When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
well im a couple weeks behind getting these edited and posted but here they are. PDS at TWS.
Car did great. I was able to pass everyone in my group. Saturday there was a '15 911 I wasn't able to pass, our pace was the same but he was far more aggressive in traffic so I never could get around him. Sunday however there was half the cars and I was able to pass him.
probly the highlight of the weekend was having a F430 in two of my sessions! pretty sweet getting to race against it, ive never seen another Ferrari on track.
Saturday in the sun I was able to catch and pass him in two laps. Sunday in the rain however, his mid engine was giving him a lot more rear grip, took me 4 laps but I was still able to catch and pass him.
going by a $200,000 super car in a $10,000 Camaro was a pretty cool feeling
heres a little mash up id did combining all my laps from the weekend into a single lap.
on the last lap on sunday, on the front stretch i threw the belt off the pulleys. coming into turn 1 at 130 mph with no power steering was a serious pucker moment. but kept it on the pavement. overheated the car getting it back to pits with no waterpump, but so far everything has checked out. no blown head gaskets.
however unfortunately while checking for water in the oil (none), I came across this.
the blue color, and the spring were an immediate giveaway. valve seals.
pulled the valve covers and replaced them. over half of them were just floating on the valve stems. the ones what were down were crushed. 5 total.
it looks like the machine shop just slide the seals over the stems and didn't tap them on. just pushed on with hands.
got them all swaped out to some comp cams seals and fully seated on the guides.
old seals
got her back together and everything good to go other than tune. still fighting that.
Last edited by STANG KILLA SS 2; 03-18-2016 at 02:56 PM.
a goal i set when i started racing here was to get a sub 2 minute lap in this old straight line boat. i didnt know if it was possible but saturday i did it for the first time i was so stoked. ended up running 4-5 sub 2 minute laps threw out the weekend.
Between the tune, and corner 1 i think there could be another full second to be had.
heres some unedited clips of a few of the 1:59 laps
the quick times came at a cost though. after only a few events my new hancooks are nearly shot, even with the proper camber. now i see why racing is so expensive
i threw another belt saturday, and was fighting that all weekend. when i would get above 6400 the tensior would start ringing and then throw the belt and of course id loose waterpump and power steering. had to just baby it on the big end of the front and back straights to keep belt on.
headed home after a great weekend
solved the belt issue with a Hawk fixed/manual belt tensior after getting back home.
added a Founders Performance panhard rod too. was getting some rearend lateral movement and clunking.
Last edited by STANG KILLA SS 2; 03-18-2016 at 02:57 PM.
Fought brake vibrations all weekend from my very first session. was gyrating the steering wheel on left turns when braking, not the usual vibration from warped rotors, more of a distinct left to right movement back and forth. would not do it on rights or in a straight line.
which was weird because they were fine last event, and I only drove it to work once and to the car wash. then first session this month I got the steering pulsing. also could not reproduce it on the street/ access road.
tried rotating tires, bleeding brakes etc. my first thought was a bad wheel/abs sensor, pulsing one wheel. it would also try to straighten the car when braking.
but as the event went on I decided to keep racing and it became obvious when It started doing in on rights and straights it was warped rotors, and mine are custom machined so I couldn't replace them. spare set bought now and on the way to machine shop tommorrow...
you can see the heat in the rotor (after event) perfectly aligned with the cooling vanes inside.
so turning was quite a work out. my arms were burning trying to hang onto that wheel. also in all the footage you can see when I brake it would violently shake the camera. so I didn't make a video. random stuff below.
I did manage a couple of 2:00.8 laps though
had a 458 in two of my sessions! got near him a couple times, but because of traffic we never really got to run each other. I was gaining time on him though, had we been able to get near I think I would have had him.
later sessions sunday my tires were starting to heat cycle out. just not holding the lines they previously could. probly there last event.
I did get to see a new 5.0 Mustang dukes of hazard style. I was coming up on him quick, and I think he let the pressure push him too hard. which is weird because ive run with him before and hes a really great driver. I felt bad after and sort of responsible. I went to check on him after giving him cool down time. and damage seemed limited to a destroyed splitter and front bumper. was a really nice car.
saw this beautiful 911 RSR. immaculate SEMA quality race car build. thing was perfect inside and out. wiring and layout looked like a circuit board. top notch build. really stood out. it was first time out since build. he wasn't going easy on it either. wish I would have gotten pics of inside and under "hood"
LS3 powered Z06 behind it. running 315 slicks on all 4 corners
Well ive got a big race coming up this weekend, well to me. Its put on by Track Guys which is a Mustang group. Ive started calling it "me vs the world" for some reason i want to have a good showing at this one.
started by pulling out non essentials. droped right at 61 pounds. the back seat was the hardest. 2 bolts turned into a 2 hour ordeal.
made a radio delete panel of of some aluminum.
while pulling off the RS3s i noticed a heavy blue ring heat. they were shot and heat cycled out. not holding there usual lines anymore.
Ordered a new set of RS3s from Tire rack but they were on national back order for a month, so i switched to a set of Dunlop ZII Star Specs. had to drop down to a 275, but they are as wide as the RS3 285.
also picked up a new set of High Carbon rotors with Z clad coating for backup. had them machined(center hole). went up to $97 for the machineing. Ive got to find a way to do this myself. These will be my back up set.
Track guys requires an SA rated helmet. no motorcycle helmets. so i had to pick up this SA2015 racequip. its good for 10 years.
had the origonal rotors cut to get them back straight. had to have it done twice. first time they were still warped. also got some Quantum hub mounted braking cooling ducts and some ultra high temp Allstar performance hose. as well as some other misc from lowes.
tires mounted, time to go to work
well the expensive brake duct hose didnt work out. it was MUCH too stiff and unflexible. picked up some foil duct from lowes to get me threw weekend.
i plan to swap out to some better black hose, and proper intake ducts after the event.
its predicted to rain during the event, but im hoping there wrong. i really want to do well.
Last edited by STANG KILLA SS 2; 03-18-2016 at 02:58 PM.
haha yeah ive learned how expensive this hobby is real quick, but you nailed me on the head, im a "do it once, do it right" kind of guy. more upfront, but saves money in the long run upgrading twice.
thanks for taking the time to read and watch/ look at everything.
Your radio delete panel is screaming for some gauges. I have the same thing, but covered it with vinyl.
Are you running an oil cooler?
Let me know how the aluminum ducts hold up. If they make it through a weekend, I may just do that. Down here in NASCAR country I found a parts store full of used stuff from the teams. Cool place. Anyway, they sold me used orange ducts for $20, but the lengths were too short so I had to connect it to cheaper black ducts. Even with just one day, there is wear on the duct where it once in a while touches the inside of the wheel at full lock. It's not bad, and it'll last probably several weekends, but it's not holding up like I thought it would.
A new seat, belts and roll bar should be on your shopping list if it isn't already. A racing seat is the best handling upgrade you can make. It's unreal how much better you can feel the car and drive when you aren't pinned to the door. I swap mine out for the crappy stock seats for the street.
Any idea what kind of power you're making? 400 ish? I think you'll be faster with 3.42's. I used to have 3.73's back when I had a 396 LT1 making 380 rwhp. I used 4th and 5th all the time and the car always fell on its face when I shifted to 5th. Now I switched to 3.42's and it made a huge difference. Even with a bone stock LT1, it feels like it pulls just as hard in 4th and it doesn't in 3rd. Then I have 2nd for the really tight turns. I've run the calculators and 4th gear with 4.42's will give you 140's at 6500 rpm.
One last thing. Get some UMI control arm relocation brackets, the weld in mind. Your rear control arms need to be level with the ground.
Great driving. I really like your editing also. I think the videos are a good length and entertaining to watch. I laughed my *** off watching that mustang pull the Dukes of hazard!
So how many track day weekends have you done? Also what are your plans? Are you planning on doing time trials someday?
I came very close to putting an oil pressure gauge in when we droped In the new motor, but In the end didn't.
no oil cooler, but even with the turn one PS pump I still boil the fluid and puke it out the cap. had a PS cooler for ever, just need to get it installed.
I might be interested in some of those orange small duct pieces you have. I need a thicker coupler piece for the section that goes between the frame and the sway bar. a couple 12" pieces would do nicely there.
I have adjustable racing seats in the car. but have looked into once piece fitted race seats for the ultimate locked in feel.
yeah right around 400 to the ground with this mid range cam. next week ill find out for sure. making an 8 hour trip to see the best tuner in texas as recommended by LS1tech. PatG
for this track I really love the 4.10. I only have 2 gear changes per lap. 4th gear for the entire infield, and 5th for the oval/straight. however when it closes and I have to move to MSR cresson, I don't think the 4.10 will be as friendly as it requires a lot of shifts already at that track.
ive looked into LCA relo brackets, but haven't found any definitive evidence supporting them for RR. for drag yes, but not for RR.
thanks! I enjoy at times going back and looking at my first autocross and how terribly slow I was. really shows the progress ive made with the nut behind the wheel, and the confidence in the car. I think ive done 7 PDSs now.
plans from here are to finish all remaining events (3) this summer before the track is closed for good.
I find myself after every event on autotrader looking at C5Z and C6Z... but I cant decide. I like my car and its so well sorted. essentially a full restoration minus the body.
might just try to get this car down to 3150lbs like the Z06s is what ive been thinking lately.
no plans to go racing or time trials. I simply enjoy the feeling of going around the track. once you start to get competitive a lot of the fun goes away. and my mechanic buddy always says, "racing is cheap, winning is expensive"
no plans to ever go competitive.
Oh man I hope you don't get a C5z. They are awesome cars, but there's something about tracking a 4th gen that's so fun. Just like you said, passing a $200k exotic in a Camaro is pretty cool. Nobody expects it. When I roll up to the track, nobody even notices me. But usually by about lunch time, people start walking up to the car asking what I've done to it. I love it.
If you ever put R compound tires on it, something like NT01's, you would be blown away with how much faster you will be. But you'd need another set of expensive wheels because of your brakes.
Great thread and it's great to see your "journey" into the world turning in these cars.
Despite the cars' limitations, I think we all appreciate the "sleeper" factor of a 4th gen on a road course. They can be surprisingly capable with the right setup and an experienced driver.
A long time ago the nick name "Stang Killa" was given to me by the car club in my second camaro. Some 18 years later im proud to still represent the name. Entered A Track Guys mustang event this last weekend with over 100 Mustangs, and made the name, the car, and myself very proud!
one thing i did notice was the trash talking via custom license plates, particularly on the SVT and Shelbys. i got a kick out of reading them as i was passing them.
The good new is that the brake ducts survived. I don't have any kind of before and after temps, but that cant be hurting anything. Summer may tell the truth if they were worth the effort or not.
The bad news as i suspected is the new Dunlops were not near as sticky as the old Hankooks.
i was running 39/38 hot pressures like i did in the Hankooks.
-First thing i notices was no feedback. they don't squeel at all. only a super lower pitch ripping sound after youd past the limit, that was barely audible. no high pitch squeeling at the limit like the RS3s.
-they don't like heat and instantly loose traction and all of it if you get them too hot, which was easy to do in only 80 degree day.
-faster responding than RS3s. the stiffer sidewall helped this im sure. i was curb hoping all day with them turning in so fast at apex.
-a more lively steering wheel. lots more quick twitches to drive them vs the hankook smoothness/sluggishness.
-less grip overall. especially initial.
-less feel and feedback. not a connected feeling.
-lake of sound and feel left me with no idea when i was at the limit.
-lost 1-2 seconds a lap. and i had to work a LOT harder to keep it at that. drivin identical would be more like 3 seconds per lap.
on my very last session (after a bad overheat of the tires the previous session) i decided to drop down to 37/36 psi. this definatly helped, they never over heated. but they were sorta of a sloppy mess in regards to handling. felt like a 70 series sidewall or something.
1 of 3 real Cobra Rs there
They also had 2 GT350s there. (actually 4 on sunday. ironically all 4 were identical gunmetal, with blue stripes and black wheels) they were all drooling and taking photos of it all weekend. instructors were also giving ride alongs all weekend. everyone said it was pretty amazing. even GM guys. all i know is they were holding me up all weekend. passed both of them twice.
i didnt know much about them, just that they were new and track oriented. Wife looked them up after the event and said they were 526HP.
You need more than -1.0 camber I can promise you that. Any odds of going up in spring and dampers? About the lightest anyone runs in CMC is a 750/2XX combo. I'm personally on a 900/250 setup right now and debating on going back up again. First I'm going to toss in a 32mm front bar, currently on the 29mm bar from when the car had 1200 fronts. First I need to run it as is, because I bumped up to -2.5 front camber and dropped from 275 rear to 250.
You need more than -1.0 camber I can promise you that. Any odds of going up in spring and dampers? About the lightest anyone runs in CMC is a 750/2XX combo. I'm personally on a 900/250 setup right now and debating on going back up again. First I'm going to toss in a 32mm front bar, currently on the 29mm bar from when the car had 1200 fronts. First I need to run it as is, because I bumped up to -2.5 front camber and dropped from 275 rear to 250.
x2. 2.5-3 degrees at the least, it will save your tires and make your car turn immensely better.
Speaking of turn in, don't be afraid to experiment with wheel spacers. Wider in the front makes a huge difference. Couple years ago, my car had 1/2" spacers up front and 3/4" out back. Swapping them around absolutely transformed the car, understeer was gone! But I was also over a smidge on track width, so I ordered up some different spacers to get it in spec. What I need to do is try narrowing up the rear this season, see how I like that. I never dreamed in a million years it'd matter, but it was very noticeable.
03-18-2016, 12:04 PM
