OneLapofAmerica 2023 - "Close to stock" suspension setup

[tomfree]

I ran OLOA last year in a '14 Cayman S and had a great time (even though we wrecked the car at Hallett), but wanted to do the event again in my own car. I noticed a ton of Supras at the event, including the Toyota USA supported car, so that was a factor in my decision to pick up a '22 3.0 Premium in late summer. To date, I've autocrossed it once in completely factory stock configuration, so I haven't even used my free NASA track day on the car. I have about 4K miles on it now, so it's broken in, but still very new.

With the 2023 event coming up in May, I have started doing some prep and planning for a very "close to stock" setup that will toe the line between trackable, reliable, and comfortable for 3000+ miles of driving. I welcome feedback....

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Edited - added brakes
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Wheels/tires
- 18x10 et 35 Enkei GTC-02 (square)
- 285/30/18 Conti Extreme Sport Contact 2
- Enough spacer to keep from rubbing (something hub-centric)
- Longer lug bolts, just in case

Camber Plates
- Verus Engineering

Springs
- OEM

Sway bars
- ??????

Alignment - Front
- Camber -2.5 to -3 deg camber in the front
- Toe (will check here to see what others have done)
- Caster (ditto)

Alignment - Rear
- Camber - do I really need any non-stock camber adjustability?
- Toe (will check here to see what others have done)

Brakes
- Stock rotors / Stock calipers / Stock lines
- Pads - I'm a Hawk or Raybestos guy usually, but I'll look into CSG
- Fluid - Motul 660

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[B58_ hwAyaq]

I have started doing some prep and planning for a very "close to stock" setup that will toe the line between trackable, reliable, and comfortable

Interested in this balance, too.

Some run CSG pads on stock rotors, but not sure how they are on the street. Some upgraded brake fluid would be cheap insurance, too.

Curious to see what those 18s look like on stock suspension. Apex has a guide on running square 18s on stock suspension. https://support.apexraceparts.com/hc/en-us/articles/1260802325669-GR-Supra-Wheel-Tire-Fitment-Guide

 

[tomfree]

Interested in this balance, too.

Some run CSG pads on stock rotors, but not sure how they are on the street. Some upgraded brake fluid would be cheap insurance, too.

Curious to see what those 18s look like on stock suspension. Apex has a guide on running square 18s on stock suspension. https://support.apexraceparts.com/hc/en-us/articles/1260802325669-GR-Supra-Wheel-Tire-Fitment-Guide

Duh...forgot brakes\brake pads totally. I'll update the original post.

I'd never heard of CSG before I landed here in Supra-world. I've been mainly a Hawk / Raybestos guy for track pads. I usually gravitate to the Hawk DTC-60 or DTC-70 for trackdays, and I usually run the Raybestos ST-43 compound on my LeMons/endurance cars.

Fluid - Motul 660 is my go-to

 

[adawine]

Swaybars- Eibach and AFE are what most of the track guys are running.

Suspension- SPL parts are going to be your bread and butter for adjustability and stiffening up the loose front end. Front lower control arm, front adjustable caster bushing, and rear toe arm & eccentric lockout kit are good essential ones to start with.

Brake pads- CSG is highly recommended. For track pads, go C21 front and C11 rear

Lug studs- For tracking it’s practically essential to change to a lug stud kit with extended lugs. Motorsports Hardware, Apex, and Raceseng all make good kits.

Other than that, you’re pretty much good to go. If I’m in country, I’m going to try to make it down to OneLap this year.

 

[tomfree]

Swaybars- Eibach and AFE are what most of the track guys are running.

Suspension- SPL parts are going to be your bread and butter for adjustability and stiffening up the loose front end. Front lower control arm, front adjustable caster bushing, and rear toe arm & eccentric lockout kit are good essential ones to start with.

Brake pads- CSG is highly recommended. For track pads, go C21 front and C11 rear

Lug studs- For tracking it’s practically essential to change to a lug stud kit with extended lugs. Motorsports Hardware, Apex, and Raceseng all make good kits.

Other than that, you’re pretty much good to go. If I’m in country, I’m going to try to make it down to OneLap this year.

Thanks for the feedback and the thoughts.

I'm interested in pulling the thread on "stiffening up the loose front end"
Having looked at the SPL stuff before, I think those are going in a direction I don't want to go with NVH. That's getting rid of bushings and replacing with spherical bearings. I know there is an inherent amount of slop with rubber bushings (even fresh ones), and I've had a lot of cars over the years with varying degrees of suspension components (oem rubber, poly, and sphericals). Sphericals make the car a lot more responsive and accurate...absolutely not questioning that. The tradeoff is making the car quite a bit less streetable. I've had street cars with a bunch of sphericals before, and they're a bit harsh for a 5 hr drive from my house in MD down to VIR. The concept of 8 days and a truckload of miles (at my age...) in a car that stiff just isn't what I think I want.

The reason I am leaning towards the camber plates is that I think introducing those sphericals into the equation will be a little less harsh, but still give me enough camber so that I won't destroy the edges of the tires before the week is over. Last year, we put about 5000 miles on our OLOA tires (Michelin PS4S), and they were not completely DEAD when we got back to Boston, but we put a hurting on them in 8 days of events and the street miles.

Re lug studs vs lug bolts...
Let me say this first...I HATE LUG BOLTS...HATE...HATE...HATE!!!! Whew, that feels better. I have learned to work with them if I have the "hanger" lug bolt that lets me position the wheel and get the others screwed in. I suppose if I'm buying longer lug bolts, the difference in price and efforts to convert to studs is a wash.

Re making it out to a OneLap event
We the competitors are anxiously waiting for the track schedule to be released. They've teased us with some bogus schedules, but nobody has leaked any information on the real one yet. You can always count on the beginning and the end to be in South Bend, IN, but it varies wildly. If they follow the usual pattern, we'll be going west this year.

 

[underdonk]

Interested in this balance, too.

Some run CSG pads on stock rotors, but not sure how they are on the street. Some upgraded brake fluid would be cheap insurance, too.

Curious to see what those 18s look like on stock suspension. Apex has a guide on running square 18s on stock suspension. https://support.apexraceparts.com/hc/en-us/articles/1260802325669-GR-Supra-Wheel-Tire-Fitment-Guide

The CSG pads I run on the street (21/11) are just fine. I like these pads specifically because they have a good balance of cold and warm performance so I can run them at events where you don't really get to warm 'em up like autocrosses and hill climbs.

 

[razorlab]

I highly recommend the Project Mu Club Racer brake pads. I used these for over 20 track days this last season and, for half the price of the CSG pads, it’s hard to say no.

They also have good street manners, your car won’t sound like a garbage truck driving around.

If you are used to/like the st43 pads, you will also like these. I also came from tracking st43/47 pads.

I have SPL front LCA, toe rod ends, rear traction bars and rear toe arms and it barely made any change in NVH. I was actually very surprised.

That said, the car is super capable without upgrading to SPL bits. The camber plates should give you the camber you want, and you will want more front negative camber than oem allows, especially with stock springs.

 

[tomfree]

Thanks to all for the input. I just put in an order with Jackie @ PhD last week for a setup that should be a pretty good compromise of trackable and comfortable.
- Verus Camber plates
- CSG Brake pads (C21 F, C11 Rear)
- 78mm lug studs from Motorsport Hardware
- 15mm hub-centric spacers from Motorsport Hardware
- aFe Control F & R sway bars

Per Jackie's recommendation, I'm picking up rotors from FCP Euro so I can take advantage of their ridiculous warranty/return policy.

I'm going to have a local shop do the rear sway bar install, as I'm not up for the rear subframe drop.

 

[razorlab]

Thanks to all for the input. I just put in an order with Jackie @ PhD last week for a setup that should be a pretty good compromise of trackable and comfortable.
- Verus Camber plates
- CSG Brake pads (C21 F, C11 Rear)
- 78mm lug studs from Motorsport Hardware
- 15mm hub-centric spacers from Motorsport Hardware
- aFe Control F & R sway bars

Per Jackie's recommendation, I'm picking up rotors from FCP Euro so I can take advantage of their ridiculous warranty/return policy.

I'm going to have a local shop do the rear sway bar install, as I'm not up for the rear subframe drop.

Nice, should transform the car!

 

[Rocksandblues]

If you did One Lap last year I am sure you met Danny in his Supra.
He had a blast with the Supra although he has moved back to a 911 this year.

 

[tomfree]

I knew Danny by name, but had never met him before OLOA. We actually didn't talk until afterwards...and we live 5 min apart.

 

[Rocksandblues]

I knew Danny by name, but had never met him before OLOA. We actually didn't talk until afterwards...and we live 5 min apart.

he is a skilled driver and all around great guy. Ever want to come down to Dominion Raceway I am a member and can get you on cheap

 

[tomfree]

he is a skilled driver and all around great guy. Ever want to come down to Dominion Raceway I am a member and can get you on cheap

Thank you. I'll need at least a day on track to shake the car down before the event with all the new pieces and parts...and cheap will help a LOT. My credit card is currently warm to the touch...

 

[Rocksandblues]

Thank you. I'll need at least a day on track to shake the car down before the event with all the new pieces and parts...and cheap will help a LOT. My credit card is currently warm to the touch...

Link to our calendar
Send me a message and we can text and I can get you signed up

http://www.thedriversclubatdr.com/tdc-calendar-2/

We have 40 days a season and ave 6-20 cars at an event. You will get tired before you run out of track time

 

[kaj]

Thanks to all for the input. I just put in an order with Jackie @ PhD last week for a setup that should be a pretty good compromise of trackable and comfortable.
- Verus Camber plates
- CSG Brake pads (C21 F, C11 Rear)
- 78mm lug studs from Motorsport Hardware
- 15mm hub-centric spacers from Motorsport Hardware
- aFe Control F & R sway bars

Per Jackie's recommendation, I'm picking up rotors from FCP Euro so I can take advantage of their ridiculous warranty/return policy.

I'm going to have a local shop do the rear sway bar install, as I'm not up for the rear subframe drop.

Solid list. You will need the warranty on rotors as CSG pads eat them. If you want to save a ton of money and rotor wear next time, there are other really good pads for half the price. The CSGs will work, so no worry about missing out on performance. Great set up!

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