What I got: '05 MCS(see sig for specs), with only current mod being a set of 17"x7" Konig Traffiks carried over from my previous car(the wheels are for sale, by the way).

I've ran a couple of events in GS this year on my street tires, mainly just to get into it and have some fun. First of all, I absolutely refuse to buy r-comps, because that takes the fun out of it for me, and it's just not in the budget.

What I'd like: To be able to do a few conservative mods that will make the car at least semi-competetive in STX next season, and still be fun on the street; this is my only car/daily driver which sees 55+ miles per day. I was thinking some Konis, a mild drop spring, some camber adjustment parts, maybe a rear sway, brake pads, possible rotors, and some 16" Koseis with Kuhmo rubber(MX). I'd like to keep engine mods to a minimum. One, for cost. Two, I think money in the suspension would be better spent. I've already done the one-ball exhaust, and don't care for it, so it might get swapped for something full custom, and a drop-in filter would be next.

I go to the St. Louis Region events, and have no intention of trying to make national events. This is purely a fun thing for me; a way to exploit my car and not get arrested!

 

I am also new to setting up a MCS (I have a 2003), but the areas I would look at (based upon previous auto-x experience) are as follows:

• Camber adjustment - the front end sucks. Camber plates are the best bet unless you plan to get coilovers that already come with plates. If you go for coilovers, your ride will most likely go to hell quickly since this is a daily driver.
• Rear sway bar - a must have...I'm not sure if many MCS drivers have tried front bars as well. I know on the Subaru WRX platform (which is similar to front drive), the front bar is a tremendous help. Also, the rear bar will be great for sweepers but may make slaloms a game of "catch the ***".
• Rear lateral links - these will let you fine tune the rear of the car and add some oversteer as needed. Probably not a must have but would be great for tuning after you get some experience under your belt.

Don't bother with changing the rotors and pads for now unless they are due or you are experiencing fade. Fade is unlikely on a < 60 seconds course so you are better off putting your money elsewhere. I'm not sure about which tires to get as I have this dilemna as well. I am going to be sticking with 17" tires as I have my stock s-lites sitting in the garage gathering dust. I will most likely go with 215/40-17 Hankook RS2's or Falken RT-615's.

Again, I have not modded my Cooper yet so take this with a grain of salt. Just some info I've gathered over the past four years of modding my WRX.

Matt

 

Gstockmini,

Sounds like your just running local or Regional SCCA Solo events and want maximum bang for the buck. That's what I'm doing and here's the best mods for the dollar at this level:

1. 16"x7" Light weight wheels with Falken Azenis 215/45/16. $750.00 mail order

2. H-Sport adjustable rear sway bar. $230 + 2 hour self-install

3. H-Sport Camber Plates Set at -1.5 deg to -2 deg camber. $450.00 + 4 hours self-install

4. Good 4 wheel performance alignment. $125.00
( i'm running -1.5 deg camber in front with 1/8" toe out. Zero toe in back with factory camber as I have '03)

4. MINI Pilo Cold Air Intake. $125.00 + 30min self install.

With only these mods and stock springs, shocks, and brakes, I am taking my SCCA Regional STX championship this year against 4 fully prepped WRX's who have out-spent me by a factor of 5x minimum and I'm 4th in points in the Cendiv Series through 5 events. The car is my daily driver (running all season tires on factory rims) and it is fine. I put an average of 22,000 miles a year on my car. I've run with these mods for the last 9 months with no issues at all.

With just adding the LSD in the '05 you could be competitive at the Divisional level with the above mods. I heard the stock shocks and springs are a little softer in the '05 compared to my '03. Brakes won't help much at your competition level. You would get more speed by spending money at an Evolution Driving School than adding any more goodies IMO.

Good Luck!

 

Hard to argue with Minifinn.

Other notes: you'll be much happier with Falken Azenis than with the Kumho MXs you mention in your post; I've tried both. If you must use the MXs for some reason, get them shaved. The Azenis won't need it.

You can do just fine without the intake if you want to save $125-200. And you can forego an exhaust system.

If you can financially swing some aftermarket springs and Konis, go for it. Your 2005 shocks are pretty soft.

 

I appreciate all of the responses. I've got no problem adding stiffness to the car; I'm not concerned with a Caddy-lack ride. My last daily driver was a 2000 Civic CX(stripped; no A/C, no power steering, no audio) with Eibach Sportlines and KYB AGXs that stayed set fairly firm, and Kuhmo Victoracers on 15" Rotas. I hated to daily drive on the R-comps, but they felt so good on the car! Last weekend I attended a local event in GS, and the first place guy in that class for the day was in an '05 MCSC with Kuhmo Rs and got a time of 46.626. 2nd was a Neon ACR with 47.061, 3rd was another '05 MCS with 48.522, and I was 4th with 48.663. The top three were on R-comps, I was on Goodyear Eagle GS-Ds, a 'performance all-season'. Not too bad for my second event, I thought!