SCCA Street Category Moves for 2015 (FiST to HS!!!)

[Mightymango]

The front bar made a massive difference in body roll and transitional response. 24-pace+ slaloms are now WOT in 3rd gear for my wife....she had a Nat'l champ sitting shotgun during Time-Onlys (unscored fun runs) and he was SHOCKED at how quickly she could hustle the car through the slaloms.

We are planning on running the front Konis almost soft in rebound (compression damping is already significantly reduced compared with stock) and the rears maybe a half turn out from full stiff. Should help mitigate the small negative effects from the front bar, as well as re-balance the car a bit.

Are you short shifting 2nd to get into 3rd? Most courses I have run the time to shift into 3rd would be wasted time.

Interesting on the results of the front bar. I'm still curious on it, I wish it was easier to swap in and out like the rear.

Also in regards to the other question about street class you can't touch anything in the engine compartment other then a drop in filter is something else. You can add seat belt harnesses as long as the seats are all still factory.

 

[k757]

Interesting on the results of the front bar. I'm still curious on it, I wish it was easier to swap in and out like the rear.

I'm a believer in the FSB. I like the concept that helps keep the drive wheels flatter, longer

 

[justgotFiSTed]

Are you short shifting 2nd to get into 3rd? Most courses I have run the time to shift into 3rd would be wasted time.

Interesting on the results of the front bar. I'm still curious on it, I wish it was easier to swap in and out like the rear.

No...not short shifting. Running out of gear because the car is now capable of pretty ludicrous speeds on RS-3s. And the front bar isn't as easy as a rear of course, but after the first time you do it, you can get it handled in WELL under an hour. Definitely worth the effort to properly develop the car.

I think an ideal compromise (for street class) might be a front bar from a base Fiesta (bigger than ST bar, smaller than Eibach) and more rebound damping up front to help with the transitional response. Stock front base Fiesta bar is under $70...I'm sure at some point we will play with that option and report back.

 

[Mightymango]

So on a nationals level course it might happen then, I have only hit the rev limiter on a couple courses were the time to upshift and downshift was mitigated by how short of time i was on the limiter. One of the guys at nats last year at nats (one of the two) debated shifting into 3rd on the west course for more power but determined the place to shift you wound need to downshift too soon. I have debated it as well and will experiment with it more this year as it is going to be my main auto-x car. What size tire are you running in the RS3?

I totally agree that it would be worth the effort to help in development of the car to try a front bar. The stock bars are cheap enough that it may just be worth the effort to mess with, I'm guessing they are heavy compared to the Eibach.

 

[justgotFiSTed]

Course-dependent, we run either a Dunlop ZiI in 205/50-16 or the Hankook in 205/45-16

 

[Mightymango]

Course-dependent, we run either a Dunlop ZiI in 205/50-16 or the Hankook in 205/45-16

Have you thought about messing with the Toyo?

 

[justgotFiSTed]

Meh...considered it very briefly. My wife ran a Nationally-competitive STC civic on the "pixie-dust" R1R 195s at Nationals and, obviously, that was the right answer for that car. Those tires like a lot of rim support (STC cars usually run 195 on a 7.5in rim) and the needs for that car are vastly different, as they weigh pretty much nothing, and have zero torque and weak brakes. Because those tires don't like much heat, they are a good match for a lightweight car that doesn't really ask much from the tire longitudinally.

With the FiST being limited to 7in wheels, having double the torque of the D16 in the Honda, a quarter-ton+ of extra weight, and strong brakes, it all adds up to a lot more heat being generated a lot more quickly. Additionally, the FiST requires a bit more of a point-and-shoot style, with less momentum conservation and more braking/throttle inputs, which again, asks a lot more of the tires longitudinally. The RS-3s seem to cope with this particular blend of shenanigans a lot better.

That said, my CRX will be rocking the pixie-dust at some point in the not-too-distant future

 

[Mightymango]

That was my thought as well. I had other people ask me and I said not for the power/weight and style of driving the car is capable of (not a momentum car) I just didn't want to think I was off base in my thinking.

 

[justgotFiSTed]

That was my thought as well. I had other people ask me and I said not for the power/weight and style of driving the car is capable of (not a momentum car) I just didn't want to think I was off base in my thinking.

What tires are you running? You run 225s, right? I thought that "overtiring" the 7in rim that much would have more negatives than positives. Thoughts?

 

[Mightymango]

Not from what I have experienced with the tires, they actually don't look pinched on the wheel either. (my wheels from last year) Obviously a 7.5inch wheel would be SO nice but I had no issues running on a 7 inch. The tires grip really well and wore evenly even with a bunch of auto-x runs. I didn't experience anything that I would consider negative from running that wide, they are heavier then the other tires which is a factor for rolling weight. The car felt very balanced with the star specs, more so then it did with the normal ZII. I am going to run a different wheel this season.

Also....I just saw your location so I understand the shifting into 3rd deal now.

 

[justgotFiSTed]

The Marana events are kinda known for "Nationals-type" course layouts, as we have a number of champs in out region that design courses.

 

[Siesta_Fiesta]

Is the FiST still classed in HS?

 

[Plainrt]

Yes. Next year some changes. It don't believe any that change the fist