Hi there everyone!

I'm about to start driving around in circles here in the midst of polar bears and land of thousand lakes. (Finland) I'm new to road racing stuff, I have been at the strip a couple of times with my LS1 Camaro, but that's just not enough. There's no suitable class for LS1s here so I'll just be racing on track days with some Mustangs and other F-bodies, for now at least.

I just need to be pointed to the right direction, when it comes to making decisions which parts to buy. My car needs to be streetable, but that does absolutely NOT mean it has to ride comfortably on the streets, very few street miles will be driven.

I've already bought 17x9 SS wheels so now it's time to decide on the rubber, I've got the original rims and tires to use on the streets so I was thinking about Kumho V710s Can't go wrong with that, right? How long will they last? Any other tires worth looking at?

A4->M6 conversion starts in the coming months, there shouldn't be a problem with that, other than I have to decide between LS7 clutch and Spec 2+ What do you guys think?

SLP sub frame connectors was welded in yesterday, strut tower brace is on, adjustable LCA's by BMR.. coming soon new panhard bar, Spohn adjustable torque arm...what else?

Springs&shocks? Haven't really had time to think of these yet.

Engine will be quite stock for now, just some bolt ons, headers, LS6 cam(+intake?)

All unnecessary stuff will be removed for weight savings, abs and airbags are going to stay in the car. seats have changed to Sparco Evos, backseat removed, so rollcage will be installed later on.

Comments, suggestions, links? I've been reading some of the stuff on the board and done some searching, so I'm getting there..

A set of Koni shocks and a performance alignment should be at the top of your list.

Bigger swaybars (35mm front, 21mm solid or 22mm hollow rear) will probably be on your future shopping list.

The big thing you need is seat time, but good shocks will be the single biggest improvement you can make to the car.

Personally, I will never buy another Spec clutch, but I have no experience with the LS7 clutch.

Howdy,

710's aren't what I'd choose for track days, particularly if you're new.

I'd say you'd be better served by Nitto NT-1's. They should wear a bit longer & handle the heat a bit better. Toyo RA-1's would be similar, though probably without as much grip (but perhaps wear a bit longer).

Otherwise if I were you I'd call Sam, put whatever on the car he says to do, then drive it for a couple years.

Then re-examine. :-)

Mark

I was going to say the Nitto 555 RIIs, but the NT-1s would probably be good too. The RIIs will last a LONG time, can actually be used on the street if needed, and are very forgiving at the limit. Good shocks were already mentioned (Konis). The only other things I'd really recommend are some good track pads for the front brakes, maybe upgrading the seat(s) to something more supportive, and most importantly: MORE SEAT TIME!

The best thing I can advise is: Don't just start throwing upgrades at the car. Learn to drive what you have first, then fix the things that are giving you problems.

Thanks for the comments so far. The Nittos would last longer, that's good to hear, I don't want to buy a set of new tires many times per year.

Is that Sam Strano hollow front sway bar any good? I already bought EBC yellow stuff pads, I thought I'd give them a try. I just have to replace the worn rotors, before installing them. I guess with some new shocks, tires, brakes, a T56 and a careful approach I'm ready for my first lap at the track.

And I'm keeping my Sparcos, they're supportive enough

Howdy,

My main recommendations would be:

Call Sam, get springs/bars/shocks for front and rear. Sam's springs won't need height adjusters, so they're easy to install/use.

If the new panhard you're getting is rod ended, use that. Otherwise send it back and get a rod ended one. If the Spohn torque arm isn't shorter than stock, then fine, but otherwise either run the stock one or perhaps a Random Tech. Sam can help you with both of these too.

Then get some tires. 555 RII's are a great choice. I dunno if Nitto is doing away with them now that the NT01 is out though. NT01 is also a good choice, per my message above.

On the safety front, get a rollbar installed. Either custom (the best bet, if there's someone good around you) or a bolt in. Properly mount some six or seven point harnesses.

Then go run the car a lot. You may eventually find that you want to change some stuff... You may want to change spring/bar rates, use different shocks, wider wheels, or whatever. But you won't know what you're eventually going to want without some seat time and driver training. The package above is an inexpensive way to get to a known good f-body setup.

Mark

All the above are good suggestions.

I have run the Nitto RIIs' for the past 3 years with good results, about 20 track days per year and 3-5000 miles.

DEFINATELY talk to Sam Strano........will not sell you stuff you don't need and will help you NOT make bad choices. Also, search this board, there are many people here with a wealth of knowledge.

Good luck!!