upgrading for autox

over these last 2 months i've been doing a bit of autocrossing after going to a couple of performance driving classes. after some time on the track, my ideas for upgrading my car have shifted away from making more power. im starting to look more into brakes, suspension and wheels right now and i'd like some opinions.

first of all, my pads are well on there way out right now and i just wanted to know what brake pads you all suggest. is it worth it to have a separate set just for the track? i'm also thinking about getting braided lines as well. big brake kits are a little expensive for me right now so im trying to figure out ways to get the most out of stock sized rotors.

second, i love my chrome wheels but they are damn heavy and hard to clean all the brake dust off of, so i'd like to get a set of wheels for the track. i don't really care how they look but i want them to be cheap and lightweight because i'll probly just switch my current rims back in for daily driving. i found a set of cheap 5zigens over at IPS that are pretty close to what i'm thinking: http://www.ipsmotorsports.net/product_info.php/cPath/2945_986_3053_3056/products_id/2042. any suggestions for what i should look into for wheels? im also a little confused about wheel sizes. would 18's be better than 17's?

lastly, im thinking about getting some sway bars as well. i'm just curious as to weather i should get these before brakes/wheels or not. i've already got some tein-s springs which seem to do pretty good because the car was handling fairly well.

its alot to answer but i appreciate any input. my tax return is coming up and i'm trying to figure out where to best put the money.

Axxis Ultimate pads are supposed to be good road and autox pads. They are very reasonably priced as well.
http://supercar-engineering.com/sc2/product_info.php?cPath=2_12&products_id=56

for wheels, i'd go with the 18s so you can get lower profile tires (and keep close to stock overall diameter)

sway bars always help, but id do pads first.

:2cents:

BAER pads are great i've herd my buddy auto x his cavy he says the sway bars are the biggest noticable upgrades to him. Btw i would check one the weight on those rims. As far as rim size not so much as the size tall wise but DEPTH. The bigger the depth the more rubber you have to pound the road. Have you thought bout a set of just auto x tires. I've herd good things bout toyo proxies and a few others. I can ask my friend what all he knows is good for auto xing if you want me to

yeah, i'll have a set of rims/tires just for autox. if you could ask your friend about tires i'd appreciate it. as for deeper rims, it seems like anything deeper than stock starts to rise in price very quickly, although that 5zigen rim is 9.5" deep. with that kind of depth they weigh 23lbs a peice though... where would be the best place to go to find rims cheap? what are your experiences with ebay rims?

where can i go to find sway bars? it seems that 3sx is the only place i can find that sells them but their stuff is usually marked up so if there is somewhere else i could compare prices that you know of that'd help.

those axxis pads are very cheap and they seem to get good reviews so i think i'll go with those. also, is there any preference on what brand of braided brake line to go with or are they all pretty much the same thing?

9.5 deep is NICE!!! *thinks of borat lol* but the sway bars idk try somthing like andysautosport to get the manfacture name then go hunting. Brake lines idk and will ask bout those tires tommorw he gets of work at like 2 am so lol

only sway bars that are made for the VR4/TT, AFAIK, are made by Saner. this is what 3SX carries. FYI, to install the rear sway bar for a VR4/TT, you have to drop the rear differential/rear subframe. i've heard its a major PITA. just thought i'd let you know.

stainless braided lines are all prettymuch the same (so ive been told) so go with whatever's cheap.

as far as ebay rims, i got mine off ebay, no complaints so far. 17x9", a little lighter than the stockers. Just make sure the seller has good feedback, and use paypal so you get some protection.

does anybody know a good way to find the weight of a rim? i found this site which has a fairly long list: http://homepage.mac.com/edyjun1/S4/pdf/wheel-weight-alpha.pdf

even the manufacturers' websites don't have anything.

i would try and contact the manufacturer, wether by email or phone, and speak with a technician. they should have all the weights of various sizes and models onhand.

i somehow got an older list. that website has a very recent list actually that is much more comprehensive. theres still some rims missing but no notable ones.