road america ver.2

sn8kbit · 09-10-2002, 10:10 AM

ok, there's a lot to sum up so here goes...

first off, great nailing down new friendships. heck, i think that's what 70% of open-tracking is all about. i don't know which was more fun, hanging out around the trailers and dinner at night or the driving...
tom, nice to finally get to know ya, and thanks for all the tips on RA, they helped me move faster thru 5-8. now when are ya putting the girlie girl racing sticker on...LMAO!
tone, nice to formally meet ya. i've talked to you guys for a second or two at last years RA, and the last two road atlanta's i've done. sorry the car went down on ya, but man did that thing scream when it was running!

some tech i learned over the weekend:

eibach springs are good for two things...
1) for looks on a lowered vehicle, and the occasional exit ramp fast exit.
2) legs for a glass top coffee table
i had more body roll than i thought i would with these in conjunction with the stock shocks/struts. it made it very unnerving in a quick right-left turn at speed (T-13). these are coming off the car and are now for sale, and CHEAP too (did i mention i'd sell em CHEAP?) bilstien's and H&R's are going on hopefully this week, if not sooner.

khumo ecsta 712's. wow. for the money, a great tire, IMHO. i was worried about them since the only track experience with them was wet, which was decent, and autocrossing, which inhaled with great vigor. so, RA being a super fast track, i was worried i wouldn't have anywhere near the grip i'd need. i was wrong. now mind you, i'm slow compared to everyone else so what works for me may not for others, but when these tires are screaming at you, they're working. spooked me at first, but for an overtall tire (255/45/17) in the first place, without scrubbing the sides with rollover, i liked em. if tires are low on the budget, these should fit nicely.

brakes. this was my first outing on a dry track (believe it or not with dean and brian there) and hawk blue pads. being a novice i tend to be on the brakes sooner and much longer. combined with the SHM ducts and hoses, and eradispeed rotors, i had zero fade, and still have possibly another weekend on these pads. heck, i didn't even melt the dust boots on the calipers, which surprised me. i can't say enough about the eradispeed solid front rotors. blues can be rough on a rotor, and the grooves i did have were very light. the drive home on street pads cleaned them up.
something else of note on brakes, if you don't have stainless lines, get em. and, if you feel like dropping the money (like i did out of paranoia over the brembo hat issue) get a set of solid eradispeed fronts. i have a feeling i've already gotten my money back on them in not having to buy another set of rotors already.

lastly, two things.
1) RA has a new name for corner 14--"Kevin's Corner"

2) Brian Groth is actually pretty durn fast....LMAO

steve
life is too short to miss Road America events.... (sorry tom LOL)

PS, darius rudis has pics up on his site, www.dariusrudis.com

{edit} as a sidenote, i grilled, and nothing exploded....LMAO! {/edit}

**Dean95CobraR** · 09-10-2002, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sn8kbit
{edit} as a sidenote, i grilled, and nothing exploded....LMAO! {/edit}

Aditional side note - He wasn't allowed to actually start the grill this time. Hence - no explosion.

kevin · 09-10-2002, 03:17 PM

where does he find the time to take so many photos AND drive

johnbasf · 09-10-2002, 06:58 PM

Steve, thanks for the link to Darius's site. I MUST go there!!!!!

**Cobra-R** · 09-11-2002, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sn8kbit

lastly, two things.
1) RA has a new name for corner 14--"Kevin's Corner"

2) Brian Groth is actually pretty durn fast....LMAO

I only drove fast enough to stay ahead of Kevin, once I had a 3 lap lead from his beach trip, the rest of the weekend was a breeze.

Hey BD, I actually shifted into third gear once just to see if the car would hit 80 on the long strait.

kevin · 09-11-2002, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cobra-R
I only drove fast enough to stay ahead of Kevin, once I had a 3 lap lead from his beach trip, the rest of the weekend was a breeze.

Hey BD, I actually shifted into third gear once just to see if the car would hit 80 on the long strait.

beach bully

Big Daddy · 09-11-2002, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cobra-R
I only drove fast enough to stay ahead of Kevin, once I had a 3 lap lead from his beach trip, the rest of the weekend was a breeze.

Hey BD, I actually shifted into third gear once just to see if the car would hit 80 on the long strait.

Dang 80mph in the older slower....MUST BE SOME KINDA RECORD!

tgentry · 09-12-2002, 12:57 AM

Hey Steve, nice to know that my ramblings about the track actually helped you out some. I don't know anything about explosions but those ribs were mmmm-mmm good!

I ran Kuhmo ECSTA 712's on Friday after having some teething problems with my new Victoracers. I got the Victoracers hooked up on Sunday. Running G-Force R1's on the front and Victoracers on the rear was good for 10-12 sec. a lap over the street tires. The street Kuhmos didn't suffer any chunking or abnormal wear even though my video confirms that I had them howling in every turn. All in all, I have to agree with Steve on the 712's, as long as you can put up with the noise.

b_tone · 09-12-2002, 09:51 AM

Darius now has two of my timed laps on video at his site at link to video

I am driving in Tone #1, my father is driving in Tone #2.

enjoy

sn8kbit · 09-12-2002, 02:31 PM

tom, 10-12 seconds? dayum! i may have to pony up for a set of wheels just for some hoosiers......hmmm

tone, that car is wicked fast. this was my first dry track, and my first session out your dad was behind me! talk about intimidation, they couldn't get the green out on track fast enough. i now know what a "rolling chicane" is....LOL

b_tone · 09-12-2002, 02:39 PM

Tom, 10-12 seconds seems like quite a jump from street tires to R compound's. I have seen about 6 seconds on a big track, but the jump you are talking about is huge. Were you holding back with the street tires and then just let go with the R compounds?

If you want to really have a lesson in car control I have some 2-3 year old hoosiers that I can give away that I promise will be like driving on ice. Any takers?

I know all about the rolling chicane. I have taken my stock street driven Focus ZX5 to a track event just to get time on the track and was put out with the big boys swinging vipers, vettes, porches ect. That was pretty interesting but enjoyable.

BT

sn8kbit · 09-12-2002, 03:21 PM

if anything, i'd be willing to bet that the way the khumo street tires scream, it tends to make you back off the throttle more. i know it spooked the hell out of me the first couple of sessions...

b_tone · 09-12-2002, 03:24 PM

You should hear the mud and snow firestones on the focus. You can tell exactly where that car is on the track just by listening. I found that street tires will tell you exactly what they are doing and give you a big warning when they let go versus the hoosiers that are there until they are gone all while not letting out any sound.

Street tires can be fun..

tgentry · 09-12-2002, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sn8kbit
if anything, i'd be willing to bet that the way the khumo street tires scream, it tends to make you back off the throttle more. i know it spooked the hell out of me the first couple of sessions...

I think Christa and my video (actually the audio portion) can attest to the fact that I don't back off for tire scream. In my group, most of the cars had R tires and I was pushing hard to keep up in the Carousel. Still I was about 800rpm down in 3rd gear on street tires. I'll have to put a stopwatch on the Carousel but I'll bet there's a few seconds right there.

bolt-on · 09-12-2002, 09:08 PM

Hey......this is J bolt-on......just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the wonderful weekend!!!!!!!! It was great being with all of the fun people..........thanks for letting us be a part of your group.
It was a thrill for me to drive the "powder puff" run.....even got up to 110 on the straights.......and the last/best ride was with Kevin....thanks, even if Lisa had the best thrill on Kevin's corner.
Looking forward to having more time together.
Janice

09-10-2002, 03:17 PM	#3
kevin Registered User Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: somewhere in the back of the pack Posts: 12,610	where does he find the time to take so many photos AND drive __________________ if a man insisted always on being serious and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it. herodotus (485-425 b.c.). http://genoamotorsports.com http://www.isaacdirect.com/html/Othe...sComments.html http://www.isaacdirect.com/images/Users/Darth.jpg

09-10-2002, 06:58 PM	#4
johnbasf Registered User Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Lewisville,NC Posts: 2,674	Steve, thanks for the link to Darius's site. I MUST go there!!!!! __________________ John Pearson

09-12-2002, 12:57 AM	#8
tgentry Got Boost? Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Rockford, IL Posts: 608	Hey Steve, nice to know that my ramblings about the track actually helped you out some. I don't know anything about explosions but those ribs were mmmm-mmm good! I ran Kuhmo ECSTA 712's on Friday after having some teething problems with my new Victoracers. I got the Victoracers hooked up on Sunday. Running G-Force R1's on the front and Victoracers on the rear was good for 10-12 sec. a lap over the street tires. The street Kuhmos didn't suffer any chunking or abnormal wear even though my video confirms that I had them howling in every turn. All in all, I have to agree with Steve on the 712's, as long as you can put up with the noise. __________________ Tom Gentry Life is too short for boring rides! '06 Schwinn StingRay Spoiler (3 speed conversion) '03 Giant Team ONCE (Campy goodness) '00 Bike E E2 Tandem (too many mods to list) '98 ProFlex Beast (no more elastomers) '06 Kustom Kruiser Roadster (8 speed conversion) '74 PPV (Resto-mod project) '98 E-150 Starcraft Heritage "Black Bart" '89 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL "Gunther"

09-12-2002, 02:31 PM	#10
sn8kbit Registered User Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: music frickin city, USA Posts: 1,417	tom, 10-12 seconds? dayum! i may have to pony up for a set of wheels just for some hoosiers......hmmm tone, that car is wicked fast. this was my first dry track, and my first session out your dad was behind me! talk about intimidation, they couldn't get the green out on track fast enough. i now know what a "rolling chicane" is....LOL __________________ internet redneck.. 1999 Black Coupe Maximum Motorsports Kenny Brown IRS'd hybrid

09-12-2002, 03:21 PM	#12
sn8kbit Registered User Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: music frickin city, USA Posts: 1,417	if anything, i'd be willing to bet that the way the khumo street tires scream, it tends to make you back off the throttle more. i know it spooked the hell out of me the first couple of sessions... __________________ internet redneck.. 1999 Black Coupe Maximum Motorsports Kenny Brown IRS'd hybrid

09-10-2002, 10:10 AM	#1
sn8kbit Registered User Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: music frickin city, USA Posts: 1,417	road america ver.2 ok, there's a lot to sum up so here goes... first off, great nailing down new friendships. heck, i think that's what 70% of open-tracking is all about. i don't know which was more fun, hanging out around the trailers and dinner at night or the driving... tom, nice to finally get to know ya, and thanks for all the tips on RA, they helped me move faster thru 5-8. now when are ya putting the girlie girl racing sticker on...LMAO! tone, nice to formally meet ya. i've talked to you guys for a second or two at last years RA, and the last two road atlanta's i've done. sorry the car went down on ya, but man did that thing scream when it was running! some tech i learned over the weekend: eibach springs are good for two things... 1) for looks on a lowered vehicle, and the occasional exit ramp fast exit. 2) legs for a glass top coffee table i had more body roll than i thought i would with these in conjunction with the stock shocks/struts. it made it very unnerving in a quick right-left turn at speed (T-13). these are coming off the car and are now for sale, and CHEAP too (did i mention i'd sell em CHEAP?) bilstien's and H&R's are going on hopefully this week, if not sooner. khumo ecsta 712's. wow. for the money, a great tire, IMHO. i was worried about them since the only track experience with them was wet, which was decent, and autocrossing, which inhaled with great vigor. so, RA being a super fast track, i was worried i wouldn't have anywhere near the grip i'd need. i was wrong. now mind you, i'm slow compared to everyone else so what works for me may not for others, but when these tires are screaming at you, they're working. spooked me at first, but for an overtall tire (255/45/17) in the first place, without scrubbing the sides with rollover, i liked em. if tires are low on the budget, these should fit nicely. brakes. this was my first outing on a dry track (believe it or not with dean and brian there) and hawk blue pads. being a novice i tend to be on the brakes sooner and much longer. combined with the SHM ducts and hoses, and eradispeed rotors, i had zero fade, and still have possibly another weekend on these pads. heck, i didn't even melt the dust boots on the calipers, which surprised me. i can't say enough about the eradispeed solid front rotors. blues can be rough on a rotor, and the grooves i did have were very light. the drive home on street pads cleaned them up. something else of note on brakes, if you don't have stainless lines, get em. and, if you feel like dropping the money (like i did out of paranoia over the brembo hat issue) get a set of solid eradispeed fronts. i have a feeling i've already gotten my money back on them in not having to buy another set of rotors already. lastly, two things. 1) RA has a new name for corner 14--"Kevin's Corner" 2) Brian Groth is actually pretty durn fast....LMAO steve life is too short to miss Road America events.... (sorry tom LOL) PS, darius rudis has pics up on his site, www.dariusrudis.com {edit} as a sidenote, i grilled, and nothing exploded....LMAO! {/edit} __________________ internet redneck.. 1999 Black Coupe Maximum Motorsports Kenny Brown IRS'd hybrid

09-12-2002, 09:51 AM	#9
b_tone Registered User Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 162	Darius now has two of my timed laps on video at his site at link to video I am driving in Tone #1, my father is driving in Tone #2. enjoy

09-12-2002, 02:39 PM	#11
b_tone Registered User Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 162	Tom, 10-12 seconds seems like quite a jump from street tires to R compound's. I have seen about 6 seconds on a big track, but the jump you are talking about is huge. Were you holding back with the street tires and then just let go with the R compounds? If you want to really have a lesson in car control I have some 2-3 year old hoosiers that I can give away that I promise will be like driving on ice. Any takers? I know all about the rolling chicane. I have taken my stock street driven Focus ZX5 to a track event just to get time on the track and was put out with the big boys swinging vipers, vettes, porches ect. That was pretty interesting but enjoyable. BT

09-12-2002, 03:24 PM	#13
b_tone Registered User Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 162	You should hear the mud and snow firestones on the focus. You can tell exactly where that car is on the track just by listening. I found that street tires will tell you exactly what they are doing and give you a big warning when they let go versus the hoosiers that are there until they are gone all while not letting out any sound. Street tires can be fun..

09-12-2002, 09:08 PM	#15
bolt-on WingNuts Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Cereal City, USA Posts: 273	Hey......this is J bolt-on......just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the wonderful weekend!!!!!!!! It was great being with all of the fun people..........thanks for letting us be a part of your group. It was a thrill for me to drive the "powder puff" run.....even got up to 110 on the straights.......and the last/best ride was with Kevin....thanks, even if Lisa had the best thrill on Kevin's corner. Looking forward to having more time together. Janice __________________ Larry & Janice Bolton 1997 Crystal White Cobra Coupe (open-track ride) 1965 Tropical Turquoise Mustang 2+2 (cruise night car) 1997 Rio Red GT Convertible (MCA show pony) 2007 Vista Blue California Special (her summer daily driver)

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