SCCA 2012 DSP - R56 JCW Class Prep and Results

Possible Results at the Nationals

Ok, this will be a kinda silly post. But, I've been wondering how I might have fared at the Nationals if I would have been able to go. So, I've run a few numbers to see if I would have a chance at all. It turns out that I would not likely have done very well but...

I used a measure of the time delta I usually hold between me and one of the faster drivers in the club that did go to the nationals. For the last two local events I finished 1.7 secs behind him on a 42.4 second run for him and I finished 1.5 secs behind him on a 41.9 sec run for him. I've been pretty consistent at that level. If I average that time delta it comes to about 1.6 secs delta on about a 42 sec course for his time. At the nationals he ran a 126.8 sec best times for the sum of the two days. The total time is about 3 times our average local runs so I multiplied the 1.6s delta by 3 for a total delta of 4.8 secs. If I would have run at those average times behind him (big if, of course!) I would have had total best times of 4.8s + his time of 126.8 = 131.6 secs. Of course, that assumes I could hang on the 60+ sec runs without getting lost since I'm used to only 45 sec runs or less.

In DSP that would have placed me at 17th place out of 22 entries...if, if, if, if,....

Well, next year for sure! :biggrin5::biggrin5::biggrin5:

 

You're right. The ScangaugeII is a cool product...less real estate and a fourth the cost. But, I keep going back to my early days (late 60's for goodness sake!) and dreaming about the monster car I never had with door to door gauges. One day I'm looking at the Scangauge and the next day it's the Marshall's.

I do like the way the Craven set up is designed to look OEM as well. The Alta gauges have more flash, though. I already have an AccessPort so many of the additional functions of the scangauge are duplicative with that.

 

We held the Spokes/SASCA autox event yesterday during heavy rain...all day.

I finished first in DSP by a slight margin with a total of six entries. I was at 56.996, 2nd finished 57.248, 3rd was 58.582. Though the course was quite flooded for most of the runs the third run of five was during a slight let up of the rain. Most of us had our best time then. It was fun and quite a learning experience.

My normal main competitor, a lightly modified MazdaSpeed3, finished third and I was ahead by about 1.6s which is quite a change. We'll see if that holds up in dry weather.

A new MazdaSpeed3 appeared upon the scene and finished about 0.25s behind me...so it looks like the competition will continue to get stronger for the rest of the year.

Bottom line...the new set up is awesome. I'm running 70Nmm Swift springs in the front and 60Nmm in the rear. Combined with the 225-40-17 A6's the larger rear anti sway bar (NM Eng 22mm) and spacers on the wheels the Lenz is handling beautifully. I'm running 5mm spacers front and rear. I've ordered 15mm spacers for the front and will keep the 5mm's in the rear. That should prevent the rubbing we found and provide a little better handling...maybe...we'll see.

I should have listened to k-huevo a long time ago. He's been advocating putting the heavier springs back up front since I took them all out for DD ride considerations. He's now recommending that I go to heavier springs one day. I might do so after the new year. I love the Swifts but they're pricey.

The combination of AST 5100's and swift springs is finally working out like I had hoped. It took awhile mainly because I didn't take the time to really analyze the set up and make changes aggressively. "Slowly we turn...step by step."

I'm considering upgrading the 5100's to 5200's in early 2013 if I get new heavier springs. The combo might still afford a reasonable daily drive and still get better performance and more flexibility for various racing surfaces. That will be important because I'm planning to step up to 3+ National tour events, including the 2013 Nationals, and 2+ ProSolo events in addition to 24 local events in this new season. Much work to do.

I love this game.

 

Well, I did it. I went ahead and ordered the Craven gauges. Seeking to fulfill another long lost desire...door to door gauges...with my MINI. What fun!

 

Craven Marshall Gauges and The "Lenz"

Here's a couple of pics. One of the new gauge set up. Install by k-huevo. As I've said before, the man is meticulous.

Second pic is of the "Lenz." This is an available design from the Whalen Shift Ball collection. I was going to design the Lenz for a custom job but Whalen already had this design in his inventory and I thought it fit the theme of the GreyLenz perfectly.

 

Recent AutoX Results

I won my class by a tenth of a hair yesterday. I again beat my current nemesis MazdaSpeed3 in DSP with times of...Me: 33.631 and MS3: 33.651. Whew! 0.02s. Crazy. For the last couple of SASCA events I was quite a bit ahead due in large part my use of Hoosier A6's and his continued use of the R6's. But, he ran A6's this event which brought us back to a head to head, even-steven dance again.

The course yesterday was more open and faster than usual which also gave him a bit of a step up due to his near 300 Bhp to my approx 230 bhp in the Stage One mode I run with the AccessPort. Also, he continues to drive a bit better than me...much more consistent. We're both improving but he's getting better faster. He has minimal mods compared to my much larger investment.

Another measure for me is the Honda Civic that did the class hopping from ST to STX last year. Yesterday he timed at 33.508. Actually, the Civic he is driving now is a new platform for him which is more capable than the one he drove last year. He's the better driver of the three of us. But, at least the 1s+ lead he used to carry on us is gone now. Also, the more open, less technical course put is civic at a disadvantage.

In raw scores I placed 29 out of 104 drivers. Most of the top drivers from both Spokes and SASCA were back this month so I felt pretty good about the day's effort.

The GreyLenz is nicely configured now for AutoX and the setup is fairly well tuned. But, I still need to get the rear AST's re-built to resolve the very stff adjustment problem and I'll move the NM sway bar from the middle setting to the stiffest setting soon to experiment. I also need to flip the A6's before the next SASCA event on 11 Dec.

Note: We also now have three other mini's that have run with SASCA and Spokes over the last few months. Hopefully, they will continue.

 

Suspension

Here's a few pics of the suspension set up and new NM brake discs (installed backwards cause I like the look).

If you look close you'll see a fix used for the install of the NM Sway Bar...the threads in the subframe for the bracket to hold the bar were stripped. So, I had the local repair shop do this fix after I decided not to spend the money to fix the subframe at this time. K-huevo saw the fix and said it is just what he would have done under the circumstances, so....

K-huevo Approved.

 

I think they're radial vanes. But, now that you mention it, I never really checked. Mmmmm...will have to do so soon.

 

K-huevo suggested the same thing about the sway bar so I'll try that interim step. Actually, the car is really handling well. It has a nice balance of turn in and the rear end is fairly lively...pretty good set up for autox. But, tightening up the rear bar a step might help a bit. Since our times are so close now I thought I'd try this sooner than later.

No directional issues with the A6's. The A6's wear so quickly on the outside edge that most folks flip them after about 25 runs...around 5 or 6 events. Given I'll likely need every advantage before the final run of the year on 9 Dec I think I'll get this done before then. Still not sure how our final points add up for the year. I didn't move to DSP till March so I'm two events light. Not sure how they count the points...minimum 8 events...they throw out two lowest...etc?? However it turns out the back and forth win dynamic between us has been a blast. He's a better driver and the MazdaSpeed3 is more capable in stock form. I leaped up because of the mods and then he went to R6's and jumped in front and then I went to A6's and jumped back and then he went to A6's and closed the gap again. The last event of the year will be fun, indeed.

So, are you still tearing up H2R on a regular basis? I've not done an HPDE in almost a year. Just too busy. But, I think I'm going to cut back on autox events in 2013...will just do about 12-15 to make time for a few track days.

 

Last Event Over

Ok, the last SASCA event was Sunday. I came in second out of six entrants. The MazdaSpeed3 I've been fighting all year took me by 0.3 s. I'm bummed because I thought I was driving good and the car seems to be doing great. He out drove me. Drats.

But, I won the year with 56 points over 48 points. It was a fun year since we were neck and neck for most events.

NEXT:

Going into next year I only have to do a few things to GreyLenz.

1. Clean the carbon off the valves. As soon as I get the nozzle, on back order from ECS, k-huevo is going to help me put together a rig and clean mine and then maybe set up to do others in the neighborhood.

2. Corner weight and new alignment. What the particulars will be will depend on when and/or whether I get a second daily driver. I started another thread on using that daily driver in STF on occasion. I've solicited some input but I guess no one else out there is looking to do an STF class run next year. Still, if I do get another DD I'll likely get more aggressive on the alignment for autox on the Lenz since I won't have to drive it on the street so often.

3. May need to get a rebuild on my used AST's in the rear. Need k-huevo to look at it first. The problem may not be as bad as I thought.

4. I need to put thicker wheel spacers on the front because of continued rubbing on the inside of the tires. Have 5mm spacers now...need 10 to 12. But, I put the 5's on in the wrong holes and can't get them off...may need to cut them off. Won't do that till I get some longer studs. I should have listened to k-huevo the first time...again.

I don't plan any other mods for 2013 except my driving skills. They definitely need improvement. But, I've learned a great deal this year.

 

By custom hub centric spacers do you mean the spacers themselves have an extended "hub" that will center the wheel?

Also, I'm having difficulty finding studs long enough for the thicker spacers. I've been running the TSW studs for 3 years but can't find longer replacements.