After spending 2 year working through the DE system (Mostly with NASA) I have begun the transition to running TT. I was at Road Atlanta this past weekend for the NASA-SE Pot-O-Gold rush running TTS. My car is not TTA legal on points, it is also not anywhere near a fully prepped TTS car… yet. I am running TT at this point to further refine my meager driving skills and start getting experience in chasing faster people and working in the open passing environment. And it is FUN.


I found out less than a week before this event my car is actually only at TTB power levels. Last fall I had the car dyno’d at an East TN shop on their Dyno Dynamics. The results were 380/380. It seemed very strong for the moderate mods (still stock cams and turbo), but I went with it and did my first time trials at the last event of 2011. As most of you know, this year NASA has decided that Dyno Dynamics will now have the same 10% adder that Mustang Dynos have had. This put my awhp at 418, over TTS class limit with the car as it sets.


The car runs pretty good, but 418, no way. So I took it down to Batlground (yes that’s the way it is spelled) in Atl to get it on a Dynojet, the NASA Reference. 332 awhp, 342 awtq. The car is a little over 3400 with me and ½ tank (still mostly full weight) and that puts me at TTB power levels.But I was not under the illusion that I was going to be competitive with the TTS front runners anyway, so I loaded up and hit the road.


This was my first time running TT at Road Atlanta and also my first time on Hoosiers at the track. I started with some well used R6’s and eventually moved on to some A6’s.I got faster each session of the weekend turning my best time (1-39.02) the last session Sunday afternoon in less than optimal track conditions, but I kept learning each session. I got to grid up behind Joe Ippolito in his VQ35 Sentra who is the man to beat in TTB down here, and chasing him helped me find some more speed. Part of this is working up the nerve to press in certain parts of the track that can be pretty spooky. I have far less experience than someone like Nate and am not the driver he is. But I was glad to talk with him and hear that coming down through T12 at 95-100MPH looking at that concrete gave him pause as well.


Going forward, I have decided to bite the bullet and gut the car. Hard decision to make with a clean IX with only 60k miles, but, you only live once. Rear interior has already been removed, but I need to get a couple of hundred pounds out of it at a minimum (and more than a few pounds off the driver). And it needs more HP I now know. But all this will be an ongoing process as driver and car move forward in this ongoing adventure.


Here’s a little vid of me chasing Joe in that last session. I get walked by a Sentra on the back straight

http://youtu.be/A5Ta828nbSs

 

Very nice! I was there Sunday helping out with a couple of friends cars. Hopefully my transmission will be back in before the next DE.

 

Next meeting ya Jim - and thanks for the pointers.

I took think that 10% addition is crap; even if I'm tuned on a MD. But it is what it is. I started reducing weight in my car back in 2008; when it had < 20,000 miles. You can do a lot to get it lower without sacrificing too much - people like Buschur have street cars weighing around 3,000 lbs (no cage or rollbar obviously). I'll send ya a link to the stuff I did and you can see the progression. I was competing at around 3200 lbs in TTA last weekend as I just brought R6's so I had pts leftover.

And as for Road ATL itself; Forza 4 does not give the rolling hills the justice they deserve. Turn 12 falls off the planet; T3 is on a blind plateau and even T9 down the backstraight where you're 140+ and have a 'kink' to setup for a blind downhill braking zone is scary!

 

Nice. Ya I heard the same about "that Sentra" .

 

It's fast and Joe drives the wheels off it. He currently holds the (TTB) track record down in the low 36's, which is very fast.

 

Congrats Jim on your progression in TT.

Why do you think its crap?

 

It's not a staple 10% across the board. Every dyno is different, a DD or MD might be 5% lower or 15% lower. I don't have any logic to back this opinion up other than what I've seen - and what I've seen at shops that have both dyno's.

I know when I dyno'd at AMS I requested the Dynojet and not the MD...

 

Thanks!

And I completely see Nate's point. Look at what I just went through. Had a set of cams setting in the garage all winter, but didn't install them thinking "I'm already nearing TTS limits" only to find out the DD I got dyno'd on is hosed and I'm nowhere near class limit. Frustrating. But I'll just drive the extra to get it on a Dynojet from now on. 4 hours drive minimum for me to get to an AWD dyno anyway.

 

Youre right, the 10% factor is not a universal comparison. Either way something has to be done. Some MDs may not be 10% lower, but then again there are some that read 15-20% lower, and probably some read lower than that. I think thats part of the reason whey theyre using GPS now. Although, im sure some people get away with it still. Some regions arent that competitive, and some simply dont have the means.

 

Yeah, i think last fall we were in the same DE3 run group there. I think you might know the guys I travel with with the TTE Red Teg and the TTB Black one (crashed Sat Morning).

 

Looks like a fun fast track, with some runoff room.