STANG KILLA SS goes "racin"
12-02-2018, 09:09 PM
#242
Had another track day at MSR a couple weeks ago.
before heading out, i got a more aggressive alignment. -3.3*F / -1.6*R camber. also .1* of toe OUT per side on the rear, this ended up being a big mistake. very twitchy/unstable and on exits on power, i could actually feel the rear of the car being pulled towards the outside by the outside wheel. no good. camber felt pretty good, although i did feel a bit less grip on the rear.
on the last session of the day, on the 2nd lap i ended up setting a new Fastest lap record for myself on some very expired tires. i know the cars got alot more in it. i just have to learn this new track. i did get better at T6 which has been my nemesis. also started going deeper into T2
vid of new fastest lap
this guy also showed up. brand new GT4 AMG. unfortunately he ended up putting it in a muddy ditch, costing us all an hour of track time as they extracted the car.
at the end of the last session as the sun was going down, had a great few laps with a 4 door bmw. despite his PB lap being nearly 3 seconds faster than me! but on this day, both our tires were TOAST, our cars were very evenly matched, and we were both sliding everywhere to stay near each other. was a TON of fun, until i lost all brakes, went straight to the floor, all the hard laps had boiled the brake fluid. day was done. exhaust also came off the rear hanger some time during this run. still a blast. unfortunately my gopro went dead on grid and i only have the helmet cam footage.
also my first trip with my new tow rig, picked up a '16 GC Overland w/ Hemi & 4x4
before heading out, i got a more aggressive alignment. -3.3*F / -1.6*R camber. also .1* of toe OUT per side on the rear, this ended up being a big mistake. very twitchy/unstable and on exits on power, i could actually feel the rear of the car being pulled towards the outside by the outside wheel. no good. camber felt pretty good, although i did feel a bit less grip on the rear.
on the last session of the day, on the 2nd lap i ended up setting a new Fastest lap record for myself on some very expired tires. i know the cars got alot more in it. i just have to learn this new track. i did get better at T6 which has been my nemesis. also started going deeper into T2
vid of new fastest lap
this guy also showed up. brand new GT4 AMG. unfortunately he ended up putting it in a muddy ditch, costing us all an hour of track time as they extracted the car.
at the end of the last session as the sun was going down, had a great few laps with a 4 door bmw. despite his PB lap being nearly 3 seconds faster than me! but on this day, both our tires were TOAST, our cars were very evenly matched, and we were both sliding everywhere to stay near each other. was a TON of fun, until i lost all brakes, went straight to the floor, all the hard laps had boiled the brake fluid. day was done. exhaust also came off the rear hanger some time during this run. still a blast. unfortunately my gopro went dead on grid and i only have the helmet cam footage.
also my first trip with my new tow rig, picked up a '16 GC Overland w/ Hemi & 4x4
Last edited by STANG KILLA SS 2; 12-02-2018 at 09:29 PM.
12-04-2018, 02:31 PM
#243
Did you check front tire temps or wear? Just curious how it liked the camber, and what tires? I went to about -3.1 on my Camaro and with street tires still seemed to wear inside on track. I dialed back to about 2.5 and seems even but haven't checked temps. Oviously very different cars but wondering your approach to finding the right angle or just going for Max.
Also any mud pics of the Benz?
Also any mud pics of the Benz?
12-04-2018, 06:16 PM
#244
i was at -1.9 on the front before this and wearing and blueing the outer shoulder like crazy. i definatly didnt get any wear inside before. didnt see any after this one either, but didnt look either, when i swap tires ill look.
my approach was using the pfadt alignment guide. ended up with a little bit more than suggested i was going for (-3.0) but with my wear patterns i knew i needed all i could get.
actually got -3.5 on stock parts, but dialed it back once caster and toe was set.
i run Rival S's
but about to try R888R for the first time.
my approach was using the pfadt alignment guide. ended up with a little bit more than suggested i was going for (-3.0) but with my wear patterns i knew i needed all i could get.
actually got -3.5 on stock parts, but dialed it back once caster and toe was set.
i run Rival S's
but about to try R888R for the first time.
12-05-2018, 08:47 PM
#245
I don’t mean this to sound too harsh, but toe out in the rear (especially on a rwd car) is not a smart thing to do. Always add a little bit of toe in if you can, it will help braking stability.
12-09-2018, 11:05 AM
#246
Got an opportunity last weekend to drive for team GSpeed in one of the 3 corvettes they were entering in the World Racing League US Endurance Championship at Circuit of the Americas! Two 8 hour endurance races, one Saturday and one Sunday.
Thursday @ MSR Cresson
Met Louis, owner of GSpeed, and went to shake down the car and get a few laps in it.
also got a few a few laps with Lou Gigliotti, owner of LG Motorsports and Corvette racing fame. he did a couple laps then i did a couple before session was black flaged
went out again in a later session which was also black flaged after a C5 went off track and de-beaded a tire.
Friday @ COTA
race practice, driver gear and car tech inspection, and drivers meeting.
fueling up for practice. had 21 gal quick fill fuel cell (max allowed)
i did the 1st and last practice sessions of the day. sharing driving duties with 2 other drivers.
morning session i putted around getting a feel for the car and track. last session i tried to get a bit more aggressive to simulate the race.
final friday practice
data
final check and new tires for race in morning
Drivers meeting Friday night. 93 cars to be on track at the same time!
Saturday morning Race Day #1
getting lined up by class on pre grid. we were running in GP1 which is the second to fastest class. so we were near the front of the entire feild, but near the back of our class.
our hot shoe Brian would start the race for our #61 car
green flag! released in 2 packs, this is just the first half of the pack we were in.
He made up a Bunch of spots but unfortunatly on lap 5 is when our issues started. waterpump pushed out the tube (pressed fit) that the hose connect to. had to be towed back to garage
some silicone and hammering the tube back in had us back on track. Brian was able to do another 45 minutes or so.
came in for 1st pit
after this is when we started having our issue. car was smoking bad.
came in again first time and it appeared to be coming out of the rear drivers side valve cover breather, pluged it back up and sent back out
3 laps later had to come back in, it spit out plug and was smoking again. getting worse. all from under the hood, none coming out exhaust.
we did this 3 or 4 more times every 3 laps. car would come back with NO oil showing on dip stick. was smoking so bad they couldnt hardly see where they were going. leaving quite a huge smoke trail.
finally the problem was found. rear main seal had blow out (likely from excess crank case pressure) and the oil was leaking straight out the rear main, out the bell housing and hitting the exhaust.
at the 2 hour mark of the first race, our weekend was done. had a spare motor but was decided it wasnt worth the effort, with the other 2 cars still in the game, and unsure if it could be done in time for race next day.
i never even got to suit up. my 3 year dream and W2W racing debut never got to happen. i was was gutted.....
on sunday our other 2 cars with 30 minutes to go were sitting in 1st and 3rd. they ended up finishing 8th (due to extra fuel pitstop) and 59th.
Thursday @ MSR Cresson
Met Louis, owner of GSpeed, and went to shake down the car and get a few laps in it.
also got a few a few laps with Lou Gigliotti, owner of LG Motorsports and Corvette racing fame. he did a couple laps then i did a couple before session was black flaged
went out again in a later session which was also black flaged after a C5 went off track and de-beaded a tire.
Friday @ COTA
race practice, driver gear and car tech inspection, and drivers meeting.
fueling up for practice. had 21 gal quick fill fuel cell (max allowed)
i did the 1st and last practice sessions of the day. sharing driving duties with 2 other drivers.
morning session i putted around getting a feel for the car and track. last session i tried to get a bit more aggressive to simulate the race.
final friday practice
data
final check and new tires for race in morning
Drivers meeting Friday night. 93 cars to be on track at the same time!
Saturday morning Race Day #1
getting lined up by class on pre grid. we were running in GP1 which is the second to fastest class. so we were near the front of the entire feild, but near the back of our class.
our hot shoe Brian would start the race for our #61 car
green flag! released in 2 packs, this is just the first half of the pack we were in.
He made up a Bunch of spots but unfortunatly on lap 5 is when our issues started. waterpump pushed out the tube (pressed fit) that the hose connect to. had to be towed back to garage
some silicone and hammering the tube back in had us back on track. Brian was able to do another 45 minutes or so.
came in for 1st pit
after this is when we started having our issue. car was smoking bad.
came in again first time and it appeared to be coming out of the rear drivers side valve cover breather, pluged it back up and sent back out
3 laps later had to come back in, it spit out plug and was smoking again. getting worse. all from under the hood, none coming out exhaust.
we did this 3 or 4 more times every 3 laps. car would come back with NO oil showing on dip stick. was smoking so bad they couldnt hardly see where they were going. leaving quite a huge smoke trail.
finally the problem was found. rear main seal had blow out (likely from excess crank case pressure) and the oil was leaking straight out the rear main, out the bell housing and hitting the exhaust.
at the 2 hour mark of the first race, our weekend was done. had a spare motor but was decided it wasnt worth the effort, with the other 2 cars still in the game, and unsure if it could be done in time for race next day.
i never even got to suit up. my 3 year dream and W2W racing debut never got to happen. i was was gutted.....
on sunday our other 2 cars with 30 minutes to go were sitting in 1st and 3rd. they ended up finishing 8th (due to extra fuel pitstop) and 59th.
12-27-2018, 10:29 PM
#252
03-04-2019, 06:34 PM
#253
FINALLY got back to the track after a 3 month wait for the full 3.1 track to be available. this one was with the Porsche club, ive never run with them before. huge organization, most cars ive ever seen there too.
also got a bunch of "upgrades" (more on that later) and despite the old change 1 thing at a time adage, i changed everything at once.
stock calipers to wilwoods
rubber lines to braided stainless
Motul 600 to Castrol SRB
Centric rotors to DBA
Raybestos ST-43 front pads to Hawk DTC-60
stock rear pads to DTC-30
stock shocks to DRM tuned Bilsteins
also went from BFG Rival S(200TW) to Toyo R888R(100TW) same 315/335 sizes. although the Toyos appear to run a bit wider.
also re did the rear toe, had been following the pfadt corvette track alignment guide which for some reason recommends toe out on the rear. car has been sorta unstable so we changed it to a more traditional 3/16" toe in on the rear.
Tires:
should have been way stickier. they proved quite the opposite. they were audibly louder, more squealing communication which i liked. but grip appeared to be way down. i was pushing/understeering and finding the limits alot. which i rarely do with the Rivals. it was quite noticeable. temps were 40 in the morning working up to 59 in the afternoon. full sunshine, no clouds all day. i tried everything from 31-39 hot. all had less grip. im hoping it was the cooler temps? or are the "harder" Rivals superior? also in the pits on cold tires first session (tires were 40 degrees) thats the first time ive EVERY felt tires feel like ice. i was sliding and spinning in the pits, just moving the car at idle.
Brakes:
also a let down. pretty much EVERYTHING was upgraded here. just didnt seem to have great braking. was missing alot of apexes and just not stoping well at all. like stock brakes/pads. worse at times. then i started noticing on slower corners were i didnt have to downshift the brakes were just OK. right near my old setup, maybe touch below. ie decent in low rpm situations. but on faster corners, when i had to down shift, as soon as i would down shift, the rpms would come way up the pedal would push back at me, reducing the braking clamping to almost nothing. was REALLY blowing apexes then. just had no stoping power. i later realized this and waited to down shift until nearly all my braking was done, and the rpms/speed was lower, this helped. but it delayed my turn in, and ability to go somewhat deep really bad. costing me time. i especially didnt like what it did to my turn in timing.
also noticed bad vibrations in the early two morning sessions. which ive ALWAYS fought with this car. i would have bad "warped" rotor vibrations in just 1 or 2 days. these were brand new and did it in 1-2 sessions. bad. but then in warmer afternoon sessions it actually went away some how. like all of it. im running full race spindle ducts with scoops in the fog light holes.
pedal was very firm with little feel/feedback as well.
really disappointed in new brakes so far.
shocks:
didnt notice much difference here. i particularly bought these for a rough crest on the back stretch were the two halves of the track meet. its rough from all the angle changes from the jumper road. plus im right in my peak power there, and its a crest so the car gets light, my goal someday is to be able to take that flat out, no lift. these seemed to help little with that.
couple cool cars, what appeared to be a 60s can am car w/o the body
never seen an Atom in person. looked brand new.
was able to get check ride from advanced instructor and got moved up. i was running everyone over in blue group. got to yellow and it was great (what i ran in at TWS) it was the first time ive ever run two entire sessions without having traffic slow me up. never saw anyone. was SO nice. was able to run 4 back to back 2:26 in last session. super consistent.
but a full second off my personal best, despite all the new/better/faster parts.
also got a bunch of "upgrades" (more on that later) and despite the old change 1 thing at a time adage, i changed everything at once.
stock calipers to wilwoods
rubber lines to braided stainless
Motul 600 to Castrol SRB
Centric rotors to DBA
Raybestos ST-43 front pads to Hawk DTC-60
stock rear pads to DTC-30
stock shocks to DRM tuned Bilsteins
also went from BFG Rival S(200TW) to Toyo R888R(100TW) same 315/335 sizes. although the Toyos appear to run a bit wider.
also re did the rear toe, had been following the pfadt corvette track alignment guide which for some reason recommends toe out on the rear. car has been sorta unstable so we changed it to a more traditional 3/16" toe in on the rear.
Tires:
should have been way stickier. they proved quite the opposite. they were audibly louder, more squealing communication which i liked. but grip appeared to be way down. i was pushing/understeering and finding the limits alot. which i rarely do with the Rivals. it was quite noticeable. temps were 40 in the morning working up to 59 in the afternoon. full sunshine, no clouds all day. i tried everything from 31-39 hot. all had less grip. im hoping it was the cooler temps? or are the "harder" Rivals superior? also in the pits on cold tires first session (tires were 40 degrees) thats the first time ive EVERY felt tires feel like ice. i was sliding and spinning in the pits, just moving the car at idle.
Brakes:
also a let down. pretty much EVERYTHING was upgraded here. just didnt seem to have great braking. was missing alot of apexes and just not stoping well at all. like stock brakes/pads. worse at times. then i started noticing on slower corners were i didnt have to downshift the brakes were just OK. right near my old setup, maybe touch below. ie decent in low rpm situations. but on faster corners, when i had to down shift, as soon as i would down shift, the rpms would come way up the pedal would push back at me, reducing the braking clamping to almost nothing. was REALLY blowing apexes then. just had no stoping power. i later realized this and waited to down shift until nearly all my braking was done, and the rpms/speed was lower, this helped. but it delayed my turn in, and ability to go somewhat deep really bad. costing me time. i especially didnt like what it did to my turn in timing.
also noticed bad vibrations in the early two morning sessions. which ive ALWAYS fought with this car. i would have bad "warped" rotor vibrations in just 1 or 2 days. these were brand new and did it in 1-2 sessions. bad. but then in warmer afternoon sessions it actually went away some how. like all of it. im running full race spindle ducts with scoops in the fog light holes.
pedal was very firm with little feel/feedback as well.
really disappointed in new brakes so far.
shocks:
didnt notice much difference here. i particularly bought these for a rough crest on the back stretch were the two halves of the track meet. its rough from all the angle changes from the jumper road. plus im right in my peak power there, and its a crest so the car gets light, my goal someday is to be able to take that flat out, no lift. these seemed to help little with that.
couple cool cars, what appeared to be a 60s can am car w/o the body
never seen an Atom in person. looked brand new.
was able to get check ride from advanced instructor and got moved up. i was running everyone over in blue group. got to yellow and it was great (what i ran in at TWS) it was the first time ive ever run two entire sessions without having traffic slow me up. never saw anyone. was SO nice. was able to run 4 back to back 2:26 in last session. super consistent.
but a full second off my personal best, despite all the new/better/faster parts.
