The car was infinitely more stable with the Strano/UMI suspension and performance alignment specs; the 555s provided great grip for a street tire, but they had their limits when pushed to the edge. This setup needed a sticky tire.
With the NT01s on, everything came together. These tires gave me the confidence to really work the corners hard, and to carry way more speed into fast turns than I ever could with street tires. They were stable and predictable; I was able to find the sweet spot, and correct when I lost grip, much easier with the NT01s than with the 555s. Taking hot laps on sticky tires is an intense experience, and my neck was killing me for the next several days!
I found the Corbeau seats to be exactly what I needed around the course; the bolsters would hold me in place and allow me to concentrate on the line, instead of holding myself up! They were comfortable too, both on the track and on the street.
As we become more-experienced hot rodders, we start to understand that the right combination is paramount. When we're talking drivetrain upgrades for straight-line performance, incorrectly matched parts can cause low power readings, and even expensive engine damage-but chances are you won't wreck your ride because of it. But when you're 100-plus mph on a road course, with a hard left-hand turn and a concrete wall coming up, you'd better pray like hell that you've chosen the right parts for the job. I believe I have, and I have a 6.9-second road course improvement to show for it.
STREET DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
It is important that you know the environment in which these components were street tested. I live in New York City, which has by far the worst roads in the U.S. One- to three-foot-deep potholes, ruts several inches deep, road hazards galore, and expansion joints that'll shock a suspension like a land mine. I travel through Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, and New Jersey daily. (Statewide, New Jersey was recently voted as having the worst overall road system for the eighth year straight.) So, if this suspension has any weakness, I'd find it.
Right after the hard parts went in, I jumped in the Z and followed Sam Strano's SCCA champ '01 Camaro through the twisty roads outside Brookville, Pennsylvania. Immediately, I noticed that the floatiness was gone, and heavy steering input didn't mean eventual understeer, it meant that the car was going where you pointed it. It was already a night-and-day difference. However, it wasn't until the alignment was done that everything came together.
 To install, use Teflon paste...  To install, use Teflon paste on the fitting threads before screwing them in and tightening. Then set the cooler in front of the condenser and retain it with the included straight zip ties. |  Using a turkey baster, drain...  Using a turkey baster, drain the reservoir and add fresh fluid. Start the car and turn the wheel lock to lock to flush out some of the gunk. After doing that a few times, the stock power steering line under the reservoir is unclipped and the line is pulled off, allowing the reservoir to drain. Clamp one end of your new hose to the reservoir nipple. Don't overtighten, as it could crack the fitting. |  Two holes are drilled with...  Two holes are drilled with a hole saw so the lines can be routed through the plastic panels behind the bumper. Once the new hose connected to the reservoir is run through with enough slack to reach the cooler fitting, it is cut and attached to the cooler. The stock line that originally went to the reservoir meets up with the new hose above the stabilizer bar, and is connected with the barbed fitting and two hose clamps. The other end goes onto the other fitting on the cooler. |