Quote Originally Posted by Tom Donnelly View Post
Keith,

Glad you're still around! My plan was lower spring rates and increase them as my track time, consistency and precision goes up. The lower spring rates are more forgiving right? And not necessarilly slower. I need to run newer than 8 year old tires too.

Tom
That, gentlemen, is a man who don't let ego get in the way of good decision making.

Higher rates are ultimately faster on paper because the aid to roll control gives a better contact patch provided the shocks are up to the task, however, you've heard me say that a softer car is faster sooner- meaning if you aren't driving a lot (twice a month+ may be enough for an ITS driver to be on his game) you may be faster in a softer car, and faster earlier in each track weekend because you acclimate sooner. Now if the car is wallowing all over the place because the shocks don't work then softer won't help, but you know what I mean.

Chet and I ran front row ITS times at Roebling one weekend in a $300 240Z with a 150k bone stock motor and some old race pads and tires with the old Bob Sharp street Koni package on it- about 115 lb/in springs up front and about 140 in the rear. Some of the most fun I ever had on a track ('course a lot of that was because we were kicking major Porsche butts with a $300 car, but I digress) because it was balanced and the shocks matched the springs well. Blast to drive, went where you pointed it, and recovered predictably when you got out of whack. Wasn't as fast as our ITS car mind you (which I hear ran 117's at Roebling a couple years ago, Holy $h1t!), but I'd venture to guess that most of an ITS field would be faster in that $300 car for a Saturday qualifying than their own race car.