What to do for a race car?

[FiveSeventyZee]

Oh yeah another thing I forgot is video. If you don't have a gopro get one. If you do set it up so it can see your hands, helmet and at least the hood of your car. I've been using a suction cup mount and hanging mine from the moon roof but I saw a video yesterday of it on the B pillar behind the driver that was a pretty good view.

 

Then watch and rewatch every lap or session you run (again in any car or kart) and look for steering input, where youre head is pointed and your lines. It's really hard to be analysing these things while you're driving so it helps to watch them in a debriefing session when you get home. This can get boring but its a great tool help anyone improve as a driver

[HRH]

^That is a great idea!  I always go pro it, but it's mounted to the dash.  I'll have to see about making another mounting location.

[Lockleaf]

Just in case you're interested http://redding.craigslist.org/pts/5208100851.html

[HRH]

Damn!  If only it was closer!  Still $750 for a crank.  Bah!

[FiveSeventyZee]

^That is a great idea! I always go pro it, but it's mounted to the dash. I'll have to see about making another mounting location.

Yeah almost everyone puts it on the dash. Which is cool to show people but not a great learning tool. Theres a lot to be learned from watching yourself.

[Icehouse]

I was saying VG in the maxima.  That would really move the weight bias back.  Megasquirt would work on either engine with either sensors.   

[HRH]

True, but if I'm going to bother putting a VG in the Maxima, I might as well buy the RX7 since it already has a VG in it. ;)

[KoHeartsGPA]

Do they allow mods to transmission?

[exit64]

I ran ORP all day on Monday in a Spec Miata.  2+ hours of on track time.  Came to the realization that no matter what I do to the Roadster, it will never be as good.  It's a fun car and sticks like crazy on the Hoosiers. Sounds great and goes like stink as long as your keep up the momentum going into the uphill sections.  I can buy into this car for about $4500. It's done right and ready to go.  To build one to this level would be 10-12K.  The other partner only wants to do occasional track days so it's win win all the way around.  That being said, I still love the Roadster.  Way more style points but why thrash a 45 year old car when the parts are getting expensive and straight body panels are hard to find? Partner up on a car with someone and save yourself some dough.  Just a thought.

[paradime]

First things first. Decide what car you're going to sink your money into, then start shoveling. No matter what, you're not going to get that FTD without spending some $. You can rationalize this three ways to sunday, but that will only get you a bag full of empty.

 

Think of this as an investment in fun, because there's nothing fiscally prudent about racing. Your bank account may be a rev limiter on your options, but with your talent, in no way is it a limiter on how much fun you can have. Bottom line, witch car would be more fun? If you know the answer to that, your decision is made.  

 

Putting a VG in your Max would be cheaper in the long run, but if you're thinking it's pouring money in the wrong place, I think you need to change the way you're thinking about this. Every penny you spend on racing is put in the wrong place. It's about the amount of fun you get out of blowing that penny that matters.

[q-tip]

I'm not one to judge what someone does with their pennies but I do not suggest blowing them........they could be ass pennies....

[HRH]

paradime, no truer words have been spoken! :D  Q-tip, wtf man.  :rofl:

[TENDRIL]

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ptd/5218601495.html

[TENDRIL]

:D

[FiveSeventyZee]

[HRH]

Fuck Toyota! :)

[flatcat19]

Fuck Toyota! :)

 

Just because you can't hang with an MR2...

[HRH]

Oh, I'll hang with it.  Just need to make a few adjustments to Ugly Betty. ;)

[HRH]

I think I'm going to get a custom plate for Betty that reads "DEDHRSE"  :D

[HRH]

Alright, so I know it's not set up as a drag car, but I took the car to the drags tonight.  This time, I arrived at dark to tech.  And zip-tied a window net to the window frame!!   :D  And brought my helmet.  They had to go check, but I eventually was oked to race!  Started out with horrible RTs and a 17.04.  Blah.  Ended up wittling it down to 16.63 with a .256 RT.  Trap speed was a paltry 83.04 mph.  So I was pleased with my progress, but damn, it confirms my suspicions:  Betty is slow in the straights.  

 

Digging up some 0-60 times, it's really close to the same as my '96 Miata 1/4 mile time.  Maybe a tenth or two slower depending on if they tested at sea level or not.  Raceway park is about 2200 feet above.

 

So today, I also got a couple of cool things.  And a bonus cool thing!  I went to Spaldings to get an R180 diff.  (Open because I'm not spending oodles on an lsd.)  So got a low miles one from a 99 Subaru of some variety.  3.90 ratio, compared to my 3.55 currently in the car.  By my calculations, that should be ideal without getting too aggressive on gearing.  Which should definitely help 1/4 mile times.  Which means, I should have more power (torque) coming out of the corners.

 

But, no that's not all!  When I pulled into Spaldings, the Datsun gods had indeed shined on me as standing up against the fence was a BRAND NEW Tonneau cover.  A nice fiberglass one, off a 2000 Frontier...in red.  The exact same red as the truck!!!  SCORE!!!   :D  So I got a $1000 cover for $225!  And my good buddy there even threw in a bonus since I bought the diff and the cover.  I wasn't expecting much, but he comes back with a Datsun Saves gas can!  In pretty damn good condition!   Missing the fill spout, but has the lid.  Anyway, I thought that was a pretty good day.

 

So tomorrow, I'll start digging into the rear end and seeing about replacing that with something faster.

[HRH]

What kind of a guy would I be without furnishing pictures?!  ;)

 

 

 

 

And yes, that is a whole crapload of gear oil that decided to leak out of the side seal and spooge all over the bed of the truck.  Forgot to stick a rag in the sides before heading home.  That was fun to clean out.

 

[paradime]

With an open dif? Won't that just spin the inside tire powering out of the corners?? That would be worse than a 3.55 LSD I would imagine. Get the clutch LSD version out of mid to late 80s Subaru XT turbo. 3.90, 25 spline bolt in goodness. 

[HRH]

Those are R160s, won't fit.  Need R180.  If you have stiff suspension and sticky tires it won't be that hard to control the tire spinning out of corners.  But yes, it will be easier to do so with the lower gears.  However, with a clutch LSD, you can still have the same problem unless you set the clutches really hard, in which case then you have understeer problems going into the corner.

[datzenmike]

One word, TORQUE. Get as much if it as you can, autocross isn't a full on circuit that you need high hp to do high speeds, short quick acceleration is key and torque is the only thing that can make that happen.

 

With a 3.545 there is oooodles of room for improvement here and it's cheap and easy.  What's the top speed on the course? and what's the top speed of the car? Yup, you could cram some of that torque into a slightly lower speed. 3.90 is a great start and maybe 4.11 later? I think those are LSD anyway?. This will mean more shifting so you will have to practice and also figuring out where to leave in a lower gear and just over rev through that section rather than the time loss shifting up just to shift back down. 

 

There are many things you can do to reduce understeer and best of all you can go nuts trying them because this isn't a DD car.

[HRH]

Yep, I calculated the 3.90 as the best option, but the R180 comes in 4.11 and 4.44s also.  With the gearing I have, I think the 3.90s will be ideal, and will definitely be more torque.  To bad last night was the last drag races of the season.  I'd like to install the new gears and go run again to see how much that changed.  Suppose I'll have to find somewhere I can mark off a quarter mile and stopwatch it, but that's pretty inaccurate.  I'm sure the butt dyno will see improvement, but how much is the question.

 

None of the units I'm getting are going to be LSD.  Dad suggested running a fairly heavy weight oil in it to limit the wheelspin, which I may try.  An 85-140 vs. the regular 75-90 might just do the trick.

 

Ideally I'd like to have a quick change diff, but that's a whole other level of suspension modification and expense.  As is it now, at 83 mph in 3rd, I'm not even close to redline (where the power is with the cam).  If I remember correctly third gear tops out at about 100 mph, possibly 105.  Really really tall gearing currently.