I personally havent seen any problems with the 2nd gen stuff but frequent servicing should be part of the maintenence plan for a heavily tracked car.

When Ron Sutton does the math.... NO is the right answer to that question for my 1965 Mustang. While many many guys have run for years on the stock sized spindle and bearing...you think about the design spec for a 2 ply Nylon tire for a street car in 1965.... Now put 600 hp motor and super grippy Hoosiers.. crank the alignment specs for max grip... and dive into turn 1 at Thunderhill or similar and a buck thirty... Now let's not forget the heat cycles put into the minuscule little bearing with huge brakes and the heat they generate at these track events....

Well... you get the picture.


For me personally - I was upgrading everything else - so why wouldn't I go ahead and upgrade parts like this as well.

About 3 months ago, I helped a friend replace the front wheel bearing on his 2003 Lexus ES sedan. The front wheel bearing on that Lexus is TWICE the size of the stock bearings on my Firebird, on a car that will never see a track. That made me changed my mind and saved up for a set of ATS spindles. I figured if the wheel hub set up is good on a ZR1, it's good for my use.

Back on topic, awesome progress Mike. What's next? Brake upgrades?

So last year, when I went with your Norcal Shelby group, the first thing i did was go up to turn 1 to check it out. And yes, the amount of energy going by at a buck thirty into turn one, i was like "what in the heck am i getting into?". But then after doing a few times at 90 (through the turn) it was funn. But, all that energy gets transfered into the spindles/hubs so ya...ya dont wanna have a failure there....

I've got Baer brakes (just not the nineteen piston Kalawazzooo latest and greatest) and Baer spindles and hubs, good and ok for tracking but not "race" all the time approved....I checked with the doctor on this one in the safety thread...

And while were on the subject of "sticktion", i had a helluva time finding tires 315/30R18's are like panning for gold. Had to order them, 3-5 days to get, went with the Falcon Azenis's 615k's.....275'/35r18 up front

Just FYI -- Charley has 50 times the laps (or more) than I have -- and in many different cars... and generally runs faster laps than I have... and his Mustang uses the stock spindle and bearing.

My only take away from that is that it's no big loss to lose him.... Er.... I mean to say -- it's no big loss to him if he crashes his half million dollar race cars... But Gwen would make me quit if I stacked one of mine up real bad (like totaling it or rolling it). Shirley would urge Charley to go faster. LOL

Nice choice on tires. You could do a lot worse than a 275/315 stagger.

I guess the Rivals are back ordered (again) in the 315 and 335 sizes.

I personally have about 10 years and 25 track days, and a 100 or more autocrosses. I have stock style hubs with Set6 and Set34 bearings. Every season they come apart and get inspected, but haven't seen anything to make me ever consider replacing them. As far as the ATS and the Corvette bearing, they suck! Corvette guys spend big bucks to replace their hubs on track day cars. The ZR1 bearing is expensive, and is a bit better. Keep in mind also that muscle cars like ours tend to have a lot off positive offset on the wheels, the Corvette has a lot of negative offset. When you use this hub on a muscle car it buts a lot more strain on the hub. A factory hub/spindle on a 2nd gen has the bearings spaced far apart to hold the loads. I also run R compound tires. On a 2nd gen there is no need to change the spindle. We have had failures on customers ATS spindle hubs, and we actually had one set where the steel inserts on the ball joint taper sleeve come out of the spindle with the ball joint. A set of tall upper ball joints and the 2nd gen spindle are a good combo. Also use Timken or SKF bearings and a good synthetic grease. So know you know my secrets! and my 2c

Some pics from today's run up the hill in Livermore. Cars running really really good right now.

I fried my O2's on the Texas road trip, too much water on that last day, yeah i drove it thru "doppler red". So when you look at doppler radar, and see red, its basically a lake. Unless you have an amphicar with an LS, dont do it....

Anyways, the DSE rear is soo far soo good. I'd really like to autocross it or track it before the OUSCI tryout in T-hill. So right now i just drive, drive, drive....

http://i1170.photobucket.com/albums/...6D67610AA4.jpg

http://i1170.photobucket.com/albums/...3F0D1EC1C3.jpg

Some rear detail pics and wheel / tire pics to come....

Car looks awesome.