That's what happens when you start from grid spot 26 in the Sundae Cup heat.
For interested parties...
So, it was kind of a mess - session 1 yesterday had 3 cars off on lap 1 that stayed there for the rest of the session - aka, 3 local yellows in different areas (mostly mechanicals) - total mess. However, this wasn't my only issue - we tried e30 for this event (because super fast back straight), but with the sustained long 5th gear pull the HPFP was losing pressure - dropped to 1900psi from ~3000psi and threw the car into limp mode into T10.
I had no time in session 1, so I ended up at the back of group C for session 2 (aka the slowest cars), and had to navigate around a bunch of Honda Fits and other cars just to get a lap, which is the lap I ultimately stood on (1:38.3 - which I couldn't get a video of because the camera literally fell over onto the rear carpet) - I had one that was .4s up into 10 that suffered a fuel pressure drop again (only down to 2500psi this time), but it killed it, so not even a great time here.
Session 3 I was back up to group B and we made more changes to reduce boost by ~4% in gear 5/6, but it was hotter and I ran into the same issue and came into the pits on the first flyer to key cycle it after limp, but they were behind on the schedule and checkered the session short before I could even get around for another flyer.
I had Brian make a big swing after session 3 (because at this point I didn't care if I lost a few mph I just needed to not hit limp), but it wasn't to be since it rained for sessions 4-6 today.
I did at least go out in session 5 today and verify we finally got the tune working, as it didn't go into limp, and I still managed 141mph into 10 (fastest yesterday was 144 and T7 was garbage in the wet, so I think realistically I didn't lose anything meaningful), just didn't have it sorted when I needed it. Unfortunately, it was just something that would never be detected on a street pull or dyno run. @JST Performance (Brian) thankfully was incredibly supportive and helpful and did 4 revisions for me on site (despite also running GLTC this weekend and having to do his own stuff as well), just the nature of doing a new platform for actual track use. I can't thank him enough for the on-site support!
I did have some fun in the wet though!
Can you Link that mount? I need a better way other than my helmet mount
Here's the two kits I bought to combine into the mount I used. The extension arm by itself was a little low so I'll probably use at least part of the other extensions to get it a bit higher when I'm at Barber in a couple weeks:
I think the Conti ECF would be close to OEM size. Maybe a 265/35/19? I use them they have good grip and wear characteristics for a 200tw tire. Check out grassroots motorsports for tire comparisons. Some have also had good luck with 255/35/19 as well
I paired those two together with this so that I could use both arms, as the included double-ball isn't the same size on both ends and didn't work to connect the two sets of arms - with this the height was great, just didn't stay put (and wobbled a bit too much for my liking).
I have been happy with the Falken RT660 as far as wear is concerned but I don't think they're the fastest of the 200TW tires so I likely won't buy them again. I have them on 18" wheels so unsure if they're available for stock wheels. Mine did develop the line across the tread but I've ran a few track days since noticing that and haven't had any issues. If you don't mind being a second or so off the pace of the fastest track day tires then I think they're a good option. I aimed for30-32PSI hot.
getting out there alone is a job well done, but to be 4th in that class is an achievement.For interested parties...
So, it was kind of a mess - session 1 yesterday had 3 cars off on lap 1 that stayed there for the rest of the session - aka, 3 local yellows in different areas (mostly mechanicals) - total mess. However, this wasn't my only issue - we tried e30 for this event (because super fast back straight), but with the sustained long 5th gear pull the HPFP was losing pressure - dropped to 1900psi from ~3000psi and threw the car into limp mode into T10.
I had no time in session 1, so I ended up at the back of group C for session 2 (aka the slowest cars), and had to navigate around a bunch of Honda Fits and other cars just to get a lap, which is the lap I ultimately stood on (1:38.3 - which I couldn't get a video of because the camera literally fell over onto the rear carpet) - I had one that was .4s up into 10 that suffered a fuel pressure drop again (only down to 2500psi this time), but it killed it, so not even a great time here.
Session 3 I was back up to group B and we made more changes to reduce boost by ~4% in gear 5/6, but it was hotter and I ran into the same issue and came into the pits on the first flyer to key cycle it after limp, but they were behind on the schedule and checkered the session short before I could even get around for another flyer.
I had Brian make a big swing after session 3 (because at this point I didn't care if I lost a few mph I just needed to not hit limp), but it wasn't to be since it rained for sessions 4-6 today.
I did at least go out in session 5 today and verify we finally got the tune working, as it didn't go into limp, and I still managed 141mph into 10 (fastest yesterday was 144 and T7 was garbage in the wet, so I think realistically I didn't lose anything meaningful), just didn't have it sorted when I needed it. Unfortunately, it was just something that would never be detected on a street pull or dyno run. @JST Performance (Brian) thankfully was incredibly supportive and helpful and did 4 revisions for me on site (despite also running GLTC this weekend and having to do his own stuff as well), just the nature of doing a new platform for actual track use. I can't thank him enough for the on-site support!
I did have some fun in the wet though!
Thanks! I think a lot of people didn't get representative times due to a variety of issues, so I'm not sure if I had it worse or better than others, but we'll keep working at it!
A lot of us in here are going to be running more of the "Super" 200tw tires, ie, Bridgestone RE-71RS, Nankang CRS V2, etc, which aren't awful for wear and deliver great performance, but may not be quite what you want, but you really can't go too far wrong with any of the current 200tw offerings. Given where you are, rain probably won't be a major concern, although the 71RS (and many others) do great in damp/wet, just not great in standing water. There are other tires like the Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02s that are very good in all conditions but not sure how well they'd hold up to a lot of dry use, so we may just need to understand what your objectives are (and your previous experience) more-specifically to help direct you.
Thank you for your help John. I appreciate the advice on the brake pads and fluid and will be sure to change them before my next event. Regarding the alignment, what settings would you recommend for toe and camber using the stock components? I am 73 years old, and my reflexes are not what they once were, but I was competitive long ago in SCCA Pro Racing. I did feel very comfortable in my first HPDE experience at Willow Springs last month, although I am sure that I was not near maximizing the car's potential.
That's awesome! It's great to see you are still out there!
