Yeah, that whole threshold braking vs ABS braking thing has been thoroughly debunked. ABS, unless on ice, always stops you faster than you can without it, unless you're talking one of the very first "dumb" ABS systems.
Yeah, that whole threshold braking vs ABS braking thing has been thoroughly debunked. ABS, unless on ice, always stops you faster than you can without it, unless you're talking one of the very first "dumb" ABS systems.
I've been watching a used Grimmspeed strut bar on ebay for a couple weeks. They sent an offer that was pretty reasonable so I went ahead and snatched it up. The car came with a GTSpec one, but it's the hinged style and the Grimmspeed one has been tested with actual numbers to back up the product. Install was simple. It bolts on top of the factory strut to firewall brace bolts. Usually when you buy the bar it comes with some nylon wrap to keep the a/c line from chaffing, but I just split some spare hose I had from a previous project. A couple zip ties hold it in place, and we are all done. The wrinkle finish looks sharp and kinda makes me want to do a similar treatment to the stock bars. I should be able to sell the old GTSpec bar to recoup all my costs.
Untitled-1 by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
I also snatched up a steel cruise control bracket that's identical to the plastic one installed the other day. The plastic one flexes way too much for my taste, and this one was the same price as the plastic since I bought it off a guy on Facebook this time.
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Super long weekend.
I'm tired.
Friday mid day on my lunch I could hear some clicking from what I think is the driver side CV axle. Shoot. Dang. Not good.
It only seems to make noise when the car has been sitting, but after a few miles it quiets down to a no longer audible status. Some people say the axle nuts are soft and to get some new ones then re-torque. Some say it's grease deprived e-brake clips inside the rotor hat. Of course others say it's just the CV on the way out. I'm going to try the e-brake clips grease-o-rama first. If the noise goes away I'm happy. If it's still there I'll move to phase two of the axle nuts. At that point I think you can figure out what phase three contains.
So, I thought it was going to be me stepping away from the Springfield trip for the OMR SCCA autocross due to the previously mentioned clickity clacks. Instead I decided to just give it a go and if the noise got worse to call it a day. It's only a 2 hour drive home....
Springfield fairground spot is tight. This is the first time the club has used this space, with two of the next events planned there as well. It's a bit of drive for me, so I decided to try it out once and see if it's worth the trip for future events. The lot is probably 30% the size of what we are used to at Crowder College, with telephone poles and fences taking up another 15%. There's not much real estate to work with, but I think they did a good job using what little was available. There's a flowing wave to the chip and seal plus a considerable slope to most of it. We are used to flat asphalt with a smidge of concrete at our usual site. This stuff is pretty rough. Due to size we ran two loops of the course with a short run off exit. I managed to get 10th overall in raw time which I'm pretty happy with. There was still time left on the table though. I think I had 8th place in my grasp, but just didn't keep consistent enough.
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Video embed keeps failing. Here's a link instead....
This weekend was a planned maintenance bonanza. The Montero got some fresh oil/filter, windshield wipers, and the e-brake adjusted to working status. For the FRS I started off with the diff and trans fluid using some Motul Gear 300. Surprisingly the diff fluid looked pretty good. Trans was decent as well. At least I know it's fresh now. I checked pad thickness at all corners expecting to need to replace them. Still have 6.5-7mm of pad left. I assume that will be mostly depleted with the up coming Hallett trip on the 21st. Did a quick bleed of the brakes, and moved on.
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Tires are on their last leg. Too much negative camber has been running the inside bare while leaving some tread on the outside shoulder well preserved. I dropped the amount to -2.7 degrees from -3.5 in hopes to curb some of the wear. This time I plan to do a better job monitoring wear and heat zones, so there may be more adjustment needed. I'll probably get another set of the rt615k+ but in 245-40-18 instead of the 235s. The cheap side of me says just stick with the 235 since they are $90 less, but I'd like to see how the car handles with a less aggressive stretch. Bridgestone is still running some specials, but I don't think they will last long enough for me. These have ~70 autocross runs, 1 track day, and around 3000 miles.
I spoke with the wife briefly about getting another set of wheels before next season. She's on board. I'll get a set for track days, and possibly another set for autocross. Time to save some pennies.
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Since I had the car up in the air I looked over the axles since the clacking hasn't stopped. Looks like some grease has been seeping out from the inner boot. Just in case these are close to done, I bought a pair of used axles with 1k miles that were a little under $200 shipped. The Autozone ones have a bad reputation, and the factory stuff is $450 and up depending on source per axle. They should show up tomorrow, so they will get swapped out some time this week.
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Axles are done. The noise is gone, and oddly enough so is the vibration that's been prevalent over the past month or so in acceleration. I'd say it took maybe an hour or so to get both done. I'm happy it's all over.
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
I've been thinking heavily on getting my car legal for STX class lately. I still wouldn't have anyone locally in my class, but at least I can compete in PAX unlike my current CSP class. I'm not happy about swapping some of the parts, but maybe a trip to nationals next year would make it worth it. The short list of things that need to be addressed are the following:
spoiler has to go
splitter has to go (honestly it's not really doing anything anyway)
need a cat in the front pipe no further than 6" downstream from the last one in the stock exhaust
steering rack locks have to go
wheels need to be 1/2" narrower
e85 has to go
toe arms have to go
steering wheel has to be weighted to match stock or just go back to stock
bump steer/roll center kit has to go
Nothing too crazy. So last night before putting the new axles in, I noticed the spoiler adhesive was already starting to pull away on the bottom side. Next thing you know I've spent 15 minutes pulling and prying to get the thing free from the trunk lid. Once it was free my gut got a bit squirmy. This thing has been here a while. After some hasty cleanup, the paint doesn't match the rest of the trunk now, and there's enough blemishes/scratches that a re-spray would be the only option. I'm not a painter.
I panicked a bit. A lot really.
Some cleaning and scraping took the old adhesive stuff off. My fingers are now heavily blistered. What a genius idea this has been. I stared at it for a few minutes minus the spoiler, and then proceeded to stick it back in place with new 3m trim tape. Not a fan of the looks, but mainly because it's going to cost some money to get the trunk lid back to purty status. Maybe STX is for the birds?
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Hmmm...All-Day-IPA spotted!
Where'd you find the used OEM axles? ebay or a forum? I should probably do the axles on my E30 as well, but i've read everything other than OEM or GKN (OEM equivilent) are trash.
In reply to Hoondavan :
Yep. That was my last one in the fridge, so when I went to get more 3m tape I tried to pick up another 15 pack. They were out, so I picked up some Lost Forty Rockhound to tie me over. Unfortunately it just isn't as refreshing in the heat to the All Day.
I bought my axles on ebay. There were a bunch listed, but most of them had 50k miles or more which seemed like a crap shoot. These popped up the other day listed from a 2019 model with only 1k miles. For the e30 you should look into rebuilding what you have or buy the GKN through FCP Euro. They'll swap out axles for life, but you pay a little more for the quality. I think that's almost universal for all brands though.
In reply to captainawesome :
Yea, the GKN axles are $550/pair from FCP Euro. I'll take a closer look at mine when I do the subframe bushings and decide what to do. I know my subframe bushings are shot, but it'll be easier to know if the axles are bad once i dive into that.
If you like Founders all-day, you'll probably like the Lagunitas Super Cluster. Not advertised as an IPA, but it's got great balance.
In reply to Hoondavan :
Whatever you do, don't buy Febi subframe bushings if you are using rubber. Terrible. Lemforder is the stuff to get, same goes for trailing arms.
In reply to captainawesome :
Good to know aboiut the Febi bushings...I had considered that (they're cheap). I went with Revshift 80A subframe and RTAB, the softest poly bushings they have (advertised as OEM+). It took two weeks for Revshift to actually ship the product so I haven't done the install yet. I was going to order from FCPeuro, but it was ~$30-40 cheaper to order direct (instagram discount code + lower list price). The discount was a deciding fact orin going w/the poly RTAB vs. rubber RTAB. I'm tempted to attempt the in-car subframe replacement method, if it can be done quick enough. I know the poly RTAB bushings can wear quickly if they're not torqued correctly (and checked periodically).
Do you have any experience w/Febi replacement Guibos? I may wind up ordering a replacement once I drop the driveshaft and inspect mine.
In reply to Hoondavan :
Poly RTABs are fine if you don't have adjusters for the most part. If you have the subframe adjusters it puts a heavy amount of bind on them, so stock rubber would be the way to go for that application.
All the guibos I have bought were Meyle HDs. I've used Febi bearings without issue, and a couple of their center support bearings for the driveshaft. I'll check my box of goodies, pretty sure I've got some new parts laying around without a car to put them on.
In reply to captainawesome :
Send me a PM whenever you have a chance to check for spare parts.
You can likely keep the spoiler and lip on for STX at regional events and just remove them and deal w/the ugly for Nationals if you decide to go. The rules encourage regions are to allow for reasonable aero modifications in STX, but not Nationals(?). If the item is listed as an accessory in an OEM catalog it's legal in nationals (but not TRD). I'm not an expert on the rules, I was just checking to see if my iS valence/lip would be OK.
They are running a spec-FR-S/BRZ class at nationals now...but it would probably be cost-prohibitive to switch to their required suspension parts, etc.
In reply to Hoondavan :
Totally forgot to rummage through my stuff last night. I'll set a reminder on my phone.
Yeah they are lenient until you start winning the class against others, and as far as I know the only spoiler from the factory looks nothing like this one. There's a guy I race with that has the same color car as me minus the spoiler, I've though heavily about trading him trunk lids with a little cash on top. I really like the looks of it with the spoiler though.
Spec class is far too much removal from what is already done on my car. STX is where the FRS can also be competitive, and mine isn't far removed from full prep.
Got my new tires yesterday. Sidewall fits much better with the rim width, but may be cutting it a bit close on rear arch clearance. I'll know Sunday after autocross if some fender rolling will be necessary. So far I feel the weight of the bigger tires, and it's definitely not as responsive as the 235. Ride quality seems improved with less harsh bump response. None of this is really surprising, but I wonder how much effect it will have on Sunday's course.
I'd definitely roll those fenders
In reply to docwyte :
I think you are right. I imagine once the suspension is loaded hard into a corner, it's going to make contact. Tomorrow morning hopefully I'll have enough time to get it done.
Man that car looks fun, it's the opposite of my power boat.
Last minute show to see Son Little in Columbia MO kept me from autocross Saturday. Didn't get back home until 5am Sunday morning, but was still out to race a few hours later. The first section of the course was super tight. The inner fender liner was rubbing pretty bad on this section with the new 245 width. You can hear it in the first 20 seconds of the video rubbing on the tight stuff, and from what I can tell it's just some of the plastic liner. I ordered some 3mm and 5mm spacers to push the wheels out up front a little. Hoping the 3mm is enough, but I think the outside edge has enough room for 5mm. I attempted to roll the rear fenders Saturday morning, but no luck. The roller I have just isn't positioned well enough to get the pressure in the right spot. No rubbing though after the weekend, so I'm just going to leave it alone.
The tires did well I think. Hard to say, but I'm almost certain there's more grip there than the previous 235s. Is it because they are wider or because they are brand new? Maybe a little of both? I managed 3rd overall and 1st in class. My buddy got a new ZL1 Camaro with the 10 speed automatic. Beat me by less than half a second. It's frickin bonkers. I want one so bad, but it's too rich for my blood at this stage in life. The only other person to beat my raw time was a Miata on A7s by just under a second.
I also got my pyrometer in before the race. I tried to get some readings, but wasn't really prepared with the lack of sleep to be able to do anything with the info. Gotta do some reading on what exactly can be done with the information I'm getting from the probe. Front inside edge was anywhere from 5-10 degrees hotter than the center and outside edge on the front tires. Pretty sure I can adjust some camber out at this point. Honestly those numbers may be crap, sleep deprivation was involved. More testing to be done.
Hallett is this Saturday, so we will see how the wider tires do on track. Gotta double check pad thickness before heading out though.
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
I spent a few minutes checking the inner fender liner to see where exactly it's rubbing that wasn't already known. In the pic, most if not all of the upper stuff was rubbed through before my ownership. The lower portion near the same height as the brake line is all new. I'm thinking raising the car 1/2" or so, plus a spacer could help reduce if not completely get rid of the rubbing.
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
While I had the wheel off I decided to check the front brake pads again. While they still probably have plenty of material left ~6-7mm, I noticed some cracking on one of the pads and decided to just put the fresh ones on. After reading the bedding in procedure, it just made sense to do it now compared to wasting my time on the track day doing the work. Recommended time to bed in is around 200 street miles with stop go traffic with light pressure. After the 200 miles do 5 consecutive 60-10 mph stops and then cool it all down. I should be able to get that done before Saturday.
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
captainawesome said:I spent a few minutes checking the inner fender liner to see where exactly it's rubbing that wasn't already known. In the pic, most if not all of the upper stuff was rubbed through before my ownership. The lower portion near the same height as the brake line is all new. I'm thinking raising the car 1/2" or so, plus a spacer could help reduce if not completely get rid of the rubbing.
I don't know that raising it will help much. The spring preload on the coilover doesn't change the full bump and full droop positions of the wheel, just where it rests when the car is still. The spacer might help though.
In reply to rothwem :
Hadn't quite thought of that. I measured hub center to arch distance and it's in the ballpark of 12.75". That's roughly a 2" drop from stock, while not terrible, the hive of 86 racers find 1" to 1.5" a better fit for geometry. Since I am still debating STX switchover, the 1.5" is where I'm most likely to end up. Especially if I have to ditch the roll center/bump steer kit.
Weekend update:
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Spent last Saturday out at Hallett again with their High Speed Touring program. This was my second time out, so they put me back with the new guys/students in group B. Understandably I'm still a new guy, so no complaints here other than the first session will be under a full yellow flag. I took that as an opportunity to make sure I remember where the hell I should be in prep for the second session. The first session we had one c6 just forget everything he was told in the classroom. Literally stopped on course racing line to try to let the instructors drive by him. The corner workers had to flag him off course, so unfortunately that meant when he got out in to session 2, he still didn't know what to do. I'm a fairly patient guy, but watching group A get some space and proper point bys was feeding some jealousy. They ended up having to call at least 2 extra meetings to all of the first timers to talk about what went wrong and what to do.
Session 2 was exactly what I expected. I made sure to be first in grid, but before the end of my warm up lap I was in traffic. After a few point bys I was in a line of probably 8 cars being held up by the previously mentioned c6. The guy refused to point anyone by even after getting the blue/yellow flag for two laps. I figured they would talk to him after the session and put an instructor behind the wheel.
Session 3 was another nightmare. No matter how many times I tried to gain space through the hot pits, there was just no space to be had. Point bys were non existent because the slowest guys just refused to let anyone by. I was failing to get any usable track time to learn, so I spoke with the head honcho to see about getting put in group A. My buddy got switched the session before for the same reason, so I figured it was worth a shot. She agreed to let me switch as long as an instructor was okay with it. Luckily one of the instructors rode with me on my last trip out in June, so he vouched for me.
Session 4 was awesome. Because I was switching from B, the grid master guy decided to have me be last out. I was more than happy to oblige. I chased a few mustangs and mixed it up a bit. I got around a few, and ended the session with a best of 1:35.53, which was 2 seconds quicker than my best time out in June. The best news was I was consistently getting 1:35s and 1:36s with traffic. I made sure to thank the director and instructor for moving me up a group, it really made my day.
Session 5 was originally supposed to be Group A and B combined, so a few Group A guys decided to leave. I figured maybe some in B learned a little by this session, so it would be worth a few laps. If it was terrible again I could always just pull off course and pack up. Since there were too many on grid to combine, we got split. This was my best session yet. From my footage it looks like I got one complete lap without any traffic. I managed to squeeze a 1:34.84 with all that space, but I think there's honestly a 1:33 or better still in it. All in all I'm thoroughly impressed with how the car felt, and my confidence on track is much better. Less nervousness, and better focus on improving all aspects.
I got some good footage with a Gopro in session 4, and then used the Samsung Gear 360 for some cool fancy movable footage.
This is session 4 split into two videos:
This is just my wide open lap on session 5. I'm still going through this footage to pick out some good stuff to upload. For some reason I can't seem to get the starting focal point to be at the front of the car, but the cool part is that you can move the image window wherever you want.
Glad you got out of the B group and had your day turn around, I know that frustration.
Have you tried the 360 camera inside the car? If so does it adjust to the light well so you can see the interior as well as out the windows? I've been curious about these.
Adam
In reply to adam525i :
I haven't tested it yet inside the car. My older Gopro struggles with the balance when mounted to my helmet. My interior is so dark and the reflection off the white hood is almost too polarizing for the levels to work out. I'll give it a try sometime this week to see though.
Part of the HST package at Hallett is that any Saturday or Sunday runs will get free pics from the track photographer. He does a damn good job. After reviewing them though, I noticed some of the fiber undertray is tearing off. I was hearing a weird sound at high speeds, but it was intermittent and tough to locate. Guess I know what it is now though. Oh, there was a McLaren 600lt on course my 4th session. I was originally in grid right behind him, but then they decided to have me be the last car out. Would have been cool to get some footage of that, but I'll settle for a pic of him behind me. Here's a few of my favorites:
IMG_4480 by hatchethairy, on Flickr
IMG_4468 by hatchethairy, on Flickr
IMG_4233 by hatchethairy, on Flickr
IMG_4275 by hatchethairy, on Flickr
IMG_3739 by hatchethairy, on Flickr
IMG_3944 by hatchethairy, on Flickr
IMG_3602 by hatchethairy, on Flickr
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