This isn't the Maxima, but thought you guys might enjoy the vid..
I'm driving my S14 track car. Engine is basically stock- just I/H/E, flywheel, underdrive pulley. stock ECU. probably 140hp to the wheels.

Track is MSR-Houston. It's a 2.3 mile road course, running clockwise that day.
Here's an aerial shot of the track for reference:
http://www.msrhouston.com/msrhouston...s/arial_09.jpg

Weather was nice. about 85F and sunny most of the day.

Didn't have much traffic to play with, so I pretty much just went out and cruised, working on smoothing out my lines and trying to figure out different approaches to each corner that I might need when I go W2W racing (hopefully by next season).

as many of you know, the racing line often isn't the fast (or DE day) line, as you quite often make too wide of an entrance and leave the door open on the inside for someone to dive-bomb you.

anyway, here's a few minutes of me goofing off at MSRH:
http://blehmco.com/movies/MSRHouston...ession%205.avi

 

I would watch it if it was on y00t00b and I didn't have to download it to my work computer.

 

^ What he said.

 

Cool video Matt! You seem to sit very far away from the wheel, any reason for that?

 

Why should I put it on yootoob if I'm paying to host my own site? same ish, different server. oh well. suit yourself.

Maxrider, that was a screwup when I welded the quick release hub onto my steering column. I wasn't paying attention and pushed it on too far. I'm going to fix it- eventually.

The seat has to be a bit farther back than I'd like for helmet clearance on the cage. Even with it the way it is, my helmet will graze the bottom of the halo if I take a hit on the left. Funny how everything fit better before we welded the seat mounts in place. :shrug:

 

Cool Vid. That's that the track we drove on for Maxus '06? Think we drove the other way IIRC.

It's always funny these vids look like the car is driving slow, especially where there is no traffic to reference the speed. But the actual driving is like...

One of these days I need to go back to drive Texas World Speedway again, still one of my favorite tracks.

 

Because I don't want to bother downloading codecs onto a work computer that has none.

 

For a work computer that usually has a firewall/webfilter that blocks Youtube videos? I deal with a lot of companies in the offshore/oil business and probably 60% of them have blacklisted Youtube, Facebook, Myspace, and fleabay. Thus the reason I don't waste my time putting it on any of those sites.

It's just DivX anyway.. :shrug: your loss.

 

Big words for a manual steering KA powered open diff S13.

What are you running for wheels/tires and suspension?

 

nice vid matt, and he's right, it looks funny as hell to see you so far from the wheel...like you're pimpn it laid back or something

 

At least get your facts straight before you make fun of it. It's an LSD-equipped S14. I got tired of the maintenance and leaks of Nissan's POS power steering systems and converted mine to manual.

wheels are 17x8 +15 FN01R-C wearing Toyo R888.
suspension is KTS coilovers, custom arms w/ heims everywhere. Z32 rear uprights and diff. Modified Sus Tech swaybars (to make them adjustable)

custom wilwood/2-pc disc front brakes (what else would you expect from me? ), Z32 rear brakes. Hawk HT-10 pads F/R.

 

Joe, This is MSR-Houston, not TWS. This track is actually only 15 min from my current house- 7min from the house we're moving to next month. (And the wife wonders why I keep asking for a membership!!)

I like TWS a lot better due to the higher speed corners and elevation changes, but this is a very technical track to get right and they run it in both directions and several configurations on a regular basis, so it makes it nice to be able to practice on several 'different' tracks regularly. Unfortunately I don't get out there as much as I'd like- last track day this year was in June. I used to get out there at least every other weekend, but work has been beating me down and the wife has been whining about money lately.

Pretty sad that she'll let me spend $4000 on a custom roll cage, but then whines when I want to go to the track and use it!

 

Right I recall TWS was alot different than this track. Much faster with longer sweeping corners. I have a few vids from TWS, not with my car.

I'm saying I want to go back to TWS some day. That was for the Maxus '05 track day and my first track event.

IIRC we went to Dallas MSR in '06 for the Maxus track day. Not so great for FWD cars but it was alot closer to Dallas. That is also where I learned that Ford doesn't make good heavy duty brake fluid anymore.

Oh and thats awesome you live a few minutes away from this track! I have to go 100 miles either northeast or west to get to the closest road courses, NHMS and Limerock.

 

Gotcha now... Yeah, MSR-Cresson is not so hot for FWD cars. lots of off-camber turns. That was the first time I'd run it in my 240 and it was a LOT more fun. I tried to score TWS, but they were booked on all the weekends around that time so we couldn't have even moved the event +- a week or so and made it work there. I like TWS more, but MSR-C was much more afforable (I didn't have to take a huge loss on the MSR even like I did TWS!), and it had the schedule open. Plus it is a lot closer to Dallas. So it just simply works better for a Dallas event.

For brake fluid, I use the Valvoline Synpower stuff you can pick up at Autozone. either that or ATE blue/yellow. both work very well. Hell I haven't bled the brakes in the 240 in probably 2 years and still haven't had any problems with it.

Edit... and here's some vid of me in the Maxima about 6 years ago running at TWS. I'm a MUCH better driver now. http://blehmco.com/movies/me_at_tws_1.wmv

 

Just for you whiners, here is it on J00t00b.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWk6WhhD0Ps

 

Yeah for me Maxus isn't the same without a track event and someone breaking something or going off-track. But for the cost it is not worth the effort. I keep suggesting that they find an established club that is renting out a near by road course and work around that.

Anyways Synpower lasts about 1~2 track events for me, but for it's availability the stuff is good. The ATE blue/yellow holds up alot better though. I ran two days at NJMP in July with the Synpower and the pedal was spongy on the ride home. A few weeks ago I went back for another two days at NJMP with ATE yellow and the pedal felt fine on the way home.

 

Nice vid Matt! I was just out there a couple weeks ago myself and got a one-on-one with the instructor. Unfortunately, i took a turn too hot and hit one of the curbs and bent a lip. Pressure is holding but i'm getting a vibration at 75mph. I think the tire is also damaged as there's a very small bump in the sidewall.

Did have lots of fun, though

I'm itching to go back! Especially since the instructor mentioned i had "potential" and was ready to move to the next level.

p.s. Thanks for the tip on the Synpower, great stuff.

 

That sucks, but the good thing is about the worst thing that *should* happen to a car at that track.

Does it look something like this?
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/att...2&d=1240081167

Well this is what it looks like inside... I recommend you replace the tire ASAP. you never know when it's going to let go completely.


That will probably get rid of the vibrations, but can't say for sure until you replace it and see if the wheel is true.

Good to hear you're progressing though!!

 

It's not as bad, i can barely see the bulge but it is there. I'll certainly have it replaced. Thanks for the tip

So, when are you headed back out?

 

Dunno. We close on the new house on the 26th, and will be making two mortgage+tax+insurance payments until we close on the current house just before Thanksgiving. so we'll be moving and money is tight the next couple months. Can't wait till this BS is over!!!

 

Ow, i know how that feels. Went through the double-mortgage thing for a couple of months last year ourselves. Good luck with the move! LMK if you need help with anything!

 

that shifter was really dancing around. Hows your engine and trans mounts?

 

solid urethane mount. newish OEM engine mounts. had urethane ones in there, but they vibrated so bad they made my teeth rattle and my ears rang after 5 min in the car--- and that was with a full interior!!

I also think some of the sheet metal under the car has come loose- the part that holds the right side of the tranny mount in place, so there's basically no tranny mount in it. I keep meaning to get in there and fix the problem, but then I get busy with other stuff and forget about it until I'm on the track again.