Standing Rig Replacement Beneteau First 38

[jspete]

I have a 1983 Beneteau First 38 which is long overdue for a standing rigging replacement. Since I race the boat, I'm thinking of upgrading the rigging from standard wire but I don't want to spend a fortune for minimal gains. After thinking through various options, here are my questions:

1) While I'd love to switch over to rod, I'm thinking that would be difficult for the sidestays without changing over a lot of existing hardware but I'm wondering if dynaform wire provides a significant improvement over conventional wire?

2) Is it possible to use rod for the headstay inside a Harken MKIII furler? If so, would that be a considerable improvement?

3) I'm not really considering synthetics due to costs, longevity and rating penalties but I could have a synthetic backstay without taking a rating penalty so perhaps that is something that I should consider?

Looking for some input, Thanks!