Autocross in a 'Burb

[fozzi58]

Playing on a track is fun for sure. I go to the Ridge in Washington, it's a 2.5 mile track. Haven't taken my Yukon (6.2L 10 speed) to a track yet but living in Oregon I have many curvy backroads I drive on daily. The combo of massive Hellwig swaybars & the Belltech 2"(spindle) front & 3"(spring) rear drop has transformed the handling. Now I want bigger brakes & better tires.

Curious about the pro/cons on the front drop spindles vs control arm/springs. What tires/rim width were you running?

I had an issue with one of the Wilwood rotors going bad about 2 months after they were installed. I have a thread here about it and it drove me nuts for 14 months until I said Eff it and bought another rotor and pad kit. That fixed the problem. No more issues. Not sure if it was my bad luck or Wilwood quality dropping, but you may want to look at Brembo and Stop Tech for a BBK. I ended up with the Tx6R kit from Wilwood. The calipers are massive and stopping is ridiculously good - night and day between OWM and these. Zero brake fade even after all 6 runs in 90 degree heat. I just have a bad taste in my mouth cause of my experience and Wilwood's lack of interest in trying to help me fix the problem. However, I know 75% of hot rodders use Wilwoods vs the other brands.

Running 2Crave No 47 24x9.5 with a 31+ offset. They stick out just a hair from the fenders and only rub on full lock with 305/35s. I could have gone 295/35 to avoid the rubs, but NJ has massive potholes and didn't want to end up having to have my wheels re-rounded out every 6 months. Also - for the love of God - don't get chrome wheels.

I have Falken tires. Not the best but they were reasonably priced and V rated - hardly anyone makes a W or V rated tire in 24". Best to go with 22's so you have more options on tires (I didn't realize that when I bought the 24s.) 22's will let you get Pirelli, Nitto, Hankook and host of other tire brands that make SUV sport tires, if you want a summer tire, or even the option of high speed tire (ZR rated - 168mph+)

@iamdub
Thinking about going back to the factory spindles and getting the adjustable tubular A-arms from DJM. Depends on how much more autoX i am going to do with this big beast. Prolly won't race again until fall with the exception of hitting a drag strip. I had actually planned on a full rebuild of the 5.3 when she hit 120k cause the Whipple will need an oi change...thought it would be a good time as any to freshen up the bottom end, make it spin faster, up the boost to 10 or 12, and throw on a better cam and heads package.

I haven't hit a 1/4 mile strip yet and need to see what she's got. My '00 TA with bolt ons ran a 13.6, and the truck "feels" faster. Could be cause of the boost hitting but I'd like to know how she does regardless.

 

[iamdub]

I have Falken tires. Not the best but they were reasonably priced and V rated - hardly anyone makes a W or V rated tire in 24". Best to go with 22's so you have more options on tires (I didn't realize that when I bought the 24s.) 22's will let you get Pirelli, Nitto, Hankook and host of other tire brands that make SUV sport tires, if you want a summer tire, or even the option of high speed tire (ZR rated - 168mph+)

@iamdub
Thinking about going back to the factory spindles and getting the adjustable tubular A-arms from DJM. Depends on how much more autoX i am going to do with this big beast. Prolly won't race again until fall with the exception of hitting a drag strip. I had actually planned on a full rebuild of the 5.3 when she hit 120k cause the Whipple will need an oi change...thought it would be a good time as any to freshen up the bottom end, make it spin faster, up the boost to 10 or 12, and throw on a better cam and heads package.

I haven't hit a 1/4 mile strip yet and need to see what she's got. My '00 TA with bolt ons ran a 13.6, and the truck "feels" faster. Could be cause of the boost hitting but I'd like to know how she does regardless.

I kinda wanna put sport/race tires on my declads. You got me thinking, though- I need to check the speed rating of the Scorpion Zeros on my 22s. I've been north of 130 a handful of times

I gained a solid second with my mods, down to 14.6. I'd imagine you'd be close to a second faster than that with a blower. Sounds like a good race! Find a driver and someone to video it!

 

[MrMonte]

I haven't hit a 1/4 mile strip yet and need to see what she's got. My '00 TA with bolt ons ran a 13.6, and the truck "feels" faster. Could be cause of the boost hitting but I'd like to know how she does regardless.

We managed a 12.9 out of our stock 2000 WS6 TA. Haven't taken the Yukon out yet but she pulls pretty hard in AWD with only a tune on the 6.2L 10 speed.

 

[swathdiver]

Anyone remember the guy on here a few years ago who took his PPV to the road course and also had a blast and was thoroughly impressed by its performance? Would be cool to see if he's still racing it and what he's done to make it better.

 

[fozzi58]

We managed a 12.9 out of our stock 2000 WS6 TA. Haven't taken the Yukon out yet but she pulls pretty hard in AWD with only a tune on the 6.2L 10 speed.

Damn that's good. I babied the clutch when I ran mine for the 13.6. I'm not in the habit of abusing the TA. Owned her since '04 and still haven't laid a patch of rubber yet.

I definitely want to build the burb to dip into the 12's.

Been looking in to the 10L90 trans but can't find anything definitive about it bolting to a Gen V 5.3. All the spects show Gen 5 "LT" motors but nothing specific on the 5.3. I know the 10L80 can be built now but I like the paddle shifters available on the 90 - not sure if they can be retrofit to the 80

 

[GranPrix]

View attachment 401130

Your links are as short as mine. By any chance did you notice any sounds coming from down there when ever you turn? After my swaybar install I noticed this when ever I turn going in and out of my driveway or turning in a parking lot.

 

[iamdub]

Your links are as short as mine. By any chance did you notice any sounds coming from down there when ever you turn? After my swaybar install I noticed this when ever I turn going in and out of my driveway or turning in a parking lot.

I haven't noticed any sounds. I also don't recall any instances where I've had it turned a lot while hitting a bump/dip/incline/etc. Most driveways and lot entrances here are mostly flat with the road.

I've had mine exercised pretty hard around some winding roads and never heard anything.

Oh- My sway bar has been relocated back a little for better alignment of the links. Maybe yours are at an angle?

Here's my relocation: https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/growing-up-doesnt-have-to-suck.93510/post-1747041

And the final/current rendition: https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/growing-up-doesnt-have-to-suck.93510/post-1748423

 

[GranPrix]

I haven't noticed any sounds. I also don't recall any instances where I've had it turned a lot while hitting a bump/dip/incline/etc. Most driveways and lot entrances here are mostly flat with the road.

I've had mine exercised pretty hard around some winding roads and never heard anything.

Oh- My sway bar has been relocated back a little for better alignment of the links. Maybe yours are at an angle?

Here's my relocation: https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/growing-up-doesnt-have-to-suck.93510/post-1747041

And the final/current rendition: https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/growing-up-doesnt-have-to-suck.93510/post-1748423

Here's how they're sitting. There's a slight angle but I don't see any contact points..

 

[iamdub]

Here's how they're sitting. There's a slight angle but I don't see any contact points..

View attachment 404972

I'm wondering if you have slack elsewhere and the reduced movement from the firmer bar is making that slack move differently than it did when there was more side-to-side flex. It might not be actual contact between components (bar to control arm, etc.), but something like slack in the control arm bushings abruptly being forced to articulate slightly differently than how they've been worn in.

What if you roll about 5 MPH and stomp the brake, in forward and/or reverse? Try this with the wheels straight and with them turned in each direction.

 

[GranPrix]

I'm wondering if you have slack elsewhere and the reduced movement from the firmer bar is making that slack move differently than it did when there was more side-to-side flex. It might not be actual contact between components (bar to control arm, etc.), but something like slack in the control arm bushings abruptly being forced to articulate slightly differently than how they've been worn in.

What if you roll about 5 MPH and stomp the brake, in forward and/or reverse? Try this with the wheels straight and with them turned in each direction.

It's crossed my mind recently.


I'll try this tmrw.