If they are made of fairly thin carbon what you could do to stregthen it is reinforce it from the back side. Could you get some resin and fiberglass cloth and possibly lay up another layer on the back side to reinforce it? That is, if the back is open. I have not seen one in person. . .

 

When did you get the stripes? I know you were joking about it with the tape last season!

 

weekend project. Just did it. I'll put some pictures up tomorrow using the good camera in sunlight.

 

I am looking to buy an EVO 9 that is built fully or partially for STU. Willing to travel for the right car. Please let me know if you know of anything.

 

Just put on a new OEM boost solenoid and OEM boost hoses yesterday. Yay for no more 12psi wastegate boost that I've been running the past 2 months!

 

Great discussion guys. There really is no right or wrong way to do things. Lap times are the ultimate measurement. There are too many variables that can affect things. I believe the saying is I'ld rather be lucky than good.

I have to agree with a lot of what Fair is saying. This year I'm focusing on keeping my car more streetable and going back to the basics, we'll see how she does at the local events. Local events also happen to be the where 2009 Nats is going to be held.

 

I went for the RE-01Rs that are a hot deal at the moment due to the RE-11s coming out. I planned on the Star Specs, but for $116/ea, that was a savings of $200 off the set and was too good to pass up for a good tire.

 

I ran an event last weekend with a big bump in it. After going over the bump, I heard a high pitched noise coming from the drivetrain. It sounded like it was coming from the rear diff, but of course it's hard to tell at speed.

The sound continued for 3-5 seconds after the bump, while I was at full throttle. After I broke for a corner and reapplied the throttle the noise was gone. It happened at the same place, 4 or 5 times in a row.

Has anybody experienced this before?

d

 

Possibly a wheel bearing? It could be realigning itself so to speak under braking. Kind of far fetched but, possible.

 

Hadn't thought of that, but I do check the wheel bearings for play. They seem fine.

It really was a function of throttle position though and didn't change through a fast chicane which was flat out.

d

 

Possibly the brake pad getting shuffled a bit, especially if it had the noise maker for when it's getting low. I accidentally bent my dust shield a couple weekends ago and it made a horrible sound as it was barely touching the disc.

 

Good idea! The rear pads are low actually. That might be it.

d

 

Well, I just put my order in for 245/40/17 RE-11s...

I'm going to be real pissed if a) they turn out WAY over-hyped or b) the AD08 makes the cutoff and is light-years faster. Which I guess could be one and the same.

I'll be sure to come up with a little review once the season gets going - I'll be running them at full tread.

 

Given the reviews that have come back from time attack guys on the AD08, it sounds like they still won't be that great until you get some heat into them (ie. your first run is trash, which won't help much at National events).

IMHO - the hot tires this year will be the RE-11 and the Z1 (again). I would shave those RE-11s though if I were you

 

I may be one of the only Evo 8s in the universe without power mods. I'm at 65k miles and wondering if they're actually worth the money. I'm not a national competitor, in fact, I'm pretty new but doing a lot of events and a few HPDEs this year. I already have the important things covered:

-RE-01Rs
-Ohlins DFV coilovers
-Hawk HPS pads with ATE Super Blue and SS lines

Other than seat time (I'm also signing up for Phases 1 and 2 of the Evo AutoX School), do you think it's worth it to do the full exhaust? Header, O2 housing, downpipe, HFC and catback with an STU protune? That's a couple thousand dollars and I never felt like power was holding me back in stock form. The money isn't an issue, but I'm just curious if the gains are actually enough to justify doing it. Thanks.