Im looking to build my evo as a track car. I cant decide if i should focus on building power or increasing handling. I currently have a buschur mini battery kit, uicp, and TBE. Im looking at upgrading the intercooler next. Any insight and tips would be helpful. thanks

 

Autocross racing or actual road course racing? When i upgraded my intercooler to the ETS 3.5"
it made a huge difference when I was road course racing.

 

road course racing

 

yea definatly get a good set of coilovers then!

 

FWIW, have you stopped by STM and discussed your plans? We're lucky to have an Evo-specific shop in Rochester.

 

Suspension brakes and cooling, your Evo already makes more power than a novice needs

 

do you have on track experience?

a racing school would be more beneficial than evo upgrades if your answer was no

 

Priorities are steering, brakes, acceleration in that order.

 

First and foremost if you haven't done so already I would get a good set of brake pads for the track and flush your brake fluid out with some good racing brake fluid (motul, ate, etc.). After that I'd say do whatever you like, the Evo goes and turns so well from the factory that it's really your choice which one you want to do first. I wouldn't go too far with either though until you've got a good amount of seat time out on track.

 

You should focus on the driver. When i first started, i did HPDE and NASA TT events in 2007 on my OEM suspension. Here is some general advice:

- Advice to beginners

 

All good advice that you can't really go wrong with, here is my take:

Another approach is to spend money equally on the driver and the car. Do a few balanced mods which target areas of improvement that make the car more enjoyable and safe for a road course. Trying to drive a huge laggy turbo out of slower corners will only result in frustration but generally making sure your brakes are as good as they can be will make a world of difference in your confidence levels and they really should be considered more of a safety item. Spending 10k on HPDE's but using OEM pads and brake fluid isn't going to help you learn anything except that the car can't do more than a few laps without losing full braking capability. Get brake pads in there that are suited for the temps you are going to put them through, use higher temp brake fluid, install SS braided lines, and maybe consider installing brake cooling ducts if this is something you are going to be doing often. You probably won't have to do much more than that until you are pushing the car much harder and faster, and when you do manage to overwhelm that braking setup it's a pretty good indication that you are making progress.

It's good to learn what the car's limits are when the speeds aren't as high and breakaway traction as sudden. The typical OEM suspension is very forgiving so between body roll and tire squeal it gives you a pretty good idea of when you are approaching the limits or about to exceed them. If you install an expensive coilover setup with razor sharp handling and swap in sticky R compound tires, your lap times will likely still improve because of the higher overall grip but you won't be pushing that setup safely to the edge in a consistant manner where you can learn the most without extra seat time. When you do push past the edge it will be a very sudden loss of grip likely sending you off course if you aren't used to such a combo. It's often much better to learn the car on street tires first since the breakaway point of exceeding their traction is more gradual. Then after a few HPDE's under your belt you can determine if you are really ready for a coilover setup or adding in race rubber as they will be harder to drive near the limits where you are going to learn the most.

Probably the least needed aspect of improvement is the power department but most of us like to enjoy a little extra straight line acceleration pulling onto the expressway and making that pass quickly and efficiently. Just be sure that all of the power mods are balanced with reliability in mind as well. Don't expect to jump from 300 to 500 hp and assume the cooling system is going to be fine without some improvements. Like others have said the last thing you want on your mind is worrying about car problems when you should be concentrating on your driving with no distractions. In general it's a good idea to run lower boost and avoid revving it as high when on the road course. That way you can have the best of both worlds and run your car near the limits on the street/strip and then back it down to what you AND the car can handle while on the road course.

There is no one set way to do it but compared to the person that spent 10k on just power mods alone you will be much better off in the long run taking a balanced approach and recognizing the importance of spending time and money on the driver mod.

 

Like everyone else said, the driver mod needs to come first. Add a little power and get new pads and fluid, then learn the car again. Add a little more power, step up to r-comps and race pads, learn to drive the car again. Add coilovers, learn the car again. There is a pattern here, follow it and you will have the best time of your life!!

 

1. Brakes, brakes, brakes.

2. Suspension.

3. Street tires (Z1*, A08, RE11)

4. R-comps.
4a. Suspension adjustments.

5. More power.
5a. Suspension adjustments.

 

Driver MOD first and foremost...!

 

You should find out if your local course offers any driving schools/lessons. I have a track near me that offers instruction courses in your own car which really helps out. They help you get used to braking, lines, and handling. I'm going to do a lot of that this year. I'm excited and can't wait to spring.