Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications General Mods Should I go mod crazy?

I autocrossed my '96 SE last weekend and had a blast. Mind you, I normally auto-X my '02 Z06 which is obviously an entirely different animal. My 'tour is my daily driver which I absolutely love (one of the few cars that doesn't bore me when not driving the Z06), and I wanted to try auto-X it at least once just to see. I ran STS class (although later found out the KKM intake and cat back exhaust mods are allowed in stock class) and got my clock cleaned by modded Integras, Civic Si's, and Neon ACRs. The car drove well, but coming out of the Z06 I noticed the biggest deficiencies in my Contour on the course were: tires, suspension worn (120k miles on everything and too much body roll), and brakes. Power was not a problem on the auto-X course. So, I started thinking what it would take to set my Contour up as a nice auto-crosser that could compete well in the STS class, while still maintaining its daily driver abilities. After browsing through the Tire Rack and BAT catalogs, I came up with these modifications:

Tires & Wheels:
Focus SVT Wheels 17" X 7" 5 spoke
Street tires: BFG G-force T/A KDW 215/45/17
Auto-X Tires: Kumho Victo Racer V700 225/45/17

Suspension:
21mm rear sway bar w/ urethane bushings
Front strut tower brace
Rear strut tower brace
BAT Strut & Spring kit
Strut mounts front & rear
Tie rod ends (outer)
Front sway bar end links
Front sway bar urethane bushings 20mm
SVT motor mounts w/ H.D. inserts

Exhaust:
Y-pipe aluminized w/ high flow cat
Borla SVT Stainless dual exhaust

Brakes:
Wilwood 4 piston kit w/ cross drilled rotors

Headlamps:
new OEM replacement

Now, the problem is all these mods total to about $5,300

Blue book value on my Contour now is about half that! And I know mods do absolutely nothing to enhance the value of a used car with 120k on the clock, so that money would be purely for my enjoyment only, as I would never recover any of it if I sold the car. I know it would be fun to install all this stuff and see the results, and enjoy the results on the course, but I'm thinking it may be too crazy in terms of cost on a car that is near the end of its useful life (although if I did this it would keep me from buying a new car (Infiniti G35 Sport Coupe)which would run more than that in a year's worth of new car payments, down payment, insurance, etc.)?

So what do you think? Am I crazy? Are there any other crazy Contour owners that have done something like this already?

Many of the people on this site have more money in mods on their car then the car itself is worth. Are you crazy? Nah. If you like the Tour then I say go for it!

Originally posted by stingray454:

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Tires & Wheels:
Focus SVT Wheels 17" X 7" 5 spoke
Street tires: BFG G-force T/A KDW 215/45/17
Auto-X Tires: Kumho Victo Racer V700 225/45/17

Suspension:
21mm rear sway bar w/ urethane bushings
Front strut tower brace
Rear strut tower brace
BAT Strut & Spring kit
Strut mounts front & rear
Tie rod ends (outer)
Front sway bar end links
Front sway bar urethane bushings 20mm
SVT motor mounts w/ H.D. inserts

Exhaust:
Y-pipe aluminized w/ high flow cat
Borla SVT Stainless dual exhaust

Brakes:
Wilwood 4 piston kit w/ cross drilled rotors

Headlamps:
new OEM replacement

Now, the problem is all these mods total to about $5,300

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Well, I see your point. I like the Infiniti G35s but I'm definately Contour Crazy. If you're ok w/ the Contour's power, I'd say your two exhaust mods are going to make you grin.
As far as cutting cost, you might consider the Focus SVT brakes (not as light as the Wilwood, but should work well).
Also, some of your braces (eg: front strut tower brace, etc) may not be necessary and could cut cost considerably. If you're looking for great handling I'd say the BAT kit w/ the 24mm hollow "Aussi Bar" (rear sway bar) and it's improved brackets are the way to go. Also, at 120K replace any worn parts/bushings. The BAT kit, the aussibar, and the new parts/bushings should dramatically improve your handling...I'd go w/ those mods as a starting point for your suspension work.
Hope that helps!

1. Your KKM intake knocks you out of Stock.
2. Your planned Y-pipe, brake mods, and Victoracers knock you out of STS.

If you survey a bunch of veteran "soloists," they will prioritize mods in this order:

1. Tires
2. Suspension
3. Supplemental harness (such as Schroth).

So, here's my humble advice. If you are going to spend over 5 grand on your car,

1. Start with wheels/Tires. Get the lightest wheels you can, regardless of looks. Your street tire choice is a good one, if expensive. I'd go with Falken Azenis, because they are half the price, and just as fast but that's me. Tires are a wear item, and if you can afford new BFG's every year, go for it. As for wheels, I got Kosei K-1's in 16"X7.5" because they are 15.5 lbs and still under $200 a piece. There are some lighter choices but they got too pricey for me. Get the lightest you can afford, as this (along with good tires) will impact acceleration and handling more than any other mod.

2. Put more in the suspension. The BAT kit is nice, but not the ultimate for these purposes. I'd go, at a min, with Koni struts. Terry Haines offers these in a kit with matched springs, but many people pair the Koni's with Eibach, H&R, or Roush springs with good results. If you want to go deeper, get Koni with Ground Control. Deeper yet? Leda.

3. Sway bars? Tough call. Performance wise, everyone swears by the Aussie bar. But we keep hearing about more problems with mounting brackets getting torn up, even when they are reinforced and welded. If you live close to Terry Haines (Michigan), or if you have a fab shop you really trust, go with the Aussie bar. Otherwise, you might consider the BAT rear (actually about 20.5mm) bar with an SVT front (a little smaller than what you have now, to tune out a bit more understeer).

4. Strut braces, YES, but rear before front, if you have to choose. Otherwise do both at once.

5. Motor mounts are a great idea, but I think they may be illegal for us to change. Not sure on this.

6. Your other suspension plans will help, also.

7. Brakes: If you plan to stay in STS (and I suggest you do, for now) you have to keep the stock sized 260mm rotors. These should work fine for autox, but you will probably want to upgrade your pad material. Mintex 1144, Porterfield R4S, EBC Greenstuff, Performance Friction Carbon Metallic Street. Search the brakes forum and form your own opinion. Avoid cross-drilled rotors, as you will not be on course long enough to experience "out-gassing," but you will challenge the heat management capability of your solid rotors. Reducing the total mass of the rotors will only reduce this capability further.

8. Get a Schroth harness. Now that your car handles so damm good, you've got to keep yourself in the seat so you can concentrate on driving.

9. Got money left? Get the Borla for more low-end grunt.

10. Oh yeah, and you may want to do this first, get the DMD. Less chance of blowing a motor that way.

120K miles is nothing. As you are doing all this stuff, remove and replace worn stuff. Maybe have your tranny/clutch looked at, or budget for when they do fail. Engine blows? Replace with a 3.0 and run Street Mod.

Thanks for the input and advice. Couple of questions:

In reply to:

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Your planned Y-pipe, brake mods, and Victoracers knock you out of STS.

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The brake mods I could see knocking me out of STS. But why would the Y-pipe and Victoracers? I know the Y-pipe is allowed, as there was a guy with a V-6 Cougar running the Y-pipe in STS with me (I beat him though ) . How would they know anyway? The SCCA inspectors in my local chapter aren't that thorough with the inspections. Unless they used a mirror or lifted the car to get underneath, there is no way they could know there is a Y-pipe installed. Also, they would really need to know Contours to tell its not stock.

As for the Victoracers, they are allowed in the pure stock class (when I run SS with my Z06, everyone has race tires except for me), so why wouldn't they be allowed in STS? The V700s have tread to them, so they're not pure slicks. They're similar to the old BFG R1s, and they were allowed.

As for the brakes, if I stick SVT brakes on the car instead of the Wilwood kit, it would look stock to the casual eye. Without measuring the actual rotor size, I don't see how an inspector would catch that those weren't original on a '96 SE. Most people don't even know what a Contour is, much less the difference in brake specs between an early model SE and an SVT.

What do you think?

I agree with most of your stuff Roger, but I disagree with two statements...

In reply to:

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4. Strut braces, YES, but rear before front, if you have to choose. Otherwise do both at once.

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The rear strut brace will make the rear end stick even more than stock, i.e. produce more understeer. I never had a problem getting the rear to stick on a stock suspension contour, or even a modded one. It's always been a "plow" car, that's why the Aussie bar works... to get the rear around better. I've even gone so far as to fill up before an auto-x because the added weight swings the rear loose a bit more to help in the tight stuff and keeps the cones and/or grass in a safer place. I vote front first on the strut bars to help turn in.

In reply to:

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7. Brakes: If you plan to stay in STS (and I suggest you do, for now) you have to keep the stock sized 260mm rotors.

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Go for SVT brakes, the larger swept area will help out, along with one of the pads you mentioned. Stock Ford parts from like vehicles will keep you in the lower class.

Originally posted by stingray454:

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Thanks for the input and advice. Couple of questions:

In reply to:

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Your planned Y-pipe, brake mods, and Victoracers knock you out of STS.

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The brake mods I could see knocking me out of STS. But why would the Y-pipe and Victoracers? I know the Y-pipe is allowed, as there was a guy with a V-6 Cougar running the Y-pipe in STS with me (I beat him though ) . How would they know anyway? The SCCA inspectors in my local chapter aren't that thorough with the inspections. Unless they used a mirror or lifted the car to get underneath, there is no way they could know there is a Y-pipe installed. Also, they would really need to know Contours to tell its not stock.

As for the Victoracers, they are allowed in the pure stock class (when I run SS with my Z06, everyone has race tires except for me), so why wouldn't they be allowed in STS? The V700s have tread to them, so they're not pure slicks. They're similar to the old BFG R1s, and they were allowed.

As for the brakes, if I stick SVT brakes on the car instead of the Wilwood kit, it would look stock to the casual eye. Without measuring the actual rotor size, I don't see how an inspector would catch that those weren't original on a '96 SE. Most people don't even know what a Contour is, much less the difference in brake specs between an early model SE and an SVT.

What do you think?

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This isn't NASCAR. This is a gentlemen's game. Play right or take your toys home.

STS is a street tire class. Wear rating on the tires must be 140 or greater. Victoracers are something like 60 or 70.

There is no updating and backdating allowed. SVT was not a checkbox on an option list. If it were, and you wanted to add SVT brakes, you would have to add everything else SVT there is. As it is, our cars are not listed on any line of "appendix F" or whatever it is, so we can't do any of this anyway, until somebody petitions the SEB.

The Y-pipe is out because we are not allowed to use hi-flow cats, or alter the OEM emission control equipment in any way. You could optimize your existing Y for about 3-4 extra horses. Sorry, but headers are out, too, as they delete factory cats. Your friend in the Cougar is breaking the rules and "getting away with something." He's still getting beat.

The Rules

BTW, the SCCA inspectors are not "classing enforcement officers." They are giving you a basic safety inspection, that's it. Classing is the responsibility of the driver. It's an honor thing.

Interesting point on the rear STB, Brad. I assumed that it would remove variation and slop in the rear, and allow for more accurate tuning. No experience with it, though.

As for the SVT brakes:

In reply to:

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17.6. BRAKES

A.Cross drilled or slotted brake rotorsare permitted, same size and type as standard.

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In reply to:

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12.4 Standard Part

An item of standard or optional equipment that could have been ordered with the car, installed on the factory production line, and delivered through a
dealer in the United States. Dealer-installed options or deletions, except as required by factory directives, no matter how common or what their
origin, are not included in this definition. This definition does not allow the updating or backdating of parts.

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Roger,

In the rules under STS and Engine it states: Headers, emissions-legal

It does not go into detail about emissions on the page you linked. I would think because I have a CAT that is 50-state legal in my S-Shop Y that I would be OK, because it is emissions legal.

Let me know where I'm wrong..... I'm sure I am.

You're right Roger. Since he's not playing with a '98 or newer Contour, he's not allowed the SVT parts. The SVT parts will fit a '98+ regular Contour under those rules, because those parts were available on a Contour as part of the SVT option package. Rules are ment to be pushed as hard as you can. If you don't break a few, you're not trying hard enough...