For those of you that have ever built a project car, you know, one modification always leads to the next or in some cases you just have to install 3 other things before you're able to install the part you got in.
This is how went for me when I tried to install my new racing seat. After 2 different seat bases and 3 different side rails, it still took further modification to get in and honestly I'm still not happy but it'll have to do for now. So I started with the Corbeau FX1 seat with Corbeau bottom mount slider rails. As I said this is how it started. Once it was installed I found that I bottom mount rail pushed me way to high, to the point where I was looking at the top edge of the windshield.
On my next try to get the seat lower I ordered a Sparco seat base and set of Sparco side mount rails which should allow me to lower the seat further. Once my Sparco goodies came in I pulled the stock seat back out to only find that the side rails I ordered were to short and would not line up on the base. The next day I ordered the right Sparco seat rails, while I was waiting for them to come in the mail my buddy let me have his set that he had sitting around. So on to round 3 of pulling the stock seat out and attempting to install my race seat. Even with the Sparco side rails I found that I was still sitting up to high (and I'm short). So like most installs it was time to do some custom modifications to make things fit.
The combination I found that worked best was the Corbeau seat base and Sparco side mount but I found I still had to cut the bottom mounts off from the seat, this allowed me to lower the rear almost to the floor. Even after all this I still feel like I sitting up a little high but for now it'll have to do and sure in the future I'll have to change it for a different setup the sits me even lower.
After the last couple of track days it was obvious the stock wheels and tires weren't going to make it. A 255 square setup is the best option for Project 71-109 since I will be running a stock motor or at least be keeping a NA setup. I picked up a set of 949 wheels in 17x9 to run the 255-40-17 Re71r Potenza tires, which will not only give me a ton more tire but also saved me a couple pounds over the stocks. As I stated before one modification typically will lead or require something else to be installed first and in this case the square setup is known to cause the S2k to oversteer so at the same time I also installed an Eibach front sway bar to help keep the car more neutral.
Let me tell you, wow what a difference with the 255s, Project 71-109 is way faster, the turn in's are way more precise, which is allowing me to carry a lot more speed through corners. I was expecting the car to be more twitchy or to have a tendency to oversteer but found the setup to be very neutral and easy to control.
With the increase in speed it was time to address my brakes once again. On the fronts I stepped up to a Hawk DTC-70 race pad for the track. Also to reduce the wear on my rotors I have a separate set of dedicated rotors and pads for my track days. This allows me to swap out everything before and after each track day without having to re-bed pads and etc.
As you'd expect the Hawk DTC-70 track pads are a huge improvement over the Hawk HP+ street pads but I do find that the initial bite or engagement of the DTC-70s may be a little strong for my driving style as the ABS system feels like it always working overtime to slow me down. Maybe it's just time to step up to a BBK.
The last couple parts replaced were a set of front EVS RCA's, these were installed to help gain a little more negative camber due to their offset they push the bottom of the wheel out further and also to help the 255's clear the stock fenders. The last thing I took care of was some Hardrace motor mounts to replace the OE worn out units. As you can see one of the stock motor mounts was completely torn. The new hardened mounts do add more vibration but help really give the car a more connected feel.
Special thanks to Robert at Chewerks for setting my alignment up. This is my go to place for alignments and will be getting Project 71-109 corner balanced soon.
Project 71-109 is coming along nicely and with every modification the car is getting faster on the track. Soon it'll be time to take things to the next level with more power, a cage and some aero. But until then, I'm going to try and get some more more seat time before the end of the year and hopefully have some more fun track battles.
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