If you do not have it already, pick up a copy of the May 2010 issue of Grassroots Motorsports. There is a good article on aero methodology targeted at low budget race cars (no discussion on how to set up your F1 car) in normal GRM style. You do not need a PhD in Fluids to understand it. It echoes some of what has been discussed here and elsewhere.

There is also a section with pictures of several cars, with different setups, talking about what is good and what is bad on each one. They have a picture of the aero setup on a high-end Pikes Peak car; the splitter is insane.

Good stuff. I am really beginning to like this magazine a lot. It is very similar to Roadracing World (for the motorcycle road racing crowd) in that it is oriented towards the club racers.

 

Get a subscription if you haven't yet, it's well worth it.

My only problem with that article was the comment about the car with the wipers parked in an up position, creating extra drag. If you look at the pic, there are puddles on the ground and drops of water on the car. I suspect the wipers were not "parked in an up position" (how would you even do that?), but were actually turned on to keep the windshield clear.

 

Yep, got one when I recently signed up for NASA. Just waiting for it to kick in.

HA! Yes when I read that I thought . Maybe it was tongue-in-cheek.

 

Eh, you might be right. If so, they got me.

I'm also thinking of subscribing to Classic Motorsports. Obviously, not as much direct application to Miata ownership, but lots of good info on restoration and track prep as well.

 

I can switch my accessories off (heater and wipers) independently of the main ign circuit. So if you're bored and time it just right, you can park the wipers in the up position. Good for baller effect, bad for aero.

I need to read that article. It looked good, but it was long and didn't have any miatas, so I skipped over it.

 

I'll never have that issue with my car....no wipers at all, solved!

 

Good stuff. But they disrespected me in the project car section. They said tr wheels are cheap!

And the Scion Tc time trial car is super dumb. I've been looking for video of it.

 

GRM is a great mag. I have learned more tricks from there than any other source. I need to renew my subscription. I have been buying it lately from the news stand, which is preventing me from getting all the editions. I wonder how much I have missed.

 

that was a good article. one I don't quite agree:

it said to not vent the hood (not sure the exact wording). that just don't sound right to me.

 

Are you talking about Chris rado's 1000whp tc with the frt. Wing? If so, there's gotta be 100's of em on youtube.
Grm is a great, and dsport is all I buy mag wise. Dsport has cover cars that have scratches on them because they're actual track cars. Time attack,drift,drag. They have excellent tech articles, product reviews, and every editor races in some type of motorsport.

 

The only things I found so far are drag racing and promo videos of his other scions. I'm looking for a straight up in car or something. No music no master editing. Its no big deal.

 

Wy is the TC "Super Dumb"? I have quite abit of respect for Chris. He is trying somethin that no one else is doing at this time.

On top of that that car halls ***. I was in turn 1 at Cal Speedway and he ripped past me like I was on the side of the highway about 3 car withs higher.
I talked to him a few years ago and he said that he had to turn down the boost since he had no traction due to the lack of down force. When he is supported by that many people why not try something different if it works.

I am shure there have been a few people that have done a few turbo installs that people thought were dumb and turnd out to be bad ***. It is always hard to be the first one to do something different, but if it works then you can laugh in their faces.

By the way the article was interesting to read.

Have a great day,
Jared

 

I'll have to look at it again for context but yeah that is not right IMO either. It is pretty clear that hood venting/extracting works well, and not just on LeMans cars. In fact I am about to install the 18x10 Carbontrix extractor/vent on my LS1 track car hood. And, Bbundy (IIRC) was indicating recently how effective his extractor hood was on the track, and not just for cooling, but for downforce as well. Here it is https://www.miataturbo.net/forum/t45256/#post544424

Oh wait... snap... OK for anyone racing in the Tx Miata Challenge. Hood extractors suck, and I do not mean literally. Don't get one! You WILL go SLOWER!

 

I'm currently getting 2 copies... I failed to realize that I got a 1yr sub for joining NASA before I sent in my own sub. Sorry, extra copy already spoken for!

It was a great article... hope the owners can handle the critiques..
As far as the vented hood, well in some cases you just have to choose the lesser of the 2 evils. Lower aero factor (if true) vs. skyrocketing underhood temps... I'll choose taking care of the later, thank you very much GRM...

 

Here's one: YouTube - Passion - Chris Rado

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr90cQOyRVw

 

Thats the promo **** I was talking about.

My only thing is the wing. Does it make the car faster? I just want some video to show how that front wing improves the car. Why be progressive and not explain your ideas to get the word out. Thats like the biggest point of racing, selling ideas, selling cars. Maybe its just a ploy to make the car stick out, that'll sell some Tc's!

 

Yes, the wing makes the car faster. Since he can put down more power and has more traction he can be on the power sooner, longer and brake later. As we all know this will make the times drop.

Not explaining what and why teams are doing thins has been going on since the first race. No team likes to give up their secrets. I think what he is selling is himself beeing on the podium. However he manages to do it within the rulls is all that matters.

I thought I had already explained that he had to turn down the boost because he was unable to keep from spinning the tires. In a front wheel drive car a wing on the rear will not help traction for the front/drive tires. Hence the front wing. He was only able to put down something like 350hp at buttonwillow. If he is putting down 1000hp now that can only be done by getting a ton of down force. A splitter and canards are not able to produce any where near enough down force. I don't think that he would allow them to release any speciffic info on what has learned at this time. It's not hard to imagine what the front wing is doing for him.

Have a great day,
Jared

 

Love GRM. They have a good forum as well. They also have a $100 10 year subscription. I got it for my birthday one year, so I'm set!

 

grass roots is great mag i actually won my subscription for free.

 

All you gotta do is look at his lap times before and after the frt. wing to see that it is working. He dropped 6 sec. If I remember correctly when he first put I on. Can't remember which one but I remember reading the article. It's just like the first time a team used a wheelie bar on a fwd. I think it was ed bergenholtz crx. Everybody laughed. But within a month every single team in pro fwd class was running one.