track reliability psychotherapy
 

Ok, I've become so obsessed with a worst-case-scenario that I'm afraid to drive the car at the track anymore. This scenario involves things like blowing up the motor/trans/rear-end, abandoning the car, paying $500+ towing fees, losing my job because I'm marooned, losing all the money I have in the car, and being sad knowing that I'll have to spend like $4k on a trans to fix the reliability issues.

So, what else can I do to fortify this car?
Current reliability considerations:
built motor running only 240whp
6-speed
11psi instead of 15psi
bearings packed with synth grease
super-awesome turbo hot-parts

current concerns/things I lose sleep over:
oil starvation
260* summer oil temp with shitty Canton oil cooler
mystery trans temp
mystery rear end temp
fuel injector/regulator pressure failure
mystery detonation or pre-ignition
differential failure
trans failure
oil line rupture
rotor grenade
ball-joint/tie-rod failure
manstration

I'm open to thoughts on what I can do or which medication to take to enjoy the car.

Knocksense (i suppose you could get MS to do that, indicating knock with a light?) and sertraline maybe?

Is oil starvation really a common problem? Need some serious braking force to starve it if its topped up..

I can't get enough resolution to get knocksense working properly.

[QUOTE=hustler;465720]...
mystery trans temp
mystery rear end temp...
QUOTE]

Subscribing. I always wanted to know why the fuck the trans gets so fucking hot. I drive like an ass sometimes but damn that shit is concerning :vash:

yeah, I want to bring viscosity way up in my 6-speed because it shifts like its too thin.

For mystery detonation. Just put in race gas at the track. You tuned for street fuel, so if you run race fuel there is basically 0 chance of detonation.

Get a better cooler to replace your Canton.

The rest....whatever.

I'm in the same boat man. When I built my car up, I changed out everything i could possibly think of. End Links, Tie Rods, All bushings, and just about every other wearable part. I have the mazdaspeed transmission, if that is really any stronger, and a bulletproof engine/turbo setup. I ran 7psi at the track last weekend because i wanted to both learn the car and i was scared of breaking the damn thing.

To some the fear may seem unfounded, but I understand completely

bymystery detonation I mean that no detonation is occuring but could. I hit MBT in every cell again, then advanced 4* further to determin MBT, then rolled back 2* from MBT. I've never actually heard detonation in this car, but that doesn't mean something can't go wrong and blow it up.

The damn spark table has so much advance that it scares me.

I have 9,000-miles and 7 hours of track time on the motor, 5-hours on the new turbo parts. The only real reliability issue I have is brakes.

However, building this car was an emotional event. It hurt so much when I lost the Corrado that I swore I would never do it again. Now I'm in deeper than ever, and pushing a car like I've never done before. I guess I'm scared that I'm going to lose it by either theft or mechanical failure and I don't have the energy to build another.

At this point however, I have to track the car I suppose...its not fair to the car not to put it on the track. I'm definitely going to leave it at 11psi for a while though...until I get the lap times I want.

Hence why I said to run race gas when on the track. Detonation will not occur with it.

I've been pulling a total of 6* across the board for track playtime. However, that doesn't eliminate the threat of a mechanical or electrical issue causing misfire or pre-ignition.

It's like talking to a brick wall.

3K+ posts and now is when you notice?? :giggle:


So any comment the drivetrain temps??

BTW did you ship the Illuminas, I didnt hear back from you

race fuel will not stop preignition from a system failure. If for some reason a spark is fired 10* early, its over for the motor.


I may put some thermo-stickers on the trans and see what kind of temps show up.

Grow a pair, how come Sav dosen't seem to have a problem?
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Take up a different hobby. Imagine what will happen if (when?) you put the car in the dirt and hit the wall.

Seriously, this is getting so old.

he has a truck, trailer, and a business that revolves around breaking shit. I'm also poor.

Then what Jay said.
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I feelz you son!

For all the E-thuging you do, this thread makes you look like a pussy. Stuff happens in life but you move past it. When things break you fix them. I just live by the idea that things always break so just expect them to and dont worry about it, because it will happen! Get a trailer for the track. Then you can worry about walls more than mechanical problems. Keep it in a garage on jack stands with out the wheels on it to prevent it from getting stolen. Other than that your car seems bullet prof for the most part and I would like to see it some time.

You should try living it. I really want to relax and enjoy driving the car. Its kind of weird. I sign up for track time, but never really want to go. I never had fun in OK until the last session of the day.

I'm also extra emo today because a child-hood pet died and I'm about to go bury him and his ball. :hustler:

Maybe you should stick to auto crossing with us little boys.
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Oh damn that suck brings back memories

If you can't afford to play at the track do something else. Try living it? Fuck you. Try having a mortgage, 2 kids and a wife that depend on you. I know my limitations due to my life choices. So should you. I don't whine that I can't afford to travel and participate in a bunch of track time. I don't whine that because I have people that NEED me I CHOOSE not to get involved in activities that could limit my ability to bring home a pay cheque.

Fucking whiny little bitch.

Canada sucks. nice pissing contest, and comparing a situation with a car to people. I know my limitations, and don't like bleeding money all the time. There's a reason I have this miata and not a Lotus...reasonable restraint.

Beta-male procreator.

Amen -1 kid, This is why I sell Amsoil on the side, it pays for all my track time and parts. My job pays for life with the fam.

Sucks about your child-hood pet tho

I budget responsibly for the car, retirement, savings, rent, blah blah blah...how did we get on to personal finances? If I blow this thing up, I have to wait another 6-months to finance the rebuild because my #1 financial priority is retirement.

:facepalm:


I would never race my only car.

Real racers use tow vehicles for when (not if) something breaks. Buy a cheap, ugly, beater truck for $1200 and a used tow dolly for $200-$300 and call it a day. Get a little truck with bad paint, minor body damage and a decent motor and you will always have a parts runner vehicle and an emergency ride to work.


Or take up roller skating instead, Trixie.

going to look at this tonight:
Attachment 203308

So a 25K car is the answer? lol
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$18 OBO. I know lots of people who track those hard, monthly, and drive them home every time.

You claimed you are poor. You claim that having trouble at the track could make you loose your job. I'd say you brought up the idea of finances. You are the one having panic attacks about something happening to your car. If this is the case to save yourself an ulcer do something else. This is what I mean when I talk about knowing your personal limitations.

As for a pissing contest? Please, if you think that was my point you are even more of a retard than I thought. You can spend all the $$$ in the world and have the most bullet proof car in the world. That won't stop you from hitting the wall and totaling the car.

Canada sucks? Weaksauce. You should go back to being the cut-n-paste e-thug everyone admires so much.

Yea but, which is cheaper to replace, cheaper to replace parts on, cheaper to maintain, cheaper on insurance and cost less overall? Replacing the brakes alone on that thing can buy you another NA.

What happens if you total an 18k car at the track? You're out 18K!
What happens if you total a Miata at the track? You buy another shell for 1k, swap some parts, replace a few broken ones and get back out there.
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The reason I started tracking my miata vs my M3 is because if anything breaks I don't really care because used parts are plentiful and dirt cheap.

If I blow my motor at the track, I will throw in a junkyard motor for $200.

If I stuff the car into a wall I will buy another car for $2k and transfer my stuff over.

That is the beauty of the miata.

You can track the hard. It will not matter if you are mid corner adn comeone infront of you over heats and drops coolant and you hit it. You will still be in for a ride. Just hope all you hit is dirt not a wall or tire. If you do you may only make it home on a flat bed.

Have a great day,
Jared

P.S. One thing I will tell my students if I see them pushing heir street car is to remember that they have to drive it home.

$ = issue = NO EVO

Yeah, you honestly can't get any cheaper than a miata for the track.

Noob suggestion
 

Stop being a pussy or we will pop your eye out and skullfuck you. NOW you have something to worry about. I always respected your thug-ness, but I guess you are normal after all.............Noob over and out.

The same can be said of the Miata.

Tracking turbo miata DD = sex with no condom. You should know the risks. I would buy a civic or something uber cheap to daily.

Of course you are losing sleep. It is only a question of when you are going to get fukked.

:facepalm:That is very nearly the dumbest thing you've ever proposed.

Then you can have two cars that you are too afraid to track and still no way home when they break. Fucking brilliant.

I've never seen it though.


I also have another miata to daily drive, lol.

I don't spend too much time in the hot-lap suicide zone. Watching a porsche go end-over-end 9-times in front of me really scared me straight on going 10/10 chasing someone down.

Move to California so that you can pay me to take care of your car for you and fix it at the track or tow it back with shit hits the fan.

ok

Is that Hustler driving that F150 on the news? Man, those Texans are insane! 1.5 hours of high speed chasing. This dude is mad.

If you drive your car on your line and not the others car on their line you should be fine. If you start to make a mistake get out of it. take a few deep breths and gather your self then get back on it. The key is to know your limits.

Have a great day,
Jared

I have about 70-hours of seat time now, and after a few mistakes I quickly learned how to take little steps and stay on the pavement. I'm fairly confident that I'll make it home on the operator consideration, although there was one really close call where a 997GT3 decided to back onto the track wihout checking for traffic and I went off at about 80mph through a sweeper.

If fear of annihilating the differential or transmission due to overheating of the lubricant is really that big a deal, I can't imagine it would be terribly difficult to rig up oil coolers for both.

The factory has already provided you with convenient ports to use for getting the fluid in and out. Just need to find the right mating connectors. Hint: plumb in reverse- draw fluid out the top hole, return it to the bottom hole. This will prevent (or at least delay) fluid loss should you pop a hose. Overfill the system slightly, and away you go.

You can buy electric pumps rated for use with hot oil- the M/C turbo guys use 'em a lot. Example: Electric Oil Feed and Scavenge Pumps

Or you could run a belt around the driveshaft and use it to turn a mechanical pump, like a surplus power-steering pump.

You could even run the oil through a filter prior to hitting the cooler.

Imagine the possibilities.

A friend is making trans and rear end coolers that I may copy.

Poser!
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Go speak french.

I have seriously not been subjected to as much pussification over these past two days since I last attended a jack-n-jill fucking shower. I am showing camel toe.

I personally have not had as much fun on track this year since I drove Skip Barber's mx5 cup cars. Flog fuck out of it, and give her back if she's hurt. I had to drive home from the track every other time, and it does take something out of it. You need to live with this. If you don't like it, daily the turbo and set the dd up for track days. Get that motor built up for reliability, get headers and MS. That little engine n/a will not die, and the car itself will not be as stressed as the turbo. And it will be more fun than that evo, no matter how fast it is.

You don't think that there will be brake issues with the evo? You don't think that all that heat is going to be an issue with stud out? You don't think that you are going to worry about fueling issues with that fuck, with the rc 1000s in it? The only reason those things are driving home at the end of the day is because they are not being driven like you are driving your shit. I have a friend that races a touring class STI and spec miatas. That STI has reliability issues, the SM doesn't. He rapes, ftd, and pole positions at lots of events with the SM. Drive anything slow and it will last forever.

Oh, and two more things:
1. Don't dolly. It's ghetto, and it WILL destroy your trans.
2. Make a friend who can haul your sorry ass home if you destroy your junk. At least you'll still have your dd.
3. Rent a budget truck/trailer setup for the long hauls=less worry.

I already have this in the works, It also makes it easier to put a temp gauge in line on the filter housing.

Also EVO for you is gay, I almost got my wife one of those and then decided to wait for a the new CTS-V to get cheeper.

Well hustler, I can relate. I'll try to comfort your thoughts instead of bashing them, you've never e-thugged me so its deserved, right?

I've been around miatas since I was 10(20 now) and I've seen the huge variety of people that drive them, especially at MATG. But I usually tried hang around the ones that have spent the last 20-30 years doing SCCA track events. I asked questions like "Why go from a 500whp 911 to a 130whp miata?" and the answer consisted of "Because it's fun to try to get the most out of the least." and "If I get tapped and spin into a wall I can get a shell for $500 or less and replace other parts for a 1/10th of one of the Porsche's."

Miatas are one of the few cars where you shouldn't have to worry about breaking something as much and have fun with it. Your tracking your car, something will break, its going to happen. I've accepted that and I'm 45 steps behind you right now. Parts are cheap and are available. One good reason to stay away from T2 vettes and the like.

If your that worried but still want to track and have fun, buy a shifter kart.

ICC shifter kart: $4000
safety gear and misc: $1000
trailer: $300-$1000
truck: $whatever, find a beater
engine rebuild every 6 hrs: $600
3-4 sets of wheels/tires: $800
not worrying about shit cause its a toy: priceless

My prices are probly way off but it was a guess based off my friend's kart. He bought the kart around the same time I started my project. About the same money, 1/8th the time spent working on it and 17 more events than me including autox (I didn't get one event in before the engine went out:( )

Just a thought, I hope you can come to peace with your issues. You could have your engine sitting in peices and without a steady job like me :P

Me for one. I've got 23K miles on the car in the since going turbo. I've done 10-12 track days. 4 of those were at a track 2 1/2 hours away with 3+ hours of track time each day. Every track day I drove the Miata there and back, no trailer, with the r-comps wedged into the trunk opening.

94 with stock motor, stock 5 spd, stock torsen, way heavier than stock, Corrado rotor upgrade, S4 with 2860 running 12psi, dyno'd lots of tuning ago at 241 on a mustang. Other that loose turbo studs and letting brakes go metal to metal I've had no issues. GPS datalogging has steady state cornering at 1.3 g's on my r-comps. No knocksense, no egt gauge.

Have never been stranded. Could I have broken something? Certainly. Rod through the block, torsen salad, tranny gears. What's important is nothing has happened and you have all the right stuff upgraded. If I had your set up I'd be fearless.

I always figured if something bad happened, odds were pretty good someone would volunteer to help out, putting my car on their trailer to bring home. I've seen this happen quite a few times. You've gotta be a real prick for other guys not to help out if they can. Maybe that helpful attitude is an Oregonian thing.

The only cure I can suggest is Paxil, Zoloft or Prozac. You might also want to check out this website...

Paranoia: Cause, Symptoms, Treatment and Cure of Paranoia

Damn Hustler I thoughz you waz hard man, you acting like a pussyass fag yo!! all you need now iz an EVO yo!?? nah men! Ill getz the hauler truck son!

mmmm.... zoloft...

+1