Need Advice 2014 2SS F Street Not Competitive Enough

[Gen52SS]

I run a 2014 Camaro 2SS Automatic in F Street as my car is complete stock. My question is how can I make this car a LITTLE bit more completive with the 2011-2014 Mustangs I run with. This is my first year running autocross. I have been running since February at every event in 2 locations. I have attended EVO driving school and will be attending our local autocross school. I have somewhere around 150 runs as far as seat time. I understand seat time is a big factor but I feel at this point I've pushed my car to it's limit and while I've made some big improvements in my times I still fall short against these mustangs both 2011 GT with 200TW tires. Both of them have been doing this for many years so they have experience. We just finished an event yesterday for the first time a 2013 Camaro SS 1LE was in the mix and he beat both of them by 2 seconds. I just want to get my car ready for next years competition. Other then driver experience and I know tires with the new rules next year F Street tire must be 200TW what can I do to my car to make it more competitive and still be within the rules for my class. I had thought about dropping to 19" wheels with a square setup and go wider but the Mustang boys tell me I can't square my wheels and tires and stay in F street. I'm confused as to what I can and can't do. Want some advice from Camaro people with ideas that might help me.....thanks

[hcsi99]

I would take the Evolution Performance Driving School. Seat time is going to be the best money you can put in to your car. The next thing I would do would be a good alignment. Then some better tires. Good luck!

[BruHop]

Good to hear the 1LE beat the Mustang boys. I just started this year and got the one Mustang GT in the last event by 2.4 Seconds. After that he suggested they might move the 1LE out of FS. You can increase diameter of one of your sway bars. Put more camber in the front and get better rubber. As long as you stay with stock wheel diameter you can get a square setup.

[hcsi99]

It's never to late to trade to a 1LE

[BruHop]

I said diameter. I meant width. You have to keep the 8" or 9" width you have. You can put 275's on.
And get the 200TW tires. I hear Hankook RS/3 are the ticket. And the 19" are good if you currently have 20". Lowers your car slightly and stay within the rules.

[Todd in Vancouver]

We've had a few mustangs show up but the never seem to do well but it may be there is just not a strong following in them locally. Being in Vancouver we have a HUGE number of imports that are at every meet. I feel your pain with my ZL1 having to run in AS with all the Z06s that are 1,000 lbs lighter it is really tough to catch them when they have a good driver. It seems that weight is our enemy with these cars but the only thing that has really helped me besides seat time has been getting more experienced drivers to ride with me. I've only been at this for 5 months but every time I get a few pointers I gain a little bit here and there.

My plan for next year is to go to some bigger events and keep racing with better and better drivers. Push yourself out of you comfort zone and challenge yourself to do more and more. Also, I had a really good driver tell me this past weekend to pick one thing each run to do better and then do it. Don't try and fix everything at once. It worked for me.

Check out my post on this in the AutoX Blitz.
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=373800

[Zombie killer]

Like others have said, get a perfomance alignment, square up the front, and maybe go with some lighter weight rims and new tires if you want to go faster in FS. I went with the suspension drop and adjustable sways and even though I am still running the stock Pzeros, I can run some respectable times in my first year with SCCA Solo events. I can run better than most cars my size but since I am now in the STU class, those darn turbo driven WRXs and EvoRs are kicking my butt. Not sure I can be as fast with a A6 tranny either. My next mod is tires and a rear cradle bushing set. I just havent changed it yet as I am sorta used to driving it with a squishy rear axle, afraid if I stiffen it up in mid year I would be blowing the back tires off when I accelerate. Just practice and get better on braking. That's where I concentrate more on now , is braking harder without losing control.

[Zombie killer]

We all like to be competitive but having fun while being doing it is pretty neat too. Ain't making a living out of racing autocross so might as well have fun at it.

Two autoX vids of my SS.
http://youtu.be/XB694X0r2us
http://youtu.be/xvgz-W28oVA

[BruHop]

Zombie Killer's mods take him out of FS. And he's right, in STU those Evo's and STI's are hard to beat because they weigh so much less. I feel I am only competitive in FS. If you really want to get the Mods going I think the Camaro might do well in ESP. No STI's or Evo's there! I believe the Rear Cradle bushing will put ZK in ESP. In FS, there is very little you can do. I did miss the shocks, you can get a two way adjustable shock to give it a stiffer setting. But you can't touch/change the springs.
I'm not sure, but you may be able to add a strut tower brace. The 1LE comes standard so I have one.

[Zombie killer]

Originally Posted by BruHop

Zombie Killer's mods take him out of FS. And he's right, in STU those Evo's and STI's are hard to beat because they weigh so much less. I feel I am only competitive in FS. If you really want to get the Mods going I think the Camaro might do well in ESP. No STI's or Evo's there! I believe the Rear Cradle bushing will put ZK in ESP. In FS, there is very little you can do. I did miss the shocks, you can get a two way adjustable shock to give it a stiffer setting. But you can't touch/change the springs.
I'm not sure, but you may be able to add a strut tower brace. The 1LE comes standard so I have one.

I had the director of a the local SCCA go over my mods and this is where he said I was to be placed according to the current rules. I havent asked what mods would move me to ESP but I have seen that I am competitive with the cars in ESP now. When I first started this year I would lose a few positions in my Pax over raw times. Lately I am picking up 1-2 positions in Pax times over raw so I just judge my performance level that way. I have two SCCA events this weekend back to back so looking forward to running the course again. I will pay closer attention to that ESP class and see who runs what.

[Todd in Vancouver]

Zombie killer those are some great video clips. It's always interesting to see what others are up against with AutoX courses. Here in Vancouver we have a very strong import following and I'm not kidding that some of these courses barely even fit a Camaro. But, the good news is it really sharpens up your driving skills. I don't even try and compare times to the smaller cars, it must feel like there is an acre between those cones when driving a Miata.

Here is a clip of a recent event and there are more on my YouTube channel that I am always adding too.

http://youtu.be/Ag8CJX_NKX4

Thanks for sharing your vids.

[Zombie killer]

Originally Posted by Todd in Vancouver

Zombie killer those are some great video clips. It's always interesting to see what others are up against with AutoX courses. Here in Vancouver we have a very strong import following and I'm not kidding that some of these courses barely even fit a Camaro. But, the good news is it really sharpens up your driving skills. I don't even try and compare times to the smaller cars, it must feel like there is an acre between those cones when driving a Miata.

Here is a clip of a recent event and there are more on my YouTube channel that I am always adding too.

http://youtu.be/Ag8CJX_NKX4

Thanks for sharing your vids.

Nice video, never had the experience to compete on a wet track but we do compete on one circuit that has a completely sealed asphalt surface. It is slick in itself and the tires squeal like crazy. Here is a video of this event. I had to delete the sound as it sounded like a cat was being skinned alive . LOL. the tires screamed the whole course but at least it was designed for faster speeds and that is what I like. .

Hope you continue to do well in autoX with bad ass ZL-1.

http://youtu.be/g4eNttsBrcU

[Gen52SS]

So if I wanted to square my setup and stay in F street I'd need to pick up a pair of stock SS rear 9 inch wheels and put them on the front with a pair of 275's and alignment? I looked at some of the times in ESP from cars in our region and would be within a second of there times. By changing let's say adding Cold Air Induction would that put me in ESP? A friend I run with has a V6 camaro with a few mods he runs ESP and he looses to the same 2 cars Forester Wagon and a S10 Chev Pickup on slicks our last event I beat his time and was very close (tenths of a second) to the other ESP's

[BruHop]

Clarification: When I said you can do a square setup it is for rubber not the wheel width. For instance, I have a 1LE with 10" front rims and 11" rear. Tire stock tire is a 285 on front and back. It is stretched in the rear. The same wheel is on the ZL1 with 285 front and 305 in the rear. Mine is a square setup. It is equal rubber and this gives a neutral feel. The ZL1 in theory has more grip in the rear and thus tends to understeer (meaning the fronts can't hold and push out in hard cornering). You have to stick with your 8" front wheel, just match the tire rubber width. Get the widest possible for the front and put the same on the rear. A CAI does move you out of FS. Check out the mods in ESP. You will be amazed what you can do. CAI, headers, all bushings, suspension, subframes, engine mounts, rear cradle. You can lower the car and get upgraded shocks. You are basically unlimited in tire widths and sizes, offsets and spacers. STU keeps your tires to 285's. Look at the cars in the ESP class. You will be very competitive when you do the allowable mods and add the Big wide tires. And, not have to compete against the Evo's, STI's and Corvette's that are in STU.