Solo car to Track Trial Car, need help
 

I'm taking my 93 R1 out of retirement and running it in SCCA Club Trials this season (Club Trials is a lot like the old Solo 1 - you run 20 minutes sessions on a race track and your best time is scored.) My car is still set up as a Super Stock Solo car with an Aadco FSB, Koni yellow shocks and a catback; nothing else.

What should I change? Bigger front sway? Back to stock sway bar? Full stiff shocks or softer than Solo? What alignment settings, same as Solo?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

That a very open ended question. Have you looked to see what's allowed for each class? I would start there. Going too crazy may put you in a class where the guys are spending a LOT more money making you less competitive.

You'll need to address cooling issues first. A larger radiator should be first on your list. You'll be surprise how hot things get in 20 minutes on a road course.

I'll be running in the Stock B class meaning no modifications to the turbos or motor, I can do suspensions stuff except for springs. A larger intercooler and a cold air intake are possible, but would move me into a very lightly modified class of T4.

hawk blue pads and brake ducts and stainless brake lines. fresh brake fluid. hoosiers or kumhos.

I would suggest addressing the tire, cooling and braking pieces as to what the class you want to run in allows. Other than that, just run the season starting out with what you have since you are familiar with it. No need to slap on a ton of upgrades just yet as the car is very capable next to stock.

If exhaust rules are more open, you want to lose the stock downpipe.

I'd agree with Mahjik. You "might" be able to get by with the stock radiator if you install some proper ducting and run distilled water with little or no coolant. This will certainly depend on ambient temps and the track. I recall that there was a considerable improvement (based on reduced coolant temps) when adding vertical ducts to each side of the radiator. Perhaps Redline water wetter and colder leading plugs as well. Get some good tires and dedicated brake ducts for the fronts!

And, as tempting as it is, I strongly recommend against modifying the suspension and engine for a while. Seat time and more seat time. I didn't follow that advice for years and, after spending nearly $30K in mods, sure wish I invested the cash instead. The best mod I ever spent money on was a Spec Miata which I drove for two years before going back to the FD. My first Solo 1 day in on the same track in the FD resulted in being over 2 seconds quicker with three year old Hoosiers and 3 lbs less boost! To my surprise, this was good for second place in a very competitive class.

Gene