im an entry level racer and id like to do some basic essincial mods on a decent budget..just wanting some opinions on what i should focus my attention on first.

 

Safety, Tires, Suspension.

Learn to drive, then add power.

 

I might put it another way:

Safety, Reliability, Brakes, Tires, Suspension...

 

Agreed...

Good Cage, helmet, suit (if required)
Not too crazy engine build with all new wearable items replaced such as brakes, clutch etc etc
GXL Brakes w/ Good pads
Good DOT approved R-Comp
Decent Shocks/Springs

 

Track time is the most important thing to spend money on. Buy as much of that as you can afford!

Then safety. Buy as much of that as you can

Make sure you have sufficient oil and water cooling

Now you can start looking at tires and suspension mods

 

Do you already have the car? Step 1 is buying someone else's sorted or at least partially sorted car.

 

yeah of course i can see why u ask tho. some people ask a bunch of questions before having stuff.

 

Basic essential mods?

Dip into the Mazda parts bin. I'll assume you don't have the turbo model since the one in your avatar doesn't have the hood scoop.

If you don't already have them, get the turbo model 4 piston brakes along with the 5 bolt hubs.
Since you have an S4, you can install the S5 UIM with the dynamic chamber. I did it and it really works! Above 5k RPM you get a very noticeable kick, they say about 15 HP. Search on that one, it's good. But you might want to sort out your vacuum pump at the same time and get an RPM activated switch so that your secondary intake ports and dynamic chamber are controlled by that instead of the weird OEM system that requires back pressure from the exhaust. That way you can get a free flowing exhaust without having problems related to vacuum.

Also if you happen to be getting all of this from a junkyard make sure to check every car's differential and try to find an LSD. The stock gearing in the FC is horrible (Gear limited top end over 200 MPH but the power won't take you past 150) so if you can get a better final drive ratio it'll be a big help. I think mine is a 3.73 but there are ones above 4.0 available.

You can try and get an aluminum hood too but the odds of finding that are real slim.

That's all I got for basic mods for real cheap.

 

Search through this sub-forum - there have been many threads covering this topic before. Here are the high points (IMHO) taken away from these prior discussions:

0) Safety first - you will need a good helmet (Snell SA rated, and full face is highly recommended). Many organizations are also starting to require head&neck restraint devices for competition, although you may be able to delay this purchase while you are learning to drive.

1) Before you make any "performance" mods to the car, make sure it absolutely reliable. These are old cars and often need a lot of TLC before they should be put on the track. Things like bushings, bearings, brakes, fluids. How is your cooling system? Are your tires in good shape? Have a competent mechanic go through and inspect the car and fix what needs to be fixed first. (Most track event organizers will require this tech inspection in any case).

2) Work on the Driver First. A stock S4, on street tires and stock brakes, is a great car to learn on. I am not sure of your past experience, but as a novice/beginning driver it is actually better to learn on a lower performance car. Spending your money on seat-time is a much better investment than a lot of shiny go-fast parts.

3) As you progress, then you can start considering adding performance parts. But do this slowly and in a balanced fashion - dropping $3k-$4k on a set of coilovers is not a real good decision if your bushings are crap. Also remember that "sh_t breaks" so be ready to spend some money just maintaining the vehicle as well as consumables (gas, oil, tires, brakes).

4) Read the book "Go Ahead - Take the Wheel" by Dave Gran (SCCA club racer). Best book I've seen on getting started in amateur motorsports.

Good luck,

-bill