I am not looking to reinvent the wheel, so I am looking for those who have done this. I have picked up an MR and plan on making it an HPDE car for friends, family, and sometimes myself. Might do some TT3/4 with it, not sure. My budget is $2000 for the entire suspension. New OEM with swift springs? Please nobody tell me to buy Megan racing coilovers. I will be running Proxes RR tires on this, it will not be a street car, and it will have a cage. Looking to stick with the stock brake calipers, unless they are horrible.

School me on this car. Tell me what I need to know. Thanks!

 

For 2k, I would run highest rate springs you can find (not sure whats still available) on bilstein struts, big rear bar, and maxed out front camber. Its pretty standard but will still be a bit push at the limit cause the front weight.

 

Depends on the driver right. Typical experienced driver/I wanna go fast Coilovers start around 2500. Full time track car/racing coils start around 5000. If you bought 1k dollar BC coils you'd have the same taste in your mouth and waste of time like you'd have with Megans or Ksport or any of those other crap brands as you say.

Secondly the OEM bushings and pickup points are all garbage once you begin to lower the car. Fully corrected arms with solid joints will run you around 4k and up from there. However all of the Whiteline stuff is still an improvement over OEM. So rear sway bar, rear sway bar links, solid or urethane bushings, roll center correction kit, etc etc.

Depending on the state of the car, the brembo's likely won't last very long before turning brown, peeling, and melting all of the dust boots. Titanium shims help but again, depends on how many track days you plan on doing before they don't help either. Best upgrade here is the Essex Parts 8350 kit to start.

If it's really a MR, then it likely still has the 6 speed? Be on the lookout for a 5 speed to swap into it. The 6 speed overheats and parts are extremely hard to come by so, again, eventually a forced upgrade.

If more then one of you is driving per day, you'll want brake cooling ducts. Choose your own adventure here. Nice radiator fans, remove A/C, front motor mount, SS brake lines, the list goes on and on. Welcome to the jungle haha.

 

Thanks for the input. What is the highest rate I can run on the stock Bilstein before I have to have them revalved? Also what springs would you recommend for this platform?

 

Thanks! This car will be for novices, which is why I went with the MR for the dual clutch. I will also want to run the car myself, I already run a caged T1 z06, and a Camaro 1LE. It will likely see 7-8 HPDE per year with six 20 minute sessions on it per HPDE. If the stock Brembos are that bad does Wilwood make a kit? I do plan on putting a SSP pan on the transmission, and a larger cooler.

 

So we are talking about an X MR. You will need to upgrade the SST cooling beyond an SSP pan. I do not have experience with the SSP AND air-cooler combos. I am running THREE coolers for HPDE (two air one liquid), and the SST doesn't budge over 210F.

 

Yes X MR. Wow three cooler, that's nuts. Are you running off the shelf kits? Or pieced together?

 

How many HPDEs have you done so far? I'd recommend taking the car out as-is for at least 1 or 2 events first. You could start with a more track-friendly alignment (2-3 up front, 1.5-2 in the rear to start) to reduce tire wear.

The Evo X has bigger brakes than the VIII/IX so they should be okay at stock power levels with the right pads and fluid. You will want to upgrade to a high-temperature brake fluid to avoid brake failure from boiled fluid. Endless RF650 is a popular suggestion around here. This is cheap insurance, so do it first.

You will also need proper track brake pads once you're driving hard. Raybestos ST43 are the best place to start. You will need to swap brake pads for track and street driving, but it's an easy swap after you've done it a few times. I can swap brake pads in about 30 minutes, including jacking up the car. Make it part of your track-day prep.

Once it's time to upgrade the car, always read the rulebook first. Target a class and modify to that. NASA TT is fairly generous, but you should get in the habit of reading the rule book every time your credit card comes out to buy new parts.

Swift springs on OEM dampers is a cheap place to start with higher rate lowering springs. I'd start with those and save up for a proper suspension like the Ohlins R&T ($2500-ish). Skip the cheaper coilovers. They may work for some, but spending the extra cash on proper, reliable coilovers is important for increasing reliability and decreasing down time. Missing track days because you have a blown coilover and no one can rebuild it for you for a few months is not worth saving a few bucks up front.

 

I wouldn't write off Megan's completely, but that's just me. Here's a few videos of me chasing and me being chased be a C5 Z06 and GT3RS while running on Megan coilovers and federal 595rsr tires. However if you are new or relatively new to the evo platform I do recommend what construct said and go with the car as is with a brake fluid upgrade, then maybe bump to some springs on stock suspension, and then coils.

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...ictures-2.html

 

Custom using Mocal and Derale coolers and alumulite ducting, external Greddy filter housing with thermostat to being the air coolers "on-line" @ 175F.
My build log linked in my sig has everything. The SST doesn't seem to be able to survive even at stock power levels if ambient is even slightly warm out.
I have a theory that a lot of SST failures are due to ONE or more overheat events whereby the magnet on the fork is "unglued" and causes all sorts of problems.
Yes it can happen without an overheat, but my theory is the MAJORITY of SST failures of that mode (magnet detached) are due to overheat events.