FRPP Track Pack initial thoughts

[TNcoupe]

Oh [MENTION=29059]lugz[/MENTION]. Forgot to tell you I have the Steeda billet rear shock mounts too. Biggest improvement Ive done as far as suspension feel. Could not believe the difference it made until I felt it on my own car.

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[Bluemustang]

We did a track adventure last weekend doing road course, high-speed AX and one drag strip pass. Overall, I'd say the track pack did great all around.

Refresher- GT PP car, FRPP track pack with sways set on stiff both frt and back, Steeda RLCA bearing, J&M vertical links. Alignment -1.6 camber in the front and -2.0 in the rear. 285/35/19 square RE71 setup.

Handling is very neutral with this setup. Memphis is a pretty smooth track, so the sway bars were perfect. The crappy roads around the track beat you up a bit, but on track was very nice. No push. Tire wear was pretty even overall EXCEPT for the left frt tire taking a bit of a beating on the outer edge. Memphis has a long, high speed, decreasing radius sweeper that just kills that particular tire. I think a little more negative camber in the front would be in order.

Overall, very happy with the setup. I only made one drag pass coming straight from the road course event over to the drag strip without changing tire pressures or anything (went 12.69@113) because I got wicked wheel hop on the burnout, launch and 1-2 shift and didn't want to break a half-shaft. Not convinced either of the popular lockout kits will help, but have to do something to address it. No problems with wheel hop on the AX or road course - guess shifting there tends to be much smoother/easier there to keep things planted/stable.

Did get to ride along with @TNcoupe for a few laps - have to say I really liked the feel of his linear springs. But I'm going to stick with the track pack setup at least until VIR in the fall.

Oh, just wanted to add - with all the mods above, the car weighed 3660 lbs on the drag scale with 1/2 tank of gas, no mats, no tire pump. The car still feels a little heavy, but drives like an actual sports car now and not the vague, lumbering stock PP feel.

Great impressions lugz. Have you considered a BMR cradle lockout to add to things? I have a similar setup to you except a few more pieces.

 

[lugz]

Oh @lugz . Forgot to tell you I have the Steeda billet rear shock mounts too. Biggest improvement Ive done as far as suspension feel. Could not believe the difference it made until I felt it on my own car.

Interesting. Makes you wonder how much flex is in the stock mount.

Have you considered a BMR cradle lockout to add to things?

Yeah, I'm guessing either the BMR or Steeda lockout will be the next mod. Do you get wheel hop with your setup?

 

[spiller]

We did a track adventure last weekend doing road course, high-speed AX and one drag strip pass. Overall, I'd say the track pack did great all around.

Refresher- GT PP car, FRPP track pack with sways set on stiff both frt and back, Steeda RLCA bearing, J&M vertical links. Alignment -1.6 camber in the front and -2.0 in the rear. 285/35/19 square RE71 setup.

Handling is very neutral with this setup. Memphis is a pretty smooth track, so the sway bars were perfect. The crappy roads around the track beat you up a bit, but on track was very nice. No push. Tire wear was pretty even overall EXCEPT for the left frt tire taking a bit of a beating on the outer edge. Memphis has a long, high speed, decreasing radius sweeper that just kills that particular tire. I think a little more negative camber in the front would be in order.

Overall, very happy with the setup. I only made one drag pass coming straight from the road course event over to the drag strip without changing tire pressures or anything (went 12.69@113) because I got wicked wheel hop on the burnout, launch and 1-2 shift and didn't want to break a half-shaft. Not convinced either of the popular lockout kits will help, but have to do something to address it. No problems with wheel hop on the AX or road course - guess shifting there tends to be much smoother/easier there to keep things planted/stable.

Did get to ride along with @TNcoupe for a few laps - have to say I really liked the feel of his linear springs. But I'm going to stick with the track pack setup at least until VIR in the fall.

Oh, just wanted to add - with all the mods above, the car weighed 3660 lbs on the drag scale with 1/2 tank of gas, no mats, no tire pump. The car still feels a little heavy, but drives like an actual sports car now and not the vague, lumbering stock PP feel.

How did the set up feel on the sticky RE71s, not too soft for the tire? Did you feel any unpredictability in the progressive springs out on track? I'm still debating whether to just fit the kit with the FR springs or upgrade to BMR handling or Steeda Ultralite linears given i'll be running r-compounds.

Oh and any issues with the front sway bar end link? I've heard they are prone to bending when used with the heavy FR sway bar. Sorry for all of the questions, just trying to resist throwing parts at my car just because!

 

[BmacIL]

Interesting. Makes you wonder how much flex is in the stock mount.



Yeah, I'm guessing either the BMR or Steeda lockout will be the next mod. Do you get wheel hop with your setup?

It's not the mount flexing. It's the fact that the shock is constrained in a rubber bushing within the mount which doesn't allow the shock to properly articulate and binds up. The billet shock mounts have a spherical bearing that lets the shock pivot smoothly and control the ride much better. The stock mount takes away damping and adds effective spring rate. This and the lockout kit are the first two mods I recommend to every S550 owner.

 

[lugz]

How did the set up feel on the sticky RE71s, not too soft for the tire? Did you feel any unpredictability in the progressive springs out on track? I'm still debating whether to just fit the kit with the FR springs or upgrade to BMR handling or Steeda Ultralite linears given i'll be running r-compounds.

Oh and any issues with the front sway bar end link? I've heard they are prone to bending when used with the heavy FR sway bar. Sorry for all of the questions, just trying to resist throwing parts at my car just because!

Very predictable, but they are a compromise setup trying to find a balance between street and track and don't do either perfectly. I would be seriously tempted to go with the steeda ultralights instead, especially if progressive springs grate on your nerves.

You know I had the wheels off to clean them but didn't think to check the end links. Didn't feel anything odd in the 11 hour ride home. I did notice that the JLT brake ducts got "ovaled" pretty good where they pinch between the sway bar and the chassis.

 

[Bluemustang]

Interesting. Makes you wonder how much flex is in the stock mount.



Yeah, I'm guessing either the BMR or Steeda lockout will be the next mod. Do you get wheel hop with your setup?

No - I have no wheel hop on the street. I just tested it tonight actually. I went WOT off idle and spun the RPMs to 7200 RPMs in 1st gear and got nothing but wheel spin shifting into 2nd and then it hooked up. There's no hop only wheel spin. I did this with traction control and advancetrac off and with a little steering correction I was able to keep hold of the car despite the massive wheel spin. I'm only running 18x8" tires so not wide enough for this car, but that's what I have with me right now.

I actually recorded my all-time best 0-60 time of 4.9 secs with the trackapps. Hey- don't make fun - that's good for me. On my stock car I was only able to get 5.6 seconds as my best. And this is only with mashing the pedal off idle. No RPM launching or foot-brake.

My new tires and the LCA bearing I think have helped significantly in keeping the car under control. The cradle lockout took away almost all my wheel hop but the LCA bearing add cured it for good I think. Not to mention it can take corners like a beast and I can mash the throttle and it will handle predictably in turns.

 

[spiller]

Very predictable, but they are a compromise setup trying to find a balance between street and track and don't do either perfectly. I would be seriously tempted to go with the steeda ultralights instead, especially if progressive springs grate on your nerves.

You know I had the wheels off to clean them but didn't think to check the end links. Didn't feel anything odd in the 11 hour ride home. I did notice that the JLT brake ducts got "ovaled" pretty good where they pinch between the sway bar and the chassis.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm thinking BMR SP085 and Swifts for the front but the ultralites are apparently a good option with these shocks, just a little light for the front.

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