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is anyone still driving evos in STU nationally, regularly, and competitively?
unless something has improved with the OEM clutch, the underlying conditions of an oft-driven car should not have changed, no? it's not that it's no longer a problem, it's that people just don't bother campaigning these cars as hard as they used to pre-350z/vette. unless there is something with the clutch material or power delivery that has changed?
Jimmy in California is still pushing it. Doug/Tasha Mikko got a Focus RS they've been playing with in BS but they still have their competitive STU evo. I think they are waiting for the dust to settle on rules before figuring out what they're doing.
I'm still driving mine, AFAIK Mark Hill is still driving his, Doug and Tasha still have theirs (but also have a BS Focus RS as Dallas mentioned). Take a look at some National event results from this year and you'll see some Evos in STU, though the overall count is definitely down from years past.
As far as the OEM clutch goes, I had mine put in a little over 3 years ago and it has 47k miles on it, with hundreds of autox runs and 24 Pro launches (with ~12 practice launches) and it still holds/grabs fine. From what I've seen (at least in STU trim), replacing clutches every year is the exception, not the rule.
thanks - wearing out clutches quickly is not as prevalent than it used to be. hopefully they never ask you guys to prove it on site via a teardown. that would be quite a headache
Or we can make Stu practical to the average none scca car. Clutch, boost flashes, boost controllers, bolt ons like intercoolers downpipes exhausts. Get rid of manifolds and batteries. The rules are old and don't apply to what people normally do to cars.
The reliability-mods allowance does make ASP really interesting...
I would totally run ASP if not for the even wider wheels & race tires. the class is practically made for the evo. upgraded clutch, stronger/upgraded rear diff, t-case for reliability (right?), stronger trans, more boost. what's not to love?
that's probably what most STU evos are looking for. a street tired ASP.
No stronger trans in ASP... drivetrain isn't unlimited, you can just do aftermarket diffs.
oh I guess I misunderstood the reliability rule. will have to read up on it. better tell my ESP buddies that blew through 3 transfer cases in their ESP MS6 at nats last year..
Trans aren't very weak on the evo anyways. Some people break stuff, but t-case fixes are pretty much good to go. Plus, its not a performance change if gears all stay the same so yeah it might be slightly grey but its only a reliability change.
right. my ESP buddies are pretty convinced their t-case falls under the reliability rule. after they broke 2 in a day (and prob only didn't break #3 by not launch) i'm kind of inclined to agree with them. I thought this really only mattered as far as if people are changing ratios and stuff?
thanks - wearing out clutches quickly is not as prevalent than it used to be. hopefully they never ask you guys to prove it on site via a teardown. that would be quite a headache
I'm not sure it was all that prevalent to be honest...I remember hearing about maybe one person (Danny Kao, I think?) talking about replacing his clutch every season, but nobody else comes to mind. The driver is also a big variable in clutch life - some people slip the clutch more than others, while some prefer to just dump it.
I would totally run ASP if not for the even wider wheels & race tires. the class is practically made for the evo. upgraded clutch, stronger/upgraded rear diff, t-case for reliability (right?), stronger trans, more boost. what's not to love?
that's probably what most STU evos are looking for. a street tired ASP.
You can fit 285s on the 9.5" and 10" wheels that STU Evos are currently running, without much/any additional modification to the body or suspension - you would only need to swap wheels+tires before/after your runs.
It sounds like the Evo 9 clutch holds better. There was a 9 RS at the pro and he was 2 stepping with no issues. I'm assuming he was on the stock clutch being in STU. The X on the other hand can't even 2 step in Bstreet without overheating the clutch. Either way I don't care all that much as I don't plan on running anymore non local Pros. The idea of taking my AWD car to different states and put it through that abuse with a potential tow home does't sit well with me .
As I said before, my X did 35 launches over last weekend. All 5-5.5k slips/dumps off boost and showed zero signs of overheating/weakness. My clutch disc is fine, it simply cannot hold the grip/tq of doing the same while building 7-8psi. 60's clearly reflected that with 2.0s-2.1s mostly lol. I did somehow get one 1.89 and another 1.9x, but that was early in the event where the staging area wasn't full of rubber. I had Strano come up to me and give me some advice as I guess he read the sandbox thread and he said to rev it up, hold it (don't bounce it) and drop the clutch, the wheel spin will get you out the hole. I think Sam was under the impression that an STU X has enough power off boost spin the tires.....it doesnt lol. Watching all the breakage also played mind games with me, I should have tried slipping it more to try and land over 3k and avoid bogging but simply was too chicken ****. The thought of going off the 2 step didn't even cross my mind
Also I'd like to share one strange thing that happened sometime during the PRO. Somewhere in the middle or towards the end of it I could have sworn I noticed lateral side to side play in the steering wheel. Thought it was in my head until the event was over. I parked my car with the wheels turned and when I got back to it to drive home I turned the wheel to straighten the front wheels out and I felt play in the steering wheel itself. Gave it a couple tugs laterally and there was roughly 3/4 of an inch of play WTF. I finally had time to take it apart yesterday as I'm going to Pocono raceway tomorrow and the two vertical bolts that hold the column in place were both very loose. They are 12mm bolts with double washer and I believe a lock washer as well. Gave them a couple turns each and all the play was gone. How the hell these things got loose is beyond me. Hopefully this helps someone out cause if it happened to me, it's bound to happen to others.
How hard is to get to those bolts? Did you take lot of thing apart or extension can reach them from under the dash?
2 min job. Unlock the height adjustment and drop the wheel as low as it goes and lock it. Lift off the plastic top column cover, its held by tabs and you can see the two bolts.
May 25, 2017, 01:03 PM
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