Fixed

 

Pete,
I'll be checking out Vibrant vanjen clamps Or Vibrant boost brace assembly

Though my LICP issue was at a different spot than yours.

 

^ Ha! Danimal, I'm saddened by this turn of events...


I ordered a 45degree 2"-2.5" coupler, hopefully that does the trick. Cooler is coming off sometime this week and making a trip to the fab shop here at work to see if they can do something about that bead. I don't really want to go back to stock.

 

Not to knock you or Dan, but run groups (with most HPDE clubs) have nothing to do with lap times or speed, they have to do with experience levels (fast car != fast driver; slow car != slow driver). Mike very well might have been the fastest car in the black group too, that doesn't mean that you should be in the red group.

Mike, the biggest thing I'd be worried about with you is how you are at being the slowest (or slower) car in the group and how you handle pointing people by. Because of how fast your car is you only had to deal with giving one point by early in the weekend and despite you having a fast car and being a competent driver, you never had to deal with faster traffic.

That said, I would recommend either you or Dan for a more advanced group at Lightning next time. Not sure if I would do the same at other tracks though. Sometimes TrackDaze does a split advanced group depending on enrollment and the track. They will put the faster (high HP) cars of the advanced group in one session, and the slower (low HP) cars in another.

 

The vanjen clamps need to be welded on like a v-band. I will have to be done perfectly, and the fitment of all piping must fit perfect. Also, there is no such thing as reducing vanjen clamps...which is what Pete needs. More for those self fabricating, which Pete doesn't need. Listen to customer needs, not what you want to sell them, thats the NNR way!

 

The advanced run group this weekend was not very advanced, IMO. I saw some stuff that should not be going on in advanced... I have video of it up on youtube.

 

Nelson, regarding "all the other bad instructors;" I don't know them personally and I don't have the means to try and help them to improve their instruction/driving ability. I know you, I can tell you what I see you doing right/wrong. We are only trying to help you be better. You need to take pride out of the equation, stop making excuses, and listen to what everyone is telling you.

Serious question, Nelson: How many hours (and on what tracks) of seat time do you have as a student with an instructor in the screamer seat? If it is as low as I think it is, that might be the crux of your/our problems. I highly recommend you take either the TrackDaze Instructor's Clinic or some other equivalent so you might have a better understanding of where some of our critiquing comes from.

I've been driving on tracks for seven years (which is not that long)...I have hundreds of hours (which is not that much) on track and probably half of that time I've had someone sitting next to me (either as the student or instructor). I offered you the chance to ride with me, but you declined. I try and have someone I know has more experience than me at a given track ride with me every weekend (or I try to ride with them). I really wanted Peter to ride with me on Sunday so I could get better, but little did I know he wasn't going to be there...jerk...[j/k...next time, hopefully].

 

Justin, my comment was really based on a comparison to running intermediate groups (blue/white) with clubs like PCA. This last weekend's group seemed very much like green or advanced green and I'm not just talking about speed. There were a lot of boneheaded things done in our group. Poor situational awareness, convoluted hand signals, missed flags, bad lines, instructors givin point bys.

I'm not perfect or an expert. I'm just saying that having run with intermediate in other clubs, these drivers seemed less experienced than the norm at this event.

 

you don't want to hard clamp the IC to the turbo. the IC doesn't move and engine does. there needs to be flex there.

 

EVO's are very capable cars, but like Justin said there is more to advancing to the higher run groups than just passing people.

I watched most of your vid last night. Taking into account this was your first track day in 5 years and you're driving a high powered car with an even bigger ego I think you drove well. As you do more events and develop your driving techinque you will start to see the time drop as you smooth everything out. Right now it seems like you are just going thru the motions... hitting the brakes, turning the wheel and smashing the gas, which is fine, but will only get you so far. Balancing the car with the throttle and brakes entering and exiting the turns is where you will see the most gain. It takes time to develope those skills and your own techinque for doing those things. Some are faster learners than others.

Honestly, if you want to do a few events this year I would HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend you get a good instructor in there with you at the next event, for the WHOLE event, to work on those things. I would be happy to help you with that as I'm sure Thai, Tim or anyone else would. What you don't want to do is cement bad techniques into your brain and have to later un-learn them. Right now, your first couple events, is when you want to focus on techinquie the most. Like autox, that first run you want to be perfect so its imprinted into your brain, this is the same deal.

 

I'm gonna hard clamp all my pipes together. Boom!



Dan, I would agree with you on the run groups being "dumbed down". Seems instructors we're the only ones (ok, a few others) who actaully knew what to do/how to act.

 

Not sure if sirius. Linkage, please.

 

He is serious.



there was some stupid **** going on.

 

I wasn't the one who recommended it son! Get your *** back in the garage!

hard clamp with that tight *** of yours! no homo...

 

Marc posted it, Justin. You watch it and tell me what you think...



For the record, I timed my lap following the subie and I timed a 18.3, but I'm sure there's a varience in there... The next lap I knew we were getting the checkers so I backed off to cool the brakes. Mad excuses!