95maxrider's 2012 Auto-x results
08-15-2012, 07:30 AM
#81
8/4/12 PDX at Summit Point on the Shenandoah Circuit
I have previously had my car on the SP Main Circuit and have driven a Lexus IS-F on the Jefferson Circuit, but I had never been on the more challenging Shenandoah Circuit until this event. What a track it is! It's certainly the closest my car will get to driving on the Nurburgring (it has a replica of the Karrusel)!
In preparation for this event, I got the new 245/45/17 Michelin Pilot Super Sports mounted, and the car was corner balanced and aligned. The alignment I had been driving around on for the past 3-4 months has been completely out of whack, so the car felt much better after getting all this work done. Alignment and corner balancing specs can be found in my build thread.
I also got the rear BBK installed along with the Carbotech XP-8 pads before the event, as well as reinstalling my old VLSD trans since the Quaife trans took a dump with a new 5th gen clutch and flywheel. Again, check out my build threads for pics of the nasty old flywheel and other mods/progress.
The car handled beautifully on the track, and the only problem I had during the day was some obvious fender rubbing by the new wider tires. The front were the most obvious, but the rears rubbed a bit too. My rear fenders have already been rolled, but I think they may need some tweaking. I could just take off the 10f/15r wheel spacers I have on there, but what fun would that be?
Anyways, I got some good videos of the event. I toyed with the location of the mic for the GoPro, and found placing in near the muffler was pretty cool. You will have to excuse the rasp though, since the muffler has a hole in it.
We did four 20 minute sessions on the track. This is a video of my fourth.
Part 1
Part 2
I never did a perfect lap, but I do think between all of them, I nailed each turn at least once. I was having problems getting myself to late apex a couple of them, but it got better as the day went on. My instructor was so comfortable with my skills that he let me go solo for the final run of the day, which only one of the other 20 people were allowed to do, and I was given the OK to join the intermediate run group (instead of novice) the next time I'm out there. All in all, I had a blast and can't wait to do it again!
In preparation for this event, I got the new 245/45/17 Michelin Pilot Super Sports mounted, and the car was corner balanced and aligned. The alignment I had been driving around on for the past 3-4 months has been completely out of whack, so the car felt much better after getting all this work done. Alignment and corner balancing specs can be found in my build thread.
I also got the rear BBK installed along with the Carbotech XP-8 pads before the event, as well as reinstalling my old VLSD trans since the Quaife trans took a dump with a new 5th gen clutch and flywheel. Again, check out my build threads for pics of the nasty old flywheel and other mods/progress.
The car handled beautifully on the track, and the only problem I had during the day was some obvious fender rubbing by the new wider tires. The front were the most obvious, but the rears rubbed a bit too. My rear fenders have already been rolled, but I think they may need some tweaking. I could just take off the 10f/15r wheel spacers I have on there, but what fun would that be?
Anyways, I got some good videos of the event. I toyed with the location of the mic for the GoPro, and found placing in near the muffler was pretty cool. You will have to excuse the rasp though, since the muffler has a hole in it.
We did four 20 minute sessions on the track. This is a video of my fourth.
Part 1
Part 2
I never did a perfect lap, but I do think between all of them, I nailed each turn at least once. I was having problems getting myself to late apex a couple of them, but it got better as the day went on. My instructor was so comfortable with my skills that he let me go solo for the final run of the day, which only one of the other 20 people were allowed to do, and I was given the OK to join the intermediate run group (instead of novice) the next time I'm out there. All in all, I had a blast and can't wait to do it again!
08-15-2012, 11:18 AM
#82
8/5/12 SCCA Solo #6
Another day, another race. This was the first auto-x since I got a proper alignment and great brakes all around (but I was still on the XP-8 pads from the day before instead of the normal AX-6 pads), and I was excited to see how the car would do.
With the new alignment, the car is more lively and easier to drive, and by the final run of the day I really felt like I was pushing it. Unfortunately on my last run, I forgot to turn on the in-car camera, so the GoPro will have to do.
Results (EP class)
Check out my lines and tell me what you think! Again, excuse the rasp, the muffler has a hole in it.
Since the race I've realized I've had a massive vacuum leak coming from where the intake temp sensor should be in the CAI, and have new poly side motor/trans mounts. The AX-6 pads are also back in. The final SCCA Solo event is this Sunday, so I'm going to give 'em hell and go out with a bang (hopefully not literally)!
With the new alignment, the car is more lively and easier to drive, and by the final run of the day I really felt like I was pushing it. Unfortunately on my last run, I forgot to turn on the in-car camera, so the GoPro will have to do.
Results (EP class)
Check out my lines and tell me what you think! Again, excuse the rasp, the muffler has a hole in it.
Since the race I've realized I've had a massive vacuum leak coming from where the intake temp sensor should be in the CAI, and have new poly side motor/trans mounts. The AX-6 pads are also back in. The final SCCA Solo event is this Sunday, so I'm going to give 'em hell and go out with a bang (hopefully not literally)!
09-01-2012, 01:43 PM
#83
8/18/12 BMW Auto-x #5 in Bowie
Well, I've always said Bowie is my least favorite lot, and after this event I'm seriously considering never going back to this lot. The surface is so rough that my brand new Michelin PSS tires had completely worn off the arrow/Michelin man indicating where the sidewall ends, even though tire pressures were 45/45! So yeah, less than four minutes of auto-x chewed up more of these tires than 80 minutes on Summit Point.
It was at least an interesting course with a couple design elements I haven't seen before, or at least in a long time. I would try to describe them, but it's just easier if you watch the video.
In the end I came in about 1.4 behind a Lotus Exige, good enough for second in the X3 class.
Anyways, check out my lines and tell me what you think!
It was at least an interesting course with a couple design elements I haven't seen before, or at least in a long time. I would try to describe them, but it's just easier if you watch the video.
In the end I came in about 1.4 behind a Lotus Exige, good enough for second in the X3 class.
Anyways, check out my lines and tell me what you think!
09-01-2012, 02:02 PM
#84
8/19/12 SCCA Solo Final event #7
This was the first SCCA Solo event all year where my car was in 100% perfect shape, and I think that carried through to my confidence while driving. Between finally having great brakes/pads, a proper alignment, and no vacuum leaks, the car was in the best shape it's ever been in. I knew it would probably be the last time I ran the Hoosiers this year, and I really wanted to see if I could find their limits. In previous events I had felt constrained by poor braking performance, and had been held back by basically not having an alignment on the car.
Well I let it all rip on this day, and I was actually very happy with my times when it was all said and done. It helped that it was a very fast course with minimal tight sections. I don't think I've ever pushed my car that hard, and there were a few times when it really felt like it was on edge, but it stayed stable throughout the day.
I had two buddies attend both this event and the BMW event the day before, and I want to compare how I did relative to them when I'm on my street tires (BMW event) and on the Hoosiers (SCCA).
The first car is an RX-8 on 265 R1Rs and full bolt ons, and the second in an E36 M3 with lots of bolt ons and some Direzzas IIRC. They were on the same tires both days, so the main variable should be course design and my tire choice.
BMW time SCCA time
Me 47.933 60.143
RX8 49.356 62.901
M3 48.005 61.540
So on Saturday I beat the RX8 by 1.4 and the M3 by about 0.1.
On Sunday, I beat the RX8 by 2.7 and the M3 by 1.4.
So my best guess is that the Hoosiers take about 1.3-1.4 seconds off my times on any given course. I don't know if that means my DD tires are just that good, or if I'm still not driving the Hoosiers hard enough, but that's what it is.
Anyways, I've got two videos from this event, since I was so pleased with how I drove. The interior video gets a little fuzzy since the car is getting bounced around so much, but it's still worth watching.
Again, check out the videos and let me know if you see a place where I can improve. Thanks!!
BTW, try and sync up the two videos and watch them both at the same time, it's more fun!
Well I let it all rip on this day, and I was actually very happy with my times when it was all said and done. It helped that it was a very fast course with minimal tight sections. I don't think I've ever pushed my car that hard, and there were a few times when it really felt like it was on edge, but it stayed stable throughout the day.
I had two buddies attend both this event and the BMW event the day before, and I want to compare how I did relative to them when I'm on my street tires (BMW event) and on the Hoosiers (SCCA).
The first car is an RX-8 on 265 R1Rs and full bolt ons, and the second in an E36 M3 with lots of bolt ons and some Direzzas IIRC. They were on the same tires both days, so the main variable should be course design and my tire choice.
BMW time SCCA time
Me 47.933 60.143
RX8 49.356 62.901
M3 48.005 61.540
So on Saturday I beat the RX8 by 1.4 and the M3 by about 0.1.
On Sunday, I beat the RX8 by 2.7 and the M3 by 1.4.
So my best guess is that the Hoosiers take about 1.3-1.4 seconds off my times on any given course. I don't know if that means my DD tires are just that good, or if I'm still not driving the Hoosiers hard enough, but that's what it is.
Anyways, I've got two videos from this event, since I was so pleased with how I drove. The interior video gets a little fuzzy since the car is getting bounced around so much, but it's still worth watching.
Again, check out the videos and let me know if you see a place where I can improve. Thanks!!
BTW, try and sync up the two videos and watch them both at the same time, it's more fun!
Last edited by 95maxrider; 09-01-2012 at 02:05 PM.
09-05-2012, 05:49 PM
#85
Nice season, Nick! I'm strongly considering taking the e30 out to a trackday. It'll be slow, but fun on star specs and lots of body lean 
We'll have to see how you like the rallycross this weekend. It's going to be totally different for you in a RWD car with no grip vs. a FWD car with r-comps
We'll have to see how you like the rallycross this weekend. It's going to be totally different for you in a RWD car with no grip vs. a FWD car with r-comps
01-18-2013, 09:25 AM
#86
you ever figure out the alignment?
I had something similar happen to me, but in the end I couldn't figure it out either. At the time the car was maybe 4 years old from new.
What I did was to re-align the rack...sort of.
So, I got the wheel straight, and then aligned everything else. I wanted to see if the rack slipped and was uneven in relation to the wheels.
Best I could tell, when I bought the car, the rack was not aligned, and me driving like a moron maybe made it skip back to normal?
Honestly, I never figured it out really, but the crooked wheel drove me nuts.
I had something similar happen to me, but in the end I couldn't figure it out either. At the time the car was maybe 4 years old from new.
What I did was to re-align the rack...sort of.
So, I got the wheel straight, and then aligned everything else. I wanted to see if the rack slipped and was uneven in relation to the wheels.
Best I could tell, when I bought the car, the rack was not aligned, and me driving like a moron maybe made it skip back to normal?
Honestly, I never figured it out really, but the crooked wheel drove me nuts.
01-18-2013, 12:03 PM
#87
you ever figure out the alignment?
I had something similar happen to me, but in the end I couldn't figure it out either. At the time the car was maybe 4 years old from new.
What I did was to re-align the rack...sort of.
So, I got the wheel straight, and then aligned everything else. I wanted to see if the rack slipped and was uneven in relation to the wheels.
Best I could tell, when I bought the car, the rack was not aligned, and me driving like a moron maybe made it skip back to normal?
Honestly, I never figured it out really, but the crooked wheel drove me nuts.
I had something similar happen to me, but in the end I couldn't figure it out either. At the time the car was maybe 4 years old from new.
What I did was to re-align the rack...sort of.
So, I got the wheel straight, and then aligned everything else. I wanted to see if the rack slipped and was uneven in relation to the wheels.
Best I could tell, when I bought the car, the rack was not aligned, and me driving like a moron maybe made it skip back to normal?
Honestly, I never figured it out really, but the crooked wheel drove me nuts.
No, we never figured out what caused it to shift. We checked all the rack bushings, bolts, etc and couldn't find anything loose. We just realigned it and it has stayed true since. I have no clue what caused it to happen, and it's a little scary to think it might happen again, but all I can do is keep up with maintenance before races and hope for the best. I did find that one of my delrin CABs has died after about 1.5 years of abuse, but that wouldn't explain this.
03-14-2013, 06:02 AM
#89
Well hopefully I can get back on a track soon. And if I can't get this damn stuck crankshaft bolt off, I'll be throwing in a 3.5 
Auto-x starts up soon and I've got some things on the car to tidy up.
The car needs:
-new front CAB bushings (going to try the delrin ones again)
-steering rack boot
-new PS line from the pump
And for shits and giggles I'm also replacing the sway bar end links since I've never done them and I got some universal ES poly end link bushings to go with them.
I also need to re-roll my PS rear fender as some metal has gotten pulled out somehow and is chewing up the side of my tire. I might also raise the rear of the car up 1/4" or so before I get it corner balanced and aligned again before the season. I can't wait to get my summer tires back on this thing!
I've also decided to run in the XP class for SCCA Solo this year as there are usually at least 10 people running in the class. After the first race of last year, I was the only one in EP and it just wasn't very fun. I need some competition, even if it is in the form of a Cobra or a Corvette! I think with a healthy 3.5 in my car I can be somewhat competitive locally, at least.
Auto-x starts up soon and I've got some things on the car to tidy up. The car needs:
-new front CAB bushings (going to try the delrin ones again)
-steering rack boot
-new PS line from the pump
And for shits and giggles I'm also replacing the sway bar end links since I've never done them and I got some universal ES poly end link bushings to go with them.
I also need to re-roll my PS rear fender as some metal has gotten pulled out somehow and is chewing up the side of my tire. I might also raise the rear of the car up 1/4" or so before I get it corner balanced and aligned again before the season. I can't wait to get my summer tires back on this thing!
I've also decided to run in the XP class for SCCA Solo this year as there are usually at least 10 people running in the class. After the first race of last year, I was the only one in EP and it just wasn't very fun. I need some competition, even if it is in the form of a Cobra or a Corvette! I think with a healthy 3.5 in my car I can be somewhat competitive locally, at least.
05-10-2013, 06:52 AM
#90
Alright everyone, time for a new thread for the new season. Join me!
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
mkaresh
8th Generation Maxima (2016-)
21
03-12-2018 06:48 PM
jds22
7th Generation Maxima (2009-2015)
0
09-29-2015 02:03 PM