[DaveSTi]

Originally Posted by Chris B.

I've been looking more into making my own and using quick release fasteners for ease of maintenance. I could also use a remote mount oil filter kit and mount the filter higher up in the engine compartment. That would also make it easier to add an oil cooler.



Its the weight of oil that the variable camshaft timing system was designed for. Some people that switched to 5W-30 or heavier weight oil have had issues with the VCT system not working correctly with the heavier oil. The oil analysis of the Motorcraft 5W-20 showed that even after 6,8000 miles, four days at the track(several hundred miles on road courses) and a couple trips of the dragstrip, the oil held up fine and could have lasted longer.



For several reasons. A good set of coilovers is about $2,000 for my car. Some of the better kits for track use can cost twice that. I don't consider BCracing coilovers of the cheaper Steeda coilover kit a "good" set of coilovers for track use. I'd rather put that money toward other parts and upgrades for the car. The Koni sports and springs were under $1,000 with shipping.

I also didn't want to deal with the hassle of coilovers. After installing and adjusting them on other cars and talking with other S197 owners about their experiences, it seemed like too much of a pain in the ass to get everything set up right for track use and still have the car comfortable for daily driving. This car is my daily driver and several times a year I take 7+ hour drives to far away tracks or 13+ hour drives to visit family. If I went with spring rates that were comfortable on the street, then they wouldn't work any better or allow for faster lap times than the konis and steeda springs on the track. That means swapping springs for track days. That's more money, time, and maintenance costs. In addition to the cost of the coilovers, I'd also need other suspension parts too due to the reduced suspension travel and lower ride height changing the geometry. If I'm going through all that trouble and expense, I might as well wait until I can save up the money and afford a Griggs GR40 front or full suspension system or just get a dedicated track car.

Ah so refreshing to see someone that knows how to do it the right way.