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The Slowest Miata in Tampa Build
Figured I'd quit being a bitch and start being a little bit more involved with the community. Here we go:
My history: I had a ’94 a-package that I converted to an r-package and autox in various Pennsylvania, Maryland, and DC SCCA regions. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...7ca1fe52e3.jpg It had the following mods: - R-package bilsteins revalved by Bilstein for a lot more low-speed compression - Different rate bumpstops from RE Suspension to help with rotation - 14x6 hollow spokes with kumho V710s (225 width) - Exhaust turndown - Removed a/c for weight reduction There wasn’t much else I wanted to do. I added gas, oil, and tires when necessary. I sold it before I moved to Florida for work as it was the car to have in ES, which had good participation numbers in the region. A non-a/c miata doesn’t do so well in Florida… The search: I wanted something different and the newer NB miata intrigued me for its stiffer chassis, more rear travel, and more power. I found a ’99 that fit my budget that looked good mechanically but is in need of some paint TLC. Agreed on a price and drove it home. The drive home was entertaining on the Selmon’s Expressway. The top was up but the windows were down at 4k rpm and 70 mph. It was quite loud inside, so I decided to put the windows up. I looked down at the switches since I’m still new to the car and I noticed a stick in the passenger footwell by the door. It didn’t surprise me since the miata was stored on a farm. Then I noticed the stick moved, had no legs, and a forked tongue. The stick was a 18” long garter snake. I was ok with the passenger until he slithered up the tunnel and was on the shift knob. Needless to say, I quickly pulled over into the emergency lane and set him free in the grass. Not sure why I didn't get a picture. The car: 1999 miata with leather package 134k miles Chassis looks solid. I haven’t found a piece of rust where I normally find rust. There is one service panel on the parcel shelf that has a few spots that I’ll clean up. I don’t think the top is original so it was probably the result of the previous top. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...65547e0e94.jpg Maintenance looks good. Brakes, new. Cooling system, new. Fluids, new. Engine, less than 20k miles. All of the electrical wiring looks unmolested. Timing belt, water pump, seals, and o-rings are new. Its currently missing the tray under the engine and haven’t seen a drop of oil hit the garage floor. Long term plans: This will be a Friday – Sunday car. I have a 2011 BMW 328i that will by my 4 door DD that I thoroughly enjoy. Its been to Sebring and PBIR with no issues. The Miata will spend plenty of time at the local tracks. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...7bd61025f5.jpg Current modifications: Chassis: - HDHCDD roll bar - DIY master cylinder brace Suspension: - Xidas, 900/500, NB tophats - Racing Beat front sway bar (1.125") - 949 Racing front endlinks - Rear sway bar - MSM, stock, or none - Alignment - front = -3.2 deg, 0 toe, 4.5" ride height) (rear = -2.9 deg, 1/16" toe, 4.625" ride height) Brakes: - PFC 97 pads - Centric braided lines - Wilwood prop valve Wheels & tires: - 15x9 Advanti Storms & Konig Hexaforms - 225/45/15 Toyo RR Drivetrain: - Exedy Stage 1 clutch Interior: - Sparco Pro 2000 seat - PCI adjustable mount - Schroth Profi II 6H harness - Delrin teardrop shift knob Engine: - MS3 mini - Squaretop intake manifold - DIY intake - Racing Beat header, midpipe, & muffler - Flow Force 380cc injectors - Koyo v-core aluminum radiator - Flex fuel sensor |
2016 events
- I only made it out to one event in 2016, which was a SCCA Track Night in America event at PBIR. It was my second year going and it was a much improved event. I was on 600 TW POS all seasons which was a good baseline and learning the miata on a track. Would do again. - One reason why 2016 was less eventful was a friend emailed me in April with the opportunity to go to the 24 hours in LeMans. Needless to say, I went. It was cold, rainy, and full of epic the entire time. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a05df258a0.jpg 2017 Events - Go to Sebring, FIRM, Roebling Road, and PBIR as much as I can. (I'll be working grid at the 1/7-1/8 NASA event at Sebring). I want as much seat time in the car as possible. I'm not concerned about power mods. I'm assuming they'll come when the time is right. - Meet more local Tampa miata owners 2017 Car plans & goals - Upgrade cooling system, which will probably mean just an different radiator - 15x8 with the 205/50/15 tire of choice |
Howdy neighbor! I hope to see you at the track soon. Currently prepping my car for Sebring on the 7th and 8th of January.
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Thanks Ryan. I'll be at Sebring 1/7-1/8. Unfortunately, I will be only working grid and won't be running. I will have the miata though. Will you be in Sebring Saturday night? If so, we should get together.
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Sixshooter and I usually stay at the hotel in the track since we live to far to be worth driving up each day. I'm not 100% going yet as the car just got out back together and I need to drive it a bit to see if there are any major problems but Sixshooter is instructing I believe. He can correct me if I'm wrong.
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I've got to get the car back together (and recover from this vertigo) but that's the plan.
We need more local track regulars. Hope to meet you soon. |
Suspension updates
I scored a set of 15x9 Advanti Storms and 225/45 RS3v2s with only 1k miles on them. It was a huge help on the budget as new wheels and tires would have been twice what I’ve paid. Also installed a HDHCDD that will get some SFI padding prior to my next event. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f80715d800.jpgHDHCDD roll bar https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...10d18f169e.jpgNew wheels and tires https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3f289e3596.jpg Engine & drivetrain updates I removed the cast exhaust manifold and installed an 01+ header. It was cheap, fit my budget, and even found a buyer for my stock manifold as he was prepping his car for stock class autox. Install was straight forward, weight savings was noticeable when I was holding the two in my hands, and it should be worth a few horsepower. A 37mm v-core Koyo radiator is going in this weekend. Found one for sale locally with only a month of use. It is not the newer hyper v-core, but with relatively close to stock power levels, I’m not really concerned. I bought it because I’m not sure how good my first radiator ducting will be and figured that an upgraded radiator, mediocre ducting, and close-to-stock power levels should keep engine temperatures under control even during hot florida track days.I went to drive the miata to work two weeks ago and the clutch pedal went to the floor when I put my foot on it. A quick check under the hood revealed an empty clutch master cylinder and a leaking slave. One weekend later I was installing a new slave cylinder and a 949Racing (Thanks Emilio!) braided clutch line. Luckily, the previous owner didn’t fully attached the mounting brackets for the hard clutch line, so the line install was relatively easy.I read “How to Drive” by Ben Collins over the holiday break, and he wrote about hand placement on the shift knob during upshifts and downshifts. I’ve been trying to follow his recommendations when I’ve been driving the miata and realized that I really don’t like the stock shift knob. $20 and Amazon prime later, I have a 2” round, delrin shift knob that seems to work great. Track updates I worked grid at the January NASA Sebring even and met Ryan G and Sixshooter, and another miataturbo member but i'm bad with names. I didn’t have much time for socializing but thoroughly enjoyed myself. The race grid was over 60 cars, which was about 20 cars more than what the Sebring grid area could handle.I’ve convinced my wife that since I went to 24 hours of LeMans last year that I should go to the 12 hours of Sebring in March. I’m not sure how I pulled that off, but she is the best wife I could ask for. I’m going with 3 friends, staying at local motel Friday and Saturday night, and expecting some great racing based on what I saw and heard about at Daytona.Next events for the year will be Sebring at the end of April with NASA. I’m indecisive of whether to do Homestead with NASA in March or Roebling Road with NASA in early april. Has anyone run at Homestead and Roebling Road? Here is how she sits now. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...d17bcfbdf8.jpg |
Updated the modification list in first post.
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That would have been me at Sebring.
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I've done Homestead and Roebling. They are very different from each other but certainly worth experiencing. What HPDE level are you running?
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I'm in level 1.
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Suspension/Brake update:
I took advantage of a TireRack rebate from the TNIA event in April and picked up some Hawk Street/Race pads and rear Centric rotors. I received $75 in rebates which brought the total to something stupid cheap like $120. They are louder and dustier on the street, but I bought some Griot's Garage heavy duty wheel cleaner to combat the dust and seems to get the wheels clean. The pads handled the Sebring club course on Thursday with no issue. Overall grip was increased compared to the Stoptechs. I'm happy with the change. Engine update: Added a 5X racing adjustable timing wheel and bumped the timing to 14 degrees. Good for 2.5 hp... Track update: PBIR was in April and was the first time on the RS3v2s on the track. The car ran fine, but unfortunately I didn't have time to setup the GoPro or data acq. Thursday was a TNIA event at Sebring running the club course. A little disappointing that it wasn't the full course, but for $125 I was ok with a focused evening just on the tighter section of the track. It was my second time driving Sebring and first time in the miata. I need to get more comfortable braking at the limit of the car and consistently hitting my points. video to follow... |
Video finally uploaded. First lap looks to be the fastest at 1:29.4. I didn't start Harry's lap timer prior to going out so I ghetto timed the laps while watching the video.
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man that looks fun, i have to say that i am spoiled with the smooth tracks that have plenty of run off here in Indiana
A friend my brother and i did Le Mans in 2015, we camped out in the track for 5 nights and whent to Nurburgring after the the 24 hr race and rented cars for a couple hours, still trying to talk them into doing Daytona. The endurance races are a lot of fun go to and walk around while watching them |
I attended the SCCA CFR PDX at Sebring this Saturday. They were short instructors so I only had an instructor for the 3rd session. The positive part was I was signed off for solo work so I can save a few bucks next time when I register since I won't have to pay extra for an instructor.
Car updates: Had one issue on Saturday at Sebring. Looks like when I'm shifting from 2-3 and 3-4 the clutch is slipping. After I release the clutch, the engine will take ~2-3 seconds to sync with the rear end. I looked this morning and I have what looks to be a rear main seal leak. I don't have the desire to tackle this myself so I'll probably have a local shop do the work. The question is should I be prepared to replace the clutch while I'm there? Thinking about going with either the Exedy clutch that is good for 170 ft*lbs or the FM stage 1 that is good for a bunch more. Both of them will be in line with the future plans of a MS3 and more power. Events: CFR SCCA PDX Here's video from my 2nd session. Based on timing the video it looks like my best went from a 1:29.4 to 1:27.0 between the TNIA event and this event. I've cleaned up some of the turns. Unfortunately, I don't have video from after I had an instructor with me to helped me tidy up the tower turn, which should have shaved off a few tenths. Here's video from my 2nd session Upcoming events: September - Roebling Road with NASA October - Sebring with NASA |
If you go in to do a rear main seal you absolutely want to replace the clutch. You also want to change the seals on the front of the transmission and put in the new throwout bearing and pilot bearing. You don't want to have to do any of this more than once except when you want to. I would also go for the stronger clutch so that you do not have to do it twice. There is no need to buy the weaker one and turn around in a year-and-a-half or 2 years needing to throw it in the trash and spend money on another one.
I'm looking forward to getting back to the track in the fall. I'm glad you got signed off. Good Times ahead! |
Sixshooter,
Thanks. I'm going to call Jeff at Maztech today for a quote and get input from him. It makes sense to do all seals and bearings. Still undecided on clutches. I'll do some research on the forum this week. The two that I'm considering are either the Exedy that is 1 step above oem equivalent or the flyin' miata level 1. Exedy: EXEDY Performance "Stage I" Organic Heavy Duty Miata Clutch Kit for Miata 1994-2005 Flyin Miata: https://www.flyinmiata.com/fm-level-1-clutch.html The FM one can handle more, but even my long term plans don't have me exceeding the Exedy limits. |
Originally Posted by vtbandit
(Post 1429469)
Sixshooter,
Thanks. I'm going to call Jeff at Maztech today for a quote and get input from him. It makes sense to do all seals and bearings. Still undecided on clutches. I'll do some research on the forum this week. The two that I'm considering are either the Exedy that is 1 step above oem equivalent or the flyin' miata level 1. Exedy: EXEDY Performance "Stage I" Organic Heavy Duty Miata Clutch Kit for Miata 1994-2005 Flyin Miata: https://www.flyinmiata.com/fm-level-1-clutch.html The FM one can handle more, but even my long term plans don't have me exceeding the Exedy limits. |
Originally Posted by ridethecliche
(Post 1429558)
Why's that? 170 tq for a clutch is measured at the crank. That's not all that much.
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Originally Posted by vtbandit
(Post 1429565)
One could argue that I'm on the wrong forum, but I don't foresee boost in my future. I'd either need a change in priorities or some serious peer pressure to go down that slippery slope.
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Get the FM clutch.
My excedy flywheel is fine but the clutch gave up very early. Also the excedy pilot bearing sucks and will fail. Don't use it, it has metal shields instead of rubber seals, all the grease spins out. |
Originally Posted by ridethecliche
(Post 1429569)
Serious peer pressure it is!
Boost is addictive My vote on the clutch would be something else, I've owned both of those, a stage 1 exedy on a stock car was fine. Useless on a turbo car. The FM clutch on my msm seemed like it slipped from time to time under race conditions. I think the clutch was fine but the pressure plate seemed weak. I mean my peddle was softer than stock. I was WELL under the TQ rating too. |
Car is at Maztech getting an Exedy stage 1 clutch installed and should be done by the end of the week. I read all of the reviews about FM, ACT, Exedy and looked at my plans for the car, and the exedy meets my needs. If I decide to go FI, then I'll curse my decision and make the change. Until then, the car has plenty of items on its to do list (safety upgrades, MS3...)
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Updates!!!
Car updates: Exedy Stage 1 is installed. It works, which means it is better than the stock one that is was in there. The only issue I have is that I hear what sounds like a bearing squeak from the bellhousing. The weird thing is that it doesn't go away when I push in the clutch. I'm going to take it back to the shop in the next few weeks. Events: NASA Southeast at Roebling Road First time at Roebling Road. A fun track to play around on as most areas have plenty of run off if you do go off. I went off in Turn 4 and Turn 5 just trying to push myself and the car just a little too far. Fastest lap was a 1:31.7. NASA Florida at Sebring I didn't originally plan it this way, but Sebring was the weekend after Roebling Road. Luckily the car didn't need anything critical between events, so I gave it a quick check and bled the brakes and off to Sebring I went. I drove the full course once before in 2014 in the BMW and this is my first time in the miata. I signed up for HPDE 1, but a rash of instructor cancellations had me go solo for the weekend except for check ride session on Sunday which got me signed off for HPDE 2. Still need a lot of work as I was never quite happy with 13 and 17 and i know I'm giving up time every where else too. Spec Miatas were running in the 2:41 - 2:44 this weekend. Here's my fastest lap of a 2:50.18. I'd love any feedback anyone has for going faster! |
Just a few off season updates
Track spares (coilpack, CAS, repacked front hubs) A local junkyard had a ’99 miata show up in December. Went to check it out and pulled a few parts for myself as well as a bunch of drivetrain parts for friends. The spare parts kit that travels to tracks now includes the following - Coil pack - CAS - Repacked front hubs, wheel nuts, and dust caps I repacked 2 front hubs following the thread on miataturbo. This is my second set that I’ve done in 6 months. One thing I noticed is that the ball retainer cages seem to vary in pliability. The first set were high mileage hubs and the cages were very stiff and made it a pita to put the balls back in. Took about 30 minutes/hub. The second set of hubs had about 15k miles and the cages were significantly more pliable and took 2 minutes/hub. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...561d9f20dd.jpg Rebuilding front hubs https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...160b0eed1a.jpg Junkyard score NVH Reduction Another focus this offseason was NVH reduction. I’ve been having horrible idle and off-throttle cruise vibration vibration issues. Originally thought it was a botched clutch install, but took a swag and ordered mazda comp engine mounts to replace the ones that were on the car when I bought it. I didn’t think it would solve much, but figured engine mounts were less expensive that trying to reinstall the clutch. To my luck I found out that the engine mounts were generic and well past their end-of-life. 99% of my NVH issues went away. Idle, off-throttle cruise issues are gone and overall sound levels in the cabin are drastically reduced. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...87ccb3a3eb.jpg old vs. new My hardtop has been rattling over rough patches of road and traced it back to the plates that interface with the Frankenstein bolts. The non-metallic coating was gone and the Frankenstein bolt would cause metal-on-metal contact. Haven't had any hardtop rattles since the swap. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...45ec1667a0.jpg old worn out plates (left shows coating worn away) Safety updates I had a successful first year in 2017 running a few events in NASA-FL and NASA-SE. I’ll be running more HPDEs in 2018 and wanted to up the safety of the car. So I purchased the following for the car & me: - Sparco Pro 2000 seat - PCI adjustable mount - Schroth Profi II 6 Hans harness - HANS III https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...fea7ab1b8a.jpg The seat hardware will arrive this week, so I’ll be doing the seat install next weekend. I purchased a 4# hammer to massage the tunnel and expect that the door card may need to be modified/removed/replaced. I’ve been looking at the LRB hybrid panels as an alternative especially since he is local. |
You did buy a seat and harness for the passenger side correct?
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Originally Posted by shuiend
(Post 1459475)
You did buy a seat and harness for the passenger side correct?
Not yet. Im signed off for solo so don't have the immediate need for the passenger side. The plan is to go to Road Atlanta for the first time in the summer/fall and will have one in by then. |
I'll do a full write up later, but here's the in-car video of the fastest lap at the TNIA event at PBIR on tuesday. Fastest lap was 1:42.8
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I'm in Tampa too. Odessa area to be exact. We need a Tampa meet up.
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Car upgrades
Power - added a K&N typhoon intake (thanks @Blkbrd69 !) and a Racing Beat header. I notice a little bit more power, but nothing to right home about. Eventually, I may decided to pick up an ECU. For now, this works. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...700c41c234.jpg Tires - replaced the beatup RS3v2s with new-to-me RS4s (thanks again @Blkbrd69 !). Notice more grip in braking and maybe marginal lateral grip. Overall, I like them and seems like they are a great 225/45 HPDE tire. Track events I did 2 events at Sebring this spring. I was focusing heavily on improving my technique and being able to make improvements during a session. Quite pleased as I lowered my personal best at Sebring from a 2:50 to a 2:48. Also, I was signed off to move up to HPDE 3 with NASA, which has much better flow when compared to HPDE 1&2. Instructor was very complimentary of the evaluation and was a good confidence booster. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...72073c7eef.jpg |
Update:
No new modifications with the car. Same setup as earlier in the year. I wish budget would allow more track time, but for I do with what I got. I've been looking into data acquisition and tried our an AIM Solo 2 that is on loan. I'm able to collect data in the morning, review at lunch time, and make changes in the afternoon. Goal will be to see if I can be efficient enough to look at data between sessions. I ran with Chin this weekend at Sebring. Checked off for intermediate and got a lot of practice with point bys as the majority of cars are either pretty quick 911s or Corvettes with Chin. Cleaned up a few sections and dropped my personal best to 2:46. Overall a great weekend. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...bb51483bf1.png |
Join us at Sebring on the 16th of November.
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Just a few updates. Over the winter I decided to increase the power on the miata so i purchased squaretop and a MS3 Mini. Installs were quasi time consuming but straight forward.
MS3 Mini I've done a ton of reading and research. Thanks to @Pedxing, @Morello , and @EErockMiata for either great guides or build threads. I merged what I've learned on here, Engine Management by Banish, and the MS forum and put together a pretty good tune and settings where other than a cold start that takes 2 seconds to start, everything seems to be pretty good. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f61382c3be.jpg Intake: I did an A/B test between a cold side intake I fabricated per the SPM recipt and the incumbent K&N. I live in Florida so flat ground wasn't difficult to find. I installed the cold side intake, did 3 pulls at different WOT timings (30 deg, 32 deg, 34 deg). Then I went home, swapped in the K&N intake and repeated the test. All tests were done between 3-5PM where the temperature doesn't fluctuate much in Florida. I came to the following conclusions: 1. K&N produced ~ 1 more HP/TQ than the cold side intake 2. K&N intake had access to cooler air than the cold side based on the hole behind the driver headlight. I limited the scope of this project in that I didn't want to modify the car by drilling any holes for providing cooler air. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...338cdc8019.jpg IAT: I've been reading the testing that @ByteVenom has been doing on IAT sensor and heat soak. I've been working on simiar things to reduce it as I've observed heatsoak with the cold side intake as well as the K&N intake. I've have good luck with the GM grommet-style IAT sensor from Ballenger IAT Sensor. I also referenced this thread Awesome heat shield thread and went to the local junkyard and picked up two heat shields to use for fabrication. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...81b7bdd5cb.jpg I fab'd 3 shields. the first two are attached to the top of the radiator and used to channel the air away from the intake tube. Third is an additional barrier to block heat from the exhaust. An A/B test shows the following: No shields test Ambient = 85 degrees IAT after 40 minute drive with start/stop & highway cruise. enough driving to get everything hot = 126 degrees With shields Ambient = 77 degrees IAT after 40 minute drive with start/stop & highway cruise. enough driving to get everything hot = 101 degrees https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...4d7745b642.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...d856c8e454.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...38f58bbe5c.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...951abcc676.jpg |
Thanks for tagging me in your thread. Gave me a chance to go read a legit Miata thread with some one doing great work and having a blast with their Miata. Makes me miss mine and think back on all the great times I had. Subscribed.
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16 Attachment(s)
Here's the datalogs from the intake testing.
Tests 1. DIY Supermiata cold side intake runs at 30, 32, and 34 degrees timing at 103 kpa/7200 rpm. (32 degrees was my baseline and I'd go and either -2 or +2 degrees from 3k - 7.2k rpm). 2. K&N typhoon intake w/ no heat shielding at 30, 32, and 34 degrees timing at 103 kpa/7200 rpm. 3. K&N typhoon intake w/ heat shielding at 32 and 34 degrees timing at 103 kpa/7200 rpm. (3/22 test date) Test deviations: 1. this was pretty flat land, but seems like the direction I'm going causes a change in HP of ~ 8hp. Also, I didn't do a good job recording what direction I was travelling on tests #1 & #2 but I did on #3. 2. Test #2 was 20 pounds heavier than #1 (refueling) 3. Test #3 was the same weight as #2. 4. Test #3 had a tweak to the VE table to lean it out and try to get the AFR to 12.6:1. My notes show I took out 2-5% fuel from 6200 - 7200 rpm. |
Originally Posted by vtbandit
(Post 1566447)
Here's the datalogs from the intake testing.
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Originally Posted by emilio700
(Post 1566456)
Synopisis so we don't have to D/L csv files, convert, tabulate, filter.. you know, do work.?
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Just because I should post more pictures and I thought these were entertaining. Here's two photos from an SCCA TNIA event at Sebring that was sponsored by Hagerty. This was through Turns 3-5.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...db717d556a.jpg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ba0f3bec6a.jpg |
A naturally aspirated Miata getting a point by out of Turn 5 by a GT and a C5Z is priceless. Amazing how much closure you can get through 3-5 with some good lines and aggression.
Your driving is coming along fantastic, looks like your sandbagging given the line of the Vette. Where is the cool intake air coming from? |
Originally Posted by Blkbrd69
(Post 1566472)
A naturally aspirated Miata getting a point by out of Turn 5 by a GT and a C5Z is priceless. Amazing how much closure you can get through 3-5 with some good lines and aggression.
Your driving is coming along fantastic, looks like your sandbagging given the line of the Vette. Where is the cool intake air coming from? As far as the intake, I'm trying to engineer something that is better than what it is now, as it is only the two locations i have highlighted in blue. I kicking around the idea of ducting cooler air from the the bumper opening or from a brake duct opening (shown below). I'm open to suggestions. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...8e71ed8635.png Blue = cooler air from small opening just before radiator and from the opening just after the driver headlight. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...892307d2e0.png |
Originally Posted by vtbandit
(Post 1566475)
Blue = cooler air from small opening just before radiator and from the opening just after the driver headlight.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...892307d2e0.png Didn't you have an airbox that took cool air from both locations and isolated from underhood hot turbulent mess?:idea: |
@Blkbrd69 , taking out the afm has moved the filter and made me have to redo it. The filter is really close to the PS pump which is making it a PITA to seal off.
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@emilio700
Summary: 1. 3 total runs of the DIY SPM intake - took best run @ 34 degrees timing 2. 5 total runs of K&N - took best run @ 32 degrees timing (test within 2 hours of SPM run) 3. IAT was 121 degrees (SPM) vs. 125 degrees (K&N) 4. SPM HP/TQ = 135/109 vs K&N HP/TQ = 138/112 https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...fb0290ea54.png The ignition map for the 32 degree run (add 2 degrees to the top row for the 34 degree SPM run) https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ab468f40f1.png |
Updates
Car updates: Intake: I picked the coldside intake as the final intake design. Felt like this had more potential than the K&N design. Still want a better fresh air supply as I think the coldside struggles with getting non-radiator air. My rationale behind that is the heatshield seals against the hood and I've noticed that my make MAP has dropped from 101kpa to ~99kpa on track. In ~81 deg F ambient my on track IAT was ~120-125 deg F during a 20 minute session. Intake heatshield: I removed the passenger headlight during fabrication for visual confirmation of fitment and the Amazon-sourced bulb gasket is sealed against the hood. Used HDR 0.019" thick aluminum. Intake temps dropped ~10 degrees. I elected to not do the gold foil tape as the engine doesn't radiate much heat to the heat shield. Assuming 2 ft^2 surface area, 200 deg F intake manifold, 100 deg F heat shield, I only calculated 5 Watts of heat transfer. Conduction of 200 deg post-radiator air was 1000x more energy being transferred. If anything, I would insulate the shield. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a0903406ce.jpg Road Atlanta: One of my 2020 goals was to cross off a bucket list track and drive Road Atlanta. This weekend I rented a Ram 2500 with the 6.7L Cummins from Enterprise Truck and a U-haul trailer and did the 1100 mile round trip from Tampa to RA. The truck is rated to pull 18k pounds and it made my first time towing a breeze. 10/10 would do again. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...7f5ca4c3c4.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...83020a6ef8.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f7d09ffc82.jpg The first session was intimidating, T1 is fast and you rely on the compression to keep you on track. You can't see the track when you crest the hill at T11 and you have no muscle memory of what it should feel like going into 12. Regardless, I had 2 solid days of running the car and got into the 1:49s on Sunday. |
It's a big, scary track.
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That was awesome, made me whine a bit I didn't take you up on the invitation.
Love the yell at the end when you looked down at your time. :bigtu: Considering the fastest unassisted spec Miata lap time is 1:42 on slicks with a lighter car and probably a bit more HP? Fantastic job. |
Have to be quick, but wanted to give an update.
Car updates: 1. Changed intakes. I removed the SPM-based design intake and went with a design that puts the filter by the power steering resevior. 2.5" diameter, stainless steel, 109 degree bend, and a box that seals it off from the air off the radiator. Results were a few percent increase in required fuel at WOT. I'll take it. Driving updates: 1. Drove with NASA-SE at Roebling and checked off for HPDE 3. 2. Ended up squirming my way into a work/drive setup at Daytona with NASA. |
What did you think of Roebling?
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Originally Posted by sixshooter
(Post 1583817)
What did you think of Roebling?
1. I like the club course atmosphere sometimes compared to the more rigid setups of the bigger tracks (Sebring, Daytona, Road Atlanta). That said I love the bigger tracks too. 2. The concession stand has $3 chilli dogs that are pretty good. Sodas are $1. That is a $12 meal at Sebring. 3. The track layout is super fun. The % time spent cornering is very high compared to Sebring and RA. The turns are closer to one another and add more complexity than other tracks where they are more spaced out. Also, you have to really hang it out there to get the truly fast time and the amount of runoff you have allows that with an acceptable amount of risk. 4. There are turtles that live in the berm at T5. Always fun to stop by and say hi. |
Time to rename this thread.
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To “I buy all of @Blkbrd69 ’s old parts”
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New helmet:
My HJC SA2010 was getting long in the tooth, so I called Discovery Parts in Atlanta and asked them to bring a few helmets to try on at the Daytona event. They spent a good 30 minutes fitting me out and good, bad, or indifferent it appears that my head best fits a Stilo ST5. They swapped out the cheek pads to dial in the fit, but I am amazed the difference between the "what size $300 helmet fits me the best" versus the "lets get a helmet that fits me the best" approach. Regardless, safety selfie. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...712f0bedc8.png Sebring (last event of the year): I've been looking forward to this event for many months now. Haven't driven there since last year and I've added 15-20 HP with the ECU and intake and fresher RS4s. My best lap going into the event was a 2:45.9 so I was curious where I'd end up. They merged the last two sessions on Sunday and I went out in HPDE 3/4 to see what I could do. Was quite pleased that i put down 5 laps within 1.2 seconds of each other with my best being a 2:41.7 (4.2 second improvement). https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c803e8e929.png Data analysis: I decided to look at the AIM data to see where the improvements came from. The power definitely helped as a significant chunk of time was gained from the straights, but speed through the turns increased as well. Blue trace is my 41.7. Red trace is the 45.9. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...25f7a3c20f.png Lastly, I looked at my friction circle between the two laps, and one of my goals going into the event was to improve brake release and trail braking in an effort to improve my Vmin in the corners and increase the combined loading on the tires. Couldn't be happier with the results. the blue dots are the 41.7 and I increased my braking, lateral, and combined accelerations. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c3a6f6bc4c.png photo cred to @Blkbrd69 https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b6052af2db.jpg |
Time for 4 and TT?
Fantastic job, serious times with street tires. Sure is a nice photo in 17 :rofl: Great, after seeing your data I have to buy an AIM. However the flying GPS was amusing. Is there a way to filter out concrete bumps in the data? |
Originally Posted by Blkbrd69
(Post 1585076)
Time for 4 and TT?
Fantastic job, serious times with street tires. Sure is a nice photo in 17 :rofl: Great, after seeing your data I have to buy an AIM. However the flying GPS was amusing. Is there a way to filter out concrete bumps in the data? I offered putting the AIM in your car... the first try is always free. As far as filtering out bumps, you can create math channels that can maybe do an average g calculation to smooth out some of the peaks. The bumps do create some interesting data though. I saw some 1.5 - 1.7 g peaks this week. |
2nd fastest lap from the weekend
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2021 Vehicle Plans
I've been working on the 2021 plans. 2020 updates were power related and was quite pleased with minor improvement in pace. 2021 will focus on handling and laying out a platform for grippier tires. Revalved Bilsteins vs. Xidas I looked at revalving some Bilsteins and going with Xidas. Both options supported the spring rates and alignment I wanted to move to. The Bilsteins supported the "baller on a budget" ethos of the car so far and I was 90% convinced to go this route. Typically everything has been purchased used and has focused in maximizing the value out of what was needed and skipping on the items that didn't contribute to on-track performance. However, this weekend while my wife did wife things and fell asleep during the movie she wanted to watch, I decided to check some Miata FB pages and saw a set of Xidas pop up in the configuration that I wanted. 2 hours later, the movie was over and funds were transferred. A set of Gen 2 Xidas with 800/500 springs and NB top hats are enroute. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b094bf2a00.jpg |
Nice. Going to be at Sebring in December with PDG?
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Originally Posted by sixshooter
(Post 1586871)
Nice. Going to be at Sebring in December with PDG?
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Safety updates
I tried out the new Stilo ST5 helmet late last year, but cat gave final approval after extensive evaluation. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9504cbe726.jpg Car health SOP for the car is an extensive car-on-jackstands inspection each offseason. Calipers were inspected and relubed. New rear wheel bearings and hubs replaced the unknown history ones. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ed917a25f7.jpg Leakdown test results have each cylinder at 2-3% leakage which is great considering I have 40 track hours on an unknown history engine. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5f6616fd87.jpg Suspension updates After the xidas arrived, I did a lovely photoshoot with the shocks prior to install. I borrowed scales and used some vinyl tiles and a 6’ level to corner weight the car. Took about 90 minutes to dial in the corner weights to a “good enough” state. Final alignment specs are in line with Supermiata recommendations and will be the baseline for 2021 https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f76242ab1e.jpg NASA support Also this year, I'm hoping to do more work with NASA with grid and as pace/safety car driver. I did training in February for pace car and got to chaperone a dozen MX-5 cup cars around Sebring. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...aae8caf034.jpg |
It has been a year since the last update and there's been some changes. 2021 had some unexpected plans that all worked out for the better. Ended up changing jobs at the end of the year and moving up to Atlanta area. Car-wise it is a great move as I'm a lot closer to a lot more tracks. I think 8-ish tracks within a 6-hour tow. Plus, new garage is about 40% bigger so things are not as cramped.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...2f2f664864.jpg 2022 plans: I'm planning on 6 events this year at Road Atlanta, Roebling, AMP, and Barber. I've never been to AMP or Barber so excited to try out both. In preparation for the 2022 season, the car got a new set of V730s as the RS4s met their demise from a ugly lockup going into turn 1 at Roebling at the last event in 2021. With more events with the NASA SE region, I'm targeting an end-of-year check ride for HPDE 4. 2022 should be fun. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9cc2180b28.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...92a080204b.jpg |
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