few people actually compete on stock suspension. I did it for a year just to learn to drive the Evo to the fullest, and then I went to a full race suspension.

Tire width is pretty standard for the high-level folks - 285/30-18 on 18X9.5 or 18X10 is as big as we can go without modifying the body/fenders, and most of us go that route.

The tire you use depends on what you plan to do. RA-1s for an entry-level r-comp that wil lost longer than all other r-comps and get better as it ages. NT-01s if you want a better r-comp that is still somewhat streetable, has better grip, but isn't for high-level competition (unless it's a class that requires 100 UTQG or higher, since this is 100 I think). R888s I don't know as much about, but they're not top-of-the-crop either, so it depends on what you plan to do. No matter what, I wouldn't use ANY of those tires when you start out...maybe after a year of learning.

 

I agree with Warr on the car setup and tire info. Totally don't agree with the digs on autocrossing but otherwise he's pointing you in the right direction.

 

That part is just personal preference. I get really bored with 3-4 minutes per day vs. 100+ minutes per day.

 

Davemac is an old geezer and 50 seconds is all his heart can handle...

Just kidding of course... Happy New Year Dave!

 

I do have have stock suspension, save for th Swift Spec R's(like'em), but I have driven at Sebring in my friends Evo, with the Ohlin Flags on the RA 1's. That was nice. I may eventually end up with the step below, I think they are the Ohlin DFV coilovers.

The tire width seems too big to fit under the fenders, but if that's whats done then I'll research it some more. What about 17 inch wheels instead of the 18's?

 

BTW I looked at the NASA Time Trial's info. It looks interesting, maybe I'll be in a position to look closer at it next year. The 1st event is in 3 weeks, I'm absolutely not ready.

 

Sebring driver too and Nasa TT as well, my advice? Save some time, give Robert Fuller a call (Robispec PROVEN bad *** suspension, especially for how random the surfaces are at Sebring....) robispec.com - his phone number is under contact on the site. One stop shop, and he's cool enough to answer ALL your annoying questions He all over the country to do the installs himself so if you arn't up to doing it yourself, he certainly can assist.

 

Yeah, they fit with -3.0 camber and fender rolling (more or less depending on your offset). There are all sorts of 17" combos you can make, but you can't go very wide.

 

If you are willing to cut/delete the front fender liners, the taller 275 40 17s aren't too much narrower than the 285 35 18s, plus they are much less expensive. For autocross, they will hurt your gearing but that's not so much an issue on the track.

As far as setup between autocross and track, they are not diametrically opposed like on some other cars that have real power delivery issues in autocross (such as a Camaro). I think one set-up could easily work for both if you are not at the tip top of the competition ladder. The biggest difference is tires where you must have something very soft (Kumho V710, Hoosier, etc.) to be competitive in autocrossing, whereas on the track you can be competitive on much harder long lasting tires (Toyo RA1, Nitto NT01, etc.).

If you are just starting out on the track, I'd stick with street tires. The Evo does pretty well on street tires because of the AWD. I've been to a handful of track events now in my Evo on street tires and am faster in the corners than the majority of other race-tire equipped cars that I've seen (HPDE, time attacks, etc.). The difference in lap time is probably only around 3 seconds a lap on a 2 minute course when you are driving an Evo with 300-400 whp (assuming you have top-end street tires).

 

Slight disagreement on RA-1s and NT-01s being competitive with V710s and A6/R6s on track. They are ONLY competitive if there is a 5-lap average or race, but in a time trial/time attack, there is no comparison. Those tires will get obliterated by a DOT slick in a time trial situation (all things being equal).

However, it doesn't matter much in this case, because I obviously agree with the street tire suggestion as noted in my previous post.

 

We don't disagree. The V710 and Hoosier are definitely faster. It's just that in autocross, if you aren't going to get V710s or A6s, you might as well not even bother with R compounds. I think it's a different situation on the track where the rules often are more favorable for the slower tires (slower class, fewer points assessed, etc.).

 

Agreed.