Brunton M-Spec 1,600 pounds and LS POWER!!
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Hope to do some drag racing Friday night, and road racing saturday!
I'll try to have some video of both.
#88
I am just waiting for feedback to start to surface on these cars before i take the plunge. My ls1 rx7 has been sitting for 2 years waiting for the right chassis to swap into.
#89
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Why not drag racing? It is a lightweight car with a huge powerful engine. I have exactly the same engine combo in my GTO (4000lbs race weight) and I run mid 12s at about 113 mph. If he is careful with the launch, there is not reason why he can't run 11s at close to 130!
Andrew
Andrew
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Why not drag racing? It is a lightweight car with a huge powerful engine. I have exactly the same engine combo in my GTO (4000lbs race weight) and I run mid 12s at about 113 mph. If he is careful with the launch, there is not reason why he can't run 11s at close to 130!
Andrew
Andrew
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So, bad news first. We got rained out on last Friday night, so we didn't get to run down the drag strip. Times are coming though, I promise!
That was actually ok, as I worked on the car until after midnight (before the road course) fitting the hood and tying up last minute things. I ran without the rear body work.
Good news: perfect weather on Saturday for our High Speed Autocross. As expected, even though this was literally the first time I dove it other than rolling around the parking lot, I found the confidence to push it right away! The car is obviously capable and surprisingly forgiving.
It was the third fastest car there, behind a heavily modded GTR (no real hope of catching him), and a LS swapped - well sorted and moded Datson 240Z (driven by a very skilled and experienced driver).
The form of racing I do is called High Speed Autocross. We run on ~2 mile road courses, from a stop, one lap for time (no cones).
http://www.mcscc.org/autocross.php
The car ran a 1:19.760. To put that into perspective, my fastest time with my old 02 Z-28 was 1:25.809, and I ran a 1:24.839 with a 2012 ZL-1 (580 HP Camaro).
I have some video. I will edit and put something together when time allows. Though it does not capture the excitement as it looks pretty low drama with slicks.
This thing hauled. Enough power on tap to light the tires in 4th gear meant busying myself with shifting much was not needed. It also helped me keep the rpms down for the maiden voyage (don't think I was taking it too easy though).
Going ~130 mph with no windshield was quite the rush! I know better understand the chin strap as the wind wanted to rip it off my head!
I absolutely love the manual steering! I finally understand what the car review guys mean when they say they can feel what the tire is doing through the wheel! I am strongly considering a move to manual brakes for the same reason.
As far as teething issues, there were only a couple. I discovered another pin hole in my passenger side header (at a factory weld...).
With the 23" slicks, I ran the track in 4th and 5th gear (needed 5th). I think I will move to taller slicks. Shifting into overdrive (5th) was not as speedy as the other gears. And the vague CTS-V shifter might not be helping that. Just stuff to refine.
I also started experiencing a bit of front brake lock up in fast corners (like the 130 mph one at the end of the front straight). Not so much at weight transfer. I'm used to ABS cars, but that wasn't my mistake. It happened late in the braking. The proportioning valve is already allowing full pressure to the rear, so that isn't the issue. I may try a more aggressive rear compound and taller slicks for the next event.
Long term I think I will go with race style manual brakes with split masters and a balance bar.
Another issue was temp. According to my Speedhut CAN-BUS (reading through the OBDII diagnostic port) my LS (stock 195 thermostat and water-pump) was running 210-220 moving and as much as 240 sitting still. Not sure if this is normal with the Evans waterless coolant, the gauge is off, or if the fan is just not able to keep up (puller). I may swap to a larger, pusher fan.
I'm rambling a bit. I look forward to any feedback or conversation on my results.
That was actually ok, as I worked on the car until after midnight (before the road course) fitting the hood and tying up last minute things. I ran without the rear body work.
Good news: perfect weather on Saturday for our High Speed Autocross. As expected, even though this was literally the first time I dove it other than rolling around the parking lot, I found the confidence to push it right away! The car is obviously capable and surprisingly forgiving.
It was the third fastest car there, behind a heavily modded GTR (no real hope of catching him), and a LS swapped - well sorted and moded Datson 240Z (driven by a very skilled and experienced driver).
The form of racing I do is called High Speed Autocross. We run on ~2 mile road courses, from a stop, one lap for time (no cones).
http://www.mcscc.org/autocross.php
The car ran a 1:19.760. To put that into perspective, my fastest time with my old 02 Z-28 was 1:25.809, and I ran a 1:24.839 with a 2012 ZL-1 (580 HP Camaro).
I have some video. I will edit and put something together when time allows. Though it does not capture the excitement as it looks pretty low drama with slicks.
This thing hauled. Enough power on tap to light the tires in 4th gear meant busying myself with shifting much was not needed. It also helped me keep the rpms down for the maiden voyage (don't think I was taking it too easy though).
Going ~130 mph with no windshield was quite the rush! I know better understand the chin strap as the wind wanted to rip it off my head!
I absolutely love the manual steering! I finally understand what the car review guys mean when they say they can feel what the tire is doing through the wheel! I am strongly considering a move to manual brakes for the same reason.
As far as teething issues, there were only a couple. I discovered another pin hole in my passenger side header (at a factory weld...).
With the 23" slicks, I ran the track in 4th and 5th gear (needed 5th). I think I will move to taller slicks. Shifting into overdrive (5th) was not as speedy as the other gears. And the vague CTS-V shifter might not be helping that. Just stuff to refine.
I also started experiencing a bit of front brake lock up in fast corners (like the 130 mph one at the end of the front straight). Not so much at weight transfer. I'm used to ABS cars, but that wasn't my mistake. It happened late in the braking. The proportioning valve is already allowing full pressure to the rear, so that isn't the issue. I may try a more aggressive rear compound and taller slicks for the next event.
Long term I think I will go with race style manual brakes with split masters and a balance bar.
Another issue was temp. According to my Speedhut CAN-BUS (reading through the OBDII diagnostic port) my LS (stock 195 thermostat and water-pump) was running 210-220 moving and as much as 240 sitting still. Not sure if this is normal with the Evans waterless coolant, the gauge is off, or if the fan is just not able to keep up (puller). I may swap to a larger, pusher fan.
I'm rambling a bit. I look forward to any feedback or conversation on my results.
#95
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Great! Sounds like fun! I used manual brakes on my 2200 lb '71 911 hot rod. They worked great and modulated much nicer than boosted.
use a handheld laser temp sampler to measure the radiator temp. The guns are $30 on amazon or harbor freights.
Puller fan, i believe is more efficient. Perhaps you can install a bigger one? I use a SPAL fan, 16" in diameter which draws 23 amps. It keeps my L92 cool at idle in humid, warm temps ~ 90 ish ambient and 190 coolant temp.
I do use a sealed shroud which pulls from the whole radiator.
You can use that gun to measure inlet and outlet temps, also. temp delta will help identify issues.
Of course you can also verify the sender readings, too.
And use it to look at brake rotor, and tire temps for fine tuning car setup.
Congrats! Sounds like a great opening event. How far off were the GTR and the 240Z?
Doug
use a handheld laser temp sampler to measure the radiator temp. The guns are $30 on amazon or harbor freights.
Puller fan, i believe is more efficient. Perhaps you can install a bigger one? I use a SPAL fan, 16" in diameter which draws 23 amps. It keeps my L92 cool at idle in humid, warm temps ~ 90 ish ambient and 190 coolant temp.
I do use a sealed shroud which pulls from the whole radiator.
You can use that gun to measure inlet and outlet temps, also. temp delta will help identify issues.
Of course you can also verify the sender readings, too.
And use it to look at brake rotor, and tire temps for fine tuning car setup.
Congrats! Sounds like a great opening event. How far off were the GTR and the 240Z?
Doug
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There is also a company that manufactures brushless fan motors. They are much more efficient than the traditional electric fans, and can spin much faster.
Glad to hear this monster is alive and well though!
Glad to hear this monster is alive and well though!
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Great! Sounds like fun! I used manual brakes on my 2200 lb '71 911 hot rod. They worked great and modulated much nicer than boosted.
use a handheld laser temp sampler to measure the radiator temp. The guns are $30 on amazon or harbor freights.
Puller fan, i believe is more efficient. Perhaps you can install a bigger one? I use a SPAL fan, 16" in diameter which draws 23 amps. It keeps my L92 cool at idle in humid, warm temps ~ 90 ish ambient and 190 coolant temp.
I do use a sealed shroud which pulls from the whole radiator.
You can use that gun to measure inlet and outlet temps, also. temp delta will help identify issues.
Of course you can also verify the sender readings, too.
And use it to look at brake rotor, and tire temps for fine tuning car setup.
Congrats! Sounds like a great opening event. How far off were the GTR and the 240Z?
Doug
use a handheld laser temp sampler to measure the radiator temp. The guns are $30 on amazon or harbor freights.
Puller fan, i believe is more efficient. Perhaps you can install a bigger one? I use a SPAL fan, 16" in diameter which draws 23 amps. It keeps my L92 cool at idle in humid, warm temps ~ 90 ish ambient and 190 coolant temp.
I do use a sealed shroud which pulls from the whole radiator.
You can use that gun to measure inlet and outlet temps, also. temp delta will help identify issues.
Of course you can also verify the sender readings, too.
And use it to look at brake rotor, and tire temps for fine tuning car setup.
Congrats! Sounds like a great opening event. How far off were the GTR and the 240Z?
Doug
I cannot go larger in puller, but have more room for pusher. I got info from another builder, he is using both. I may follow suit.
Good advise on the $30 harbor freight gun. This has been on my list for a while for the exact reasons you mention.
The GTR ran a 1:14.132 (current track record). The 240 ran a 1:17.397.
I very much intend to run down the 240Z. He is admittedly a better driver, but that is a heavier car, and I have a HP advantage.
With some seat time, fine tuning, and maybe some aero, I will set my sights on the GTR eventually. But I cannot deny the advantage of AWD on shorter tracks.
I will look into this idea.
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The right lane trap mph was not working. Lets see who can guess what number I am...
I went to a test and tune Weds with some friends.
I spent the first couple hours trying to diagnose a no-charging issue. Ultimately I gave up, charge it w jumper cables, pushed it through staging and made a run. Oddly after the run it started charging so I made a few passes.
I swapped out my 23" Hoosiers for some 25.5s. Not only do they look bad @$$, they allow me to run higher speed in fourth, avoiding using overdrive like I had to at BHF.
I ran 17 psi. I imagine it would have liked less pressure for drag racing, but really not what the tires are for. I also passed on the burn out since I am having issues with reverse...
My friend took a decent video that I will try to post soon. You can hear the poor Hoosiers begging for traction pretty much the whole way. I really couldn't go full throttle in 2nd (the gear I launch in) without burning off the tires. Third was also touchy.
I was short shifting an bit, which might explain the lower than expected trap speed.
Point being there is plenty left in it!
I also did a low speed autocross. It was in an oval track and infield, so it was pretty tight. Not ideal for such a powerful car. It also tended to push badly in low speed corners. I think this is a scrub issue, as the 15's I am running require spacers, so they are not optimal offset wise.
I also experienced front lock up again (running the 23"s).
I have one more high speed event in October. I am hoping the taller slicks help. I do not have time to do much with the brakes before then.
The off season will be the time for brake and oiling revisions.
I went to a test and tune Weds with some friends.
I spent the first couple hours trying to diagnose a no-charging issue. Ultimately I gave up, charge it w jumper cables, pushed it through staging and made a run. Oddly after the run it started charging so I made a few passes.
I swapped out my 23" Hoosiers for some 25.5s. Not only do they look bad @$$, they allow me to run higher speed in fourth, avoiding using overdrive like I had to at BHF.
I ran 17 psi. I imagine it would have liked less pressure for drag racing, but really not what the tires are for. I also passed on the burn out since I am having issues with reverse...
My friend took a decent video that I will try to post soon. You can hear the poor Hoosiers begging for traction pretty much the whole way. I really couldn't go full throttle in 2nd (the gear I launch in) without burning off the tires. Third was also touchy.
I was short shifting an bit, which might explain the lower than expected trap speed.
Point being there is plenty left in it!
I also did a low speed autocross. It was in an oval track and infield, so it was pretty tight. Not ideal for such a powerful car. It also tended to push badly in low speed corners. I think this is a scrub issue, as the 15's I am running require spacers, so they are not optimal offset wise.
I also experienced front lock up again (running the 23"s).
I have one more high speed event in October. I am hoping the taller slicks help. I do not have time to do much with the brakes before then.
The off season will be the time for brake and oiling revisions.