Honda 1, Nissan 0
09-04-2007, 05:59 AM
#1
Honda 1, Nissan 0
We'll I finally got my wish (deathwish) to go head to head against the best in STS Sunday. Jason Frank and Craig Mankiewicz came down for our divisional event in their nationally prepped Honda '89 Civic.
After the morning runs I was 7% behind Jason and 3% behind Craig who like me couldn't put a strong run together even though many said it was a power type course. By afternoon I realized trophies were a pipedream and offered rides for struggling classmates. Last run I took solo but still only managed a tenth off my very first run of the day.
Both Jason & Craig kept improving throughout the afternoon leaving our local drivers in their wake. Craig increased his lead to 4sec over me while Jason dropped the hammer on his last run of the day to open a 5.5sec gap. He finished the day #1 of 177 on index against numerous national champions present.
GASS Divisional #7 index results
This was my first dry conditions with the Bridgestone RE-01R's. Besides getting em too hot (160deg fronts), when I got home I noticed the rears had picked up everybody else's R-compound marbles out on course. Even with 60mi driving home here's how they look now. I'm open to advice about how to prevent this going forward.
After the morning runs I was 7% behind Jason and 3% behind Craig who like me couldn't put a strong run together even though many said it was a power type course. By afternoon I realized trophies were a pipedream and offered rides for struggling classmates. Last run I took solo but still only managed a tenth off my very first run of the day.
Both Jason & Craig kept improving throughout the afternoon leaving our local drivers in their wake. Craig increased his lead to 4sec over me while Jason dropped the hammer on his last run of the day to open a 5.5sec gap. He finished the day #1 of 177 on index against numerous national champions present.
GASS Divisional #7 index results
This was my first dry conditions with the Bridgestone RE-01R's. Besides getting em too hot (160deg fronts), when I got home I noticed the rears had picked up everybody else's R-compound marbles out on course. Even with 60mi driving home here's how they look now. I'm open to advice about how to prevent this going forward.
09-04-2007, 07:43 PM
#2
Only way to prevent that is to drive the rear wheels and scrub the crap off.
My 240 picks it up on the front tires, my Maxima picks it up on the rears.
Either that or get the back end even more tail happy and let it slide all over the place.
personally I wouldn't worry about the rubber gathering as long as your temps are okay and the car handles well.
My 240 picks it up on the front tires, my Maxima picks it up on the rears.
Either that or get the back end even more tail happy and let it slide all over the place.
personally I wouldn't worry about the rubber gathering as long as your temps are okay and the car handles well.
09-05-2007, 05:27 AM
#4
Thanks. Yes I'll rotate em and burn it off. I had lots of understeer and the extra soft rubber seemed to make the problem even worse. Guess I just gotta play with drastic tire pressures to find more slip in back.
09-05-2007, 10:01 AM
#5
At all of the national and regionals I have to wipe the tires off after every run. If you let the tire cool with all the crap on there it takes 3 or4 runs at the next race to get it off. By that point you might have already lost the race. I keep a pair of leather gardening gloves with my tire guage and water bottle. Right when you park the car run your hands over the whole tire, then spray them with the water.
I have a buddy that uses the re-o1s and he usually doesn't even spray them down.
I be that is hard to beat the Civics in STS. Those things are fast.
What is your setup and pressures?
I was thinking about getting some 710s for the ****-Box-O-Death to race on.
I have a buddy that uses the re-o1s and he usually doesn't even spray them down.
I be that is hard to beat the Civics in STS. Those things are fast.
What is your setup and pressures?
I was thinking about getting some 710s for the ****-Box-O-Death to race on.
09-06-2007, 05:15 AM
#6
All tires, Hoosiers, Falkens, Kumho's, Bridgestone's were getting sprayed as the surface temp was 110deg and Sunny. I tried cooling my fronts with a wet rag and they still got over 150deg. on run #3.
I'll keep that in mind about cleaning the rears off afterwards; I've got mechanic gloves. Just never looked that closely at the rears in grid.
Latest setup here
http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...5&postcount=53
I'll keep that in mind about cleaning the rears off afterwards; I've got mechanic gloves. Just never looked that closely at the rears in grid.
Latest setup here
http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...5&postcount=53
09-06-2007, 06:29 AM
#7
This is a shot in the dark but you mijght want to give it a try. My buddy has a 89 SI that he races with konis and ground control coilovers and he was having a bad push problem. He disconnected the rear swaybar to try and get the a$$ to swing around and it worked perfectly. He is now one of the strongest in STS in the east TN region.
Looks like a good set up. STS is a tough class where do you usually place?
Looks like a good set up. STS is a tough class where do you usually place?
09-07-2007, 06:27 AM
#8
Don't think so. Our beam axle setup is completely different from the Honda's IRS. Also, the common Honda setup is to run their 22mm bars at full stiff to promote front grip - not remove it. You sure it wansn't the FSB? I tried that and it helped the front dive into corners alot faster but at the expense of slow slalom transitions. Each season I've tropied in STS since starting years back. But that's usually against Neon's, Sentra's, Sirocco's, Preludes, Impreza's, Integras, etc. Not the current crop of early Civics. I used to go head to head with Jason Frank's Prelude back in the day.
Natls update - this year's STS crop isn't to be messed with. It's like a dream team of drivers - McCormick, Frank & Mankewitz, Wagners, Shenefield & Lee, even Hollis and Fiedler jumping in the fray. Not for the timid. I myself skipped a DSP IS300 co-drive and won't be going.
Natls update - this year's STS crop isn't to be messed with. It's like a dream team of drivers - McCormick, Frank & Mankewitz, Wagners, Shenefield & Lee, even Hollis and Fiedler jumping in the fray. Not for the timid. I myself skipped a DSP IS300 co-drive and won't be going.
09-07-2007, 07:39 AM
#9
I wanted to go to the Natls in Topeka, but it is the weekend after the NOPI Nationals in Atlanta, and both cash and time is short. I was at a National even in Huntsville a few months ago and got to see Hollis run. Dude is fast! He set the fastest raw time for the weekend in his STS Miata. Beat out a GT3 with 3 drivers, and several track cars. Everyone was shocked.
On Derek’s Honda, it was the rear sway bar we pulled off the car. It was so stiff in the front that when he would turn in it would just push, and if he pushed too hard it would spin out. That little bit of body roll was what he needed to bring it around in a more subtle manner. I do see what you mean about the differences in the rear suspension. I crossed it up with the SER Sentra that I run against. It amazes me how 18 year cars with a 1.6 liter are able to dominate and beat turbo AWDs in raw times.
Too bad we are so far apart; I would like to see the grocery getter tear up some Soobies and Acuras.
On Derek’s Honda, it was the rear sway bar we pulled off the car. It was so stiff in the front that when he would turn in it would just push, and if he pushed too hard it would spin out. That little bit of body roll was what he needed to bring it around in a more subtle manner. I do see what you mean about the differences in the rear suspension. I crossed it up with the SER Sentra that I run against. It amazes me how 18 year cars with a 1.6 liter are able to dominate and beat turbo AWDs in raw times.
Too bad we are so far apart; I would like to see the grocery getter tear up some Soobies and Acuras.
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