Auto x shelby charger?

[turboshadow]

I would like to start getting some parts together for my shelby charger that i want to be a good daily driver/auto crosser. I would like to be competative in the STS class. I know the basic motor mods i can do but what about suspension? I know there are lre springs and konis but I dont think I can afford to shell out the cash for the konis. Are kybs a good choice? what about swaybars and that sort of thing. I was planing on running some 205/50s on 6.5inch crab wheels. Also what about breaks i know about the SLH package but doesnt that only work with k based cars? Any ideas would be great!

nathan

[4cefedomni]

slh brakes work on any TD my omni has them. i also upgraded my front swaybar to 1 1/8 inch and i am gonna install a rear swaybar soon. not shure how the rear shocks and coils are on the charger from what i know they are based on the l-body so you could do a coilover kit like i did i got one off ebay for a first gen mitsubishi eclipse and it fit with no problems. as for shocks and struts i have kyb gr-2s and they seem to be working fine but i think my springs are so stiff that they don't rebound anyway. the spring rates i have are 450lb/in front and 350lb/in rear and they are very stiff. the car handles great i rarely have to slow down for corners . the shocks and struts are new in my car and i bought them without doing much research, after i bought them everyone says how bad they are so when money permits i might upgrade to konis or something. rears for a 98 mitsubishi mirage will fit l-bodies and koni makes adjustable shocks for them so thats an option. another thing that came up after mine was done was the srt-4 brakes and struts will fit and there are lots of aftermarket big brake kits for those.

[87glhs232]

I have the GR-2's in front with stock springs and original konis in the rear. I have a hell of a time getting the tires to talk in the corners. I go as fast as I want to go when up in the hills and the car handles like a dream. I cant imagine what coil overs would be like.

[inmyshadow]

Before asking anyone questions, have your check out SCCA's STS rules?

The class is only open to certain low displacement turbo cars. So unless shelby charger is on the list, you won't be racing STS.

Per STS rules, the SLH upgrades aren't allowed either. You can only change the type of rotors, brake lines and pads.

If you want to run in a SCCA class, you need to check out the rules book on the SCCA website.

Of course, a N/A shelby charger can run the class. But you didn't tell us exactly what car you have are running.

SCCA 2006 rule book

SCCA reference page for STS classes.

I would like to start getting some parts together for my shelby charger that i want to be a good daily driver/auto crosser. I would like to be competative in the STS class. I know the basic motor mods i can do but what about suspension? I know there are lre springs and konis but I dont think I can afford to shell out the cash for the konis. Are kybs a good choice? what about swaybars and that sort of thing. I was planing on running some 205/50s on 6.5inch crab wheels. Also what about breaks i know about the SLH package but doesnt that only work with k based cars? Any ideas would be great!

nathan

[turboshadow]

I have check the SCCA website but i cant find anything about if the charger is allowed or not. They allow 1.8t vw's in the class I didnt know if they took in account that the charger is only a 8 valve and its only rated at 150 hp stock. The car is an 85 turbo car.

[WVRampage]

My rampage was in SM2 when I ran it the one time and that put me up aganst modified honda CRXs

[inmyshadow]

Well this is how you view the rules.

"If it isn't listed, you can't do it."

Thats how it was always explained to me.

When turbo cars were added to STS, there was alot of noise. VW was at the time "sponsoring" some of the SCCA events. When the VWs and rules were changed, the 1.8T was only making 150whp. Now you can get a Golf with 190hp 1.8T.

Some of the other cars were petetioned and reviewed before added. Since turbo cars haven't proven to be competetive, nobody has tried petetioning for newer models to be listed. Last time I seen somebody champion a turbo car was 4yrs ago. That was a 323GTX that the owner gave up on after two seasons. Now the honda civic hatchbacks rule the class.

Then there is STX. The class was formed just as subaru introduced the WRX to the states. Since subaru was handing out SCCA memberships with ever WRX sold, alot of people viewed STX as a class created speifically for the WRX. Now it isn't even the fastest car for that class either.

later

I have check the SCCA website but i cant find anything about if the charger is allowed or not. They allow 1.8t vw's in the class I didnt know if they took in account that the charger is only a 8 valve and its only rated at 150 hp stock. The car is an 85 turbo car.

[4cefedomni]

another thing i forgot to mention is the steering rack i swapped in a quick ratio rack its 2 1/8 turns lock to lock. and it makes the car turn at the slightest imput. i would definately recommend the swap. the stock ratio in my car was 3 1/4 turns lock to lock.

[turboshadow]

What class do you think would be best then? Would i have any chance in STU im just looking to be competative at local events. I kinda want to stay away from the stock classes because I dont really want the shell out the cash for race tires just to use them a few times a year.

I belive my car should have the quick ratio rack. Didnt they come stock in shelby chargers?

[4cefedomni]

i don't know what they came stock on turn your steering wheel lock to lock and count how many revolutions it takes.

[inmyshadow]

You really need to some research on this.

Take a look at the local and national event results. Look at all the classes that your car falls into. See what the times are. What cars are more competetive then others. What kinda cars to do you want to run against.

And you apparently haven't looked at the cost of a competitve street tire. To get an idea of what is the best tire for the class? Look at what brand the class leaders are using. Then go price out those tires. Compare the cost of a competetive street tire towards an autocross tire.

You want to be competetive. To be so, it costs money.

later

What class do you think would be best then? Would i have any chance in STU im just looking to be competative at local events. I kinda want to stay away from the stock classes because I dont really want the shell out the cash for race tires just to use them a few times a year.

I belive my car should have the quick ratio rack. Didnt they come stock in shelby chargers?

[travis_k]

I have a 85 shelby charger as well, and if you just want to autocross to have fun, thats fine, but if you want to be competiitive you will need another car. In stock class, they have to compete against miatas and mr2s, and will not have a chance against either one if the people driving them know what they are doing. In STU, you would be competing against bmw m3s, which there is no way a shelby charger would ever be able to keep up with them. Or, in street prepared they are classed in DSP where the car to have is an E36 bmw with $4k worth of wheels and tires among many other things. Thats not to say you can have fun driving your car at a local autocross, but its never going to win anything at the bigger events. The only place a shelby charger might be somewhat competitive would be in FSP, if you are willing to do stuff like an aluminum flywheel, a header and sidedraft webers, 13x7 wheels, etc. Even then, the vw rabbits and sciroccos will be faster becasue they can get a limited slip differential for thieir cars. If you want to set it up to be a good autocross car, i would suggest spending the money to get konis rather than on some of the other stuff, and run in stock class. Moving up to a higher class isnt going to make you any more competitive, so you might as well just have fun.

[Frank]

I used to run a Shadow V6 5spd in DSP. I used to run just P700Z cheap dry summer tires and would be about 1.5-2.0 seconds behind the leader in a well done '97 Neon R/T, both of us had a quaife. He was was on slicks. When I switched to slicks, I was .5 seconds behind him... he had alot of experience and there is no way I could have bested that. I took 3rd for the season.

I would highly recommend a similar SP class as with good tuning, you have a good range of tire selection without getting creamed in something like a charger.

Frank

[travis_k]

There is no way a charger would really be competitive in DSP, they cars that usually do well are way faster. Without an lsd, it would be hard to keep up with the faster fwd cars, let alone the big rwd cars like the bmws.

[turboshadow]

Ya I was thinking if I was really going to get into I would do the neon thing but i am just more in for it for the fun. Ive done it with my shadow but its and auto and is kind of laggy. I ran it in DSP and won but only because i was the only car the class Do you think i would be able to convert it too t2 specs and still run in the stock class?

[travis_k]

If you are just running at local events and you are happy with that, there is no reason not to use the shelby charger. You could do well with a neon in STS, but its going to take a bit of money to get it set up. Neons arent really competitive in stock and street prepared anymore either. You couldnt convert your car to TII unless you wated to run in street mod. The way the rules are you could convert a turbo omni to GLHS specs for street prepared, but not a shelby charger. Kinda weird. lol

[denviola]

I have a 85 shelby charger as well, and if you just want to autocross to have fun, thats fine, but if you want to be competiitive you will need another car. In stock class, they have to compete against miatas and mr2s, and will not have a chance against either one if the people driving them know what they are doing. In STU, you would be competing against bmw m3s, which there is no way a shelby charger would ever be able to keep up with them. Or, in street prepared they are classed in DSP where the car to have is an E36 bmw with $4k worth of wheels and tires among many other things. Thats not to say you can have fun driving your car at a local autocross, but its never going to win anything at the bigger events. The only place a shelby charger might be somewhat competitive would be in FSP, if you are willing to do stuff like an aluminum flywheel, a header and sidedraft webers, 13x7 wheels, etc. Even then, the vw rabbits and sciroccos will be faster becasue they can get a limited slip differential for thieir cars. If you want to set it up to be a good autocross car, i would suggest spending the money to get konis rather than on some of the other stuff, and run in stock class. Moving up to a higher class isnt going to make you any more competitive, so you might as well just have fun.

Travis is correct, the SC and turbo cars for that matter are lumped in with much more expensive cars and are not competitive. Having said that, if you are running a SC in AutoX, you are more likely in it for the fun and not the win, so enjoy it. These are timed events, so you can easily see if mods make a difference. Experiment and enjoy.

[WVRampage]

Travis is correct, the SC and turbo cars for that matter are lumped in with much more expensive cars and are not competitive. Having said that, if you are running a SC in AutoX, you are more likely in it for the fun and not the win, so enjoy it. These are timed events, so you can easily see if mods make a difference. Experiment and enjoy.

You have a good point there all I did it for was fun and wow did I have fun and will do it again just for the fun.

[denviola]

You have a good point there all I did it for was fun and wow did I have fun and will do it again just for the fun.

That is where I'm at, ran a autocross and am hooked! Then the ride in the passenger seat (in Craig StPierre's GLHS) at the SRT Nats got me really pumped ! The SC was going to be a somewhat stock road car, now it's to be my road course and autocross ride.

[travis_k]

If you are looking for a somewhat cheap autocross car that can be nationaly competitive, mk1 volkswagens are still doing very well in FSP. It would take $6k or so to set one up though.