Bad Idea?? (AutoX + Helmet Questions)

[307 Regal]

Now that my car is all back together this year, a friend of mine invited me along to an autocross event. As long as I can get a helmet, I'll be driving my car.
I have a couple of questions concerning setup. Here are my specs:
~140hp, solid 1.25" front / 1" rear sway bars, "roto-joint" rear CAs, 3.73 limited slip, 2 inch rear drop springs (progressive rate, rate unknown) sitting on 1.5" spacers, adjustable rear shocks, stock front springs/shocks/CAs. The tires are Cooper Cobras (street tires). 235 front, 255 rear.

I have shocks+springs for the front but won't have time to get them in. Here's where the setup questions come in:

-How should I setup my rear suspension?
----Should I crank up the shocks to a hard setting to help stop body roll?
----Should I leave the shocks at a softer setting so it's more "balanced" with the front? (I heard that making the rear much stiffer than the front will cause understeer in RWD applications (assuming the tires keep traction...))
----Should I take out the 1.5" spacers to try to get a better center of gravity?
-Here's the "Bad Idea?" part: The front shocks/springs I have are an adjustable coilover setup. When those go in I want to change spindles and ball joints at least. I can't get that done by Sunday since I'm still shopping around for the parts yet.
----For the time being, would it be okay to use the adjustable shocks from the coilover setup as regular replacement shocks along with the stock springs? Or will this result in far too much stress on the upper shock mount?

Lastly: Helmets. I need a good helmet in order to race. I found one by "Zamp" on Summit's website for 175 bucks. It's Snell SA2010 approved. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/zsc-h ... /overview/
Is there a better helmet I could be getting for roughly the same money and if so where can I find it?

Thanks in advance!

 

[307 Regal]

 

[online170]

Not sure what the issue is.

What you're describing sounds like dialing in the suspension.

I have autocrossed completely Stock cars and they do just fine. Autocross is very easy on your car as long as youre not running 4 slicks. Just pump up your tires and have fun. Get the good suspension stuff in when you can.

I don't see a problem with setting up the coil over as a "stock spring". It should see the same load. Maybe someone else will chime in as I have no experience with coil overs.

 

[mightymouse]

I would just leave the suspension alone right now and focus on driving. For autocross you can use a motorcycle helmet as long as it says DOT on it. I would go to a store that sells helmets and try them on instead of ordering one to make sure it is comfortable. I bought my HJC helmet for about that price.

 

[307 Regal]

Alright. Thanks for the replys. I was just wondering if there was a way to get the most out of my current setup without relying too much on trial and error. I suppose I'll try putting in the front shocks from the coilovers and adjust both front and rear to a medium setting, a tad harder in the front. (btw, online, I meant keeping the stock front springs in and using just the shock from the coilovers. Not putting in the whole setup and softening it to the stock level.) I guess I'll leave the rear spacers in since I can't lower the front to match. Might help my visibility of the cones anyway. I'll be getting the helmet issue sorted out today hopefully.
Thanks again, guys!

 

[online170]

btw, online, I meant keeping the stock front springs in and using just the shock from the coilovers. Not putting in the whole setup and softening it to the stock level.)

That seems like a bad idea. You may want to double check that the travel isn't going to damage the shock. It seems reasonable that it would be a similar stroke as factory, but that's an expensive thing to assume.

 

[307 Regal]

btw, online, I meant keeping the stock front springs in and using just the shock from the coilovers. Not putting in the whole setup and softening it to the stock level.)

That seems like a bad idea. You may want to double check that the travel isn't going to damage the shock. It seems reasonable that it would be a similar stroke as factory, but that's an expensive thing to assume.

*noted. I hadn't thought of that. They do have a pretty long stroke since the setup is height adjustable but I will compare them with a stocker as soon as I get one out. I was mainly focusing on damaging the upper mount since the shock wouldn't have a stiffer spring working in tandem with it if I stiffened the settings.

 

[online170]

I would echo Mighty Mouse then.

Leave it stock and concentrate on driving. Trust me, it will do just fine in stock trim, even without swaybars. Its all about having fun.


Install it once and install it right.

 

[rebelgtp]

Go out and have fun worry about the fine tuning later on! Try and get some pics or video to share with us I would LOVE to see some more G Body racing stuff out there. I am hoping to run my Cutlass as some AutoX events once it is done just for fun. I actually thought about building one car specifically for corner carving but for that I think I will wait until I can find a Monte SS, build a GN clone or get a 442. They just all look better than my old steel bumper beast :lol:

 

[307 Regal]

Well the race was Sunday and I had a blast! It was great to get out there and beat on my car like I've always wanted to. Not only do I have some good driving experience now, but I also have better direction for my build. I'd really like to invest in some wheels/tires after I get my engine in. I had some traction issues out there to say the least! :lol: Drove 5 runs. First one was with an SCCA member giving me pointers. 54 seconds. Second one was all tire smoke and counter-steer. 51 seconds. Third one felt great until I put her into a huge slide and couldn't straighten it out. Luckily I came to a stop (almost backwards) in front of the next set of cones. Backed through, turned around, and got to the finish without touching the grass. 1:06 but at least no cones or DNFs! :lol: My mom was there getting pics, but unfortunately she didn't know how to work the video function and never recorded that run. Really got things ironed out on the fourth run with a time of 49.222 seconds. With the rear end being so "slide-happy" I softened my rear shocks a little bit to try to balance the suspension out with the front. It worked wonders and I finished the day with a time of 48.856! Between learning how to take corners and ironing out my lines, I had cut almost a full 6 seconds off of my first time of the day.

I'll definitely be going back again, hopefully with the SBB in the engine bay and my front coilovers on. I'll try to get actual video (and put on a good show ) but I do have some pics to upload when I get home tonight. I was the only one there running an old mid-size in a sea of Mazda Miatas, but everyone got a good kick out of seeing a "Big ol' Buick" whip around the track.