Coilovers - Camber Plates - Travel Bump/Droop - My Lessons Learned

[nardoRS]

I will start off with the 034 setup and see how that does. Im sure i will make adjustments as time goes on tho.

It is still a street driven car so i think no more then -3 in the front.

I’ve got the 034 camber plates and had them in for over a year now; running around -2.75 front and -1.5 rear. It made a dramatic difference to the front end and I’ve had even tyre wear on my track wheels and street setup. As Jeff said earlier in the thread this platform is very capable with just a few simple tweaks and a good alignment. I like to run slight toe out up front which helps with turn in and a small bit of toe in at the rear to keep things nice through the fast sweepers!

[mikemounlio]

I’ve got the 034 camber plates and had them in for over a year now; running around -2.75 front and -1.5 rear. It made a dramatic difference to the front end and I’ve had even tyre wear on my track wheels and street setup. As Jeff said earlier in the thread this platform is very capable with just a few simple tweaks and a good alignment. I like to run slight toe out up front which helps with turn in and a small bit of toe in at the rear to keep things nice through the fast sweepers!

SOunds pretty good! I cant wait to see how it does on the next event. Still have a lot of little things to do to it but its getting there.

[Jeff_Jeske]

I'd like to add that I was able to test out the XDS modifications via OBD-11. I went form the default Middle it to BIG.

Here is how Audi explains XDS:
The quattro all-wheel-drive system works closely together with wheel-selective torque control, a software function of the stability control that uses light, defined braking to distribute the drive torque for confident handling at the limit. During sporty driving, it minimally brakes the front wheel on the inside of the curve (for front-wheel drive) or both wheels on the inside of the curve (for quattro drive) thus increasing the drive torque to the wheels on the outside of the curve.


Here were my findings:
1. Accelerating at speeds below 60mph this modification absolutely reduced understeer. I'm not 100% sure how it did this but after after several back to back laps you could smell rubber so I assume there was some dragging of inside tire. Keep in mind the test was conducted with street tires and race brake pads.
2. At speeds north of 60mph I didn't notice any change at all. If you went into a turn too hot and the car started to wash out there was no perceivable interrogation of the brakes.
3. High speed corner exit north of 60mph under throttle with push was not affected.
4. Daily driving even in aggressive conditions seem unchanged.
5. Full throttle on a road with some loose rocks or gravel creates very strange behavior. Wheels spin is allowed for about 1 second then brakes are applied then released back and fourth. It feels like the car is shifting gears but it's just RPM changes based on XDS brake application. Not sure how it would behave on uneven or dusty tarmac.
6. At higher speeds I did feel it continue to work but is was a bit unsettling. It makes the car feel like you have uneven braking in the front like the brake on one wheel isn't working as well as the other. This is by design as it does actually tuck you into the turn but it just feels like you are going to get tucked into the wall. This was without any perceived understreeing happening just they system working as designed.

Long story short it appears this is an autox crutch that comes with limitation and increased tire and brake wear. It does help you turn at lower speeds. I'm not keeping it on strong on a big track as I suspect the system is working the brakes extra hard even if you can't feel it and that is a recipe for brake failure. With all the computer "help" it would be hard to tell when things are starting to get hot.

The security code that worked for me was 07483 (Thanks Marián Hodža)

Be advised the TTRS is on the left and RS3 is on the right. They have different interface verbiage.

[cantcatchtomm]

Thanks. Ended up 3rd. Got passed by a couple guys during the Saturday morning session, but picked up just enough on my last run to take 3rd back. Very happy with the maiden voyage. I'll probably tweak shock settings and maybe alignment, but I think the setup is pretty solid.

Jay did replace the clutch Friday night. Then they discovered a fuel leak Saturday morning. Tough weekend.

Congrats on the year-end success at Dixie. Any off season modifications planned for next year?

[mikemounlio]

I'd like to add that I was able to test out the XDS modifications via OBD-11. I went form the default Middle it to BIG.

Here is how Audi explains XDS:
The quattro all-wheel-drive system works closely together with wheel-selective torque control, a software function of the stability control that uses light, defined braking to distribute the drive torque for confident handling at the limit. During sporty driving, it minimally brakes the front wheel on the inside of the curve (for front-wheel drive) or both wheels on the inside of the curve (for quattro drive) thus increasing the drive torque to the wheels on the outside of the curve.


Here were my findings:
1. Accelerating at speeds below 60mph this modification absolutely reduced understeer. I'm not 100% sure how it did this but after after several back to back laps you could smell rubber so I assume there was some dragging of inside tire. Keep in mind the test was conducted with street tires and race brake pads.
2. At speeds north of 60mph I didn't notice any change at all. If you went into a turn too hot and the car started to wash out there was no perceivable interrogation of the brakes.
3. High speed corner exit north of 60mph under throttle with push was not affected.
4. Daily driving even in aggressive conditions seem unchanged.
5. Full throttle on a road with some loose rocks or gravel creates very strange behavior. Wheels spin is allowed for about 1 second then brakes are applied then released back and fourth. It feels like the car is shifting gears but it's just RPM changes based on XDS brake application. Not sure how it would behave on uneven or dusty tarmac.
6. At higher speeds I did feel it continue to work but is was a bit unsettling. It makes the car feel like you have uneven braking in the front like the brake on one wheel isn't working as well as the other. This is by design as it does actually tuck you into the turn but it just feels like you are going to get tucked into the wall. This was without any perceived understreeing happening just they system working as designed.

Long story short it appears this is an autox crutch that comes with limitation and increased tire and brake wear. It does help you turn at lower speeds. I'm not keeping it on strong on a big track as I suspect the system is working the brakes extra hard even if you can't feel it and that is a recipe for brake failure. With all the computer "help" it would be hard to tell when things are starting to get hot.

The security code that worked for me was 07483 (Thanks Marián Hodža)

Be advised the TTRS is on the left and RS3 is on the right. They have different interface verbiage.

Is this something i could turn on then autocross and simply turn back off or to stock settings.

[Jeff_Jeske]

Yes this is a quick and easy change. Here's the thing though.... with ESC completely off the XDS doesn't seem to really "kick in". So XDS strong in sport mode seems to work better but in good conditions sport mode is notably slower than ESC off. My experience is ESC off is nearly a half second faster on a 60 second complex course.

[Jeff_Jeske]

I'm finally getting around to installing Rev2 of the GC camber plates and I'm a bit disappointed in them. Even with the elongated slots and lower crown the camber is still limited by the leading edge of the camber plates. To get more camber than I could with the Rev1 plates I had to break out my grinder and little-by-little remove material until the edge no longer created a restriction. Additionally when putting both plates side-by-side, I think the original design with the reinforcement plate directly on top of the camber plate would be a better solution. I wish I would have simply gone that route and if needed elongated the slots to get more camber. So for those of you that have the OG plates you aren't missing out on anything. You can get more camber with the new design if you are willing to do quite a bit of grinding.

The first pic shows what I actually had to do to make it fit correctly. The second pic is what I had expected it needed. The last pic is the old plate with ring sitting next to the new plate WITHOUT the ring. They are identical heights. GC also didn't listen about the third mount point needing to be flush rather than tapered so my overall rating for the new plate design is 4/10.

[Jeff_Jeske]

Summary the JRI coilovers and all supporting GC parts are available thru www.529innovations.com

Technical assistance is top notch as you will be dealing with PeteJ and he will likely just pick up the phone and call you directly.

I don't plan to update this thread much more. If I do make any major changes to camber plates or suspension I'll chime in but we have the good, the bad and the ugly fairly well sorted now.

Feel free to continue to discuss newly release products here. For example I know 034 is bringing an "added caster" plate to market soon. Keep the tribal knowledge alive!!

I don't check these forums as often as I should. If you have questions feel free to hit me up on FaceBook or Instagram @EVILAUDI.

[Jeff_Jeske]

I'd like to add that I was able to test out the XDS modifications via OBD-11. I went form the default Middle it to BIG.

Here is how Audi explains XDS:
The quattro all-wheel-drive system works closely together with wheel-selective torque control, a software function of the stability control that uses light, defined braking to distribute the drive torque for confident handling at the limit. During sporty driving, it minimally brakes the front wheel on the inside of the curve (for front-wheel drive) or both wheels on the inside of the curve (for quattro drive) thus increasing the drive torque to the wheels on the outside of the curve.


Here were my findings:
1. Accelerating at speeds below 60mph this modification absolutely reduced understeer. I'm not 100% sure how it did this but after after several back to back laps you could smell rubber so I assume there was some dragging of inside tire. Keep in mind the test was conducted with street tires and race brake pads.
2. At speeds north of 60mph I didn't notice any change at all. If you went into a turn too hot and the car started to wash out there was no perceivable interrogation of the brakes.
3. High speed corner exit north of 60mph with heavy throttle would still understeer and push. Didn't notice a difference in performance.
4. Daily driving seemed unaffected.
5. Full throttle on a road with some loose rocks or gravel creates very strange behavior. Wheels spin is allowed for about 1 second then brakes are applied then released back and fourth. It feels like the car is shifting gears but it's just RPM changes based on XDS brake application. Not sure how it would behave on uneven or dusty tarmac. SKETCH!
6. At higher speeds I did feel it continue to work but is was a bit unsettling. It makes the car feel like you have uneven braking in the front like the brake on one wheel isn't working as well as the other. This is by design as it does actually tuck you into the turn but it just feels like you are going to get tucked into the wall. This was without any perceived understreeing happening just they system working as designed.

Long story short it appears this is an autox crutch that comes with limitation and increased tire and brake wear. It does help you turn at lower speeds. I'm not keeping it on strong on a big track as I suspect the system is working the brakes extra hard even if you can't feel it and that is a recipe for brake failure. With all the computer "help" it would be hard to tell when things are starting to get hot.

The security code that worked for me was 07483 (Thanks Marián Hodža)

Be advised the TTRS is on the left and RS3 is on the right. They have different interface verbiage.

Been getting PM'd about this quite often. The XDS mods do help a minimum amount but there was still too much understeer for me to live with. In a last ditch effort to transform the car into something competitive I took the plunge and installed a wavetrac. Thankfully that was all that was needed to eliminate 95% of the understeer. I then retested all of the XDS settings with the wavetrac and believe leaving it on "small threshold" provides the best overall experience.

Be advised the impact of the LSD is immediately detected by the ESC and minimum of sport mode is required to avoid having the traction control kick in. If you leave it fully on and go for an aggressive drive you will feel the TC kicking in and applying brakes or cutting power because it knows something is different. I wish there was a way to have ESC turn off automatically upon startup but that seems to be a safety item.

At this point I believe I'm 99.9% finished with the car. You don't hear people say that very often! After adding the wavetrac and moving to the more sustainable Unitronic Stage 2 - Lapping Day Tune (OLOA) - I pretty much need to relearn how to extract max performance again. The goal for the next two years is to simply improve the nut behind the wheel and when possible target new personal bests thru better driving and confidence in the car.

[Cale262]

Wow, valuable thread! Thanks all for sharing, I've learned a lot here.

[mikemounlio]

I picked up my trans fluid from Audi dealer today. I have to fill the trans and install the lower subframe and exhaust and my wavetrac is finished. I hope to put a few hundred miles on the car this weekend and next week. My 1st race is on the 1st and 2nd so i want the diff to have time to really get broken in before i beat on it.

Will be nice to see the results on a stop suspension setup.

Been getting PM'd about this quite often. The XDS mods do help a minimum amount but there was still too much understeer for me to live with. In a last ditch effort to transform the car into something competitive I took the plunge and installed a wavetrac. Thankfully that was all that was needed to eliminate 95% of the understeer. I then retested all of the XDS settings with the wavetrac and believe leaving it on "small threshold" provides the best overall experience.

Be advised the LSD works so well that you need to put the car into a minimum of sport mode to avoid having the traction control kick in. If you leave it fully on and go for an aggressive drive you will feel the TC kicking in and applying brakes or cutting power because it knows something is different. I wish there was a way to have ESC turn off automatically upon startup but that seems to be a safety item.

At this point I believe I'm 99.9% finished with the car. You don't hear people say that very often! The goal for the next two years is to simply improve the nut behind the wheel and when possible target new personal bests thru better driving and confidence in the car. After adding the wavetrac and jumping to stage 2 I pretty much need to relearn how to extract max performance again.

[Jeff_Jeske]

Summary of 2021 - In a nut shell a fantastic year! Resolved my transmission issues by replacing the mech. Won some money and took FTD in a midwest time attack shootout event. Set two new track records one for AWD street tire class previously held by highly modified EVO10 and the other was in a Modified class chopping down the record held by a Z06 on slicks more than 2 seconds on street tires! I did end up losing one oval track street car shoot out to a sponsored full race S2000 but I'm confident I will recover that next season. My record was 37.742 the new record set by the race S2K 37.716! Who doesn't love close competition! It's what drives us to be better. Ok so here are my year end thoughts:

1. On track the car can benefit from more rear spring. On the street the car is atrocious with higher rates in the back. Thankfully springs rear springs are very easy to swap and matching static ride height after the swap will ensure the alignment is still good.
2. The wavetrac requires relearning how the drive the car. It's almost as if you can't get in the throttle soon enough! The catch is you have to abuse the tires to see gains. The tires will be screaming but the car will sill be pulling in the right direction.
3. After a couple years of abuse there have been many Stage 2 cars motor failures and 99% of those are rods that bend, snap and then punch a hole in the block. Some of this is due to wear and tear but some of it is due to the TCU upshifting before you reach redline. This puts the car in a high gear at lower rpm while at full boost. This load can cause rod failure.
4. If Stage 2 E85 power worries you there are a couple things you can do to reduce risk (reduce power):
a. Limit power by not running upgrading the inlet or intake
b. Run a road racing specific tune which should be about 40whp less than full blown S2E tune which is more targeted for drag racing
c. Stop running E85 and stay on 93 octane
d. Reduce the weight of the car to help reduce load. Replace front seats with racing seats, remove rear seats, replace battery with light weight version and as always reduce rotating mass.
5. Aero makes a world of difference on the big track. Functional aero is probably more beneficial than r-comp tires. The downforce helps braking, improves grip thru corners and even helps eliminate surprise oversteer conditions.
6. Lastly I'm now convinced that a caliper upgrade is required to really get the best bang from your buck at a track day. Even being careful I suffered some fluid boiling issues with my stock calipers where as I had none with the 529innovations RS3 while beating on that even harder than mine. There are still some brake controller limitations that are preventing our community from getting the most stopping power possible but at least we have a confidence inspiring solution to eliminate the risk of heat related braking issue.

Next year I will primarily be racing the 529innovations TTRS which some may recognize as the One Lap of America TTRS. That car had been ridden hard and put away wet for a few years. It was in need of constant repairs which resulting in the neglect of routine care and feeding. The good news is car has been completely reworked with better parts and significantly more attention to detail. As a result I'm expecting to reset many personal bests next season. The history with the 529 car goes back many years. From being the first TTRS I had ridden in, to being part of setting the fastest stock turbo record to now seeing it get the love it needs to truly be something special. Our community is very fortunate to have a mastermind like PeteJ from 529innovations.com to blaze trails and create fully tested and fully functional solutions. Anyway here are a few shots of that car if you aren't familiar with it.

[Jeff_Jeske]

Decided to do some additional testing this season. Moved up to a 700LB spring in the rear while retaining the 550LB up front. I'll keep everyone in the loop.

[cantcatchtomm]

Decided to do some additional testing this season. Moved up to a 700LB spring in the rear while retaining the 550LB up front. I'll keep everyone in the loop.

Nice! Look forward to seeing what you can do this year. Adjusting spring rates on your white car or the one lap car, and are you doing OLOA?

Im going from 600/900 to 900/1200 with the added aero haha.

[Jeff_Jeske]

These are for my white car. The OLOA had 850s in the rear last year. I still daily drive mine and don't want to have to swap the fronts. I think the 550/700 should allow for better performance and it's easy to swap the rears. What did you run before the aero?

EDIT: I had to completely rework the ride height and yank out the helpers because these MFs don't compress as much as the 550s did. Right now I'm running just the 7" 700lb spring in the back and it's a decent fit after resetting ride height. The 529 suspension was easy enough to dial in with just a smidge more compression and rebound.

The car is much tighter and performed better on track. Street manors are only a smidge busier at low speeds.

[Jeff_Jeske]

Now that the suspension is dialed in it's time for some new sticky ickies.



I'm not sure what to do next. The Midwest Memorial Day Fastest Lap event is next weekend so I guess I'll see where I stand.

I can't go much faster without running proper aero. The PCARs are able to carry much more speed thru sweepers than I can.
I'd like to swipe a wing off the 992 lower my car and add a splitter!

[Donesky]

Just installing my KW Competition 3A EXR (3-way adjustable shocks) - the real deal.
I have had these in 4 different cars now and highly rate them. Car is being set up specifically for Tarmac Rally.

Towers trimmed -
[IMG][/IMG]



1.5kg weight saving

[PeteJ]

Just installing my KW Competition 3A EXR (3-way adjustable shocks) - the real deal.
I have had these in 4 different cars now and highly rate them. Car is being set up specifically for Tarmac Rally.

Towers trimmed -
[IMG][/IMG]



1.5kg weight saving

I'll be curious to see the adjustment range of these KW dampers. Can you share shock dyino graphs showing the compression and rebound range? We have tested several KW shocks in the past and the actual range has always been very limited.

[Jeff_Jeske]

I thought I would share my results from the last event. I took FTD being the quickest of 66 cars that attended. I accomplished this turning only two timed laps. The first lap was used to dial in brake points and fine tune suspension. The first lap felt fantastic but I could tell I needed more low speed rebound tuning up front as the car was ever so slightly unloading in the rear in sweepers and diving a bit in the brake zone. Obviously some tuning is required after changing spring rate and tires. Two clicks later and it was absolutely perfect. The second lap was fast and I didn't even need to put the car at risk to achieve my goal of a mid 1:17 lap time. There is more left in the car for sure but I reached my goal for the day and decided to call it rather than risk it. After all ambient was 92* with IAT climbing to 140*. Part of racing is car conservation. I learned this the hard way, thankfully, on less expensive platforms.

At this track it's very difficult to break into the "teens" unless you have a well setup car and the confidence to hang it out there. I was very pleased to turn a 1:17 with a full weight car, without aero that I drove to the track (and back) running the detuned Unitronic OLOA tune!
The next quickest car is very well respected nemesis of mine. We go way back and he is a serious wheelman often exchanging track records with one another. His Boosting Performance and Race Consulting Agency sponsored 500WHP built EVO 10, with all the fixings including aero was still a full second behind my daily driven TTRS. There is something special about being the overall fastest at an event! It just feels great to put the smack down on everything form full blown team built race cars to factory built race cars like the ZL1!

Yet another example of how the 529innovations suspension delivers consistent results. This truly is the first suspension that actually changes vehicle behavior throughout the entire adjustment range.



Here is a capture of the 1:17 lap.... the interesting thing to me is the IAT. While staging my temp climbed to 122. I take off and it drops to 118 as cool air starts getting rammed into the snorkel. It stays at 122-125 thru all of the technical stuff and really only climbs in the full throttle straights. Even with 120+ mph airflow thru the FMIC temps continue to climb.


Here is a picture of the EVO 10 that I'm sure will come back bigger faster stronger next time.

[cantcatchtomm]

Nice work Jeff! Thought I might see it in action at Gridlife Midwest (streaming). Keep it up

[jorgeecolina]

Damn!!! This a very informative thread but I can’t read the 180 pages of info here.

I was lucky enough to secure one of the last Audi Sport Coilovers available in the USA thanks to my Audi dealer parts department.

I’m waiting on my wheels to arrive (hopefully next month) to install the coilovers. The ones that I got was specific for my RS fixed Sport Suspension since there was another version of the coils for the cars with adjustable dampers.

Someone here rocking these bad boys?

IMG_8693.jpg
IMG_8694.jpg


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[Matt Devo]

Further research uncovered some actionable approaches to resolving the travel issue with the Ohlins

hi Jeff, besides cutting off the bottom of the shock, what other mitigations were found? I'm running into a similar issue with the R&T kit on my MK2 TT-RS (and didn't find this post until after the fact).

[Jeff_Jeske]

^ you need to choose a camber plate that doesn't eat up precious shock travel. The Ground Control seem to be the path of least resistance as they fit the 2.5" ID spring without the need of some wild contraption. You can also insert spring rubbers to lesson the impact of running out of travel. This will give you enough to enjoy the daily but protect the shock against hard hits. I suppose you could go with stiffer springs too but that will certainly affect ride quality.

[Matt Devo]

^ you need to choose a camber plate that doesn't eat up precious shock travel. The Ground Control seem to be the path of least resistance as they fit the 2.5" ID spring without the need of some wild contraption. You can also insert spring rubbers to lesson the impact of running out of travel. This will give you enough to enjoy the daily but protect the shock against hard hits. I suppose you could go with stiffer springs too but that will certainly affect ride quality.

my car is, for the time being, just a fun daily. Not looking to go much lower than stock (maybe 1/4"-1/2" lower). I can get that in the rear no problem without losing preload, but on the front I currently have to run about -5mm preload, so the spring slops around a bit at full droop, plus there's the potential for bottoming out the shock. Sounds like cutting the base of the shock is all I need ATM

[Jeff_Jeske]

^ If you only need help in the front AND you already have a low profile camber plate then cutting is the next best option. If you are still using OEM top hats and no camber plate then I would choose that first.

If you cut the fronts you should have plenty of room to adjust height. Just be mindful that your swaybar endlink mount point will change slightly. Not sure what endlinks you are using but you may need to get an adjustable set.

[Matt Devo]

^ If you only need help in the front AND you already have a low profile camber plate then cutting is the next best option. If you are still using OEM top hats and no camber plate then I would choose that first.

If you cut the fronts you should have plenty of room to adjust height. Just be mindful that your swaybar endlink mount point will change slightly. Not sure what endlinks you are using but you may need to get an adjustable set.

thanks, I'm using the OEM top hats and swaybar endlinks still, I'll look at an adjustable set of the latter. Don't see a need for camber plates at the moment

[Jeff_Jeske]

They serve that secondary purpose of not eating up suspension travel. You can recover an inch of travel just by having the correct camber plate installed ... even if you don't need the camber ... yet. 2.5* on the street transforms the steering feel of the car from understeering pig to a car with surgical precision.



Above is a picture with the Vorshlag camber plate VS the Ground Control camber plate. You can see how this selection alone can cause or prevent a major issue.

[Matt Devo]

They serve that secondary purpose of not eating up suspension travel. You can recover an inch of travel just by having the correct camber plate installed ... even if you don't need the camber ... yet. 2.5* on the street transforms the steering feel of the car from understeering pig to a car with surgical precision.

not sure I understand how one can recover shock travel by installing camber plates vs the stock upper mounts.

Above is a picture with the Vorshlag camber plate VS the Ground Control camber plate. You can see how this selection alone can cause or prevent a major issue.

I see how camper plates can make the situation worse if the top of the strut is lowered relative to stock, but not better.

[Jeff_Jeske]

If you are trying to lower your car and you have two inches of top hat sitting on top of the shock body that is like a hockey puck lift kit on a pickup truck. The lower profile camber plate you attach to the top of the shock body the more suspension travel you have at the same ride height.

20 off images free
In the pictures above you can see the same shock with different camber plates. One camber plate eats up WAY more room than the other. To get the same ride height you would need to "give up" bump travel on the one that consumes more space.

With these cars we care way more about bump travel than droop travel. A shock made for the platform like the 529innovations coilover gives you plenty of both. The Ohlins give you next to no bump travel once lowered.

To make Ohlins work you need a very low profile camber plate and if you are serious about maximum bump travel you will need to cut off the bottom of the shock body.

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The factory top hats eat up even more room with static components!

If you can get a camber plate that sits "deeper" in the dome you can get even more travel. Often this requires a little more work. Some people cut or hole saw the dome and others just notch it out. The shock tower dome does provide some rigidity but so far no one in the MQB community have had fatigue issues from that mod alone.

20 off images free

20 off images free

[19TTRS]

Thank you for all the information/trial and error work completed. Has anyone tried the new 034 Camber + Caster plates?

https://store.034motorsport.com/dyna...b-mqb-evo.html

[mycarrysun]

Not my car - mines an SM TTRS.

As far as camber, I’m at -3.5 front and -2 rear with zero front toe and a tiny bit of rear toe in. I copied the STH TT I sent you with MCS 2WR dampers and 600/900# springs but GC camber plates since I can modify strut towers in SM. With those settings the TT rotates like crazy and loves to oversteer (the owner of the STH car came from an XP RX7).

Totally understand where you’re coming from! Good stuff and hopefully you’ll have some events out there soon.

3 years late but...how did you get so much camber? I'm interested in increasing my camber from 2.5 to 3.5 like you but not sure what parts are available to do this. So far all I have are the 034 camster plates which increased it to around 2.5.

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[Jeff_Jeske]

I have not been able to achieve those negative camber numbers with factory lower control arms. I think Verkline lower arms will help with achieving maximum negative camber.

I suppose I should provide an update on my setup:

I'm still running the 529Innovations coilovers which are absolutely fantastic. They have been completely issue and maintenance free.
As a precaution I built the motor using JE stock compression pistons IE Tuscan rods.
I then upgraded to UNI Stage 3 w/TTE700. They have done a spectacular job on the tune for the ECU and TCU.
The only changes that came along with the build were poly inserts for the OEM motor mounts and I upgraded to a 4" inlet and 4" intake.

Full weight on street tires (255/35/19 Advan AO52) on the stock block tune (not Iroz FP) in 2000 DA I ran the following:


Needs a drag radial to go faster.

[mycarrysun]

I have not been able to achieve those negative camber numbers with factory lower control arms. I think Verkline lower arms will help with achieving maximum negative camber.

I suppose I should provide an update on my setup:

I'm still running the 529Innovations coilovers which are absolutely fantastic. They have been completely issue and maintenance free.
As a precaution I built the motor using JE stock compression pistons IE Tuscan rods.
I then upgraded to UNI Stage 3 w/TTE700. They have done a spectacular job on the tune for the ECU and TCU.
The only changes that came along with the build were poly inserts for the OEM motor mounts and I upgraded to a 4" inlet and 4" intake.

Full weight on street tires (255/35/19 Advan AO52) on the stock block tune (not Iroz FP) in 2000 DA I ran the following:


Needs a drag radial to go faster.

Good to know about the verklines - will have to pick up a set before my next track day!

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[mycarrysun]

@Jeff jeske I'm not seeing the verkline control arms on their site. You wouldn't happen to have a link would you? I see a bunch of other nice stuff but not front lower control arms.

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[mycarrysun]

@Jeff jeske I'm not seeing the verkline control arms on their site. You wouldn't happen to have a link would you? I see a bunch of other nice stuff but not front lower control arms.

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Nvm I found them - didn't know they called them wishbones https://verklineusa.com/products/was-016

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[Jeff_Jeske]

I suppose I'm due for an update....

I did make a couple significant changes over the last year.
1. Perhaps the biggest improvement to overall car performance and confidence was shifting to Willwood 6-piston race calipers. I didn't think it would improve braking as much as it did. Not sure if it's pad or piston design but they make the car stop harder and have never overheated on me even after 20 minute sessions of continuous pounding. The stock calipers were good for a couple hard stops but then the pedal would get soft and sometimes would even boil fluid after coming off track even after a cool down lap. With the Willwood my braking confidence has never been higher. I managed to take FTD at multiple Milwaukee Region SCCA events with 100+ cars so that alone should tell you the setup is no joke. I purchased these from Pete@529innovations. He has the mounts, lines, hardware and pads all spec'd out for both the RS3 and the TTRS.


2. Flex Tune from UNI. Not going to lie I was resistant to going down the flex path but ended up needing it to make some long distance hikes to track days where I had to fill up with pump on the way. Surprisingly the tune delivered significantly more low end torque than the standard E85 BB file provided. As for how reliable it is, I've run it for several lapping days, some with temps north of 85* and it never skipped a beat. I was worried this would be a drag tune but it has been flawless for 20 minute fairly abusive sessions. I basically run the car hard until I eat up a half a tank then take a cool down and pit to refuel. I like the heads up display of E content available thru the cruise control stick. Very slick with fantastic function.

3. I did some weight reduction and installed a Tillet B8 seat. This was more of any experiment just to determine how much of an impact it would have on overall big track performance as well as day to day comfort. Pretty easy to pull 200lbs out of the car with only three wrenches and a couple hours! Results were fairly noticeable. Certainly better sensitivity with the Tillet. Noticeable changes in acceleration, braking and carry thru speed. Day to day I'm not sure I would recommend this particular seat. The B8 is a tight fitting sculpting seat with fabulous side support but that adds to the acrobatics needed to get in and out. Thankful I have sliders so moving the seat back helps with entry/exit and positioning. The B5 would likely be significantly better for a daily. I also purchased the entire setup from Pete@529innovations. He has sold a couple dozen of these and has both the process and the parts list down to a science especially when using his aluminum base. I think the entire solution from base, side mounts, sliders, seat with pads and belt buckle receiver tips the scales at 18lbs. The setup I have with the taller side mounts allow for extensive height, angle and position adjustments.

[DrMerl]

I suppose I'm due for an update....

I did make a couple significant changes over the last year.
1. Perhaps the biggest improvement to overall car performance and confidence was shifting to Willwood 6-piston race calipers. I didn't think it would improve braking as much as it did. Not sure if it's pad or piston design but they make the car stop harder and have never overheated on me even after 20 minute sessions of continuous pounding. The stock calipers were good for a couple hard stops but then the pedal would get soft and sometimes would even boil fluid after coming off track even after a cool down lap. With the Willwood my braking confidence has never been higher. I managed to take FTD at multiple Milwaukee Region SCCA events with 100+ cars so that alone should tell you the setup is no joke. I purchased these from Pete@529innovations. He has the mounts, lines, hardware and pads all spec'd out for both the RS3 and the TTRS.

2. Flex Tune from UNI. Not going to lie I was resistant to going down the flex path but ended up needing it to make some long distance hikes to track days where I had to fill up with pump on the way. Surprisingly the tune delivered significantly more low end torque than the standard E85 BB file provided. As for how reliable it is, I've run it for several lapping days, some with temps north of 85* and it never skipped a beat. I was worried this would be a drag tune but it has been flawless for 20 minute fairly abusive sessions. I basically run the car hard until I eat up a half a tank then take a cool down and pit to refuel. I like the heads up display of E content available thru the cruise control stick. Very slick with fantastic function.

Ah shoot, wish I had seen that Wilwood kit earlier. It's about half the price of the Essex AP kit. Does it have similar pad selection like the AP calipers? I agree ditching the stock calipers has been fantastic. Losing the weight and having way more confidence with the extra power is awesome.

What's E85 BB? Were you running E85 during the track sessions? I was also concerned Uni was geared more towards drag racing vs road racing, glad to hear there were no problems during your sessions. What were your general oil temps? I'd love to have flex and may consider moving to Uni for just this feature. Have you tested RAL (would you want to with the warnings)?

[Jeff_Jeske]

The AP vs Wilwood caliper performance is nearly identical. Pad selection is similar as well. Both provide more contact surface than the OEM split pad solution, they weigh less and evacuate heat better. I will say I do like that the Wilwood calipers come in a variety of colors.
https://www.529innovations.com/529br...per-conversion

When I built the motor I first ran the E85 Stock Block file (SB). Then I added the IROZ FP and loaded the Built Block file (BB) which honestly felt softer than I thought it should have down low. The beta testers of UNI FLEX reported much more grunt down load and UNI engineering said they updated the FLEX files to include all of the tribal knowledge they had gained over the last 6 years. I ordered flex with the intent of returning it if the torque didn't improve but it delivered the power!

My oil temps depend on how hard I'm pushing the car and for how long. I don't like to exceed 250* for no reason other than to continue to push the car so I dial it back when it gets to that point. During a long open tracking day the oil temps rarely go below 222* unless I shutdown the car. That temp is tied to the coolant temp. This past weekend it was 87* ambient with 105* pavement temps. I could get about 6 miles of full push action before needing a cool down. Temp drops fairly quickly from 250 to 230 if you take a cool down lap.

I have RAL but have never tested it. I'm just happy the FLEX tune has been proven to be safe in all operating conditions.

[Jeff_Jeske]

End of season update:

Ownership Year 6
Hardcore Euro Built Motor Year 2
Unitronic Software Year 5
529 Innovations Suspension Year 5
529 Innovations Brakes Year 1
529 Innovations Tillet Seat Combo year 1

Switching over to 93 Octane yesterday marked the end of the 2024 racing season. Everything considered perhaps my best year of ownership thus far.

Significant improvements this season included weight reduction, willwood brake calipers and Unitronic Stage 3 Flex.

My last event of the year was a private drag event at GLD sponsored by my engine builder Hardcore Euro. It was more of a test and tune for me but I ended up making 14 passes all in the 9 second range. Drove the car down on my 20" PS4S tires and made an immediate hit runing a 9.8@144. I backed that up with a couple more street tire passes. Then Pete from 529Innovations.com asked if I wanted to try his 17" DR2 package out. He even offered to do the swap in the pits himself which was beyond generous. I took him up on the offer and in less than 30 minutes he had swapped out the rotors, caliper brackets and wheels. I was amazed at how quickly we were able to shift from full street to a streetable drag setup. The first hit with the 529 drag package resulted in a 9.5@144mph. I was able to drop my 60ft into the 1.4x without having a haldex controller! The difference was night and day to the point where that first pass with the DR2 was darn near what I would consider an out of body experience! The car hooked, pulled and traveled straight as an arrow down the track like a rocket. All of the drama of a normal street tire launch disappeared. I later learned that the tires were from 2018 suggesting a newer set would have improved results even more.

I am running the TTE700 built block UNIFLEX file which 100% delivers more power. My previous best MPH was 140. UNIFLEX delivered the power with a new best 146MPH. Keep in mind this is the same exact tune that I ran all year for road racing. It's not a bleeding edge drag specific tune that other companies sometimes provide customers. It delivered 8 fastest time of the day at road racing events and multiple 9.5 passes on the strip.

At this point I couldn't be more pleased with the performance of my motor, tune or any of the supporting mods. Cheers!

[Hollingsworth]

Damn, that is wild.......14 passes in the 9's, including one on 20" 4S's.....on a car road raced all season. You have definitely built a durable, all-around beast....kinda like LOR, one car to rule them all. Anyway, thanks for the update, and especially thanks for all the advice, recommendations, help and common sense you offer to this forum!