zredbaron

i hate myself.

haha! no offense taken, i'm a fan of candor. i'm absolutely new to this game, especially in terms of suspension mods and autox seat time. some more detail: i've only been to 15 events or so, including two schools. that said, i've been driving this 240 for 10 years, and i know my car. although i have admittedly not a lot of seat time on a course, i have had enough to learn to finesse a lot more out of my tires, smooth is fast, etc. my mistakes used to be over-driving / too aggressive, binary throttle inputs, reactionary steering vice look-ahead, etc. i'm not shy about asking the best drivers to ride in my car with me or to even drive my car. i decided after about event 6 to transition to left-foot braking, and that has dramatically helped me keep the car balanced and stick instead of push/spin at the limits. i might be new to trying to be more competitive, but i beat a number SM2 cars on DOTs with my street tires. been doing a lot better lately. the learning curve has been steep, yes. i'm convinced it's my bias at this point. pretty much any other car, even stock on sam's club tires, can out-brake me....simply because i have to worry about locking a tire up and now i'm letting off to get it rolling again. no, i don't double clutch. i can pump the clutch as many times as i want, and i've never experienced a difference, up-shifting or down-shifting. no idea why...i've heard that technique before. as for down-shifting without a pedal...i can up shift that way (in a very calm manner, not accelerating), but downshifting would grind the gears so bad i cringe thinking about it. would you mind elaborating on that, please? as for screwing myself with the 3.1 kit, i put that in my car back in '99, well before i even knew what autocross was. i just liked Zs, and i've never been one to go half-assed. SM2 it is for this car, i guess. seems odd to me that i can have a stroker in a street class but not a prepared class... O/SP?

according to tire rack, the hoosier A6 comes in 245/45r16, and their chart indicates it would mount on my rim, albeit not ideally. i know that FP runs wider tires in the back, but from my experience on street tires, this makes no sense to me. even with my stroker, my limiting factor is the front tires for braking/turning unless i'm on the way out of a really tight turn and have a binary pedal or go into 1st. with proper throttling it's fine, too much gas and sometimes i'll push vice break loose. thoughts? [or does my front end just need a better setup, ie camber/caster/geometry] pete - when you run those 245s, do they rub your air dam in the front in a turn? that's my concern... and that's another thing. i can't EVER downshift into 1st unless the car's at a complete stop, so attempting to do so in a race would just grind my gears. i've had new synchros put in twice. it's like there isn't a synchro for 1st! what's the deal? a mechanic started talking clutch selection for me. i've got the centerforce dual friction, which has plenty of grab for me, but he said it's all about weight. i've got a light flighwheel driven by very touchy throttle response connected to an ancient tranny. he said getting a racing clutch would let it change speeds easier and then shift better. john?

my engine isn't legal!? damn. oh well. at least people won't care until i start winning...and with the kind of tires i'll be running, that won't really happen. good trade. not so much. perhaps i will end up selling it one day... *sniff* anyone else feel like kicking the rookie in the nuts? haha...

my bad on the victoracers... i was thinking the new ones (V710) and mentioned the old ones (700). i appreciate the clarification though. and i agree on running full slicks vice DOT in FP...but as johnc mentioned, they don't make a slick that will fit my current rims and fender restrictions, so for now, its DOTs in SM2 vice full slicks in FP. unless anyone knows of a goodyear slick that will fit a 16x7.5 rim under stock fenders? i'd love to put some on... hmmm...after looking at the rear view of the yellow braap Z, seems that 1.5" flare isn't going to 'cut' it. gotta get this hybrid crap out of my mind. race car, mark. race car! i'm thinking pick up a 'rolling shell' would be the way to go for me at some point. not anytime soon though, unfortunately.

goddamn it guys, now i'm actually considering hacking that thing down the road... i've always considered the "subtle Z" body kit, which opens up the fenders by 1.5" at each corner. i like it, because it doesn't *look* flared. unless you're a Z enthusiast, you might not ever notice. would that open up the fenders enough to have competitive rubber in FP? pics/more details: http://www.reactionresearch.com/subtlez.html Victoracers it is. I'd like to have some tire life to learn/tune on. Okay, so I assume since I've got Illuminas for now, 225 fr / 250 rear? Anything else I should do besides the camber plates? Guess I'll be running SM2 so I can at least chase/beat a few vettes since I'll be on DOTs... boo. i want that race car now. you guys are assholes. [and by that i mean thanks!] haha.

Sigh, truth hurts... I very much appreciate your [and everyone else's] candor. So. I've concluded that, at this point in time [as john coffey so subtly points out that *one day* this will change, haha] I'm not willing to cut this car. It's my baby, something that everyone on here can relate to. I'd rather sell it as is to someone who will appreciate it than cut it. That said, I'm not selling it, either. I do like the idea of getting another chassis to go "all out" on and have a true, dedicated racer. That would be several years down the road. In the meantime, I still have some aspects of the car that can be improved on, even though I won't chop it up and gut it. I ask those of you who have been where I am (stuck between street modified and prepared) what, given what I won't do, would you recommend for me to do? PAX-wise I'm better of staying in FP, especially since I'll get to use stickier tires, but if I stay SM2 I'll actually have some cars to chase. What does all of your 20/20 hindsight advise me to do? Please, I'll take as many opinions as I can get. JohnC seems to feel strongly that my frame can handle DOT slicks, but radials (or cantilever?) would be asking too much. Is that because those tires NEED higher spring rates, which my car (both my struts and my chassis) can't handle? Am I understanding that aspect at least? What if I just have street-sized slicks (ie ones that can fit under stock fenders)? As far as all the above and beyond suspension mods that are geared more toward cars with cut fenders and higher spring rates, here's my train of thought: if I don't have as big a contact patch, I might as well have as freely moving suspension as possible to make up for my lack up grip and at least have more finesse/control. I can still have a lot of fun in FP even though I won't be able to keep up with a "real race car." As for the tire/wheel size, here's some clarification. My current rims are 16x7.5 at 11 lbs each. These are the rims I'm running right now, period. So my tire selection will be based on these dimensions and the fact that I have stock fenders. Perhaps in a season or two I can get some 17" rims that are a little wider, but for now, this is it. Using a tape measure, my tires [kumho ecsta mx, 225/50R16 x4] are 9.5" wide from sidewall to sidewall, and seem to be 8.33" wide where the tire is actually in contact with the ground (at rest). In the rear, I've got about a knuckle's width of clearance between the strut tube and the tire on the inside, and on the outside the fender is actually a little over the tire to where it would rub. Up front, i've got about half the clearance between tire and coilover, but the fender actually would clear the tire...just barely. The tire width dimensions that are being quoted... I assume that's sidewall to sidewall? I appreciate all of the tire/wheel recommendations, but none of them are useable with my current rims. Still at a loss for tires. Is that final? That they don't make slicks for my 16x7.5s and that I have to run DOTs? As for suspension upgrades, I'm willing to go as far as I can. What can I bolt in without welding, how many of the mounts/joints can I make low-friction, etc? Or am I still not getting it? Should I not do ANY of that stuff unless I also gut, cut fenders, etc? EMI Camber plates, I know. What else? Leave the geometry as is, or get adjustable, lighter components? Thanks again, guys. Sorry if I'm being hard-headed...just want to do the best I can. I may not be willing/able to build a true race car, but I'm still going to be racing this one. It still has room for improvement.

Hey again. Hopefully this isn't too many topics for one thread. If so, I'd be happy to repost separately... Well, I'm at another turning point. I've been toying between SM2 and FP for some time now, and I'm going FP for a few reasons. FP's pax expects less than SM2, you can run true slicks (therefore is much more fun), but most of all...the whole point is to go all out and have fun. I'm not ever going to nationals with this car...I couldn't ever cut my car or gut the interior. And something is addictively appealing with being the only Prepared car that comes out of an enclosed trailer, dust cover comes off, and a shiny and clean classic rolls out [in my regions, anyway]. My car is hardly ever driven on the street anymore...it's garaged and carried most of the time and only drinks 100 octane. I'd rather go all out. Almost. Confused? Me too. Haha. So. FP is a whole new world, and I know this. I also recognize that I have no clue what I'm getting into, just that I know I want to only do it once, the right way. Hah, ignorant already, right? Here's my best shot at getting my learn on... Trying to not annoy senior members and appear like such a newbie, I've been consulting the search engine for hours. I fully admit that I don't understand enough about suspension to be able to apply or sometimes even follow what I've been reading. Currently, my suspension is very simple. Plain coilovers (illuminas, 200 fr / 225 rear), upgraded sway bars, poly bushings, triangular front and rear strut braces, quick steering knuckles. That's it. [sidenote: along the way, i googled 'bump steer' because i wasn't following some of the discussion, and the #2 hit was a bump steer thread by jmortensen. very, very nice thread, jon. thanks!] i don't remember off-hand if i did install bump-steer spacers, so i took a look. are they about 1" thick? if so, looks like i've got em...but my control arms are parallel to the ground. is that bad? i did lower the car a few times over the course of last season, but the front end hooks up a lot better now that it's lower. is that for CG reasons or geometry reasons? From my limited autox experience (15-20 events or so) I realize that my next purchase is a set of camber plates for the front (and for the rear too I assume?). I'm leaning toward... these camber kits: http://www.technotoytuning.com/products/camber_plates.html with these coilover plates: http://www.technotoytuning.com/products/upper_hat.html ...but the camber plate sticky seems incomplete on the techno toy products. are they weld in or not? easier question: if i get camber plates, do i absolutely have to do some welding to truly utilize full adjustment? i'm willing to weld non-cosmetic areas... any comments on these? i'd rather not weld if i don't have to, and these seem to be among the better engineered.... any other recommendations? ground control seems to be my next best bet. My street tires only have about 1-2 events left, so slicks are also next. In my searching, I've come across several discussions regarding compound, construction, wheel diameters, etc. I searched Tire Rack - no true slicks, and I checked out Hoosier.com. I don't know what I'm looking for so, of course I didn't find anything. I absolutely cannot go smaller than 16" diameter (front brakes are *barely* cleared by my 16" rims), and my current rims are 7.5" in width. I'm willing to curl my fenders under, but no more than that. I realize that I'm severely limiting my tire selection, but this is what I've got. Any recommendations? What type of tire/compound do the FP racers recommend given my restrictions? i've read several compound numbers...are numbers specific to brand names? what can i fit? i currently run 225/50R16 street tires all the way around, and i assume a similarly sized slick is what i want. but the numbers are now in inches...bastards! also, i'd like to gain experience driving slicks and i'd like to select tires that will help me tune my suspension mods. if that means i should get a certain type of slick construction/compound before going to the final, all-out sticky slick, then what would that be? i'm more interested in investing in the driver and car's future times than this season's times. I've read that slicks find weak links in a hurry and will tear them up. What are the typical weak links? As for drivetrain, I've got a 4.37 R180 with a Quaiffe in it. I very much want to do a CV conversion, but all the guidance and kits seem to be for R200s. I have broken two u-joints (and consequently 2 ring gear teeth), but that was from my own misuse, and I've learned my lessons. And that I want CVs. I realize that drivetrain has it's own thread section, but what I don't know is what the relationship between suspension and drivetrain is with slicks and less-streetable suspension...if any. About the brakes, they are RossC's eXtreme brake kit (MML). I lock up my front tires all the time while autoxing, but don't know enough about tuning to know what to blame. It is often the driver, yes, but I've learned to finesse them, and recognize now that something isn't right...it's TOO easy to lock em up, and I don't even have much hydraulic assist, even with a vacuum reservoir. I suspect the front/rear proportioning valve, but not really sure. Any experience racing with these brakes? And yeah, new tires will help... Also, there are several suspension terms and setups that I simply don't understand. I'm pretty sure I eventually want to do all of the below, but don't know where to begin. From my searches: "steering arm clearance" -- not sure what this is referring to, whether vertical or horizontal, let alone what the clearance is from/to or why i need it or don't want it. seems important though. hah. man want steak, but don't know if it grow on tree or found in sea. lmao. "low friction mounts" -- previously mentioned to me in one of my past inquiries, and although i have an idea of what it is, i have no idea how to go about purchasing parts to install/fabricate such mounts, let alone what parts of the suspension should have them. stuff that moves. got it. hah. "bolt-in subframes are now legal [in SM2] and that means you can relocate all the suspension pickup points and make the arms longer" -- no clue what a bolt-in subframe is or what arms I want longer or why. control arms? is this for better geometry for the whole bump steer thing? i don't get it. "ackerman steering" -- mentioned several times in this site. google came up with this article: http://www.auto-ware.com/setup/ack_rac.htm ...which concludes the effects are negligible with slicks. however, autox does have some small radius turns relative to the rest of the racing world. thoughts? "tension control tie rods" -- came across a thread that referenced these: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-240Z-260Z-280Z-Tension-Control-Tie-TC-Rods_W0QQitemZ8020492141QQcategoryZ42609QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem but they were strongly recommended against by johnc and jon mortensen. i got the impression that the negative opinion was the brand, not necessarily the type of part or concept. is this type of thing covered by my other questions or is this something separate? AZC parts ok? "control arms" -- looks like some tuneability and weight savings can be gained here. i at least know what a control arm is...haha. The ArizonaZCar kits [ http://www.arizonazcar.com/lowarms.html ] appear to have what I am assuming to be "low friction mounts," or they at least look like what I imagine them to be, anyway. Am I in the ballpark? This type of upgrade (ie a kit) is the kind of thing I'm more comfortable with...I'm not trying to re-invent the wheel and fabricate my own unique suspension, just realize more of the car's potential. Pretty much everything on that page looks like the direction I *think* I want to go, but have absolutely no clue as to how these parts are in practice, etc. Any experience? What about the MML parts? and after all of these questions, i still have one more. i recognize that many of these parts affect geometry, and therefore should be done at the same time. which parts are they? i won't be able to do everything at once, probably just camber plates and slicks for the time being... Man, this was way too much for one thread, I fear. My apologies and gratitude in advance. Thanks guys. And to clear up my intentions, yes I want a true race car. A true race car that doesn't look like one...I want it to look like the classic Datsun created. And no, I haven't found a wife yet, either. Evidently she doesn't exist either. Haha. Thanks guys. -Mark

couldn't agree more, jon. 4.37 works quite well with triples in autox (especially with a quaiffe...) too bad my stroker is too much fun...i ripped a tooth off my 4.37 ring gear jumping too hard on the throttle. whoops. (anyone ever chipped a ring gear tooth before? seemed odd to me) Dtsnlvrs, where did you find your 720 R180? i found mine from random luck, more or less...looking again, but no such luck yet...

What do you mean by total wheel travel? Are you talking about vertically? (That seems like a lot in a racing environment...)

Wow, TONS of info on this thread. Awesome. I'm definitely confident again that my 225/200 springs are in the ballpark, and now I have camber numbers to try out once I get the capability. Thank you all so much! This is the first time I've ever heard anything like this. Years ago I replaced all my squishy stock bushings with polyurethane...and now you're saying that I should have something else. What whould a low friction piece be made of? Do you have a picture or a link of one? About the seat time, I am fully aware at how inexperienced I am, especially out there on the track. I'm not an idiot, and I don't expect to win anytime soon. I do however want to do as much as I can with my suspension, so that I can learn to drive the car as it will be one day when I know what I'm doing. Another side note on experience...I am limitiing myself to do my first 1-3 seasons (depends on how long it takes me to come around) on street tires (Kuhmo Ecsta MX), so that I'll pay for my mistakes. With my power/drive ratio combination and my brakes, it's really hard to drive smooth as an rookie. Not to mention the car's technology is older than I am, haha. Damn, it's fun though. The theory is, if I can get fast on street tires, I'll be on rails with DOT slicks.

I didn't think of the possibility of leverage ratios being different...that makes so much more sense now for the bmw's 600 lb rate. The 300 rear is probably wrong. I just looked at SCCA's rules for the different autoX classes, and I don't know why I thought I wasn't qualified for SM2...it looks like I'm okay for that category, which is awesome news considering I won't cut my car or stiffen it and of course would like to still have half a chance someday when I get some experience under my belt. So. Thanks for sharing all of your experiences. I'll have to experiment with the rear stiffness once I get some camber adjustment going for me. At the moment, I push quite a bit on the tight 180 degree turns, but do well (neutral) on sweepers and slaloms. If anyone else out there has any more to add, I'd love to hear what you have to say. I'm feeling like a sponge at the moment...

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and turned around and I don't know which way is up anymore... I read the sticky regarding camber plates, and all I got out of it was a bunch of arguments about different designs, and came out more confused than I started. Sweet. I also re-read a thread I posted long ago regarding spring rates ( http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=88512 ). The thread basically says for me to keep my spring rates light, not really to exceed 250-300, both because I have Illuminas and because I have a non-reinforced 240Z frame. My '71 240Z is finally a garage and enclosed trailer queen, and I'm finally taking it to autocross events on the weekends. I've only done about 8 events (ever) and I'm at the point now where I need to dial in my suspension. My setup is rather simple at the moment, 225f/200r coilovers with Illuminas. 1" front sway with 3/4" rear. I have no camber or caster adjustment yet. But at my local SCCA region (Oklahoma) they aren't even close to the recommendations found here at HybridZ. There is an autocross 240Z, non-welded, and he runs 400lb springs in his illuminas. He has minor camber adjustment. He runs in BSP (my car is technically FP but I run in SM2 because I'm not gonna win at this point anyway) and puts down 3 sec faster lap times. Granted, he has slicks and is a much more experienced driver, but still. He isn't remotely close to the power and accelleration I have. He has 400lb springs in front and ~250 in rear. All the hybrid Z guys say to run stiffer in rear. He contradicts this and drives really, really smooth like this. Theres a road racer / autocross 240Z (SM2), with welded frame, that runs 600lbs front and i think 400 rear), again stiffer in front. Also with Illuminas, oddly. Also very successful. I took a ride in a mid-80s bmw 325 with the EXACT same tires (model and size) I have, and I can't laterally hold what he can. He runs 600 up front and under 300 rear. Reading posts from John Coffey and a few others, these spring rates are absolutely ridiculous and the car should be bouncing. So you see my confusion. I trust the hybrid z forum, but i'm also experiencing successful contradiction first-hand. I know that camber (and caster) is huge, and I'm looking into it for my Z. As usual, I want the best, damn the cost, but I don't want to invade my frame. My 240Z racer also happens to be in pristine condition inside and out and I am not willing to cut it. I want the car built for all-out autocross (FP), I don't care how undriveable it will be on the street. I'm not willing to put reinforcement bars in, so if that restricts me to <300lb, so be it. The best I've got is triangular strut braces, front and rear. So what is the ideal? How should I change my spring rates, and what should I do about camber/caster? The EMI plates look awesome, but so do these http://www.technotoytuning.com/products/camber_plates.html, mentioned from the camber sticky. No one has reported actually using them yet. Again, for the ideal setup, am I correct that this would also include adjustable front control arms and tension compressin rods? (Or would having one negate the need for the other?) Also, I seem to remember John Coffey telling me that because I have a Quaiffe, running without a rear sway bar, although it feels weird, will improve lap times by letting it squat that torque in around those tight turns. Any comments on that? Thanks again, guys. I look forward to learning from all the experience out there... -Mark

Hmmm....would simple rubber pads under the manufacturer's mounting flanges do the trick? (Similar to motor mounts, I suppose) Thanks again.

wow, you guys piped in fast! thanks! john, why the concern with strapping it in rather than than bolting? i would be using the manufacturer's intended bolting flanges, and would be bolting two points to I-beams under the wood floor and the other two points to the wood floor via lag screws. would that be ok in your book? jon, as for the getting the fuel out of the tank, i plan on using the 12V gas pumps specifically designed for getting the gas out of a tank like this and going into a car or truck. i see them all the time on the back of pickups out here in rural land. its just like a fuel pump at a gas station only without the meter and auto-stop feature. so...i had planned on doing this and figured i'd dummy check myself on hybridz...seems like you guys dont have any major gripes with this setup (possibly a pending mounting solution)...so am I right in assuming you guys wouldnt object to this? thanks again.

Hey guys. I finally have an enclosed trailer for my Z and I will finally be going back to 100 octane fuel full time. For convenience, I would like to mount a fuel transfer tank, say 50-75 gallons in the front of my trailer to hold the fuel. I have come across some interesting warnings and am hoping some of you out there would have experience first or second hand with this sort of thing. Problem #1: Every single fuel transfer tank I come across, such as this one (http://automotive.hardwarestore.com/11-20-fuel-tanks/fuel-transfer-tank-rectangular-100-gal-617306.aspx) all clearly state that the tank is designed and meets DOT standards for combustible fuels but NOT flammable fuels (ie diesel is ok and gasoline is not). I have spoken to a manufacturer regarding this and they claim the tanks aren't designed for the changes in volume (due to temperature) with gasoline and can fail. However...in practice it seems to be a very different story. All of these tanks come with vent caps to allow for changes in volume with temp. I am currently stationed in a very rural part of Oklahoma, and went into a local farmer's equipment supply store. I asked several employees about the no flammable fuels warning (labeled on each tank) and all were absolutely stunned to read that gasoline was not 'ok'...it seems they use it for gasoline all the time. One employee took me to his truck, and in his truck bed was such a tank full of gasoline. (Never had a problem for over 10 years.) Problem #2: Legally, it seems DOT will only allow transportation of gasoline in plasic gas gans, loose and spilling everywhere and not in a sturdy, fastened and sealed transfer tank. Weird. Question #3: Anyone have any reason why I should choose a steel or aluminum tank (one over the other) in terms of structure or perhaps corrosion / reaction between the fuel and the tank? If anyone has any experience or comments for any of the above I would greatly appreciate hearing what you have to say. Thanks.

thanks, for all the great feedback, guys. jon, as far as the hydraulics go, both the slave and master have been replaced with brand new ones within the last two years, so that shouldn't be an issue. i bet you're right that the low oil damaged the synchros somehow. i hate myself. btw - i forgot to mention that the problems aren't consistent in magnatude...on some days the problematic shifting isn't as bad as others. weird.

ah, i see. to answer your question: shifting first to second, at the moment, isnt really a problem if i am driving casually (i.e. behind a minivan). if i am accellerating, i.e. adequate pedal, but not max accell, and take first above say 3500 rpms, then it takes about 1.5-2 seconds to slip into second. again, downshifting from second to first is nearly impossible unless under 5-10 mph. ideally, i should be able to floor 1st until the wheels break loose (4k-5k rpm?), or if not floored, i should be able to take the rpms to 5k-6k and shift into 2nd. both scenarios should shift quickly -- i had this a few hundred miles ago.

Jon, If it were a hydraulic problem, wouldn't it make all gears difficult to get into, not just the low ones? Not sure what you mean by 'how hard were you using the synchros'...could you please elaborate? Gear oil: Valvoline Synthetic Blend, 80W-90, I believe. Double-clutch, never. Heel-toe, never.

BACKGROUND: Took an 82 5spd to a local tranny shop to be rebuilt (replaced all synchros, a couple bearings). I get it back, and I can't downshift into 1st (unless 5mph or slower), can't shift into 2nd if I left 1st above say, 3000 rpms, and can't downshift into 2nd unless at a very slow speed. I take my car to them, they call me back and say it was my clutch. I hear the explanation, but my common sense asks "wouldnt the clutch take out ALL the gears, not just the lower ones?" the clutch, a centerforce dual friction purchased via MSA, had perhaps 15k miles on it. i bought a new clutch (which they recommended NOT be a centerforce; they claim the problem i was having was not uncommon for centerforces). i bought a centerforce again (i always liked it). NOW: They put in the new clutch, seemed fine. It didn't shift effortlessly, but night and day compared to before. The problem has returned: can't downshift into 1st unless under 5mph, shifting from 1st to 2nd sucks. Other pertinent information: the tranny/clutch has maybe 1500 miles since rebuild. 4.375 rear with quiaffe behind tranny. the car has seen its first few autox events (4 events + 3 schools) since the rebuild/clutch replace. i autox'd on street tires, so I broke the rear wheels loose all the time. i found the transmission fluid level to be quite low after my last school (hardest autox action it had seen), which was when i first noticed the problem return, at the end of the day, i had a problem getting into 2nd off of a start. So, after writing my novel, I ask my questions: Could my clutch be responsible for these symptoms? Could the low oil be responsible? Is my local tranny shop incompetent?

I run a 4.37 with a Quaife for autox, and I estimate I have just under 250 rwhp (NA). I have dragged my car as well, and I find that I kick *** off the line, and lack acelleration in 4th and 5th gears (and I need all 5 for the 1/4). Too high a number/too low a gear for drag. I autocross my Z, and this ratio is a considerable advantage, my accelleration is tremendous under 60 mph, and my wheels breakway when I don't want them to if I'm not careful. My Quaiffe saves my a$$ all the time. You keep mentioning 'drifting.' With my setup, a very challenging setup to drive, I drift all the time, but not intentionally. If you drift through a turn, you are not carrying as much control (and therefore speed) through the turn. You DO NOT want to drift. Go to nationals and you will see how many of the pros drift. Zero. It IS fun as hell, though. Cars such as a stock 350Z (with r-compound tires) can hold full pedal without breaking away the tires, which can actually be an advantage. Proper throttling is now a skill that driver does not have to master, and can put faster times down with a quicker learning curve. My ratio makes my first gear almost useless. I can't floor it, and I can't use it for more than ~ half a second. Any more and my wheels break loose, and I don't accellerate as well. I can't floor second above 4000 rpms, and I can't ever floor second if I'm not in a straightaway. Too much gas and I drift and lose speed trying to recover and not take out a wall. If you don't make much power, then a low ration will help you. If you do, it will force you to learn how to use it. I advise you take all this into consideration when making your final decisions. Your differential can make or break you in autocrossing and road racing. Personally, I like having a car that is difficult to drive. Trying to tame the beast is what makes it so fun for me. Fun doesn't necessarily correspond to being the most competitive.

Seems to me I've come across this problem before, and seems to me it was a common problem. My tranny has a odd internal rattle at idle, which quiets when the clutch is pushed in. I'm not sure if it's related, but there is also an odd tapping vibration that feels like something is out of balance, and is worst at around 55 mph (not the tires, had them balanced). I just had this transmission rebuilt, so this is really surprising to me. What is the cause? Thanks.

Thanks, Jon. I agree, front tires are definately the most important, which is why I wouldn't be turning/braking any better. The hope was putting pedal down a little earlier. My friend seemed to think that having the hoosiers in the rear would be worse than running all four street tires...which seems odd to me. I probably could find a way to get some Kuhmos, but I need a new set of rims, too. That brings the total up a little too tall for me. Unless there is a relatively cheap/light set of 16" rims that I don't know about. I would love to get a 2nd set of my 11 lb. SSRs, but thats a little more cash than I've got...

After failing miserably to fully enjoy autocross on street tires, I want to run R comps, but like most of us, money is definately an issue. I then remember that I have a set of hoosier DOT slicks on my old 14" rims somewhere in storage. Unfortunately, these won't fit up front, my brakes are too big. I'm fairly certain that they would fit in the rear, so I'd like to explore that possibility a bit. Both the street tires and the hoosiers have a width of 225, but the hoosiers' overall diameter is smaller. I was thinking that I might even run an event with the hoosiers in the rear and my street tires up front. I may not be able to turn much harder or brake harder than with 4 street tires, but I might be able to put some more power down. I figured I'd run it by a fellow local autocrosser, and he didn't like the idea. He thinks the car would push dramatically, and that it wouldn't be fun to drive. He was also concerned about uneven heat response. My thought process was like this: most of my turning/braking is on the front tires, so of course I won't be able to turn or brake much harder than before. But with more grip at the back, I would be able to be more aggressive with the gas. I was thinking that I would never be able to fully utilize the turn/braking grip of hoosiers in the back because it just isn't there up front. I would only be able to utilize a little more accelleration. Any thoughts or experiences anyone would care to share? Feel free to embarass the rookie, I don't mind...

245/70/17 will fit? I assume that is a typo...did you mean 245/50/17? (or 40 profile? 70 would be huge!) thanks, though. i think i will ask local shops for their help as you suggested...