Lincoln Tour

   STR ran first run group Sunday morning on a reverse modified 2011 East course.  Windy and warm conditions.  Moderate speeds with a good mix of elements, but visually difficult to find a few key cones including the entrance to a couple sweepers. Same settings and ride height as used the previous day at the ProSolo. I picked up four tenths on my last run which placed me in fifth position after day one.  Toyos worked well.



   Following the theme from day one, Monday's course was also a reverse modified 2011 West course with the walloms removed along with some other changes. Overnite thunderstorms gave us a wet surface and bright morning sunshine resulted in drying conditions for the first run group.  Rear ride height lowered 1/8".  Course was basically dry during second runs with only minor slick spots at the entrance to the first two slaloms. I put down a fast second run but I was unable to pick up any more time on my third run when conditions were best.  Overall I picked up two positions to finish in third place.


Lincoln Tour Results

Lincoln ProSolo

   The two day drive from San Diego to Lincoln was long and unusually hot and I chose to take the simple route through Las Vegas and Denver via highways 15, 70, 76, and 80.  As always the scenery in Utah and Colorado is beautiful.  Total round trip miles was 3255 and I averaged about 33 miles per gallon.  I managed to take a few pics with my cell phone.
 

   As usual, day one competition on Friday was all about getting familiar with the surface and adjusting launch rpm for best 60 foot and reaction time.  I was unable to get some practice launches, so testing the new clutch would happen during competition.  Eventually, 4000 rpm clutch dumps proved to offer the best 60 ft. times in the high 2.2 second range.  Leaving on the third yellow, my reaction times sucked as usual mostly between 600 - 700.

 







   The courses were very demanding with back to back decreasing radius sweepers heading into the finish.   With the extra grip from the concrete and nature of the courses, I raised the rear ride height 1/4" to help get some more rotation.  As the surface rubbered in and got faster it all came down to Saturday morning (day two) where yesterday's OPR slowed me down on the first left side run and a very brief rain spat took the edge off my first right side run.  My final two runs were quickest, about four tenths per side from the top spot.  I did not make the challenge.

ProSolo Results

   I have been using the rear ride height adjustment (rake) with good success to get the car set up for different conditions or surfaces.  Although quick and easy, the positive rake adjustment can cause too much lift-off oversteer and the car can be too twitchy transitionally.  For my next suspension tuning experiment I plan to stiffen the rear springs by 30-50 lbs. and keep the rear ride height low, or reverse rake.  This should give me the best of both worlds; good rotation without sacrificing as much transitional stability.  Or that is the idea anyway.  The Racing Beat 1.125" front sway bar is already adjusted full stiff and I don't want to try the monster 1.250" bar yet.
 

D'Leon's Mexican Food is located on West "O" street only a few miles from the event site in Lincoln. Great food and open 24 hours too.



IAT 132* at idle on 75F day.  115* at 75 mph cruise after 2 minutes.  105* at 75 mph cruise after 5 minutes.

Tire pressures:  27F, 25R

Clutch and Header

   I was a little nervous having the clutch and other maintenance work done the day before I leave for Lincoln, but my trusty mechanic Rocky specializes in Miatas and all the parts installed were OEM.  Probably the original with 120k miles, the clutch disk was worn unevenly and the flywheel was heat damaged.  The install went smoothly and there were no surprises. Synthetic GL-5 was replaced in both the transmission and differential and the fuel filter was also changed. 

 

  
  The new Racing Beat header fit perfectly and the EGR tube was a breeze to install.  The RB 4-1 design is supposed to generate more power than the OBX 4-2-1. 

Theoretical Weight

  So I rolled my Miata across the scales at the San Diego Tour and the display showed 2168 pounds with 1/4 tank of fuel, helmet, camera, and soft top boot.  This is with the 15x8 6UL / full tread RS3 combination and the quiet Enthuza NB Speeder muffler. Includes NB2 center console. Washer bottle empty and coolant overflow reservoir at 1/3 full.

Helmet 3.5
Camera 1.0
Soft top boot 1.5
Gas (2 gallons) 12.0

  My Odyssey PC545 works great for a daily driver but at over 11 lbs I can save a lot of weight by going with a modern 2 lb. lithium battery.  My complete exhaust is heavy too and it would be easy to save 10 lbs or more with a custom 97+db setup and Maxim header.  Note the wheel / tire weights below also;  I can save 18 lbs if I stay with the 195 Toyos / 7.5" 6UL.  Subtract another 5+ lbs for Bogart, Volk, or SSR wheels.  

   2085# seems like a reasonable weight without going crazy, and in my estimation 2020#  (after some thinking and rough calculating, and with the recent rules change regarding motor mounts, 2020# is probably not realistic. 2055# is closer, maybe.)  would require maximizing the rules with aluminum shock assemblies, custom brakes and rotors, delrin bushings, replacement control arms, billet motor mounts, and so on. How much time and money do I want to spend?  How bad do I want to win?


15x8 / RS3  35.5
15x7.5 / R1R  31.0
Passenger seat  31.0
NB1 console 3.29
NB2 console  3.33
Odyssey PC545  11.5
Maximworks header  11.0
Racing Beat header  15.5
Enthuza XR   12.0
Enthuza NB Speeder 12.5
Roadstersport muffler 17.0
Boomslang and EMUltimate  2.5
Crank pulley 3.85
Complete side power mirror assembly  2.00
OEM fuel filter .50


Rear lower OEM chassis brace
Swaybar reinforcement blocks
Alt & WP pulleys
Intake assembly
Power windows
Power locks
Clearwater speakers
Hardtop latches
Cat / midpipe
Control arms
Motor mounts
Suspension bushings
Differential bushings
Brakes
Lug nuts
Convertible top
Emblems
Shifter
Differential
Filters and Hoses
Frankenstein bolts

Lincoln 'Spring Nationals' Pre-Show

   Recently I've had a few inquiries about my build and the parts I have chosen for my STR Miata.  Aside from being thrifty and on a moderate budget, my idea is to keep it simple, easy to drive, and reliable.  Almost everything added to the car is a readily available off the shelf part, with only minor fabrication needed to fit the driver's seat and to mount the battery.  The only custom parts are the upper shock mounts from PES which have been carefully designed to allow a great balance of bump/rebound shock travel at various ride heights without bottoming out or binding.  Autox is all about minimizing mistakes, both in driving and build execution, and special attention to a few key parts is what can make the car more forgiving and ultimately faster.

http://lateapexphoto.com/

   So a few weeks after the El Toro Pro I find myself unemployed and decide to take a little break and prepare to head off to Lincoln, NE for the "Spring Nationals" which is a four day SCCA event scheduled for the Memorial Day weekend of May 25-28.  Friday and Saturday consist of a Pro Solo with Sunday and Monday being a regular Tour.  I have an appointment to replace the clutch on Monday, May 21st at Rocky's Miatomotive with a planned departure for Lincoln at 6am Tuesday morning. 

   My biggest decision regarding this trip is what tire to use. Actually, tire choice has been my biggest issue during this whole build (aside from the poor ECU service from DPTune). Both the Toyo and Hankook leave me frustrated because neither one is a great tire and both work best at completely opposite temperatures and feel and drive differently.  For this event I will bring my used 75+ run 195 Toyos on 15x7.5" 6UL wheels.

   Although the Miata is one of the few cars in class that can fit the 195 Toyo, I believe the Dunlop SS Z1 is a superior tire and easier to drive in a wider variety of conditions.  Available in a decent 205/50-15 size, actual same day comparison testing is needed to determine if the Dunlop is quicker than its competition.  The 225/45-15 Toyo R1R is also a good tire and I successfully used this tire on a 7.5" wheel on my 1995 STS Miata.  A wider 9" wheel would compliment the 225 Toyo and this could be the combination to have.  In the meantime, I will primarily use the 195 Toyo on a 7.5" wheel because it is relatively cheap, pays contingency, works well in the wet, and is fast on the first lap.

  So while I was typing this post UPS delivers two boxes; one from Mazda containing a 2001 Miata EGR tube and the other from Racing Beat containing a 2001 Miata 4-1 header.  The NB2 (2001-2005 Miata) parts were ordered because the 99-2000 RB headers are not in stock at this time.  The only difference between the two is the connection of the EGR tube to the header; one has male threads, the other is female.

   Due to the poor fitment of my eBay OBX header the original egr tube was bent and modified to fit so a new replacement tube would be needed anyway.  Plus, the new egr tube is compatible with the  2001+ OEM tubular header which makes an easy stealthy swap for SMOG inspection.

 









   I bought the Racing Beat header in anticipation of the upcoming clutch replacement knowing that the header needs to be removed completely to best complete the job.  Since I had to fight the OBX header install, I decided to hit the easy button and get a header that I know will fit the first time without frustration, and of course the RB header has been well developed and proven to make power.

Power

  In my quest for more power and frustration from dealing with Dynotronics Tuning, I purchased a used Greddy Emanage Ultimate and Boomslang harness.  The special plug and play harness meets the rules requirement of no splicing and offers a clean and simple install of the piggyback controller.  Unlike the reflash from DPTune, the Emanage Ultimate gives the user full control over most of the engine management and I will primarily focus on fuel and timing to maximize horsepower and torque.  The rpm limiter can also be changed.  As with my STS car, tuning will be done by Shawn at Church Automotive Testing.

  The install will have to wait until the clutch is replaced, which unfortunately just started slipping as the SCCA Tour and Pro came to SoCal.  A new pressure plate, clutch disc, and flywheel was delivered today thanks to Mazdaspeed Motorsports.  The plan is to have the clutch replaced and engine tuned before the next big regional event scheduled for June 15-17 at El Toro.

STX Mustang Dreaming

Step One:  Find a clean and unmolested 1987 Ford Mustang Sedan (Notchback) 5.0 V8 5-speed or 1988 non-California car. Convert to base model A/C delete, no radio, PS, PW, or Cruise

Step Two: Add the following parts.

Optional 3.08:1 final drive
Steeda 5-Link
Detroit Locker
Koni yellow double adjustable shocks
Maximum Motorsports camber/caster plates
Ebay springs
Front sway bar
Pro 5.0 shifter
Momo Race steering wheel
Sparco Evo seats
Basani long tube headers
Catted x-pipe
Under drive pulleys
Battery relocation
Cold air intake
Moates ecu
Rear disk brake conversion and front Cobra brakes
Bolt-on subframe connectors
17x9 w/265mm Dunlops or 18x9 w/Hankooks
Remove factory side rub strips

After all the hard work it should look something like this and sound fantastic.  

El Toro Pro Solo

I kept the same setup as used the prior weekend at the SD Tour, except for a minor 1/8" rear ride height increase for day two.  Similar tire pressures with the rear going as low as 24 psi.  New coilpack installed.

Ride height is 11 1/2" at all four corners as measured from the center wheel hub to fender.  Pinch weld measurement is approximately 3 5/8" front, 3 1/2" rear.





   Once the tires warmed up the car worked well.  I shifted to third gear in the walloms on Saturday afternoon but did not pick up much time.  Rode the limiter on Sunday and focused on a clean line and dropped some time on both sides.  Could have been quicker on the right but I had trouble slowing for the first pin turn on both runs.  A new clutch and 300 more rpm could be worth another tenth or two.

   Special thanks to my co-driver Jason for warming the tires and giving me positive feedback regarding the car's handling and potential.  Be sure to check out his 67 Camaro build.

Final RESULTS put me in 8th, the final trophy spot and only a half second behind per side.