I think you are right. The only benefit I'll get from the BBK is lower consumable cost. That consumable cost goes way up when I have to buy two sets of wheels to clear the BBK. That seems silly, so I'm not going down that road at the moment. The XP10s I have right now are good for 6 or 7 laps at Hallett, and I think a better fluid could help that too. The RBF600 is good, but from some reading I think there are better options out there.

I spent a couple hours tinkering last night. I raised the car up to 13.75" from hub center to fender all the way around, which is an inch higher than my previous setup.

Installed new front bump stops since mine were crumbling away.

Rolled both front fenders for a little more tire clearance, but mainly driver side since that was the only side causing most of the issue.

Installed new Racer X end links. I'm pretty sure the Whitelines I had in the rear were binding and not short enough, probably causing the one to snap. The new ones I could set loose and tighten under load without issue. I feel like that was never possible with the Whitelines.
Carbotechs still have a ton of life left in them, so I'll probably keep running them into next season. I bought the Cobalt XR2 pads from Andrew, so I may throw those on with a new set of rotors for Hallett days or ones with heavy brake usage.



I scheduled an appointment with my tire shop to flip the Re71s and fresh alignment for tomorrow. I was hoping to have enough time messing with the scales for corner balance, but just wasn't in the cards.




Private track day is planned for Heartland this coming Sunday, so hopefully I can pick up some time compared to my last trip.

Car is back in my possession with the alignment and tire flipping. Basically looks like there was a lift kit installed compared to my last ride height setting, BUT it seems to soak up bumps better? It feels a little darty from what I think is tramlining while rolling down the highway. Not sure if that's from the tire wear or the tires themselves. I haven't really driven it much for the past month, so it was re-learn mode and questioning if there is something wrong with the alignment. I have a bumpsteer/roll center correction kit that was originally designed for lowering the car, but I think I'm above that level now. It may be time to go back to stock ball joints and tie rods? Could it be bumpsteer I'm getting? (edit: bump steer kit is okay for anything lower than 20mm from stock from some light reading, and I'm below that.)


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...af8ce875_b.jpgUntitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e1990fbd_b.jpgUntitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...433dc84f_b.jpgUntitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr

A new track build to follow! Looking good.

My only suggestion is 17" wheels for lower tire cost. I have the bump steer kit as well. I am consistently considering ditching it, but I don't any data to prove it is hurting the performance. Unfortunately I changed other things when I installed it so I don't know how much it helped.

I really want to switch to 17s, but both my street and track wheels exist in 18s already. If things go well next season I'll track down a set of 17s, or at least when it's time to buy a new set of tires.

I started tracking on 18s no biggie. Its funny how much a mod list/priorities change once the track bug bites. I look forward to your progress.

It soaks up better because you have more travel in the shocks and aren't slamming off the bumpstops, presumably.

You'll need an event on the tires to re-scrub in the bevel.

0 Toe up front will still net you some tramlining regardless. Can be better/worse depending on what tire you have.

I bought the car with the nt03m wheels, and just have dealt with it. Every time I went to buy tires it was just cheaper to stick with the 18s since I have to buy a set of rims to reduce size. It probably would have paid for itself by now if I just got them the first time. Oh well.

So I spent a half day at Heartland Motorsports Park with quite a bit of seat time. I managed to sneak in times better than my previous trip with a best of 1:58.49 which is over a second quicker than before. Lots of different 1:58s and 1:59s peppered in there. I seem to do better chasing someone faster than me than out on my own for some reason. I had a time that clearly would have been a 1:56-57 but I shifted early and let a car by before I ran through the finish. It was excruciating to watch my timer tick away as I waited. Should have just ran into turn 1 before letting him by, I assumed he was closer to me. It's not a race though, so not that big of a deal.



Anyway, I had an issue with my Beastronix box causing a CEL and cutting power. The OBD connection must have been slightly knocked or loosened, as I couldn't get it to work again until I unplugged it completely and then re-seated the plug. VERY annoying, but it's working again for now. Manual pedal dance is for the birds, I've been spoiled for far too long. I see there's a new option available to replace this one, but not ready to throw money at it yet.



Suspension. I love how the car feels now. I should have raised the car up sooner.


I didn't bring enough e85 with me, so topping off with 91 was all I could manage later in the day. e85 and 91 I can feel the difference in power, but was still pretty close to my faster times with a lighter tank. The temp obviously rose later in the day as well, so it may not be enough difference to bother with e85? I guess if I want to be competitive just run the corn juice and bring more fuel with me. Tire trailer should help that as well.


Pretty sure my clutch is close to the end, or the pressure plate is struggling. I can feel my up shift being a little clanky. It's been like this for a little while, but I think it's time to address it before getting stuck somewhere.




Tires. I don't have much life left in the Re71s. People say they go all the way down to the cords, but I've never really ran tires below the wear bars before. I need to research how much I really have left, but they only have 4 track days and 1 autocross. I'm contemplating R7s for longevity throughout next season. I can run takeoffs cheaply or a new set to run the whole season which will probably be way cheaper than multiple sets of the Stones. If I run the R7s I'll be bumping up a class, but from the times I see from previous weekends I think I can still be competitive. Any thoughts from others on tire choice for being competitive and still somewhat easy on my wallet are welcomed.


Thinking on tires a bit, I am now wondering if my lack of camber before my latest alignment may have lost some tread early on in the Re71s. I was running 3 degrees because my Falken Rt615ks seemed to like that, but the Stones wanted 3.5. I wish I knew how much it could have made a difference.

Check this out for help with your fuel capacity issue

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MT94QA...v_ov_lig_dp_it

That's awesome. I'm going to put that on the "Christmas List" for the wife.

Stones probably want more than 3.5, FWIW. The 615s wear like iron so they're happy at any camber.

I have been able to score 1 HC R7s for $300/set. So I have 2 sets sitting in my basement right now that gauged at 99% life. For me, it's a no brainer to run a tire that is better suited for the track that'll last longer, for cheaper.

RE71Rs you're good for 1 magic lap and you're done. Everything after that is just tire wear

Where are you getting your r7s? How many days are you getting out of a set?

Via a friend hookup. Nice to get to know people ;)

JB Racing Tires is a good spot to check out though.

My current set has 21 HCs on them. Just ran 6 sessions (20 minute stint hot laps) on them at NCM last event and they're starting to fall off now. Pace wise they're about a Yokohama Pace