Sebring, BRZ & Tarmac II's

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by Pat

Man, that just seems like a setup that would understeer much more than I would want and certainly more than my car does. Even with 1* more camber in the front than the rear and no toe my car on T2s with standard springs and suggested settings understeered more that I like.

Every driver/car/track is a little different, and your home track especially asks a lot of your LF if I recall correctly. I do think you would benefit from stiffer rear springs or a larger rear swaybar.

- Andrew

[Pat]

The two tracks I drive 90% of the time each have at least one right turn of at least 150*. Good memory, Andrew. I plan on selling my T2s in a month after racing season has ended and ordering some Swift Sport springs from you guys along with Bilstein B6s. Not only do I want more rotation, but also a more compliant ride.
/threadjack

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by Pat

The two tracks I drive 90% of the time each have at least one right turn of at least 150*. Good memory, Andrew. I plan on selling my T2s in a month after racing season has ended and ordering some Swift Sport springs from you guys along with Bilstein B6s. Not only do I want more rotation, but also a more compliant ride.
/threadjack

Sounds good, keep in touch.

- Andrew

[jmimac351]

Opie, I think I have a picture of the settings (somewhere) and I'll see if I can dig them up. Although I'd like to run the Tarmac 2s... I'm not currently. I'm pretty sure John Dean (MX5 Cup Champ) made some tweaks to the setup over time; however, you can always screw with something. This weekend looks pretty wet at Sebring so even that setup may not be ideal. Stop by the trailer and we'll see what we can dig up. Jim Pomroy with Chin also ran Tarmac 2 on his BRZ and he may have a good reference handy that he can pull up this weekend.

[Opie]

jmimac351, sorry I just saw your post! I saw you by your car (and on track) a few times but you were talking to other people so I didn't want to interrupt.

I mimicked smbstyle's setup as close as I could, even got his recommended starting tire pressures.

So yesterday was my first chance to get the BRZ on the track after retiring the Legacy. As expected it was a big, big change going from an Automatic AWD 3,600lb understeering sedan to a Manual RWD 2,700lb tail-happy coupe.





THE GOOD:
The car performed flawlessly. The Racecomp Tarmac II's with the settings copied from smbstyle's BRZ were excellent, the Essex Competition Sprint by AP Racing brakes were amazing along with the PFC pads recommended by a friend at OG Racing and the Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R's were plenty sticky and responsive.




I took part in all 4 sessions plus the happy hour session with no mechanical probelems whatsoever. Outside temp was 91 degrees (yes, 91 in October) and the highest oil temp I saw was 280 after 2 back to back sessions turning the fastest laps I had all day.

Set a personal best for Sebring (2.48.033) and know there is more time to be found once I become more familiar with how this car reacts, gear selection, etc.

[Opie]

THE BAD:
In my 3rd session of the day I did make a small mistake, 100% avoidable, 100% my fault. After getting in a group of cars in turns 9-13, I foolishly tried to "make up" lost time after getting by the slower car. I entered turn 15 too fast and then for some foolish reason gave the wheel an extra slight bump to the right as I brushed the curbing. Back end got loose, swapped ends and kissed the tire barrier. Luckily the instructor & myself were fine, but bruised my ego and ruined that brand new left front fender.





I sat and replayed what had happened, got my mind straight and was able to take part in the 4th session and happy hour with no issues and did some of my best, smoothest & fastest laps of the day.

Mishap video here:

All in all, I'm upset with myself for making that mistake, and it could've been way worse, but that mistake gave me some invaluable information to use in the future. I still had a ton of fun and was still able to drive it home.

I'll get some other clean lap videos up shortly. Always up for those with more experience to chime in and point out anything else they see.

[jmimac351]

Opie, I was working with an Instructor Candidate all weekend so that's probably who you saw me with. Don't hesitate to catch up me or head into the trailer and catch up with the guys. Any of us will make time. I saw you sitting at the exit of 15 during one of the sessions. I hear you got that car from Jack Beachem? It looks perfect now. Don't change a thing. Beat the snot out of it. Hopefully you can get out to the November and / or December events at Sebring. Epic events for Florida weather. Sign up early if you're thinking about it.

Oh, and I found some settings. I'll send to you. That's a good news / bad news deal... you never know the track surface / grip you're going to get and it can make you chase your tail... There IS something to be said for a setup that minimizes what's available for adjustment besides sway bars / tire pressure. Sometimes LESS = Less Second Guessing & More Fun.

[Opie]

Yes, got it from Jack...I think since he took the original door & fender off it the car doesn't like them anymore...LOL

Was bought for the track, I'll be back at Sebring soon!

Session 4, parts 1,2 & 3