Vitmn R

I do a lot of HPDE and open track events.. I'm just really questioning weither I can get my SC300 to be competive with the other cars. I'm not talking crazy all out race car, but be able to keep up with almost everything out there.. I do drive the car daily so, but can live with a pretty stiff ride.. I'm not very concerned with overall speed either because I'm gunna lighten the car by 200lbs or so. Also I figure with intake, AFC, and either catback, or possible full exhuast, I'll have the extra power I need to keep up on straight aways.. I'm just confused and unsure if it is worth spending the cash to build it up. I'm considering adding Daizen sway bars, Tanabe SS 2 coilovers, front tower bar, stock Supra TT wheels or possible some SSR wheels, PS2 tires, CF hood, ABFlug single exh, Injen intake, stock Supra TT seats, and maybe few other little things.. Its just bugging me because I know the car has the right stuff, just how to make it happen is another problem.. I have a good amount of cash to spend so, but if its going to take more then its worth I'm just going to give up on it.. I know probably very few people here probably track their SC's.. I just dont want to spend a ton, and end up with a nice car that doesnt perform to a moderate degree .. Any advice would be helpful.. I know everyone thinks SC's are good as street cars, but I feel possible they can also shock people on track.. The cars I'm compairing it to and want to stay close to performance are BMW 325i's, E36 M3's, N/A 300zx's, N/A Supra's, and other all motor mild sport cars that are street daily drivers/ weekend track cars.. Any advice would help greatly...
Kevin

DoubleWhoosh

Everything you listed will be excellent, but if you can drop some weight, that would help immensely.

TM Engineering

whiteSc3

iTrader: (1)

Its a solid car, but a veru\y heavy pig. Your not going to be able and make the car very competive, too many new light weight cars with much better set ups. I personally would upgrade(coil overs, sways, big brakes, and huge sticky tires) it but leave it pretty luxury and let driving skill keep me ahead.

Vitmn R

Well after some serious thinking, I am going to prove some people wrong and go for it.. I have done countless setups and combinations trying to figure this out.. I have got some stuff down so far.. I know if can drop between 200-300lbs out of the SC, mostly from the front end, I can gain much better weight distribution. Stock I found some numbers stating 53/47, some getting it to around 52-51/48-49. Add on the upgraded suspension, swaybars, and lightweight wheels/tires. Also doing the Supra TT brakes all around, should make the car fairly good handling.. I know I wont be smoking everything else, but will be able to hold my own.. Thanks for the input and advice.. I'll keep posting as the project comes together..
Kevin

whiteSc3

iTrader: (1)

Get some corner weights and weigh her in. Also like I said before really wide rubber will help, just like a viper 275 fronts 315 rears should help manage the weight. Please keep us updated, and good luck.

qtb33

Here is my experience.

I auto-x the crap out of mine. Its a big fat heavy pig, BUT (get it big butt ) it is very well balanced and with stiffer shock/spring (coilover are ideal) and other needed suspension equipment you have listed it has some serious gripping potential. My stock SC3000 (5spd) (Crappy 235-40-17s) was running with E36 BMW 328s, C5 vetts, camaros, blahblahblah.

But all this can only do so much, your biggest and best mod is learning how to actually drive. Listen to veterans and other driving experts. For all I know you are one . Of coarse practice practice practice.

So I think it has potential, although very expensive to track. Tires, brakes, fuel will cost a small fortune for a weekend of tracking.

Ponyboy

If you're really serious about this, you'll want to start out upgrading the basics. Tires are most important so go with something with a lot of stick but good wear (comparatively speaking). Hoosiers are the stickiest but Yokohama and Kumho make good alternatives. Upgrade your brakes with hi temp fluid and aggressive brake compound (Carbotech, Cobalt, Ferrodo). Install some Home Depot style ducting directed at the center of the rotors. Use some Redline Waterwetter to keep water temps in check. Losing weight is going to be a big deal, especially unsprung weight. Some lightweight wheels slightly larger in width (how wide is up to you) and larger in diameter will give you a wider contact patch and let more air pass through the wheels (brake cooling). Install some lightweight shocks (Moton, Tein, Koni 3012, Penske are good options), get the right alignment, and you're gold...right up until you want to uncork the engine.

Have fun. But it looks like an expensive proposition.

JKAG

I've been doing 6-8 HDE's in the SC300 for the last couple of years.

I agree with everything qtb33 said except I'v been getting 4-5 events out of my brakes and tires.

Except for sticking with street tires, instead of R compounds, in the begining (they give a lot more feed back on your driving and when they give you are at lower speeds) I also agree with what poyboy said. I'd like to empasize that brake cooling ducts are critical.

You can see what I've done to my car and I can keep up with most cars in the twisties, but I get killed in the staights. Especially the long uphill straight at Road America. I dyno at 187 rwhp. I don't know if you can take out enough weight to overcome the power to weight disadvantage,

Meanwhile, I'm tired of being underpowered and in 2 weeks I'm dropping the car off at Boost Logic. T61 (.58 P-trim for fast spool), a TRD LSD and a tt radiator and oil cooler to prevent overheating. I expect to get 300 - 400 rwhp. I plan to use conservative A/F's and keep the boost down for the first year.

Vitmn R

All ur advice was very helpful.. So far I'm still considering what coilovers or strut/spring combo is best.. I am already getting a custom header back exhuast made with a hiflow cat and single outlet due to a exhuast leak on the welds at the cat.. Someone had a smaller then OEM cat welded in and its a total hack job.. Also ordering Daizen swaybar kit with bushings.. Some SSR wheels I'm buying from a friend if they fit on the car, unsure if they are backspaced currently.. They got PS2 tires on them.. Carbon fiber hood is a must along with some TT seats.. Thats all for now..

UpInTheLex

iTrader: (5)

TT supra LSD top priority.

Wide wheels and tires

Coilovers good shock/spring combo

modify the stock front sway bar to make it adjustable and put a supra rear bar on and modify it to be adjustable. Get poly sway bar bushings at the same time.

TT Brakes would be nice, easier to do pad changes, although rotors are much more $$ than stock.
Cooling ducts is a great idea. I don't know about tranny coolers in manual cars, but it's a big priority for automatic cars.

Remove weight. Seats, steering wheel, air bags, heavy door panels, carpet? use thinner carpet and make new door panels. carbon fiber hoods and fenders, deck lids are available.

DoubleWhoosh

"Supra LSD" is such a misnomer on this board it is ridiculous. An "LSD" is only the differential unit INSIDE the rear end housing. An open vs. LSD type will only change the fact that one wheel will spin or both will spin when losing traction. Other than that, there is NO performance gain per se. A change in rear end gearing will help, as the "Supra LSD" from an automatic car is a 3.76 rear ratio. That is ok, until you realize that your advice will make this car considerably slower. On a GS, it's ok, since the stock gearing is 3.2xx or whatever, I forget off hand exactly. But an SC300 is 4.11 or 4.27 depending on if it's auto or manual. Even the SC400 is 3.92. This is a function of the gearset inside the housing, NOT the differential.

How would you "modify" the sway bar? It is crimped with only enough area to put one end link, and on this chassis there is no room up front for anything else, and you risk cutting the ABS wires or damaging something else. The stock bar is flimsy at best, only a true upgrade will bring any performance gain.

The rear Supra bar is not much better, only a marginal upgrade. Once again how would you make it "adjustable" short of welding onto it, which would only make it weaker and possibly break, creating a potentially hazardous situation.

I have not seen a transmission cooler on a manual car, please elaborate.

Also, to just "throw in" thinner carpet is much easier said than done, the compound curves are more difficult than you think to accomodate, it would end up looking like you tossed a stiff tarp onto your car floor. Might as well take all the carpet out and be done with it if that's the direction that the car is going.

Door panels same deal, they are quite complicated and would only be easily replaced with a flat piece or very basic looking panel. Nothing like what came off of them.

verylost

Todd,

Don't forget that you once mentioned that the supra sway bars are dangerously close to the fuel filter

DoubleWhoosh

Actually it's the oil filter on the V8 cars, and somewhat uncomfortably close to the engine on the 6 cyl cars.

Hard to remember all this

UpInTheLex

iTrader: (5)

Ok so go to the track without a LSD and have fun. You won't. You'll spin the inside tire all day long and look like in idiot. All I am saying is get a limited slip diff. Personally I think a Diff is more important than any other part of the car for high performance driving. Peg-leg is so unbalanced. I can't understand how a 50K dollar car came from the factory without one. Cheapest way to go is a supra LSD. N/a soops have 4.27 ratio's and some have it with LSD. Thanks for explaining what a differential is, and what gearing is all about, but It's nothing new to me. I actually prefer the slightly higher gearing of my diff, and I lost a couple 10th's in the 1/4....So what?

How would you modify the sway bar? you take it to a machine shop and have them smash the ends with a press and then re-drill the ends and add two more holes. This makes them more stiff and doens't interfere with abs sensors either as long as you don't go too far. It costs around 50 bucks. The U shaped rear supra bar can have the same process done to it to make it adjustable. Again it's 50 bucks. Or go and buy new diazens and spend hella dough, i don't care what you do with your own car, honestly. But if you do the math, you can make the stock bars nearly as stiff. only a true upgrade will bring any performance gain. What do you call the performance gain that I brought to my car for a fraction of the cost?

"I have not seen a transmission cooler on a manual car, please elaborate."
I don't know about tranny coolers in manual cars, but it's a big priority for automatic cars.


Any custom work takes time, skill, and patence. You're right no one is going to "throw in" different carpet, but I've seen guys who do interior work make carpet for race cars in half a day. Same deal with door panels. You could make great looking panels with some imagination and skill, if you're lacking in that department don't try. It would save a ton of weight.

SCV8

I agree, use the sways for fine tuning; the springs are for the rest.