2017 Season-Changes

[MRS Joe]

On 2017-03-21 at 10:13 AM, Jim Eh. said:

"Anything NOT mechanically fastened"

Are the tools considered mechanically fastened by sitting in the foam?  

Another letter to the seb perhaps 

The foam is fastened via the push anchor so that's understood. 

[Brian_Earl_Spilner]

Pfffft. I used to get FTD all the time when I had my Civic with a rack full of amplifiers filling up the entire trunk. And you guys are worried about a tire iron & jack?

[nishanna]

People actually care about a jack and tire iron!?? That's like 0.3% of a vehicle's weight. You could take a dump and have almost as much weight reduction. It's almost as ridiculous as using pizza warmers on your tires in between runs

[TRDTurko]

On 2017-02-05 at 9:54 PM, Magner said:

 

Currently working on replacing the blown motor with a 2.4L from an SRT-4. The new motor is capable of handling above and beyond what the current turbo setup is capable of producing. New weakest link are the axles and hubs which are a priority since I plan on using wide, heavy wheels with 225 tires up front (245/40/15 once I burn through my current set). Still need to hunt down ground control top hats in order to use the re-valved double adjustable Koni's. Results don't matter this year,  goal is to have the car running, driving and autocrossing reliably (in that order). With some luck I'll be able to address some other non-priority low hanging fruit in the SM rules and get the car setup somewhere half decent.

Alternate goal is to attend minimum 1 autox school (in the reliable daily driver) and show up at ALL events next year.

I helped a friend of mine refresh his motor and put a big turbo on his STR4 in the fall. (took the whole thing out as we did new clutch as well). I have yet to convince him to let me show him the ropes at st. andrews though.

[TRDTurko]

Show up! I know another one lol

still have now engine for the celica so I have refreshed all the suspension on the pax wagon over the winter and just bought some used wheels so that I can actually put summer rubber on the thing this year. looking like some RE71Rs are in my future.

[Shawn]

On 3/17/2017 at 8:29 PM, nishanna said:

Same here, although I don't think I'll do RRX because of the infamous dip. The GT-R bottomed out on it, so the R8 will be even worse. But the Gimli event is always a good time.

 

On 3/19/2017 at 3:02 AM, nishanna said:

Oh yeah, the GT-R is gone cuz Mr. Janzen hooked me up with an R8

Congrats on the R8 and welcome to the darkside.

Regarding Gimli, there are actually 2 Gimli events this year, one in May and one in August. However the big change with the Gimli event is we will be using the section of the track between the kart track and the road race course; pending a site inspection once the snow melts enough for us to get out there.

This will be a completely new experience and a great opportunity for us to design a different kind of course as the area is about 220ft wide and 1800ft long compared to St. Andrews which is 75ft wide and 2000ft long or the road race course which is 35ft wide by however long it is. I think by using this area we will be able to start earlier in the day than we previously have done at Gimli as we can race while road race is happening. This means we can do fun runs if people are still interested. We should also avoid the timing issues that plagued us at Gimli last year due to how far away the timing gear for the finish line is from the trailer.

[nishanna]

8 hours ago, codewhore said:

 

Congrats on the R8 and welcome to the darkside.

Regarding Gimli, there are actually 2 Gimli events this year, one in May and one in August. However the big change with the Gimli event is we will be using the section of the track between the kart track and the road race course; pending a site inspection once the snow melts enough for us to get out there.

This will be a completely new experience and a great opportunity for us to design a different kind of course as the area is about 220ft wide and 1800ft long compared to St. Andrews which is 75ft wide and 2000ft long or the road race course which is 35ft wide by however long it is. I think by using this area we will be able to start earlier in the day than we previously have done at Gimli as we can race while road race is happening. This means we can do fun runs if people are still interested. We should also avoid the timing issues that plagued us at Gimli last year due to how far away the timing gear for the finish line is from the trailer.

Thanks Shawn. I agree the timing issues sucked, but I enjoyed the higher speeds of using the road course. Is this the same area that was used back in the early 2000s? Here is a video of what I'm referring to (yes, I was as terrible back then as I am now ): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoC7HHxDr-A

If so, it will be interesting to see what the condition is like. It wasn't very good 14 years ago when that video was taken.

[Shawn]

29 minutes ago, nishanna said:

Thanks Shawn. I agree the timing issues sucked, but I enjoyed the higher speeds of using the road course. Is this the same area that was used back in the early 2000s? Here is a video of what I'm referring to (yes, I was as terrible back then as I am now ): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoC7HHxDr-A

If so, it will be interesting to see what the condition is like. It wasn't very good 14 years ago when that video was taken.

Agreed that due to the lack of offset elements we can do at Gimli on the road course the average speed is higher. Although at St. Andrews I have easily hit the same speeds as I did at Gimli. I haven't been at an event that uses the portion of the track I am referring to (same as in your video) however it is the area that drift uses for their events...it seems to have now been dubbed "the skid pad".

I do know that the track has not been resurfaced since that video was taken. I suspect though that the surface isn't any worse than what we have a St. Andrews. We will be visiting the track prior to the event to do an assessment and if it doesn't suit our needs we will implement a Plan B.

One other thing I had talked to Scott (Road Race director) about was using the road course after both the Road Race and Autoslalom events are complete. Possibly instead of fun runs, during a supper break we could set-up an autoslalom course on the road course like in past years. We just might have to do it without timing. But at this point that is just an idea and not officially part of "the plan".

[Brian_Earl_Spilner]

Yeah, that unused part of the runway is pretty brutal. Haha nice classic video, Nish.. I'm holding on for dear life in that video.

Somebody last year used a drone to take aerial video of one of the drift days at that section. I can't find right now, but I recall it looked in pretty bad shape too, and that was just last year.

I may be wrong, and that section might be sufficiently rubbered over now. Here's hoping.

[conebasher]

On 3/23/2017 at 8:44 AM, nishanna said:

People actually care about a jack and tire iron!?? That's like 0.3% of a vehicle's weight. You could take a dump and have almost as much weight reduction. It's almost as ridiculous as using pizza warmers on your tires in between runs

Briget lost at Nationals by .001 seconds over 2 days. I think if we could have removed another couple of pounds, she would have 2 jackets instead of 1

[nishanna]

On 4/2/2017 at 4:37 PM, conebasher said:

Briget lost at Nationals by .001 seconds over 2 days. I think if we could have removed another couple of pounds, she would have 2 jackets instead of 1

Or maybe she could have won if she just drove a bit better?  A 2lb weight reduction at Jeff J's skill level might yield a better result. Anyone else, the odds are pretty slim.

[conebasher]

10 hours ago, nishanna said:

Or maybe she could have won if she just drove a bit better?  A 2lb weight reduction at Jeff J's skill level might yield a better result. Anyone else, the odds are pretty slim.

The fact remains that in autocross, less weight almost always results in reduced lap times and no matter what % a driver is getting out of their car, if that car would have been lighter, they probably would have gone quicker. And another fact is that this sport is won and lost by very small margins of time, and if you chop off enough tenths of a second, you will chop off a whole second of time.

[evolv]

On 4/2/2017 at 4:37 PM, conebasher said:

Briget lost at Nationals by .001 seconds over 2 days. I think if we could have removed another couple of pounds, she would have 2 jackets instead of 1

1 jacket or 2, in either case congratulations!

[Corey]

A few missed shifts last year, plus a leaky valve seal means the head needed to come off on my car.  Pushrods have never sounded so good!  No timing to worry about when reassembling.   

[MRS Joe]

38 minutes ago, Corey said:

Pushrods have never sounded so good!  No timing to worry about when reassembling.    

 

I'll rebuild your engine if you finish my swap...  I'll have yours back to you in two days. Not sure how many weeks you'll need to complete mine though.

[Corey]

At my current rate of work, I could be done your car just in time for your grandkid's 16th birthday.

[Riverman]

That looks like such a pleasure to work on!

[Corey]

It certainly has it's moments. Whomever did the wiring was a strong believer in entropy. Luckily, there's not much of it! 

[grail]

Here's my laundry list of changes. Since it'll be my first year back in forever, I'll be happy if I finish in the top half of the raw times... haha.

Nitto NT05 255/40r17
Stoptech brake pads
(eventually) re-built RCE Tarmac T2 coilovers
lightweight battery of some kind
 

[TRDTurko]

I've decided NOT to go with RE71Rs on my daily driver "no longer paxwagon" that will probably not see enough events to compete for the championship anyway. After many hours of research and price comparisons, I think I found the right mix of comfort, performance and price in the Yokohama Advan Sport V105. Very similar to the Michelin Super Sport and rated just behind it overall by Tirerack yet is marginally faster in the wet (and handily beats the RE71R in the wet). Cost is more than $60 less per tire than the Michelin and a bit lower than the 71Rs. Being a Max performance tire rather than a Extreme performance tire, they will obviously not really be competitive but I feel the wear rate of the 71Rs would make them a waste of money for my daily driver. If Star specs weren't so darn expensive I may have gotten a set of those.

These seem to be challenging the Continental Extreme Contact for the fasted wet street tire (while being a bit faster in the dry but not quite as comfortable), so maybe I can eek out a podium or two if we get some hard rain.

EDIT: also in the running are Firestone FIREHAWK INDY 500, mainly for how ridiculously cheap they are for a recently introduced tire, about $100 less per set than the V105. The V105s were introduced in 2013 so they are also getting a bit long in the tooth, but what is amazing to me is that Super Sports came out in 2010 and are still king of the Max performance category. The Firehawk is a step down in the UHP category but they look to be on par in dry grip but I'd be giving up some grip in the wet even to the RE11Rs for that $100

[dark_daku89]

On 4/12/2017 at 6:56 AM, grail said:

Here's my laundry list of changes. Since it'll be my first year back in forever, I'll be happy if I finish in the top half of the raw times... haha.

Nitto NT05 255/40r17
Stoptech brake pads
(eventually) re-built RCE Tarmac T2 coilovers
lightweight battery of some kind
 

I use the Deka ETX20L for my car, it has enough CCA (310) and it only weighs 16lbs 

[Corey]

I used a Yuasa something-or-other from MB Battery on Logan in my S2000. It was around $80 before tax. If you drive every day, it'd be fine. If you let it sit for 3 days, the car wouldn't start. 

I recall I did 5 starts and shut downs in a row after getting it as a test - no problem. But it didn't like sitting. 

[dark_daku89]

So to update on the battery, went to MB battery and got the YTX20L AGM battery, which has 310 CCA, and only weighs 18 lbs according to my scale. Picked one up for 74 + tax. Just need to modify the J-hooks but everything works.

[grail]

1 hour ago, dark_daku89 said:

So to update on the battery, went to MB battery and got the YTX20L AGM battery, which has 310 CCA, and only weighs 18 lbs according to my scale. Picked one up for 74 + tax. Just need to modify the J-hooks but everything works.

Hmm.. I may have to do the same. I also think I need to roll my fenders more. Not entirely confident that my tires won't rub... Haha.

[dark_daku89]

2 hours ago, grail said:

Hmm.. I may have to do the same. I also think I need to roll my fenders more. Not entirely confident that my tires won't rub... Haha.

how wide are your wheels and what offset?

[grail]

13 hours ago, dark_daku89 said:

how wide are your wheels and what offset?

I don't remember what my offset is but the tires are 255. Last year when I took a few laps around Gimli on my then 245 RE-11s, it was rubbing. Won't be an issue once I get my coilovers on, but the stockish suspension has a bit of a roll.

[Corey]

The bumps at St. Andrews are pretty rough. I removed the springs and fully compressed the suspension to check clearance on my STI with 255 Dunlops on 17x9s with a 42mm offset. I had to roll the rear fender lip completely flat and the pull the whole fender out about 1/8" to avoid contact.

Interestingly, the rim-protector ridge was the thing that interfered the most. 

I guess it depends on how much rubbing you'll tolerate and if you're willing to ease off a turn over a bump. I knew that I'd likely be sideways and full throttle over bumps at some point (:D) so I ensured clearance in all conditions. 

It didn't need anything in the front, which was surprising. 

[grail]

1 hour ago, Corey said:

The bumps at St. Andrews are pretty rough. I removed the springs and fully compressed the suspension to check clearance on my STI with 255 Dunlops on 17x9s with a 42mm offset. I had to roll the rear fender lip completely flat and the pull the whole fender out about 1/8" to avoid contact.

Interestingly, the rim-protector ridge was the thing that interfered the most. 

I guess it depends on how much rubbing you'll tolerate and if you're willing to ease off a turn over a bump. I knew that I'd likely be sideways and full throttle over bumps at some point (:D) so I ensured clearance in all conditions. 

It didn't need anything in the front, which was surprising. 

I have the complete opposite issue, it's the front fenders that are rubbing... haha. I may need to roll it some more before the first event. I also thought about getting some fender flares and solving my issue that way. Eventually the Subie will be stripped and turned into a full track car. So at some point I may take a sawzall to it.

[Jim Eh.]

So this is where I am starting from ...

 

[Jim Eh.]

This probably won't do.