Stay with a good combination, or try to improve and adapt?

[Pablo Pistoffo]

A couple weeks ago, I pulled the trigger on a set of Fortune Auto 500s. I'm really looking forward to installing them and seeing how they work, but I know from past experience that there is a learning curve any time I change something on the car.
Last week, I eked out my first overall PAX win, by just a couple hundredths.
Should I risk continued success by taking the time to install, adjust and learn the new suspension, or should I go with what I know is a good setup, and wait until the spring test and tunes to fiddle with coils?

 

[The_Ryan]

Install them: YOLO

 

[Erick_V]

Are you H-Street or STH? My car is in Street Mod because I didn't want to limit myself too much, I wanted to build the car the way I wanted. However, Street Mod is where I'm limiting the car whether its Autocross or Time Attack. Wouldn't be competitive above that in my opinion. Plus Street Mod is pretty loose with restrictions for the most part. Car doesn't do too bad, I'm not afraid to admit that I need to work on my driving though. Car is ahead of me lol. Getting corner balanced and alligned on Friday for the first time in forever which will be a step in the right direction. I say install the 500's and tell me how you like them because I've been eyeing them since release!

 

[Pablo Pistoffo]

Are you H-Street or STH? My car is in Street Mod because I didn't want to limit myself too much, I wanted to build the car the way I wanted. However, Street Mod is where I'm limiting the car whether its Autocross or Time Attack. Wouldn't be competitive above that in my opinion. Plus Street Mod is pretty loose with restrictions for the most part. Car doesn't do too bad, I'm not afraid to admit that I need to work on my driving though. Car is ahead of me lol. Getting corner balanced and alligned on Friday for the first time in forever which will be a step in the right direction. I say install the 500's and tell me how you like them because I've been eyeing them since release!


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I'm in STH. My first year of autocross, I was running a WRX (and did pretty well for a rookie), and then moved over to the Fiesta for my second year, where I bombed. I moved up to STH, and came in third for open class drivers. I'm doing even better this year, and I'm just a little nervous screwing it up while trying to adjust to a major change. I also like fiddling with this silly car, and want to see how it will change things.

 

[Rexracer]

I say install it, this year is a throw away year, so may as well use it all for learning to get ready for next year.

 

[psiaddict1]

Well, just to round out the internet advice…I have the opposite opinion, I say since you are doing well, why not keep the current set-up and take the time to work on the most important modification…the Driver mod.. that way you can continue to get a feel for the car and see what really needs improvement. If you decide the car can really be better with the new suspension, great, you already have the parts…if not you can wait till later and make the decision.

Every time I look at my data after and event, I realize that I had put together a compilation run without each of the mistakes I made in each of the runs for the day, I typically find could have dropped up to a second off my best run on a 60sec course… very few mods would have given me that benefit on their own. In other words, its the driver not the car (in my case).

I know I have had many projects in the past that I was so anxious to “improve” with mods that did not take the time to see what the car really needed. It’s great fun to modify the car (I absolutely understand) but it does not always result is something better, at least not right away.

Anyway, just another opinion so take it for what it worth… its your car and choice!

 

[Rexracer]

This is what I started to write, but then switched gears and said the oppsite, for 2x reasons.

1) to me this year is a throw away, we have missed events, so collecting up points for a club championship is all messed up. I for one am not going to even attempt nationals this year with so much uncertainty.

2) Making changes in the off-season will mask the effects. Next season on a new setup, how will you compare to the previous setup? Its been many months. Are the changes due to driver being rusty? Is it a difference in tires? Temperatures? Track conditions? Swapping struts/shocks on these cars is a few hour job, if you do it this year, you can run an event, hate it, and swap back. Then you have learned something you can then work on in the off season.

As always, its your car do what you want. ;-)

 

[Erick_V]

I agree with the statement above. This year is practically useless. I’ve done a corner balancing, alignment changes, new tune, still trying to perfect my pressures and damping. I can’t think of a better time to do it than now. You still have time to get your setup 90% of the way there before next year starts. I have 4 more events left in the year (assuming they don’t get cancelled as 3 have already) and I can at least have a fresh start come January. I say do what you truly want and don’t worry about being competitive at the moment.

 

[Pablo Pistoffo]

They're here!
https://www.fiestastforum.com/threads/fortune-auto-500s-arrived-today.24803/
I was going to save it for next year, but I'm putting them on soon!

 

[Rexracer]

They're here!
https://www.fiestastforum.com/threads/fortune-auto-500s-arrived-today.24803/
I was going to save it for next year, but I'm putting them on soon!

have you gotten to do an event since install?

 

[Pablo Pistoffo]

have you gotten to do an event since install?

Just had the first event on them yesterday with the local Porsche Club- had a lot of fun and did pretty well- came in 7th overall in PAX on a course with a couple relatively long (for up here) straights and mostly fairly gentle corners. I kept finding more and more speed as I was learning to trust the tires more and more. Body roll is controlled so much better, but the thing that most impressed me was how it dealt with our crappy pavement- especially the large bumps. It will take a while to relearn the car, but I am super happy so far.

Unfortunately, my confidence in how it dealt with bumps was somewhat diminished when I went into one of our roundabouts a touch too quickly on my way home, and crunched my Pierce two point brace into the ground going over the entry speed bump. I'll put it up on ramps after work today to see if there is any evidence of damage. I like the effects of having the brace, but it gets smacked on too much stuff. I think I'll go back to stock springs and the Bilsteins for winter to save myself some trouble with the lowering and to preserve the coilovers.

 

[Rexracer]

Just had the first event on them yesterday with the local Porsche Club- had a lot of fun and did pretty well- came in 7th overall in PAX on a course with a couple relatively long (for up here) straights and mostly fairly gentle corners. I kept finding more and more speed as I was learning to trust the tires more and more. Body roll is controlled so much better, but the thing that most impressed me was how it dealt with our crappy pavement- especially the large bumps. It will take a while to relearn the car, but I am super happy so far.

Unfortunately, my confidence in how it dealt with bumps was somewhat diminished when I went into one of our roundabouts a touch too quickly on my way home, and crunched my Pierce two point brace into the ground going over the entry speed bump. I'll put it up on ramps after work today to see if there is any evidence of damage. I like the effects of having the brace, but it gets smacked on too much stuff. I think I'll go back to stock springs and the Bilsteins for winter to save myself some trouble with the lowering and to preserve the coilovers.

Its amazing we all want to modify our cars for a certain task, then suddenly make it worse at another task. Sounds like your on the right path, use this setup to race, then swap back for the winter.

 

[M-Sport fan]

^^^Yeah, that's a major pain to go through each and every year, along with all of the alignments, etc.
But, yes, it is the best way to protect the coil overs from corrosion, and crater impact damage, and everything else the brutal winter throws at our rides.

 

[Pablo Pistoffo]

^^^Yeah, that's a major pain to go through each and every year, along with all of the alignments, etc.
But, yes, it is the best way to protect the coil overs from corrosion, and crater impact damage, and everything else the brutal winter throws at our rides.

I'm actually thinking about buying a set of alignment tools and doing it myself- they'd pay for themselves after a couple seasons, and it would be helpful in evening out my front camber.