project:BDR 2006 Evo STU build thread
Jul 29, 2013, 09:39 AM
#391
Updates slowing down. Lots of work to do on the baby prep front, so this thread is going to be mostly tumbleweeds for the next several weeks.
Event #10: Autocrossers Inc @ Waldorf, 6-29-2013
This was a double event. It was also very hot. I also picked up a codriver at the last minute.
Sometimes we split the events into 2 heats, but for today we split it into three. Three heats means less time between runs for everyone... especially co-driven cars. Heat management was going to be a challenge.
The morning was pretty painful. Even with spraying the tires almost continuously from pulling into grid to going back out, we could not get the tires down to a reasonable temperature. They got angry and they stayed there. To add insult to injury, Mike beat me in my own car... by .028. We ended up finishing 6th and 7th in Pro class, definitely below where we usually finish. It was intensely frustrating. Nothing we were doing with tire pressures or shocks was really making any difference.
Between morning and afternoon I tried to keep the tires shaded.
The afternoon was similar. Because the morning sucked so badly, we were going to split up into different heats to make the tires’ life easier... but the event was running crazy late (started late plus the course design forced longer intervals) so we both had to run heat 1 so I could get out of there. At this point, I am completely questioning my sanity and trying to figure out if the car is suddenly awful or if it’s just the tires. My first run starts off great - car is neutral, even pretty good in the tight parts of the course, and I’m thinking... thank god! It’s fixed! and then about 2/3 of the way through the run, the tires have had it. They stayed that way for the rest of the day. I cranked up the rear shocks to full everything on my 3rd run as a bit of a hail mary. It helped a little, but the tires were still in full quit mode. I was able to drop three tenths of raw, but plowed through the finish and wiped out three cones there (after the finish line). I was in stupid+frustrated mode more than anything. As with the morning, Mike beat me on his 3rd run. We waived 4th runs because it was pointless. This time, 5th and 6th in Pro. Still a drag.
It’s hard to say if the Z2’s are worse than the Z1’s in terms of temperature management. This was a bit of an extreme situation. I’m not even sure we were getting our SCCA-minimum 5 minutes between runs (even accounting for driving to/from the line). And it’s going to be really hard on any 90+ degree day to keep the fronts of an Evo cold, let alone with short intervals. I don’t think the Z1’s would have excelled in that situation either. But I don’t remember it being *this* bad.
Anyone with any anecdotes here?
Event #11: WDCR @ Fedex, 6-30-2013
With Josh out of town and Shane running a different class, STU was a little more open than usual. But, there was crummy weather on the horizon.
As heat 2 started, the skies opened up. We had to take a substantial delay due to lightning. This meant that heat 2 would be in dreaded rapidly-drying conditions. Through it all, TrunkMonkey kept the faith.
Drying conditions are tricky as hell. On the one hand, the course is getting a lot faster with each run so you have to take advantage. On the other hand, the penalty for a bad run is very high because if you sit on your next to last run, you are going to be 2+ seconds off the pace and be out of the running completely. Only your last run is going to matter.
As a bonus factor, I was #17. Jerry and Vell, the two folks who I am regularly battling, were #26 and #77 respectively. So I would have to go out there without knowing what they’re going to run. At a dry event, no big deal, but at a dry-ing event it would mean I really had no clue how hard to push.
This picture gives a decent idea.
After first runs, I had a 61.3 to Jerry’s 61.7 and Vell’s DNF. On second runs, Jerry took the lead with a 60.9. On 3rd runs, Vell came back over the top with a 56.8 to my 57.5 and Jerry’s 58.6.
Before 4th runs, they moved the 2-driver split to... right after me
So the other folks in the class would have a much dryer course than I would. I pushed as hard as I thought I could, while taking into account that sitting on my 3rd run would be disastrous. I came across with a 54.9 to take the lead back, and waited around for Jerry and Vell to run.
Jerry ran a 55.2 - only three tenths behind. Bullet dodged. But a few minutes later, Vell came across with a 54.4 to put me into 2nd place. Doh.
My tactical decision to run a low number (17) - figuring that in general, courses can get worse faster than they can get better - had backfired here. It’s a pretty rare case that conditions improve this fast, but Fedex is very camber’d and water drains off of it pretty quickly. I think for most events I’d still rather run earlier but this is an example of where number selection is pretty important
Event #10: Autocrossers Inc @ Waldorf, 6-29-2013
This was a double event. It was also very hot. I also picked up a codriver at the last minute.
Sometimes we split the events into 2 heats, but for today we split it into three. Three heats means less time between runs for everyone... especially co-driven cars. Heat management was going to be a challenge.
The morning was pretty painful. Even with spraying the tires almost continuously from pulling into grid to going back out, we could not get the tires down to a reasonable temperature. They got angry and they stayed there. To add insult to injury, Mike beat me in my own car... by .028. We ended up finishing 6th and 7th in Pro class, definitely below where we usually finish. It was intensely frustrating. Nothing we were doing with tire pressures or shocks was really making any difference.
Between morning and afternoon I tried to keep the tires shaded.
The afternoon was similar. Because the morning sucked so badly, we were going to split up into different heats to make the tires’ life easier... but the event was running crazy late (started late plus the course design forced longer intervals) so we both had to run heat 1 so I could get out of there. At this point, I am completely questioning my sanity and trying to figure out if the car is suddenly awful or if it’s just the tires. My first run starts off great - car is neutral, even pretty good in the tight parts of the course, and I’m thinking... thank god! It’s fixed! and then about 2/3 of the way through the run, the tires have had it. They stayed that way for the rest of the day. I cranked up the rear shocks to full everything on my 3rd run as a bit of a hail mary. It helped a little, but the tires were still in full quit mode. I was able to drop three tenths of raw, but plowed through the finish and wiped out three cones there (after the finish line). I was in stupid+frustrated mode more than anything. As with the morning, Mike beat me on his 3rd run. We waived 4th runs because it was pointless. This time, 5th and 6th in Pro. Still a drag.
It’s hard to say if the Z2’s are worse than the Z1’s in terms of temperature management. This was a bit of an extreme situation. I’m not even sure we were getting our SCCA-minimum 5 minutes between runs (even accounting for driving to/from the line). And it’s going to be really hard on any 90+ degree day to keep the fronts of an Evo cold, let alone with short intervals. I don’t think the Z1’s would have excelled in that situation either. But I don’t remember it being *this* bad.
Anyone with any anecdotes here?
Event #11: WDCR @ Fedex, 6-30-2013
With Josh out of town and Shane running a different class, STU was a little more open than usual. But, there was crummy weather on the horizon.
As heat 2 started, the skies opened up. We had to take a substantial delay due to lightning. This meant that heat 2 would be in dreaded rapidly-drying conditions. Through it all, TrunkMonkey kept the faith.
Drying conditions are tricky as hell. On the one hand, the course is getting a lot faster with each run so you have to take advantage. On the other hand, the penalty for a bad run is very high because if you sit on your next to last run, you are going to be 2+ seconds off the pace and be out of the running completely. Only your last run is going to matter.
As a bonus factor, I was #17. Jerry and Vell, the two folks who I am regularly battling, were #26 and #77 respectively. So I would have to go out there without knowing what they’re going to run. At a dry event, no big deal, but at a dry-ing event it would mean I really had no clue how hard to push.
This picture gives a decent idea.
After first runs, I had a 61.3 to Jerry’s 61.7 and Vell’s DNF. On second runs, Jerry took the lead with a 60.9. On 3rd runs, Vell came back over the top with a 56.8 to my 57.5 and Jerry’s 58.6.
Before 4th runs, they moved the 2-driver split to... right after me
So the other folks in the class would have a much dryer course than I would. I pushed as hard as I thought I could, while taking into account that sitting on my 3rd run would be disastrous. I came across with a 54.9 to take the lead back, and waited around for Jerry and Vell to run. Jerry ran a 55.2 - only three tenths behind. Bullet dodged. But a few minutes later, Vell came across with a 54.4 to put me into 2nd place. Doh.
My tactical decision to run a low number (17) - figuring that in general, courses can get worse faster than they can get better - had backfired here. It’s a pretty rare case that conditions improve this fast, but Fedex is very camber’d and water drains off of it pretty quickly. I think for most events I’d still rather run earlier but this is an example of where number selection is pretty important
Jul 29, 2013, 03:00 PM
#392
Event #12: WDCR @ Fedex, 7-21-2013
As an attempt to get in one more event before my stay-cation, I entered the WDCR event at the last minute. In order to get out of there early, I ran ASP so I could run in the morning and then leave. We don’t have much ASP locally - the only other ASP car was an2ny’s STU Evo X, who ran in ASP for the same reason.
The course was very sweepery - not quite Nationals Sweeperfest 2012, but close.
Just breaking down my 3rd run (53.6) with my 4th run (53.3 +1 at the finish):
I really need to figure out how to mount the GPS securely to the roof. Stupid magnetic properties of aluminum!
Start: Pretty much a wash. Run 3 stayed tight at the beginning, but added distance in the showcase. Run 4 was off at the beginning but stayed tight in the showcase. Probably a little bit of confused-GPS going on here, too. Run 3 was 60.6 mph at the end going uphill, run 4 was only 56 mph.
Sector 2: slalom into uphill offset: Run 3 didn’t slow down enough (ah, so that’s why run 4 seemed slower at the end of section 1) and didn’t enter the slalom well enough. So run 3 had to give it up a little bit too much at entry to stay ahead. Run 4 was about 4 tenths faster as the two runs were rounding the hill (bottom right corner) entering sector 3.
Sector 3: big downhill sweeper into slalom into uphill sweeper. Run 4 was too cautious here (due to some mistakes on runs 1 and 2 mostly) but did chop enough distance to stay close. Run 3 was about a tenth faster here overall, and now 3 tenths down.
Sector 4: downhill offset into annoying off camber sweepers. Run 3 makes up another tenth here, but doesn’t chop enough distance. Pretty much a wash. Run 4 pushes out at the end and hits the inside finish cone.
So I ended up with a best raw of 53.3, and a theoretical best time of mayyybe a 53.1. On the STU index, my clean 53.6 would have PAXd me 25th, and my dirty 53.3 would only have moved me up to 21st. Pretty disappointing overall.
I was able to keep the Dunlops just cool enough, but I had to keep the front right tire wet from the time I got in to the time I went out. No exaggeration, I just sat at that tire blanketing it with water. The other three were mostly okay, but the right side tires were in the sun and a lot of the hardest corners, especially at the end, were off-camber left-handers that would be hardest on the front right.
I was pretty happy with the car’s balance, but I still really need to do a test and tune day where I can really fiddle with shocks and pressures on the same course. Next year, I hope? Maybe late this season if I get lucky.
Car prep: the future
I wrote in an earlier post (https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/10681035-post340.html) about what’s really left in terms of prep.
I did have to add a little bit of Dark Side flavor to help keep the STi's at bay.
Power: nothing left to do really. With E85 likely out of the picture for 2014, I’m already ready with a 100 octane tune.
Suspension: There are decent odds I’ll play with spring rates next year. I’m going to re-read all of Dallas J’s posts on the subject. I think going to 700 in the front is likely, just a question of what to do about the rear. I need to have a better plan for concrete.
Weight I’m almost definitely going to do:
* Battery: current Braille is 15 lbs. I have a Deka ETX14 which is 12 lbs, savings of 3 lbs.
** I was looking at the Shorais, but that might be a 2015 type thing. By the time you add in a bracket, you do cancel out some of the weight savings.
* Hotchkis rear bar saves 5 lbs.
* Rear two piece rotors would save 7 lbs.
* Lighter cat-back - let’s assume the off the shelf ETS one and not something crazy like a turndown - that would be 9 lbs, vs 27 lbs now - savings of 18 lbs.
So - assuming all of that - the car should weigh 3085 currently, and 3 + 5 + 7 + 18 = 33, so that would theoretically have me at 3052 with the fuel light on.
The hope is to slowly pick these things off over the course of this year.
Weight I’m not going to do:
* Sparco Evo is 19 lbs, brackets are around 9 lbs, so my current seating setup should weigh around 28 lbs. That’s not worth going down from.
* Non-SE lip has to be lighter than the SE lip, but not much.
Weight I might do
* Spoiler delete is ~7 lbs - but then the car would look like a regular Lancer
* Tanabe front bar saves ~3.5 lbs - but is a pain in the ***
* 5 speed swap - about 15 lbs - substantial pain in the ***, and expensive, but I could sell my 6-speed to mitigate some of it
Am I missing anything obvious? I see a realistic weight of ~3050, a weight of 3015-3020 with *everything* done (including a turndown) and beyond that we are talking RS package conversion, deleting AC, deleting ABS, switching the glass, etc.
Anyhoo, thanks for reading.. probably won't be any updates for a little while
As an attempt to get in one more event before my stay-cation, I entered the WDCR event at the last minute. In order to get out of there early, I ran ASP so I could run in the morning and then leave. We don’t have much ASP locally - the only other ASP car was an2ny’s STU Evo X, who ran in ASP for the same reason.
The course was very sweepery - not quite Nationals Sweeperfest 2012, but close.
Just breaking down my 3rd run (53.6) with my 4th run (53.3 +1 at the finish):
I really need to figure out how to mount the GPS securely to the roof. Stupid magnetic properties of aluminum!
Start: Pretty much a wash. Run 3 stayed tight at the beginning, but added distance in the showcase. Run 4 was off at the beginning but stayed tight in the showcase. Probably a little bit of confused-GPS going on here, too. Run 3 was 60.6 mph at the end going uphill, run 4 was only 56 mph.
Sector 2: slalom into uphill offset: Run 3 didn’t slow down enough (ah, so that’s why run 4 seemed slower at the end of section 1) and didn’t enter the slalom well enough. So run 3 had to give it up a little bit too much at entry to stay ahead. Run 4 was about 4 tenths faster as the two runs were rounding the hill (bottom right corner) entering sector 3.
Sector 3: big downhill sweeper into slalom into uphill sweeper. Run 4 was too cautious here (due to some mistakes on runs 1 and 2 mostly) but did chop enough distance to stay close. Run 3 was about a tenth faster here overall, and now 3 tenths down.
Sector 4: downhill offset into annoying off camber sweepers. Run 3 makes up another tenth here, but doesn’t chop enough distance. Pretty much a wash. Run 4 pushes out at the end and hits the inside finish cone.
So I ended up with a best raw of 53.3, and a theoretical best time of mayyybe a 53.1. On the STU index, my clean 53.6 would have PAXd me 25th, and my dirty 53.3 would only have moved me up to 21st. Pretty disappointing overall.
I was able to keep the Dunlops just cool enough, but I had to keep the front right tire wet from the time I got in to the time I went out. No exaggeration, I just sat at that tire blanketing it with water. The other three were mostly okay, but the right side tires were in the sun and a lot of the hardest corners, especially at the end, were off-camber left-handers that would be hardest on the front right.
I was pretty happy with the car’s balance, but I still really need to do a test and tune day where I can really fiddle with shocks and pressures on the same course. Next year, I hope? Maybe late this season if I get lucky.
Car prep: the future
I wrote in an earlier post (https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/10681035-post340.html) about what’s really left in terms of prep.
I did have to add a little bit of Dark Side flavor to help keep the STi's at bay.
Power: nothing left to do really. With E85 likely out of the picture for 2014, I’m already ready with a 100 octane tune.
Suspension: There are decent odds I’ll play with spring rates next year. I’m going to re-read all of Dallas J’s posts on the subject. I think going to 700 in the front is likely, just a question of what to do about the rear. I need to have a better plan for concrete.
Weight I’m almost definitely going to do:
* Battery: current Braille is 15 lbs. I have a Deka ETX14 which is 12 lbs, savings of 3 lbs.
** I was looking at the Shorais, but that might be a 2015 type thing. By the time you add in a bracket, you do cancel out some of the weight savings.
* Hotchkis rear bar saves 5 lbs.
* Rear two piece rotors would save 7 lbs.
* Lighter cat-back - let’s assume the off the shelf ETS one and not something crazy like a turndown - that would be 9 lbs, vs 27 lbs now - savings of 18 lbs.
So - assuming all of that - the car should weigh 3085 currently, and 3 + 5 + 7 + 18 = 33, so that would theoretically have me at 3052 with the fuel light on.
The hope is to slowly pick these things off over the course of this year.
Weight I’m not going to do:
* Sparco Evo is 19 lbs, brackets are around 9 lbs, so my current seating setup should weigh around 28 lbs. That’s not worth going down from.
* Non-SE lip has to be lighter than the SE lip, but not much.
Weight I might do
* Spoiler delete is ~7 lbs - but then the car would look like a regular Lancer
* Tanabe front bar saves ~3.5 lbs - but is a pain in the ***
* 5 speed swap - about 15 lbs - substantial pain in the ***, and expensive, but I could sell my 6-speed to mitigate some of it
Am I missing anything obvious? I see a realistic weight of ~3050, a weight of 3015-3020 with *everything* done (including a turndown) and beyond that we are talking RS package conversion, deleting AC, deleting ABS, switching the glass, etc.
Anyhoo, thanks for reading.. probably won't be any updates for a little while
Jul 29, 2013, 06:15 PM
#393
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Don't be hating on the RS now John = ) 2 questions:
Can you run a turn down in stu? My twins car has one on it, His makes the same power as mine, and he is well past the 100 decibel mark.
What are you using to measure your tire temperature?
Can you run a turn down in stu? My twins car has one on it, His makes the same power as mine, and he is well past the 100 decibel mark.
What are you using to measure your tire temperature?
Jul 29, 2013, 09:03 PM
#394
Nice write ups, wish I had the patience to document my stuff this detailed. I mostly just write down stuff in my little green book each run. After my last event I'm gonna drop back down to the 700's. Our lots pretty much suck here and very bumpy, the 900's were just too much. Steady state the car was phenomenal but lost it all with any disturbances. Trying to find a happy medium with less spring and more bar. Swapping back to the 26mm front and trying to get a 26mm rear.
Planning on setting bars at full stiff, making a few runs to see which end gives first, then lower that end. Its a little different approach that Ive been doing, been starting soft and working my way up. Ill let you know how it all works out.
Planning on setting bars at full stiff, making a few runs to see which end gives first, then lower that end. Its a little different approach that Ive been doing, been starting soft and working my way up. Ill let you know how it all works out.
Jul 30, 2013, 07:46 AM
#395
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I don't remember if you have these already, but you might consider the seat lowering brackets as well, since they drop the whole seat + driver weight down over an inch.
Jul 30, 2013, 07:58 AM
#396
Consider the location of weight when you're prioritizing weight reduction. The battery and wing are great places to lose weight since they're up high, and the battery is out in front. I would do those before getting crazy on the exhaust, which is pretty much the lowest thing on the car.
Jul 30, 2013, 08:37 AM
#397
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We pulled our tanabe front sway bar out last month and are now back to a whiteline 26mm bar. Iirc the tanabe is 7.8# and the whiteline is just under 12# stock is about 10#, no alot of weight saving there, especially considering its placement on the car. How ever it is for sale, $100 plus shipping.
Scaled our evo 9 mr at the Packwood tour, with a 1/4 tank of fuel it was right at 3055, we have done all, read all of the mods possible, seats, ti cat back, girodisc, 6.9# battery, l.w. wheels, wingless trunk, hollow rear sway, put the stock speakers back in, lw crank pulley, water pump, alt pulleys, the tranny swap will net you about ~22# savings. 6spd is about 165# and the fiver is 142# . I'm currently looking a evo 9 5 speed, anyone?
see ya in a month or so.
Chris M
Scaled our evo 9 mr at the Packwood tour, with a 1/4 tank of fuel it was right at 3055, we have done all, read all of the mods possible, seats, ti cat back, girodisc, 6.9# battery, l.w. wheels, wingless trunk, hollow rear sway, put the stock speakers back in, lw crank pulley, water pump, alt pulleys, the tranny swap will net you about ~22# savings. 6spd is about 165# and the fiver is 142# . I'm currently looking a evo 9 5 speed, anyone?
see ya in a month or so.
Chris M
Jul 30, 2013, 10:43 AM
#398
Hi John!
Could you post the actual sector times for those 2 runs (3 and 4)?
I was getting a lot of rear inside wheel lift so I decided to move my rear bar to full soft at this event, the car was under steering a lot as a result the front tires were overheating and it was very noticeable at the end where the car was pushing a lot more than the rest of the course. I was going to move the bar back to the middle or full stiff, but I barely had time to water the tires and get ready…
Could you post the actual sector times for those 2 runs (3 and 4)?
I was getting a lot of rear inside wheel lift so I decided to move my rear bar to full soft at this event, the car was under steering a lot as a result the front tires were overheating and it was very noticeable at the end where the car was pushing a lot more than the rest of the course. I was going to move the bar back to the middle or full stiff, but I barely had time to water the tires and get ready…
Jul 30, 2013, 12:11 PM
#399
ISC Helicopter-OG Surface Guard Tape (8 mil Outdoor Grade): 1 in. x 30 ft. (Transparent) : Amazon.com : Automotive
Transparent, holds well, comes off clean! It's on the expensive side, but you don't need much.
Consider the location of weight when you're prioritizing weight reduction. The battery and wing are great places to lose weight since they're up high, and the battery is out in front. I would do those before getting crazy on the exhaust, which is pretty much the lowest thing on the car.
I don't remember if you have these already, but you might consider the seat lowering brackets as well, since they drop the whole seat + driver weight down over an inch.
Transparent, holds well, comes off clean! It's on the expensive side, but you don't need much.
Consider the location of weight when you're prioritizing weight reduction. The battery and wing are great places to lose weight since they're up high, and the battery is out in front. I would do those before getting crazy on the exhaust, which is pretty much the lowest thing on the car.
I don't remember if you have these already, but you might consider the seat lowering brackets as well, since they drop the whole seat + driver weight down over an inch.
Also agreed on weight, 2920 is the goal here!
Sep 15, 2013, 07:38 AM
#400
First post after our little one. Happy and healthy, and I finally have time to revisit this thread
Ordered!
I’m currently running it on the rear trunklid so I am worried this might not help. To be clear, what I see a lot is that my runs are often way different from one another, even in places on the course where there is no real line choice. I don’t remember having this issue on my WRX where I could stick it on the roof.
I think one of my 2013 experiments is going to be seeing if I can use a different GPS - or, trying out SoloStorm with my Nexus7 (there’s a 30 day free trial).
Yeah it was super hectic between runs. I don’t actually keep the sector times - I just use a spot on the course as a reference point, and then do “match 1st run to 2nd run” in MaxQ and do the comparison from there. It’s not totally scientific.
Weight reduction
Good question. If that’s true I might need to do a slightly less minimalist turndown, like a quick mini-muffler into a turndown instead. I’m not hating on the RS at all. If they had ABS I would have bought one. I think it’s worth the weight penalty to not have to think about it, especially when the ABS on the car is so good. I don’t agree with Mr Fair very much, but I do on this:
http://www.vorshlag.com/tech_evoweights.php
For track use, different story. My track Miata didn’t have ABS and I can’t remember locking it up once… you just have a lot more time to think on track (until you get into W2W).
I had the seat lowering brackets, but ultimately the stock seats were not holding me in well enough (my left arm was often sore from bracing myself off the wheel, same with my left leg) and I moved to the Sparcos. I have them on the tallest setting, because the sliders don’t fully work at any of the other settings. It’s a limitation of the seat+bracket combination. I bet if I had bought Bride seats to match the brackets they wouldn’t hit.
That’s an excellent point about the weight location. It makes me think I need to move the transmission swap up on the list since that’s ~20 lbs on the heaviest corner.
I did just put a Deka ETX14 in the car, so I lost about 2-3 lbs off the old Braille.
Cool, that’s good data. I’ll probably punt on the front bar then (especially since it’s such a pain to install) and wait on Rick’s brackets so I have some ability to adjust there. It sounds like your car are is pretty much where I’d like to get mine (plus the trans swap) - I was 3085 with the fuel light JUST having had the fuel light come on, and I still don’t have a few things you have: light catback, rear 2 piece rotors, wingless, rear sway, pulleys. So if you got your fuel down a little to the point where you could still run it without starving, and did a 5-speed swap, I bet you would be something like 3015 or 3020. And that’s probably about as good as you can do with a non-RS IX.
You are right though. Finding 9 5-speeds is hard. I offered a friend of mine with a GSR cash for his, hoping that we could do the swap when he needs a clutch so some of the labor would be included, and so that I wouldn’t need to hunt down all the misc swap parts (shifter cables, shifter console, etc). Nothing firm yet though. I am going to keep my eyes peeled. It’s a bit of a bummer though as I do like the 6-speed a lot on the street.
Saywhaaaat? I would be seriously impressed if you could hit 2950 with a 9 RS, let alone 2920. I remember some of the 8 RS guys in the STU thread getting to the high 29s, like 2980/2990 but don’t remember seeing anything lighter than that.
Setup
My hands
Generally “ow that hurts” = they’re gonna be greasy.
*adds “buy a pyrometer” to the spreadsheet*
I’ll be interested to see how that goes (since this was now like 6 weeks ago). At this point, Nationals is unlikely for me in 2014 (probably doing vacation around the same time) so I might just leave it alone next year since I’m unlikely to see much concrete. The car is awfully good on asphalt right now and it’s a harder for more spring to help there - might just do it all at once late 2014/early 2015.
Oh, and on another weight reduction front… as anyone could calculate from my earlier corner-balancing post, I weighed 174 lbs that day in January. I’m down to more like 157 now. So that’s almost the equivalent of the 5-speed swap but substantially cheaper
ISC Helicopter-OG Surface Guard Tape (8 mil Outdoor Grade): 1 in. x 30 ft. (Transparent) : Amazon.com : Automotive
Transparent, holds well, comes off clean! It's on the expensive side, but you don't need much.
Transparent, holds well, comes off clean! It's on the expensive side, but you don't need much.
I think one of my 2013 experiments is going to be seeing if I can use a different GPS - or, trying out SoloStorm with my Nexus7 (there’s a 30 day free trial).
Hi John!
Could you post the actual sector times for those 2 runs (3 and 4)?
I was getting a lot of rear inside wheel lift so I decided to move my rear bar to full soft at this event, the car was under steering a lot as a result the front tires were overheating and it was very noticeable at the end where the car was pushing a lot more than the rest of the course. I was going to move the bar back to the middle or full stiff, but I barely had time to water the tires and get ready…
Could you post the actual sector times for those 2 runs (3 and 4)?
I was getting a lot of rear inside wheel lift so I decided to move my rear bar to full soft at this event, the car was under steering a lot as a result the front tires were overheating and it was very noticeable at the end where the car was pushing a lot more than the rest of the course. I was going to move the bar back to the middle or full stiff, but I barely had time to water the tires and get ready…
Weight reduction
http://www.vorshlag.com/tech_evoweights.php
What about the RS, you ask? Mitsubishi claims 3219 pounds for their elusive RS model (that's 44 pounds lighter than they claim for the GSR-SE), which we didn't manage to find at any of the 4 local Mitsu dealers. We've seen a couple RS models on dealer lots in the past, but they were always "stale" inventory at least a 9-12 months old. Some dealers, particularly those that specialize in nation-wide discounts and in colder climates, move a few of these each year. In fact, 6 of the top 10 BSP-classed EVOs at the 2006 Solo Nationals were RS models. If you own one and are in the local DFW area contact us as we loved to get the data on one. Now is that ~40 pounds worth losing the ABS, radio, trunk liner, sound deadening, and power windows/door locks though? Frankly, without the Antilock Braking System available in this model we would not really recommend the RS for autocross or track competitors, and cannot understand why it is offered this way. A small fraction of racers abhor ABS in any form, and shun any creature comforts (like a radio, power windows, etc) completely, and to them we say - go for it. Good luck reselling it later... Personally, I like having a good ABS system in my competition cars to allow for and step-in during extremely aggressive driving. Autocrossing especially awards driving at 10/10ths, and driver confidence soars when you know you won't flat spot a race tire if you go in too hot - or worse. Also, a good 4 channel ABS system can modulate braking at each corner quickly (thanks to fast computers and independent channels), something a non-ABS equipped car can never do. Those only have 1 brake pedal, after all. This comes into play when braking over bumps, over changing surfaces, or into hard transitions. ABS is a racer's friend.
Consider the location of weight when you're prioritizing weight reduction. The battery and wing are great places to lose weight since they're up high, and the battery is out in front. I would do those before getting crazy on the exhaust, which is pretty much the lowest thing on the car.
I don't remember if you have these already, but you might consider the seat lowering brackets as well, since they drop the whole seat + driver weight down over an inch.
I don't remember if you have these already, but you might consider the seat lowering brackets as well, since they drop the whole seat + driver weight down over an inch.
That’s an excellent point about the weight location. It makes me think I need to move the transmission swap up on the list since that’s ~20 lbs on the heaviest corner.
I did just put a Deka ETX14 in the car, so I lost about 2-3 lbs off the old Braille.
We pulled our tanabe front sway bar out last month and are now back to a whiteline 26mm bar. Iirc the tanabe is 7.8# and the whiteline is just under 12# stock is about 10#, no alot of weight saving there, especially considering its placement on the car. How ever it is for sale, $100 plus shipping.
Scaled our evo 9 mr at the Packwood tour, with a 1/4 tank of fuel it was right at 3055, we have done all, read all of the mods possible, seats, ti cat back, girodisc, 6.9# battery, l.w. wheels, wingless trunk, hollow rear sway, put the stock speakers back in, lw crank pulley, water pump, alt pulleys, the tranny swap will net you about ~22# savings. 6spd is about 165# and the fiver is 142# . I'm currently looking a evo 9 5 speed, anyone?
see ya in a month or so.
Chris M
Scaled our evo 9 mr at the Packwood tour, with a 1/4 tank of fuel it was right at 3055, we have done all, read all of the mods possible, seats, ti cat back, girodisc, 6.9# battery, l.w. wheels, wingless trunk, hollow rear sway, put the stock speakers back in, lw crank pulley, water pump, alt pulleys, the tranny swap will net you about ~22# savings. 6spd is about 165# and the fiver is 142# . I'm currently looking a evo 9 5 speed, anyone?
see ya in a month or so.
Chris M
You are right though. Finding 9 5-speeds is hard. I offered a friend of mine with a GSR cash for his, hoping that we could do the swap when he needs a clutch so some of the labor would be included, and so that I wouldn’t need to hunt down all the misc swap parts (shifter cables, shifter console, etc). Nothing firm yet though. I am going to keep my eyes peeled. It’s a bit of a bummer though as I do like the 6-speed a lot on the street.
Saywhaaaat? I would be seriously impressed if you could hit 2950 with a 9 RS, let alone 2920. I remember some of the 8 RS guys in the STU thread getting to the high 29s, like 2980/2990 but don’t remember seeing anything lighter than that.
Setup
My hands
Generally “ow that hurts” = they’re gonna be greasy.*adds “buy a pyrometer” to the spreadsheet*
Nice write ups, wish I had the patience to document my stuff this detailed. I mostly just write down stuff in my little green book each run. After my last event I'm gonna drop back down to the 700's. Our lots pretty much suck here and very bumpy, the 900's were just too much. Steady state the car was phenomenal but lost it all with any disturbances. Trying to find a happy medium with less spring and more bar. Swapping back to the 26mm front and trying to get a 26mm rear.
Planning on setting bars at full stiff, making a few runs to see which end gives first, then lower that end. Its a little different approach that Ive been doing, been starting soft and working my way up. Ill let you know how it all works out.
Planning on setting bars at full stiff, making a few runs to see which end gives first, then lower that end. Its a little different approach that Ive been doing, been starting soft and working my way up. Ill let you know how it all works out.
Oh, and on another weight reduction front… as anyone could calculate from my earlier corner-balancing post, I weighed 174 lbs that day in January. I’m down to more like 157 now. So that’s almost the equivalent of the 5-speed swap but substantially cheaper
Sep 15, 2013, 08:18 PM
#401
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on the battery front, have you seen the mirai? $250 for 3 pounds isnt too bad
http://www.evasivemotorsports.com/mm...w=&range_high=
http://www.evasivemotorsports.com/mm...w=&range_high=
Oct 17, 2013, 12:54 PM
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What's the effective increase in stiffness over stock at the maximum setting (using the stock bar)?
What are the thoughts on using the brackets in conjunction with a stiffer than stock bar?
-Bryan