SCCA Solo C Street Discussion

[TRev]

Originally Posted by jdrxb9

Not to mention the DS2500 brake pads, from Sam nontheless! Also, I wouldn't call the wheels particularly lightweight at ~15.5 lbs, but they are right at 42mm offset.

For the record, my front Koni's have weeped oil at the adjusters from day 1. The passenger side is now very, very slight. The driver side is always damp at the slit I cut in the dust cover for the adjuster to stick through. Prior to my crazy nats/CO week (3500+mi!), they had ~5k mi and 285+ autocross runs. I've not noticed any day-to-day driving or performance issues and haven't felt the need to warranty them yet - maybe over the winter.

Thanks for sharing the info John. Mine have leaked out of the adjuster since day one and I have about 8k miles and 250+ autocross runs. The leaking had gotten progressively worse and the performance of the shock definitely seemed to be noticeable and was reflected in my times compared to others that I run against on a regular basis.

Here is a picture of the leakage from back on June 2nd.

[Sccabrz192]

Originally Posted by TRev

Thanks for sharing the info John. Mine have leaked out of the adjuster since day one and I have about 8k miles and 250+ autocross runs. The leaking had gotten progressively worse and the performance of the shock definitely seemed to be noticeable and was reflected in my times compared to others that I run against on a regular basis.

Here is a picture of the leakage from back on June 2nd.

You guys had me worried so I went out and checked mine, bone dry. Guess I will continue to monitor. This is definitely something that could be caused by spinning rods during installation.

[TRev]

Originally Posted by Sccabrz192

You guys had me worried so I went out and checked mine, bone dry. Guess I will continue to monitor. This is definitely something that could be caused by spinning rods during installation.

Turn In Concepts did my inserts and a professional mechanic did the install. I am sure it is possible that they did something incorrectly but seems unlikely.

Leaking seems to be a common problem with Konis.
https://www.google.com/#q=koni+leaking+from+adjuster (168,000 hits)

[Sccabrz192]

Originally Posted by TRev

Turn In Concepts did my inserts and a professional mechanic did the install. I am sure it is possible that they did something incorrectly but seems unlikely.

Leaking seems to be a common problem with Konis.
https://www.google.com/#q=koni+leaking+from+adjuster (168,000 hits)

Sorry, didn't mean to insinuate that was the problem with yours or anyone in particular, just a generic caution... it is VERY common for even some of the most reputable shops to not build strut assemblies correctly and use air tools to drive the top nut. Even when I worked for an aftermarket damper manufacturer, our techs would consistently try to take this shortcut.

[MTCRX]

So does anyone know how PAX for street class will be handled next year? Will it be like RTR?

[Kido1986]

It isn't set in stone yet as Street "technically" isn't official (though is inevitable). PAX is unofficial anyway so it's up to Rick Ruth to handle is how he sees fit. You can Google is name and contact info and email him directly to ask. I have a feeling it will be the recalculated-for-2014 Stock class PAX * .975 (though .975 proved to be harsher than needed at times).

2014 will be a crappy year for PAX indexing, especially for Street class cars. 2015 will sort it out better IMO

[mpicher]

I've been figuring that this is how Ruth would handle Street class pax. He may adjust after looking at it with a full year of RTR data to evaluate.

We used it in our local club this year and it has worked out pretty good (really good for me ;-) ).

But as you point out, it will probably take a couple years to get it all sorted out.

Mike

[Kido1986]

My local club screws RTR drivers. Guy in charge likes his really soft KMod PAX :P

If he is to do (what I call) right (remember, my opinion, not speaking bad of the HUGE task Rick goes through!), for street, he should look at RTR, excluding data from the moved cars (S2K CR, MSR, Z0k) to forumlate each Street class.

However, there are people who argue that RT* didn't attract much top tier talent so the index would be too soft. I don't 100% agree but there is SOME merit to that.

[TRev]

Originally Posted by Sccabrz192

Sorry, didn't mean to insinuate that was the problem with yours or anyone in particular, just a generic caution... it is VERY common for even some of the most reputable shops to not build strut assemblies correctly and use air tools to drive the top nut. Even when I worked for an aftermarket damper manufacturer, our techs would consistently try to take this shortcut.

Definitely a good point and I appreciate the info. I didn't see Turn In Concepts assemble them so I can't say for sure. I was there for the install on the vehicle and assisted so I do know for sure everything was torqued and an impact was not used.

[des]

Trev, I've had at least a half dozen sets of Konis over the years. All but one of them leaked eventually, whether I did the install myself or not. But they work, and they're usually pretty inexpensive compared with the alternative ...

I usually don't keep cars long enough to do the investment-grade shock thing.

[7thgear]

so i'd like to hear some consensus on tire choice.

Since street tires arn't hoosiers, over stretching isn't a positive. And from what i undrestand for track driving anything over 225 on the OEM sized rim isn't gonna net you a time benefit.

but what about autocross?

is 225 a good choice? Have people gained time by going wider?

[Kido1986]

All depends on the tire. RS3s seem to be better when less over-tired so 215s. Rivals seem to be liked best in 225. Z2s are split between 225/45 and 235/40

[7thgear]

is this more to do with how quickly they reach their optimal temperature or sidewall stiffness?

[jprice130]

Originally Posted by 7thgear

is this more to do with how quickly they reach their optimal temperature or sidewall stiffness?

It's a little bit of both I think. RS3s like a lot of heat AND have softer sidewalls compared to other tires in the same performance class, so running a skinnier size seems to work better for them. The Z2s have the stiffest sidewalls of the group and don't like too much heat, so the 235/40 size seems to work best for those tires. The Rivals are kind of in the middle (plus they don't offer 235/40), so the 225/45 is the way to go there.