Spuds' Vroom Machine

[Spuds]

Well, the second round of testing went better than the first.

Ran the car and checked for exhaust leaks with a smoke stick. No leaks when idling cold. No leaks when idling hot, even after poking the throttle. Still SOUNDS like a leak at certain rpms, but it's no longer dumping enough exhaust into the engine bay to cause problems. Fuel trims were fine. This all remains true after a drive so it's fixed enough I guess.

Also confirmed, new black RTV patches at the valve covers aren't oily, so that's working too. Need to get the area real clean before application I guess.

Car on ground, the WL rear endlinks stand straight up when set to the lowest setting + some wiggle room. Better than stock at least due to lowering. Haven't noticed any issues on my drive around but didn't really push it suspension wise. Cannot get a good feel for removing preload as suspected, but they are adjustable on the ground.

Bedded in brakes (Ferodo DS2500 pads and Centric blank rotors) with about 20 consecutive 60mph-20mph applications at ~50%. Actually did it 2 times because the first set I must have been a bit too easy on the brakes and didn't get a consistent deposit on the rotors. Hopefully I didn't overheat them the second as they were smelly when I got back.

The brake feel is very different to stock brakes. The pad grip to heat profile is different which will take some getting used to. It also feels a bit squishy, though I tested it and there's enough stopping power to hit the abs on street tires at least. I might bleed the brakes again and see if that makes the pedal a bit firmer. Might just be how the pads work.

Lol wall o text. Here's a bad picture of endlinks? I'll get a car picture today with the new wheels. Might want to at least wash it first...

[Spuds]

Gave up and ordered a JDL EL header. Leak got worse again and I've exhausted my options to fix it. Ptuning header might be fine for someone with a straight through exhaust, too much resistance downstream with everything else stock.

Autocross is here! First test and tune with new brakes. DS2500 pads are soooo good, but they are quite dusty. Bleeding didn't make the brakes any stiffer, but I think the give might be a feature of the pad to improve modulation?
Placed OK, I just gotta remember how to go fast again. Didn't get a chance to play with dampers unfortunately. Did take video with my new GoPro.

[autoracer86]

I had a bit of extra travel in my brake pedal after my first session on track which I never had before. Like you I still had enough braking power to trigger ABS so I just keep on trucking for the day.

I did just order some temp stickers for the calipers so I can keep a better eye on things... Everyone warned me the CL brake pads I have run hot

[Spuds]

Now those are some pretty nice pipes right there. Good bye torque dip. My engine bay still feels like it's on fire though.

Stock: 20.6lb. Ptuning: 17.2lb. JDL 14.6lb.

[gnarjunkie]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Bedded in brakes (Ferodo DS2500 pads and Centric blank rotors) with about 20 consecutive 60mph-20mph applications at ~50%. Actually did it 2 times because the first set I must have been a bit too easy on the brakes and didn't get a consistent deposit on the rotors. Hopefully I didn't overheat them the second as they were smelly when I got back.

The brake feel is very different to stock brakes. The pad grip to heat profile is different which will take some getting used to. It also feels a bit squishy, though I tested it and there's enough stopping power to hit the abs on street tires at least. I might bleed the brakes again and see if that makes the pedal a bit firmer. Might just be how the pads work.

Old post reply but... you definitely want to get the brakes pretty darn hot while bedding. Especially with track-focused brakes. When I bed in the G-Loc R16's I use for the track car, I do 35-5mph a few times to start building heat, and then 60-5mph as close to the ABS threshold as possible. So on the brakes as hard as possible without engaging ABS.

Get back up to 60mph as fast as possible then repeat immediately. Usually around the fourth time they start to feel really good, which is also about the time I start smelling the pads. Then the goal is to cruise until the pads are completely cool without touching the brakes. Not always possible, but it's the goal.

I'm not familiar with Ferodo DS2500's, but if they are track-focused pads then they probably need a good bit of heat to work well and will feel like they need a lot of extra pedal force to work when cold (squishy feeling). If I ever autox on the R16s I drag the brakes the entire way through the grid and up to the start to try to build a bit of heat in them before the run starts, even if I have a co-driver and they're still warm-ish before my lap.

[JD001]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Now those are some pretty nice pipes right there. Good bye torque dip. My engine bay still feels like it's on fire though.

Stock: 20.6lb. Ptuning: 17.2lb. JDL 14.6lb.

UEL = no torque dip
EL = is the same as the stock header, no?

BTW, what's happended to @Tcoat?

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by JD001

UEL = no torque dip
EL = is the same as the stock header, no?

BTW, what's happended to @Tcoat?

Butt dyno says it's gone.

Idk, I assume he rage quit. Hope he's doing alright.

[autoracer86]

Originally Posted by JD001

UEL = no torque dip
EL = is the same as the stock header, no?

BTW, what's happended to @Tcoat?

My understanding was EL was for people who wanted to make power and UEL was for people who wanted boxer rumble.

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by gnarjunkie

Old post reply but... you definitely want to get the brakes pretty darn hot while bedding. Especially with track-focused brakes. When I bed in the G-Loc R16's I use for the track car, I do 35-5mph a few times to start building heat, and then 60-5mph as close to the ABS threshold as possible. So on the brakes as hard as possible without engaging ABS.

Get back up to 60mph as fast as possible then repeat immediately. Usually around the fourth time they start to feel really good, which is also about the time I start smelling the pads. Then the goal is to cruise until the pads are completely cool without touching the brakes. Not always possible, but it's the goal.

I'm not familiar with Ferodo DS2500's, but if they are track-focused pads then they probably need a good bit of heat to work well and will feel like they need a lot of extra pedal force to work when cold (squishy feeling). If I ever autox on the R16s I drag the brakes the entire way through the grid and up to the start to try to build a bit of heat in them before the run starts, even if I have a co-driver and they're still warm-ish before my lap.

Yeah that's basically what I did. The good thing about rural living is there are a bunch of roads with nobody on them at 1am. I would describe DS2500 as a very good street and AX pad. A lot of people have said they don't handle track driving very well.

[Spuds]

Oh, also got away with my first money shift. Top of second to first, going downhill towards some parking lot curbing I had go between at AX. I was really saved by how long it took me to get the transmission into (the wrong) gear. Caught it as I was releasing the clutch and the rear started kicking out.

Shifting into 3rd with lateral G and driving against the clock is hard guys. Really figured it out on my last run which I proceeded to blow due to getting greedy in the last braking zone ...

Any tricks for making it easier to select the right gear? Short shifter? Or does that make it harder?

[RToyo86]

Originally Posted by JD001

UEL = no torque dip
EL = is the same as the stock header, no?

Depends on the EL header design.
4-1 EL is more top end but retains similar torque curve as oem header. Then you have newer breed of 4-2-1 ELs like the JDL and ace header which bridge the gap and give you flatter torque curve while retaining good top end power.

They seem to prefer more custom calibration vs other headers. I went from Gruppe-S UEL to the JDL EL and the power delivery stayed linear.
Personally don't notice much difference in top end, at the very least having smooth EL sound with no torque penalty is enough for me.

[RToyo86]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Oh, also got away with my first money shift. Top of second to first, going downhill towards some parking lot curbing I had go between at AX. I was really saved by how long it took me to get the transmission into (the wrong) gear. Caught it as I was releasing the clutch and the rear started kicking out.

Shifting into 3rd with lateral G and driving against the clock is hard guys. Really figured it out on my last run which I proceeded to blow due to getting greedy in the last braking zone ...

Any tricks for making it easier to select the right gear? Short shifter? Or does that make it harder?

Mtec shift springs generally make the shifts feel a bit more snappy which might help.
I wasn't a fan of the torque solutions shifter I tried. Originally with stock shifter bushings, then both front carrier and rear bushing. Shift effort went up and was so tight it made it hard skipping gears on downshifts around town. Kept the bushings and removed the shifter.

I think IRP could be a solution, few friends who track run it and have nothing but good things to say.

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by RToyo86

Mtec shift springs generally make the shifts feel a bit more snappy which might help.
I wasn't a fan of the torque solutions shifter I tried. Originally with stock shifter bushings, then both front carrier and rear bushing. Shift effort went up and was so tight it made it hard skipping gears on downshifts around town. Kept the bushings and removed the shifter.

I think IRP could be a solution, few friends who track run it and have nothing but good things to say.

Yeah, my main problem was I was hitting the gate prong because I was slightly out of position due to a left-hand turn. Really just need more practice if I'm being honest, but I'll definitely look into those springs, it might help a bit in the 1 or 2 cases I'll need them lol. I think they might be stx legal?

I should look into the irp, heard good things at least.

I do already have a Perrin rear shifter bushing and group N motor and transmission mounts. Definitely help keeping everything in position.

[gnarjunkie]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Oh, also got away with my first money shift. Top of second to first, going downhill towards some parking lot curbing I had go between at AX. I was really saved by how long it took me to get the transmission into (the wrong) gear. Caught it as I was releasing the clutch and the rear started kicking out.

Shifting into 3rd with lateral G and driving against the clock is hard guys. Really figured it out on my last run which I proceeded to blow due to getting greedy in the last braking zone ...

Any tricks for making it easier to select the right gear? Short shifter? Or does that make it harder?

Oof -- that's scary. Done that a few times myself.

I found that the best is just making sure to not rush the shift. Even in a super hectic autox course there are brief moments where you're pointed straight. I just shift a tiny bit earlier or later to make sure that I shift when there isn't a ton of lateral G's and things to be thinking about.