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Long time no update. Also if you read nothing else in this post, check out the future plans section and see what you think.
Side note, I'm no longer in control of my thread title... lol.
Haven't driven or done pretty much anything to the car in like 5 months. Missed out on prime track season during winter in AZ. Kind of a bummer. Now trying to save for a house. This sucks. lol.
I did however get some time off approved at work for two events. The first on is September 23rd and 24th at Arroyo Seco Raceway in New Mexico. It's the ASR Super Lap 2 Day Rally event. Pretty excited to see everyone there, haven't been in years.
The second event I'm going to is Super Lap Battle with Global Time Attack at Buttonwillow. The car will be in unlimited class but I'm just going for fun. I will be massively surprised if I don't get anything other than dead last but I love those events and haven't been in forever.
I thought about also trying to make it to a local NASA event in October because they are running a track backwards that we've never run before, I would have liked to keep anyone else from getting the TTE record there (I already have the CW record) before TTE becomes no more, but my friends wedding is that weekend and it would mean I need classing dyno, renew my NASA membership, renew my TT license, and I can't get the time off work so I would have to drive during the day and work at night again. Last time I tried that I felt like I was going to die.
Future Plans???
So the car doesn't really have a purpose for a particular class anymore after somewhat abandoning NASA. The PS4 class at ProAuto is always good for tires but the car is just at a whole different level of preparation compared to all the others in the class.
SuperMiata S1 looks insanely tempting and awesome, love seeing the videos from Trackspeed that have been going up lately, but the rule about mandatory Megasquirt is a dealbreaker for me.
So with that out the window, building something that could be made to work in a variety of classes with just a tune change, and is also fast, is kind of the goal for the next couple years I guess
Idea: Do an EFR 6258 but instead of using the Trackspeed kit, try out the 0.8 A/R T4 twin scroll IWG housing. Have an equal length twin scroll tubular manifold and 3" downpipe made. I'm thinking the spool and transient response will be almost the same as the 0.64 A/R T25 single scroll setup but more efficient. Hell it may even be better for response but who knows, I haven't seen anyone try it. This would enable the car to compete in ST4, ST3, or ST2. And maybe even ST5 depending on what those rules look like. At 2400lbs minimum weight, it would take 275mm tires and 300WHP for ST2, 275mm and 240WHP for ST3, or 245mm and 210WHP for ST4. Also if ST5 follows the normal progression, my guess is it will be 14:1 power to weight and that would mean 245mm or possibly 225mm tires and 175WHP, but who knows what the aero or tire rules will be.
It sure would be funny to try to take the fight to the Beemers, Mustangs, Camaros, Corvettes and other large V8 cars up in those classes. There's even an R35 GT-R that is going to be in ST2 after the summer break. The reason I actually started thinking about this is because if that BMW trans swap kit comes out, it would pretty much enable all of this. My dad is thinking of trying to work up to this. I said that I'm trying to only do RX-8 related stuff and also save for a house so this next step in the progression of the car would be up to him.
Thoughts?
Also my dad started cutting some holes in the new hood. First step of the new aero package since it is pretty much unregulated in PS4 class and at the upcoming ASR and GTA events.
Hey cool I should be able to make it to ASR on the September date too! Make sure you meet Ari (99mx5) and get a ride in his EFR beast. That should help you make the decision on what to do.
Almost done with these. My dad is going to take some angle aluminum and mimic the first vertical panel of the center vents so they are all the same, spray them black then attach them when the final two rivets go in the front there.
Surprisingly still pretty sturdy. Should decrease lift a fair amount and also improve airflow through the oil cooler a ton if you've looked at where that's mounted.
Alright I'm back. New plan. Make a return to some NASA events. And the class that makes the most sense right now is ST5. The only ST classes that are somewhat populated here in the AZ Region are ST2, ST3, and ST5.
The car will also move up from the ProAuto PS4 class to PS3 class. PS4 was an awesome place to get tires with lots of competitors but there are a decent amount of people in the class that are getting upset that I win every time. The people that complain also make zero effort to improve their car and are nowhere near the power to weight limits for the class but oh well. I want to go faster anyways.
With this next phase of the build, my dad and I are looking to build something that will lay a solid foundation for boost in the future. Probably the coolest part of the planned upgrades is doing a dry sump if possible. I already have a dry sump pan and a couple other parts.
Also I've had a BP6D engine sitting in my dad's garage for quite awhile.
ST5 Classing Plan:
158 Avg WHP Max
2450lbs Min (Weight Factor -0.3)
225mm R7 on 9" Wheels
-0.7 A-arm Suspension
-0.5 Front Splitter
Big Items To Do List:
- Build the VVT engine
- Dry Sump System
- Real Fire System
- DIY Cool Suit System
- OS Giken LSD and 4.77 R&P
- Upgrade Fuel System
- Simplify Oil Cooler and Remote Filter Mount
- Upgrade to Adaptronic Modular ECU for CAN Capability
- AIM Dash and Solo 2 DL (Time to do some real datalogging and video overlays)
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