I made this post to the TC5 thread by mistake.
Oval tire test coming
I have a set of Purple/Double Pink rears mounted for a test now on the 200 mm oval car. I am in the habit of truing tires for the oval now. The only change I made to my truing rig is that I use a 3/4 inch router bit now in the toolpost grinder. This gives me more tip speed than the 1/4 inch bit and makes a smoother surface in one pass still. I am getting 4 plus races out of a set of trued tires. Starting diameter is 2.260 inch. Because of this I think I should throw on a new body. I can cut my arches considerably smaller now that they don't have to accomodate the large new tires. This should streamline things.
Full size Street/track cars
Most of the little tune up tips that I use and detail in this thread have a basis in full size car racing. I have had two full size street/strip cars. Adjustments to springs, roll center, sway bars all worked the same on my first 4 door "touring car" as they work on my electric TC and pan car. This first car was a 300 HP V8 powered Ford Falcon (same chasis as a Mustang) that would run 13's and would corner very well. It was lowered, had the front roll center lowered and had stiff springs and roll bars added, huge G series rear tires (355mm) under homemade flares and wide fronts. Extremely bulletproof drivetrain.
Here are a couple of pics of a more recent project of mine on a full size Ford Focus. This car is my second street/track car. It is lowered with stiff Ford Performance springs and Eibach antiroll bars, short light Motegi wheels and Falken Azeni tires for lowered gearing and great cornering bite. It will go 130mph. I had it in a fourwheel drift on a 120 mph corner recently. It pulls 1.0 g's in the corners. It has a completely neutral oversteer/understeer balance which makes it easy to take it to the limit in the corners. Use ProSolo (autocross).
A new project,
detailed in a thread, is the addition of quad Individual Throttle Bodies (ITB's) to the four cylinder dual overhead cam Mazda based engine which comes equiped with a single throttle body. Mid range and top end may be improved. These throttle bodies originated from a Suzuki GSX R 750 Motorcycle. The project includes a HOMADE ABS plastic intake Manifold!
Practice day tomorrow. Race Sunday. Then I will have more pan car stuff to discuss.
Pic: We are looking at the bottom inside of the ITB assembly. The white manifold is ready to bolt on to the front of the engine. The airbox needs to be completed. The copper pipes are for EGR inlet. Factory Fuel Injectors are in the head. I have software to increase their pressure and the slope of the fuel curve. The factory computer and an after market Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor will be used. Last pic top view, Strap needs paint.
John