TDR @ MSR: a trackday, for men
#41
Elite Member
iTrader: (15)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 4,847
Total Cats: 27
Yep good to meet you guys as well! I had a good time, it was fun to go around MSR in a car for a change.
I also saw some interesting setups, including a nice idea for a Lowe's cheap-parts-based DIY under-bumper scooper. It was on a nice NB with a FM-II and a 2560 IIRC. He was smoking fast on the track, and was running coolant temps 20-30 degs F cooler than everyone else.
I learned a few things as well:
- UHP Summer Tires Race Tires - I may have been the only guy in the advanced group on street tires. Talk about bringing a knife to a gun fight. I could pull cars on the straight, but the race tire guys would close the gap on me in the corners no matter how hard I pushed, and I pushed those Fuzions (Bridgestone) for all they were worth; they were hot and shedding rubber. So I had to wave a lot of people by to keep from holding them up in the corners. Next time I'll go back with something stickier.
- Track heat loads are no joke. Even with the CAI, water injection, and 2" radiator, the coolant temps were much higher than I have ever seen them. I lowered the boost, richened the mixture, and advanced timing, which helped a bit, but damn... It's a different experience than with the race bikes. We all run stock cooling systems, with fans removed, and thrash the crap out of those engines with no overheating problems, even in 100 degree temps.
- The Garrett GT2871 is not an indestructable turbo. I am not sure what happened yet, but mine managed to destroy itself on the way back home. Long story short, it was seemingly fine when I left the track, but about 100 miles down the road it quit making boost. A parking lot inspection revealed a completely trashed compressor impeller and gobs of radial and axial shaft play. It was dead, way dead. So I changed the inlet plumbing to draw directly from ambient, unhooked the wastegate actuator (to let the gate flow freely) and drove the car the rest of the way home with no problems. I'll be removing the turbo soon (happy happy joy joy) to send it in for inspection and hopefully a warranty replacement.
I have video, but the sound is crap due to having to run with the window open (for hand signals). And, the camera did not quite capture the intensity of the experience, which is hard to do. Next time I'll have to put a remote camera in the bumper low to the ground Hollywood style.
So except for the dead turbo, it was a good time. Glad I went!
I also saw some interesting setups, including a nice idea for a Lowe's cheap-parts-based DIY under-bumper scooper. It was on a nice NB with a FM-II and a 2560 IIRC. He was smoking fast on the track, and was running coolant temps 20-30 degs F cooler than everyone else.
I learned a few things as well:
- UHP Summer Tires Race Tires - I may have been the only guy in the advanced group on street tires. Talk about bringing a knife to a gun fight. I could pull cars on the straight, but the race tire guys would close the gap on me in the corners no matter how hard I pushed, and I pushed those Fuzions (Bridgestone) for all they were worth; they were hot and shedding rubber. So I had to wave a lot of people by to keep from holding them up in the corners. Next time I'll go back with something stickier.
- Track heat loads are no joke. Even with the CAI, water injection, and 2" radiator, the coolant temps were much higher than I have ever seen them. I lowered the boost, richened the mixture, and advanced timing, which helped a bit, but damn... It's a different experience than with the race bikes. We all run stock cooling systems, with fans removed, and thrash the crap out of those engines with no overheating problems, even in 100 degree temps.
- The Garrett GT2871 is not an indestructable turbo. I am not sure what happened yet, but mine managed to destroy itself on the way back home. Long story short, it was seemingly fine when I left the track, but about 100 miles down the road it quit making boost. A parking lot inspection revealed a completely trashed compressor impeller and gobs of radial and axial shaft play. It was dead, way dead. So I changed the inlet plumbing to draw directly from ambient, unhooked the wastegate actuator (to let the gate flow freely) and drove the car the rest of the way home with no problems. I'll be removing the turbo soon (happy happy joy joy) to send it in for inspection and hopefully a warranty replacement.
I have video, but the sound is crap due to having to run with the window open (for hand signals). And, the camera did not quite capture the intensity of the experience, which is hard to do. Next time I'll have to put a remote camera in the bumper low to the ground Hollywood style.
So except for the dead turbo, it was a good time. Glad I went!
#43
Tour de Franzia
Thread Starter
iTrader: (6)
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Republic of Dallas
Posts: 29,085
Total Cats: 375
3-5 seconds in my experience a few years ago. I want to get on the track with you barry. After the beating I experienced I plan on checking into Bill Holodite's school in the near future. I need help, lol.
#44
You were 5 seconds faster then I was on that track the best lap I logged was a 1:35.781 and I timed you at a 1:30.88 on a clean lap. I never really did get Little bend and kept entering horseshoe without boost. I will have to watch for another event at MSR this summer I want more time on that track!
#45
Tour de Franzia
Thread Starter
iTrader: (6)
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Republic of Dallas
Posts: 29,085
Total Cats: 375
You were 5 seconds faster then I was on that track the best lap I logged was a 1:35.781 and I timed you at a 1:30.88 on a clean lap. I never really did get Little bend and kept entering horseshoe without boost. I will have to watch for another event at MSR this summer I want more time on that track!
I'll be down your way again in the near future. You'd love the 1.3...its a technical beating in comparison to the 1.7.
#46
and hustler, what's your car look like? i didn't know you were gonna make it out.
that track was really fun. i thought it was going to be similar to HHR, but it's 100x better. nice flow to it. i just got my torsen installed before the event so i had to mess with my suspension setup, but by the end of the second session i had the settings figured out and my car felt awesome! so easy to control at the limit and feels alot more balanced than with welded diff. anybody get any pics? i left my camera at home. sucky thing is my gopro cam died at the end of the warmup lap on my last session. i did get my 2nd session, although, i was only running 1:30 or so (according to video) but my last session i'm sure was atleast a few seconds faster.
msrc2.flv video by spoolin2bars - Photobucket
#47
I learned on a lot on the last session of the day with the turbo car in front of me who claims 1:27's on average. I was keeping up from the power differential, but he was mopping the track up with me.
I'll be down your way again in the near future. You'd love the 1.3...its a technical beating in comparison to the 1.7.
I'll be down your way again in the near future. You'd love the 1.3...its a technical beating in comparison to the 1.7.
#48
I'm disappointed that I didn't get to meet more of you S. TX guys. I was under the paddock with Track Dog crew.
I met spoolin2bars and miatamaniac92.
ZX-TEX spun in front of me in horseshoe in the last session of the day and my mirror barely cleared his bumper.
S.tx guys post pics of your car so I know who you are.
i'm gonna post a pic of mine
I met spoolin2bars and miatamaniac92.
ZX-TEX spun in front of me in horseshoe in the last session of the day and my mirror barely cleared his bumper.
S.tx guys post pics of your car so I know who you are.
i'm gonna post a pic of mine
#50
Elite Member
iTrader: (15)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 4,847
Total Cats: 27
Basically I found the limits of adhesion of my street tires; I had decided to really push the tires in the slower sections in that last session to see what they could do.
#58
Professional pictures are up:
Hart Photography & Graphics > Track Dog Racing - Miata Day - MotorSport Ranch - May 22 2009
Must be in Java or something, I'm having trouble linking the images directly. LoL
Chris
Hart Photography & Graphics > Track Dog Racing - Miata Day - MotorSport Ranch - May 22 2009
Must be in Java or something, I'm having trouble linking the images directly. LoL
Chris