[Gefiltefish]

So now that I have a Camaro on order, thought it would be a good idea to start a thread about set-ups and parts for FS.

Hoping those that have prepped a car already will contribute and share. We all have secrets.

Wheels:
For those that don't know/unfamiliar, class rules state we can only run 19, 20 or 21 inch diameter fronts with 8.5 width and offset between 18mm and 32mm. Due to current tire availability we will likely all be on 19's.

In the rear we can run 19, 20 or 21 diameter fronts with 9.5 width and offset between 32mm and 46mm.

I know a few (Ryan Otis, the Feeney's) are running custom Forgestar's. Not sure of the weight of these?

I believe the GM team that was at Nationals are running Apex PS-7's (22.5-23 lbs each).

TireRack says the lightest in the specs I stated above are Advanti Catalan (21-22 lbs each). Not sure if TireRack tested fitted them to see if the spokes clear the calipers and what not. They are usually very good at that, but I have not seen anyone run these.

Any others? I have used a cheap brand called Drag in the past. They have a DR-37 that meets are specs, but unsure of the weight or the center bore. Also unsure if the spokes clear the calipers (saw a post on Camaro5 that some people fitted them). Although these are very economical wheels, I ran them in my WRX days and they did fine for autocross duty.


Tires:
Right now, Bridgestone RE-71R's are the hot option. Seem to be a lot of opinion on size. 265's and 275's seem to be the popular front option. GM cars ran 285's on the front. Rear seems to be 275's or 285's. I think a lot of this will come down to personal preferences.

Shocks:
Oddly enough, TireRack shows Koni Yellows available on their site. Not sure if they are specific to the 6th SS or not, but I was under the impression these were not available. I have heard that Koni NA's future is a little shaky. Lets hope that stick around.

Of course customs like Penske is an option, but thats big dollar.

I believe a GM car at Nationals had revalved OEM struts, which is another custom option.

Sway Bars:
I believe many have said that the second-generation of the Stranoparts bar is working fairly well. Not sure if anyone has tested anything else (I know Ryan did) or even trying a rear bar?

EDIT - Only one Strano bar made it to market. So no need to ask Sam or someone selling theirs if its the "good" one.

Alignments:
There has been a bit of info out there already. Somewhere between 1.2 and 1.7 front camber seems to be the norm. Toe is all personal preference.

Exhaust:
A lot are going NPP, but we all know the aftermarket options. I suppose the MRT Version 3 would be a good way to drop some weight if wanted. Likely all comes down to personal preference.


Misc:
Anything else people want to chime in about. Air filters, Brake pads, harnesses, etc.

[rotis]

My Forgestar CF-5V weigh 22 lbs front and 21 lbs rear.

What you refer to as the 'second generation' Strano bar is really just the Strano bar. The first prototype I tested never got sold by Strano as a product.

I'm running max camber in front with zero toe.

1/8" toe-in rear, with as much camber as I can get while still maintaining the toe. It works out to -1.6deg.

As others have noted, I run 275 square.

Hope this helps!

[Gefiltefish]

Thanks Ryan. I edited the original to avoid any confusion.

[Mountain]

Rohana, Advanti, Konig and Forgestar are all wheels I've been considering. Probably going with Rohana's.

For sway bars, there's Strano, BMR, AFE and Hellwig. Probably doing BMR based on availability and design.

[Norm Peterson]

Chances are that the Strano bar is the Hellwig bar, unless Hellwig is also selling the "1st gen Strano bar".

Sam tends to stick with mfrs whose products work for him, and in return maybe helps them out with some development.


Norm

[Mountain]

Originally Posted by Norm Peterson

Chances are that the Strano bar is the Hellwig bar, unless Hellwig is also selling the "1st gen Strano bar".

Sam tends to stick with mfrs whose products work for him, and in return maybe helps them out with some development.


Norm

They are different wall thickness, but probably both made by Hellwig.

[fighting irish]

Originally Posted by Norm Peterson

Chances are that the Strano bar is the Hellwig bar, unless Hellwig is also selling the "1st gen Strano bar".

Sam tends to stick with mfrs whose products work for him, and in return maybe helps them out with some development.


Norm

According to Sam, they are not the same bar. On my voicemail, he states it builds and ships directly from Hellwig. Hellwig does make a bar themselves, but it is much thicker wall, and everything except full soft is completely useless per him (for autocross). Here is a good PDF from BMR on how to install a front sway bar on a 2016 Camaro SS http://www.bmrsuspension.com/siteart/install/SB050.pdf
It took about 3 weeks from when I placed my order to when I received it- this was just before SCCA nationals also (Sam is pretty busy that time of year), so I was impressed.

I am testing out Sam's bar this weekend at autocross along with a race alignment- my alignment is near identical to rotis (-1.7 front camber, -1.5 rear). I have slight toe out up front. I'm also going to be purchasing CF-5Vs I think now that Forgestar has $200 off for fall. They are forgestar's lightest wheels I believe, pricing around $1500 for a set. I haven't decided on tire sizing. I think I will do 275s up front, and possibly 285s in rear. That, or 275 square. Tire rack's weights for the Advanti Catalan I'm guessing are inaccurate, because I was able to find higher weights for the same wheels on other websites. Additionally, i don't think the offset will be FS legal (20mm vs 39mm stock).

I have MRC, so no shock options really for me. I have no idea if MRC is competitive or not, since I am just started with autocross this year. I would imagine it should be fairly competitive.

Once I get a lift installed in my garage, I will probably swap out brake pads next year to something with a little more initial bite (Carbotech XP10 front, XP8 rear seems to be a good way to go). The Camaro stock brakes are good, but the pedal feel with initial brake bite is a bit weak IMO. It gives the impression to some that the stock brakes aren't as good as they actually are.

[Gefiltefish]

Thanks for the tip on the Forgestars being on sale.

I believe we get to pick our offset, correct? Curious if those who have them went -7mm front and rear or went with something different?

[fighting irish]

Originally Posted by Gefiltefish

Thanks for the tip on the Forgestars being on sale.

I believe we get to pick our offset, correct? Curious if those who have them went -7mm front and rear or went with something different?

I'm curious too since I'm looking to order in the next 2-3 weeks

[wnta1ss]

When you say the Forgestars are custom, does that mean it takes a long time to get them? In other words, they would be a 'for next season' thing rather than being able to get them in time say for early~mid-October to make 1 or 2 autocrosses before the season ends?

[Norm Peterson]

My experience - and I wouldn't expect yours to be any different - is that it varies.

I waited 6 or 7 weeks for a full set of 18x11's (two different offsets), against a 4 - 16 week wait currently shown by the place I ordered them through (Vorshlag).

Replacing one of those (and I will emphasize that replacing it was NOT due to the Forgestar wheel itself failing - all five lugs failed and the rotor dropped down onto the inside of the barrel during a track session) took all of this past summer, at least 16 weeks, possibly because it was just a single wheel for a very specific (and likely uncommon) fitment. Despite the damage, the tire held air pressure the whole time. The little black squiggle at one of the spokes is a piece of OPR.

Side note: I don't think it's possible for an individual to order wheels directly from Forgestar.


Norm

[BigEnos]

The Konis listed on TireRack are for the 2010-2015 cars. They do not fit the 2016+

AFAIK there are no good OTS shocks yet for the 6G. It's custom or OEM at this point. Hopefully that'll change soon.

[Gefiltefish]

Originally Posted by fighting irish

I'm curious too since I'm looking to order in the next 2-3 weeks

Ditto. Plan on getting mine through Strano when I get some offset details.

[wnta1ss]

Thanks for the info, Norm.