Finally replaced the OEM Brembo suspension pieces with the following:
Koni Sport struts/shocks
Steeda Sport springs/HD Strut mount
Strano adjustable swaybars
The car is still riding on stock 19" PZero, stock pads/rotors (removed all splash shields for cooling), ATE Blue fluid. Alignment is a tame negative 1.3 degree camber, 1/8 toe in. Swaybars are set at middle, front struts are 1.5 turn, rear shocks are .5 turn. Tire pressure started with 35 PSI cold.
FWIW, I've had a Fox3 with full Griggs GR40 setup, and a SN-95 with IRS swap+a rolling catalog of Maximum Motorsport. So I have a pretty good idea what a good handling car drives like on the track and on the street.
Round trip to Hallett Raceway is roughly 500 miles, and I commute to/from work at least twice a week. The ride on the freeway/highway is very good. Firm, controlled, and zero harshness and none of the bucking back and forth. I would rate the ride to be similar to my wife's M35. If it is floating on a cloud ride that you are looking for, this setup probably isn't for you. But for a track/street suspension, this setup is surprisingly good. Street manner is definitely better than both the Fox3 and the SN-95.
Off to Hallett this past weekend to see how it handles. As soon as I get to the track, I dialed in another half turn on all four Koni because the "street" setting just "felt" too soft. There is no scientific data to back this up, just a seat of the pant thing...
As setup above, the car was precise and did not requires a lot of wrestling in/out of a turn like my SN95. Unlike driving a Miata, you are still aware that you are piloting a heavy car, but it still goes where you points the car with no drama. Brake dive and body roll are minimal and there is a hint of oversteer from the squealing and slipping rear tires. I backed off a touch because I just don't know the limit of the PZeros. With full D.O.T. race tires, I could probably give it more throttle and let the tires do their work. This was confirmed when I went into turn 11 (we were running Hallett clockwise) with too much speed and the rear came completely loose and spun me once on the track and once in the grass. Unlike NT-01, once the PZero starts to squeal, it is probably pretty close to its limit...
Went back to the pit with no damage except to my ego. Everything was checked over and I decided to drop rear tire pressure by 2 PSI instead of adding more front roll stiffness. After some pointers from my instructor friend, the car felt completely neutral and coming out of corners at least a couple MPH faster with minimal complains from the rear tires. My friend who rode with me was also surprised at how composed the car felt. Absolutely no surprises and holds its own with other cars that are rolling on race tires on the track.
The Koni handled the hard downhill left hand off camber turn 9 without any drama. Which was surprising because these brake zones (same with turn 5 and 7) has patches of rough pavement that was rattling the car. But there was no hint of the tires losing contact with the pavement in these turns. So clearly the Koni are doing their jobs. Knowing how soft the front OEM springs/shocks are on the Brembo cars, these turns would have been a handful.
The car was easily faster than my SN95 and probably could have given my Fox3 a run for the money with more tuning and better brake pads and race tires. The Griggs Fox3 can out corner the 2011 on a relatively slow and tight track like Hallett. But on a high speed track like TWS, any cornering advantage probably isn't going to make up for the drag race at the straights.
The pieces as recommended by Strano is dead on for a comfortable street car that will hold its own on a road course. Until the brake and tires are up to par, it is hard to say how much faster the car can be. But IMO, it is more than holding its own, especially when you realized that none of the other two cars can be driven 250 miles home in total comfort just by dialing back the shocks 1/2 turn...
IMHO, I think this is a great combo and would not hesitate in recommending it to anyone... except for those looking for a dedicated track toy...
Koni Sport struts/shocks
Steeda Sport springs/HD Strut mount
Strano adjustable swaybars
The car is still riding on stock 19" PZero, stock pads/rotors (removed all splash shields for cooling), ATE Blue fluid. Alignment is a tame negative 1.3 degree camber, 1/8 toe in. Swaybars are set at middle, front struts are 1.5 turn, rear shocks are .5 turn. Tire pressure started with 35 PSI cold.
FWIW, I've had a Fox3 with full Griggs GR40 setup, and a SN-95 with IRS swap+a rolling catalog of Maximum Motorsport. So I have a pretty good idea what a good handling car drives like on the track and on the street.
Round trip to Hallett Raceway is roughly 500 miles, and I commute to/from work at least twice a week. The ride on the freeway/highway is very good. Firm, controlled, and zero harshness and none of the bucking back and forth. I would rate the ride to be similar to my wife's M35. If it is floating on a cloud ride that you are looking for, this setup probably isn't for you. But for a track/street suspension, this setup is surprisingly good. Street manner is definitely better than both the Fox3 and the SN-95.
Off to Hallett this past weekend to see how it handles. As soon as I get to the track, I dialed in another half turn on all four Koni because the "street" setting just "felt" too soft. There is no scientific data to back this up, just a seat of the pant thing...
As setup above, the car was precise and did not requires a lot of wrestling in/out of a turn like my SN95. Unlike driving a Miata, you are still aware that you are piloting a heavy car, but it still goes where you points the car with no drama. Brake dive and body roll are minimal and there is a hint of oversteer from the squealing and slipping rear tires. I backed off a touch because I just don't know the limit of the PZeros. With full D.O.T. race tires, I could probably give it more throttle and let the tires do their work. This was confirmed when I went into turn 11 (we were running Hallett clockwise) with too much speed and the rear came completely loose and spun me once on the track and once in the grass. Unlike NT-01, once the PZero starts to squeal, it is probably pretty close to its limit...
Went back to the pit with no damage except to my ego. Everything was checked over and I decided to drop rear tire pressure by 2 PSI instead of adding more front roll stiffness. After some pointers from my instructor friend, the car felt completely neutral and coming out of corners at least a couple MPH faster with minimal complains from the rear tires. My friend who rode with me was also surprised at how composed the car felt. Absolutely no surprises and holds its own with other cars that are rolling on race tires on the track.
The Koni handled the hard downhill left hand off camber turn 9 without any drama. Which was surprising because these brake zones (same with turn 5 and 7) has patches of rough pavement that was rattling the car. But there was no hint of the tires losing contact with the pavement in these turns. So clearly the Koni are doing their jobs. Knowing how soft the front OEM springs/shocks are on the Brembo cars, these turns would have been a handful.
The car was easily faster than my SN95 and probably could have given my Fox3 a run for the money with more tuning and better brake pads and race tires. The Griggs Fox3 can out corner the 2011 on a relatively slow and tight track like Hallett. But on a high speed track like TWS, any cornering advantage probably isn't going to make up for the drag race at the straights.
The pieces as recommended by Strano is dead on for a comfortable street car that will hold its own on a road course. Until the brake and tires are up to par, it is hard to say how much faster the car can be. But IMO, it is more than holding its own, especially when you realized that none of the other two cars can be driven 250 miles home in total comfort just by dialing back the shocks 1/2 turn...
IMHO, I think this is a great combo and would not hesitate in recommending it to anyone... except for those looking for a dedicated track toy...
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