Abacus

iTrader: (9)

Took my car to Sebring International Raceway earlier this month and ran with NASA. First off, Great organization with instructors/class room and plenty of track time. 4 sessions a day for both days for 450.00 was well worth it. Prepped the car at Real Street a few days before the event with an oil change to heavier oil and fresh Super blue dot 4 brake fluid and my race pads/ducts. Also mounted some 225-45-17 BFG-R1 Take offs . These are cheap and offer a decent amount of grip . They also aren't wide enough to pull over a G and cause potential oil pressure problems on long right hand turns.

Towed the car down to the Chåteau Élan Hotel friday night and had some dinner and a drink with friends before getting a good night's rest. Really nice hotel next to the track so it was easy to grab some food and head over in the AM. Went to the drivers meeting and then class since NASA requires anyone new to the organization to be placed in HPDE 1 with an instructor. Went back to the pits and checked tire pressure before heading over to get in the lanes. Met my instructor who didn't know what an Evo was . He was an older guy that was into Corvettes and had been an instructor for years.

A little about me..I work at Real Street Performance as the Controller and I've had an Evo 9 for a few years. I bought it pretty much stock and I've developed it over the years into a pretty fun car. I've been to Sebring before and participated in a handful of track days and felt really comfortable. I've also owned 10 or Sport bikes and the number one rule in every situation is to stay calm and look/plan ahead. I spent a few hours on a simulator that week to brush up on my lines and the course. Headed out on track and my instructor mentioned that he wanted me to focus on my lines and brake ahead of time for his comfort. Totally understandable since he doesn't know the car or me and there is barriers surrounding the entire track.

Within a few sessions he was comfortable with my driving ability and said if it wasn't so busy I could get a check ride and go solo. After each session I would log tire/brake/rotor temps . The tires (37-38psi hot) were about 135-160* IIRC and the brakes/rotors were about 225-250 IIRC after one cool down lap. I went to a track event a year ago without ducts and got things up to 480* before the pedal went mushy. Ducts went on shortly thereafter and brakes have been solid.

The Carbotech XP-8 pads work really well cold or at the track. They are a true race pad and will dust and eat rotors like no other. I ran them on the street about 10K and 5 track days and a number of auto x/ drag events. I would highly recommend them with the ti shim to keep noise down. I ran without the Ti shim once and it was unbearable.

A little about the suspension. I bought the car stock with BC BR type RA coilovers and they worked ok but the ride was a little bumpy/stiff.Its an entry level coilover so its a good purchase but its got its limitations. I decided to go with the BC type ER coilovers ( 8K / 8K swift springs) with external reservoir and independent compression and rebound settings. Its a street car so I didn't want to get to stiff of a spring.

It was a huge improvement on the street and the track. Now, Iwouldn't say the ride was bad with the RA coilovers I'm in my 30's andI'm picky. Overall I'm really happy with the ER coilovers and the way I have the car setup. Its very neutral but will still push if driventoo hard. Sebring is a really bumpy track (turn 17 is rough) and the new suspension soaked up the bumps well.

Ran the car at 25psi (450whp dynojet) both days on E85. Went thru about 40 gallons of fuel. I ran the car pretty hard and never saw over 185* coolant and 265* oil temp during the 25 min sessions. E85 has such a good cooling ability and really helps things out. Outside temperature was 85* or so. The AEM infinity worked well taking care of fuel trims as temps increased. I was getting tired on sunday and left at 1 to head home . Got back and cleaned the car up and called it a weekend with a cold beer.




Here is the edited video. Full weight Evo ( minus the spare/jack) with two 200lb guys




Mod list
2006 Evo 9 SE
Stock engine/Cams 93K miles
AEM Infinity tuned by Jay Meagher
Forced Performance FP RED BB at 25psi (450WHP)
FP manifold
Full Tomei Exhaust
Injector Dynamics ID1300cc injectors on E85
ETS 3.5" intercooler
AMS pan
Kiggly HLA
Valvoline 20/50 VR1 (track days only)
RSP built trans with 4.11 Final Drive and Evo 8 gearing
TRE 4th gear savior /plate
BC Racing ER coilovers with Swift 8K / 8K springs
ACD Diff Flash (Snow is track mode)
ACD pump moved to trunk
Restacked rear diff plates
25MM rear sway bar
BFG-R1 225/45/17 Takeoff's
Carbotech XP-8 Pads with front cooling ducts

Track Photo's by Awolphoto

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killerpenguin21

iTrader: (20)

nice car. any chance you could share info on moving the acd pump to the trunk?

Balrok

iTrader: (15)

Slick video, not bad parts list, +1 on ACD relo. Pretty over powered for the tire choice, you'll burn through those rather quickly which may end up costing more then a wider tire to begin with. Work on braking (much) later, turning in later on a couple turns, and get tighter on those apex's. Also consider Endless fluid instead of super blue (which I heard they don't sell anymore stateside?) and options for putting a wing back on.

Abacus

iTrader: (9)

Thanks. ACD relocate wasn't as smooth as I wanted it to go. I researched and bought the recommended fittings but they didn't seal correctly and I had an event that weekend .Being in a pinch the tech welded the proper fitting on to the end of the stock lines and that was that. He also ran wire from the front of the car to the back and used metal crimp connectors with heat shrink. IIRC the factory bracket was pretty heavy so we lost a little weight going with an alum one. Never had any issues with it.
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Agree with you on all accounts except the wing. I know I'm giving up downforce but I'm trying to keep it a street car. Took the stock wing off after two weeks and it just seemed right for me. I need to buy a dedicated track car with all the proper gear.
As far as the slicks are concerned I need to purchase some 245-40-17 slicks for the stock wheels and just log oil pressure around corners. I'm stepping into an M130 so oil pressure/temp and everything else will be monitored . Plus having some new tires will be good since I know exactly what they've been thru.

I knew I could brake much later but the instructor wanted me to brake before the cones for his comfort in case of an issue. I still need time( we all do!) to really work on everything but felt pretty comfortable with the weekend overall. I'd like to make it up to Road Atlanta in a month or two.

Do you prefer Endless over the motul 600 ? I didn't have any brake issues after installing the ducts but I would like to run the best fluid possible.

killerpenguin21

iTrader: (20)

So do you have braided lines running under the car or?

Abacus

iTrader: (9)

Yes Sir.

killerpenguin21

iTrader: (20)

hm, interesting, wish there was more people doing it. i hate going into things half in the dark.

MinusPrevious

iTrader: (3)

Commented on your post on FB

Well done Tim. Making us EVO owners proud, sleeper style

Track wing, track wheels & tires & you are Golden

Joe

Abacus

iTrader: (9)

Thanks Joe!

I can't get on board with extra aero at this time for a street car. The car is pretty neutral with a slight amount of understeer and I'm used to driving it that way. With some better tires and more suspension tuning I think it will be pretty good!

EvilTechnology

iTrader: (64)

Looks like a lot of fun!!

kiggly

iTrader: (1)

Great choice on the HLA - cheap insurance. Road racing is always rough on the engine. Thanks for trusting our parts in your build.

Great photos by the way! Looks like a pro snapping those shots.

Robevo RS

iTrader: (16)

why you running snow settings ACD?

Terror Rising

iTrader: (26)

It says in the original post. ACD is reflashed, Snow is track mode.

circuitEVO

Nice car and video bro! The car is super clean Im actually also in Orlando, and frequent Sebring a couple times a year. The track is super fun man. My most recent time out there i think i ran a 2:36 on a fairly stock Evo X with intake, exhaust, and JRZ RS1s. Since then i upgraded to RS pro's and i got dedicated track wheels now with better tires (NT01's) so we'll see how it goes this time around. Im really interested in a FP Red also, it looks like it spools up great in your car. How do you like it?? Anyways, might see you out there one of these events

kyoo

iTrader: (29)

did you ever have any issues with the oil pressure? I gotta imagine with the pan and the kiggly HLA that it should be fine.. For me on street tires, I think the Kiggly HLA alone will do