Where to Start

So now that the car has been picked out, the next question where do I start with this whole mess?

Originally, I was shooting for an Enthusiast that was as stock as possible so that I could run the car in stock class and stockpile a load of parts and jump right into STU with a decent start.

Well, That didn’t happen.

The car I wound up with is a Base model so it has no VLSD, and it comes with some terrible wheels and shot tires. This pretty effectively kicks me out of stock class not that it would be very fun without that diff, as ineffective as it would be.  As the car sits, it’s technically going to be in STU with the Wheel/Tire package on it.. so you could say I bought an STU car.

So I had to start somewhere, and my hand was forced a bit. Dunlop just announced they have stopped production on the ZII.. the tire i want to use. I’m not worried about next year, as they’ve already announced the ZII Star Spec, but that won’t be available until next year. If i wanted Dunlops, the only way i could be sure i could get them was to order right now. So… that happened. Pro Tip, if ordering tires from Tire Rack that are outside their recommended sizes for your car… don’t list a car. They’ll hold your order until you call them and tell them “yes, I know exactly what I want.”

It’s pointless to keep these big fat tires around without using ‘em right? So I’m going to need some wheels with which to wrap them around. Doing this on a budget, it meant it was time to order up a set of 18×11 XXR 531s and some 3mm wheel spacers.

Being I want to use them immediately, I’m going to need to be able to adjust camber beyond the factory to clear the fenders. In comes a few control arms. I ordered up a pair of Megan Racing Front Control arms and some SPC rear camber arms.

And thanks to the PPI, I know that the brake pads are pretty much shot. Definitely one of those things better done sooner than later, i ordered a full set of Hawk HPS brake pads.

Lastly, I ordered up a big Hotchkis front sway bar to help keep the wheels on the ground and reduce some of that body roll.

Next items on the list are probably going to be the coil-overs, but I’m undecided on which ones i want to buy, and keep crossing my fingers that someone will put up a good deal on some used konis or something.. Same goes for the diff, but i think I’ve got a good idea of what i want to buy.