krazy_karl

hey ive got a s4 turbo and im gonna do very basic level racing. dont need a roll cage etc. amm i was jus wondering wat settings u would recommend i set my Koni adj (yellow and jus the stiffness adj) shockies to. i dont care about the harshness i jus want the best handling possible. also wat tyre should i get ive got 17x8 mags but i want like a semi-slick (eg yokohama aoo8r's) good idea or not or should i jus get a road tyre also wat widths???

MechE00

Autocross? Open Track? What type of racing? What rules do you have to work within?

I have no idea what sort of rules and sanctioning bodies there may be in New Zealand, but you should check to see what restrictions (if any) they place on tires in the class you want to compete in.

I'm a little surprised you mention "i dont care about the harshness i jus want the best handling possible"-- it really makes it sound like you're a lame street racer trying to pose as an actual competition driver. Sorry if I'm being a presumptuous ***..

tims

I am curious where you can "race" without proper safety equipment like roll cages.

PaulyDee

Well the question does not allow a cuta dry answer. Shock seting are relative to what track conditions are like. Smooth courses like stiffer settings and rough courses tend to prefer softer settings. Basically you are going to have start with a medium setting and adjust according to how the car handles. You can't just set it and forget it.

As for the tires, I am unsure of what is availible in New Zealand but a DOT R compound tire such as the A008R is a good place to start. Full race slicks have different characteristics and would take different suspension settings.

krazy_karl

what im saying about harshness is im not worried about the ride on the street (its not a full blown race car at all so it is street/race). the track im racing on is quite smooth. and i can run slicks but u dont get a warm up lap so i think some sought of semi slick is the way to go. should i have the rear a touch softer than the front? also ive heard kumho v700 are quite good??? is this true???

MechE00

Well, I don't know about others, but when I'm done autocrossing, I adjust the shocks back to street settings (full soft). That's the trick with adjustables, see? :p~ And also for autocrossing, I usually have a setting that I start with and tweek from there based on what the car is doing..

I thought v700's were not being sold anymore... ummm.. I may not be remembering correctly. Anyway, what sort of event is this? What sanctioning body??

I have never heard of wheel to wheel racing allowed without a cage, and I can't think of any other event that doesn't allow time to warm up the tires..

Ohhh!!!! Is this drag racing?? I understand drag tires are different than road race/autocross tires.. and I have no clue about shock settings for drag racing.

Of course you don't have to please me or anything, but at this point it still sounds to me like you're an ignorant street racer trying to pose. You're very skimpy on specifics and what you do say doesn't quite make sense compared to my experiences.

ah well.. stay safe!

Silkworm

No, Victoracer V700s are still sold (at least Tirerack has them listed), but as I understand it, the Escta V700 is supposed to replace the original Victoracer.

good tire for the money in the US, dunno how it compares to offerings in NZ or how pricey it is there.

Sounds kinda like he's doing solo 1 racing or auto-x, so the cage probably isn't required.

Here's a site with a lot of technical info, including an article on selecting and setting shocks: http://www.grmotorsports.com/techmain.html

Unfortunately, Paulydee is right, we can't tell you what to set for your car and be sure it works for you, you can only do this through testing of your car.

PaulC

krazy_karl

ok lets sought one thing out IM NOT A STREET RACER. this is why im taking it to the track so i dont race on the streets. also its called speed events and u get 2 timed laps from a standing start with no warm up lap. u start with normally 3 other cars. then normally they break up and do different sections of the track individually. all u need is a fire extinguisher a helmet and a car with wof and registration. i understand i need to adjust it to what i like i was jus trying to figure out where to start from.

MechE00

My apologies then Karl! That is quite a unique event setup!

My race tire knowledge is a little hazy, but if the event is short and tire warming is not an option, I'd check out what your local autocrossers or gymkana (sp?) devote's are running. Autocross focused R compounds tires tend to build up heat more quickly than road course intended R compounds.. (or at least that's what I remember with one specific tire that had an autocross and a road course version of the same tire.) My guess would be that the two laps would not be enough to overheat the autocross tires.

Of course if it's something like 2 laps of Bathurst or something, that goes right out the window.

Regarding shocks, I typically go with full stiff up front and backed off a little in the rear and adjust tire pressures and shock settings to taste. But that's for autocross where quick transitions are as/more important than handling for the long sweepers. Unfortunately, that's also based on another car. I'm new to competing with my RX-7..

You don't mention your spring rates, but if they're stock, you'll probably be looking to use the shocks at pretty high damping levels to make up for a soft suspension.

I'd advise getting some "cheating bastard" practice on the track prior to the actual event so you can set up what feels good on the car.

You really share the track with 3 other cars? You start door to door?? and no safety equipment?? :o Wow...

good luck! sorry for the misplaced suspicion!

krazy_karl

u normally leave the line in twos. but passing is allowed and yeah its basically racing. pretty kewl huh. and thanx for the reccomendations ive just finished putting my shockies in. im takin it draggin tommorow so i think ill go full soft on the rear and normal at the front. not sure wat tire prseeusres tho. ive just got normal crappy road tyres. 205/50? or 45/15's on the stock rims. should i run like 20psi or sometin?