Cortex Racing Kit?

[JAJ]

This!

They have a bunch of different programs based on the variety of spring rates they run on the cars they campaign. (KIA, BMW, Porsche)

It's certainly not the best method for me, but without expensive on board data collection, it's a fine start. I really just wanted a benchmark and go from there to focus on my driving. Once I feel my driving has begun to plateau again, I'll revisit any mechanical changes.

That's great! Thanks for explaining!

 

[JAJ]

Springs are matched to cars, damping rates are matched to springs. If the springs are controlled by the shock within a predefined parameter they can be tested to see if they fulfill the requirement of that spring. When damping is adjusted at the track according to data it is usually an attempt to compensate for the wrong spring or to achieve some specific goal outside the normal parameters of controlling the springs with damping.

I've been through this cycle too, and while I agree with what you're saying, the matching process is more difficult than it looks.

 

[faust]

Guys, I just looked at the CorteX kit full disassembled yesterday next to a Ground Control kit and can report that the only part on the Cortex kit that was GC was the camber plates. Even all of the coil over adjusters were Cortex proprietary. They also had completely different Koni strut inserts inside.

I have to call BS on being able to fit 10.5" wide wheels with 315mm tires on the front of a S197 mustang. Sure it can be done by having the tire stick out of the fenders by 1/2", but I challenge someone to try it with close to stock camber and have it all fit under the fender. The Cortex wheels use a 45-50 mm offset which will not fit on the front with stock geometry struts and only fit on the rear of a stock S197. With coilovers rear shocks they may or may not fit depending on the size and location of the spring on the shock.

 

[Chris B.]

I have to call BS on being able to fit 10.5" wide wheels with 315mm tires on the front of a S197 mustang. Sure it can be done by having the tire stick out of the fenders by 1/2", but I challenge someone to try it with close to stock camber and have it all fit under the fender. The Cortex wheels use a 45-50 mm offset which will not fit on the front with stock geometry struts and only fit on the rear of a stock S197. With coilovers rear shocks they may or may not fit depending on the size and location of the spring on the shock.

From the pictures and video of Sam Strano's Mustang GT with 315 width Hoosiers, it doesn't look like they stick out of the fenders.

 

[jymontoya]

Guys, I just looked at the CorteX kit full disassembled yesterday next to a Ground Control kit and can report that the only part on the Cortex kit that was GC was the camber plates. Even all of the coil over adjusters were Cortex proprietary. They also had completely different Koni strut inserts inside.

I have to call BS on being able to fit 10.5" wide wheels with 315mm tires on the front of a S197 mustang. Sure it can be done by having the tire stick out of the fenders by 1/2", but I challenge someone to try it with close to stock camber and have it all fit under the fender. The Cortex wheels use a 45-50 mm offset which will not fit on the front with stock geometry struts and only fit on the rear of a stock S197. With coilovers rear shocks they may or may not fit depending on the size and location of the spring on the shock.

When we talk about fitting that much tire under the car, it's with track alignment specs. Probably close to -3* camber! What's the point fitting that much tire under there if you're not running the aggressive camber to take use of it? This is only for the track. WAY WAY WAY overkill for the street, if that's what you were thinking.

BTW, a 10" wide +50 on the Front and Rear will fit on the stock suspension. +45 is more ideal, as I had a very light polishing on the stock strut from the +50 after many hard miles. The tire showed no sign of contact however. This is with a 285 Nitto INVO mounted.

 

[faust]

BTW, a 10" wide +50 on the Front and Rear will fit on the stock suspension. +45 is more ideal, as I had a very light polishing on the stock strut from the +50 after many hard miles. The tire showed no sign of contact however. This is with a 285 Nitto INVO mounted.

Yes, I agree that a 10" wide +50 (285 tires) might work because it has 1/4" less backspacing than a 10.5" if you do the math. It is pushing it though because the tire is just about touching the strut at that point. It worked because you had a 285 that was stretched on the wheel a little. There is zero chance a wider tire would work on the same wheel and offset combination.

An example is the 18x10 wheels that mustangs run in World Challenge. They mount a Pirelli 305 slick on that wheel. The wheel has a 7.20" backspacing which is about a +43mm offset. All of them have to use a 1/2" wheel spacer to avoid rubbing on the strut. The tires do fit under the fenders, with -3.5 to -4.0 degrees of camber.

With no spacer and that much camber the Cortex struts should have enough room for 11" wheels.

 

[5.0_SD]

jy/faust---what size tire/wheel combo would you recommend for the cortex street kit with the car being run on the street more than the track?

 

[faust]

I like to run narrower tires on the street because the car will track less (follow road irregularities) so my suggestion is to get some 9.5" wide wheels and run a 275mm tires. The ideal situation is to gave a dedicated set of track wheels with R-compound tires ready to roll. I know it is an extra expenditure, but it will keep your street tires and wheels from getting torn up.

 

[Philostang]

As a plug for the 18x9.5" wheel, there are a ton of offerings (even light weight) out there in this size, far more than 18x10" and 18x10.5". So for the street set (which in my mind is primarily an aesthetic choice) you will have a better chance of getting a wheel you really like.

Also, you won't need to run any excessive camber with a 9.5" wheel. It's just a great street size that perfectly accommodates a 275mm tire.

 

[Ch4r1ie]

Here's their rear suspension with Watts Link in action...



OK, it's not an S197 but, FWIW, here's CorteX's Project Xecution in action...

http://www.cortexracing.com/projects/filip-66/

 

[908ssp]

That's my kind of 66.

 

[jymontoya]

Some video with just the coilovers installed...

Wanted to give you all an update since I've had a lot of questions about the kit.

I did the NASA event (HPDE3) a couple-few weeks ago at Road Atlanta. It was a great time, I learned a lot, and since it was the first time in the new car, feel pretty good about being able to match my previous best that was done in my well sorted '97 Cobra.

First off, the Saturday morning session was cold and the car was very loose. I looked in all the obvious places, tire pressures (drop rear), Koni rebound settings (stiffen front, drop rear)... but even with doing all I could to try and get the rear more traction, it wanted to step out on corner exit. I was unable to install the whole Cortex kit before the event (I really need to learn to weld!). So I knew without the Watts link installed, I was missing something very important. I gave Filip at Cortex a call... on a Saturday morning, and not only does he answer, but he spends an hour going over my options since a big part (adj Watts link) was missing from my tuning. Talk about Customer Service!!! He confirmed that I had a much higher rear roll center than the spring rates were specified for, and needed to try and mitigate it as best as possible. I didn't have any other springs in the correct sizes around, so softening the rear spring rate wasn't an option.

As suggested, I lowered the rear an additional .25", and moved the LCA to the lowest setting on the relocation brackets. The next session was markedly improved, the back end only feeling loose on the tightest corners. I decided to try removing the rear sway bar all together. I know a lot of racers who run without a rear bar, and since I knew I had more rear wheel rate than I needed, it couldn't hurt. Only took 30 mins in the paddock to complete with a little help from my friends... Looked like a DOT project. One guy working... Six standing above him talking. HA!

WHAT A DIFFERENCE. The car transformed. Unless I got on too much of the throttle, too early, the back end stayed planted nicely. Still getting used to 400 ft/lbs of tq! My confidence increased, and it finally felt closer to what I had learned with on my Cobra.

One marked difference were the brakes... Even with the higher straight speeds afforded by the increased power, and the slightly heavier car, these Brembos with the Raybestos ST43 pads just STOP!!! I had taped up the ducts for the cool morning sessions, but the hotter they got, the better they worked. I tried opening the ducts, but they seemed to work a bit better with them closed and more heat. It was about 70* ambient. I'm sure once the temps go above 80*, I'll want at least part of the ducting open.

Overall it was a great experience, and while I can't wait to try out the car with the Watts link installed, I'm happy I got more experience tuning the car and feeling the differences along the way. It's also certainly a lesson learned. When things are sold as a specialty kit like this, it's important they are used together in their entirety, otherwise you may have some tweaking to do.


http://youtu.be/OiuSAiBXtp4

 

[5.0_SD]

That's great to hear...as soon as you said you didn't have a chance to put the Watts link on I said to myself ruh-roh, that will be an issue(I agree that these "kits" should be installed as a whole too)...as I kept reading you confirmed this. Probably a good thing though since you if you had it in there and didn't have as much of an issue, you probably wouldn't have called Filip and learned what you did. As I read your posts, it makes me want this kit more and more...but I have to have a Mustang first! (unfortunately that may not happen until the end of this year/early next year...gotta but a house first)...great info though and thanks for your write ups jy

That video makes me so jealous, lol...nice job