SCCA CAM-C Thread

[WItoTX]

Yeah, that doesn't look perfectly good to me

I thought so too, but a lot of guys have that in their photos, so I stopped worrying myself haha...If the clip that holds the brake line to the sway bar was a bit less grippy, it's not such an issue.

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[kz]

Yeah, that doesn't look perfectly good to me

That's at full droop so it is fine at right height - probably.

 

[TeeLew]

Went to look if car isn't coming apart again and found this.... Not a huge fan - feels like it is related to rear bar using relocation brackets (which otherwise are a great idea, move bar away, put links at much better angle and so on). Anyone saw this ? Solutions ? Ziptie line to the bar ?

I haven't had that particular problem, but they are awkward to deal with.

The most 'racer' thing on any car is this part right here. Buy a bunch and affix with your favorite epoxy (JB and Araldite are popular) so you can secure cable, lines, hoses, etc. Thomas & Betts TC105 cable tie mount. EBay is your best source if you don't want to buy a million.

 

[kz]

The springs I guess were okish at least - front is much better, rear I still need to get some more time on - In Charlotte Tour after day 1 on a very tight local-like course I was sitting in 2nd - but pretty far behind Ward (who's legit fast but also has car at the weight limit - 1LE Turbo Camaro - 400 lb lighter than mine), day 2 was a complete rain mayhem, running very last heat they eventually decided to run us for 1 run only in a pouring rain, then 2nd one since people left and there was less people to go through.

I have almost zero rain experience and historically I was pretty terrible in the rain, still ended up 4th, 0.070 sec out of trophy spot after stupidly DNFing first (and originally only) run.

But even worn out Yoks were pretty damn impressive on a wet asphalt - lots of acceleration grip but I must have been hitting the brakes too abruptly as it just locked the wheels up and slid forward.

I swapped rear springs to 800 in-lb just before leaving (it is a known winning recipe - make changes right before leaving for an event you tow 500 miles to) - need to experiment with rear bar and maybe go even softer on the springs.

Left Concord at 6pm with 7.5 hours to go...

 

[mavisky]

I need to get under the rear of my car. Ran great at the last event with the steeda springs and steeda comp bars on full stiff. Once I out it back on PS4S though there seems to be some unwanted motion out back. Not sure if it's tire related or what but never felt like this before the bar change. Wondering if something in the rear toe got loose.

 

[Dana Pants]

I need to get under the rear of my car. Ran great at the last event with the steeda springs and steeda comp bars on full stiff. Once I out it back on PS4S though there seems to be some unwanted motion out back. Not sure if it's tire related or what but never felt like this before the bar change. Wondering if something in the rear toe got loose.

It’s almost always a wheel bearing. Or more specifically, a loose axle nut which can be easily threadlocked and re tightened.

 

[TeeLew]

I need to get under the rear of my car. Ran great at the last event with the steeda springs and steeda comp bars on full stiff. Once I out it back on PS4S though there seems to be some unwanted motion out back. Not sure if it's tire related or what but never felt like this before the bar change. Wondering if something in the rear toe got loose.

What tires were you on before?

 

[mavisky]

What tires were you on before?

Kumho V730 are my autocross tires. The PS4S are just for driving around town.

 

[Dana Pants]

I have almost zero rain experience and historically I was pretty terrible in the rain, still ended up 4th, 0.070 sec out of trophy spot after stupidly DNFing first (and originally only) run.

But even worn out Yoks were pretty damn impressive on a wet asphalt - lots of acceleration grip but I must have been hitting the brakes too abruptly as it just locked the wheels up and slid forward.

The best part of yokos is that they are fast in all possible weather conditions. They are even fast if it’s lightly snowing at the event. To make them faster in wet conditions, add a second driver and some tire blankets.

As for braking, roll into the brakes just like you roll onto the gas pedal. If you have aggressive pads, I recommend switching to stop tech sports. They are very boring and have no personality of any sort.

 

[WItoTX]

It’s almost always a wheel bearing. Or more specifically, a loose axle nut which can be easily threadlocked and re tightened.

The loose nut is often caused by the thrust washer wearing out. On my car, I am chasing down some easier repairs, but my research is leading me to the thrust washer being the culprit for some minor issues I can work around for the time being.

 

[Dana Pants]

l

The loose nut is often caused by the thrust washer wearing out. On my car, I am chasing down some easier repairs, but my research is leading me to the thrust washer being the culprit for some minor issues I can work around for the time being.

I’ve found one cracked washer and one horrifically smooshed washer on tight and functional wheel bearings so far. This was when I had to take the car apart for broken axles and wheel studs. Yes. Plural axles and plural wheel studs.

 

[mavisky]

Well problem solved. Apparently the factory magneride calibration is just woefully inadequate at damping the Steeda Dual Rate springs when it's in comfort mode. Put the suspension into Sport or Race and the damping controls the unexpected movement at the rear just fine. Easy repairs are awesome, but I'll be looking even harder into the Steeda configured DSC magneride controller as I understand that their comfort is closer to sport, sport closer to race, and Race has been properly tuned to match the dual rate spring rates.

 

[WItoTX]

Well problem solved. Apparently the factory magneride calibration is just woefully inadequate at damping the Steeda Dual Rate springs when it's in comfort mode. Put the suspension into Sport or Race and the damping controls the unexpected movement at the rear just fine. Easy repairs are awesome, but I'll be looking even harder into the Steeda configured DSC magneride controller as I understand that their comfort is closer to sport, sport closer to race, and Race has been properly tuned to match the dual rate spring rates.

If I had to do it again, I would just go coilovers and be done with it. The reason being:

DSC is great (And I have one myself), but A) you are going to be on prepackaged Steeda tunes that work well for one or two drivers at Steeda who drive a similar car to yours, or B) if you buy your own DSC and tune, you will find (as others here have pointed out), the limit for factory non-R dampers is around 400-450 lbs front spring. Then, C) the tuning just isn't as simple as turn a couple knobs. Numbers in the DSC are relative, not absolute. So to change the shock "1 click" requires way more thought than just changing the % from a 10 to a 9. And the tables work off of one another, so unless you have the time to commit to testing and trying everything (not to mention access to a good road or parking lot), it's going to be incredibly tough to learn how to adjust in between runs when you are also trying to spray tires, check pressures, etc...

THEN, to get to 500 lb front springs, you are on to R dampers. Which means 4 new dampers anyways. And while they are not as expensive as full coil overs, they are not free either. Then again, maybe I am just bitter that I feel like I zigged when I should have zagged in regards to suspension.

I also ran an S550 that was at 600 lb front rates two weekends ago. It's a game changer in the S550 platform.

 

[mavisky]

If I had to do it again, I would just go coilovers and be done with it. The reason being:

DSC is great (And I have one myself), but A) you are going to be on prepackaged Steeda tunes that work well for one or two drivers at Steeda who drive a similar car to yours, or B) if you buy your own DSC and tune, you will find (as others here have pointed out), the limit for factory non-R dampers is around 400-450 lbs front spring. Then, C) the tuning just isn't as simple as turn a couple knobs. Numbers in the DSC are relative, not absolute. So to change the shock "1 click" requires way more thought than just changing the % from a 10 to a 9. And the tables work off of one another, so unless you have the time to commit to testing and trying everything (not to mention access to a good road or parking lot), it's going to be incredibly tough to learn how to adjust in between runs when you are also trying to spray tires, check pressures, etc...

THEN, to get to 500 lb front springs, you are on to R dampers. Which means 4 new dampers anyways. And while they are not as expensive as full coil overs, they are not free either. Then again, maybe I am just bitter that I feel like I zigged when I should have zagged in regards to suspension.

I also ran an S550 that was at 600 lb front rates two weekends ago. It's a game changer in the S550 platform.

Oh if I wanted to run at nationals I don't think you're wrong at all, but I'm not looking to win nationals or dump 10K to improve on what's already a very good suspension with adaptability to create an excellent suspension that's tailored to only competition. After all, my car is still full weight with a full interior and full weight battery. If anything my car has gained weight with bracing and aero vs losing weight.

The Steeda DSC controller may not be 100% perfect, but I have no doubt it's more accurately able to handle the wheel rates of the current setup than the factory calibration. I personally don't have time to do the rigorous testing to develop a damper profile on a standalone DSC, so the Steeda one is the easiest/best solution. 4 new R dampers are only $1,500 and the upgrade would be worthwhile when and if one of mine starts to show signs of leakage. Until then, I'll work with what I've got and keep making improvements on the nut behind the wheel.

 

[TeeLew]

If I had to do it again, I would just go coilovers and be done with it.

If the car is primarily meant for the track or recreation, I truly think this is the way to go. Start with a stripper model and change it all. I think where the Magneride shines is a 'performance' middle-ground, where you drive primarily on the street and then you like to do an Auto-X or track day a few times a year. Having spent way more than amount this personally, I'd say the max expenditure to make a Magneride better should be a DSC and 350R struts. The 350R rear dampers aren't really necessary if you keep the rear spring rates where I believe they should be. Anything past that and you should move to a proper coil-over. They do make a DSC controlled racing coil-over, but I'd go passive. At some point, you need to limit the variables. A good passive setup is, by far, the easiest way to get a good track car. It just won't ride nice on the street.

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