A quick vid from Nelson Ledges Road Course.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l5S7VAI-z4

Camera car, my V6 powered FC. Limited by my racing class to 185 rwhp and 2850lbs.

 

what for a v6?

 

ANy reason why the F430 Challenge was slower than usual?

 

your car is sweet...we need to meet up sometime. i also live in columbus

 

could you share some info about your car, suspension, tires, engine .

 

He was running pretty quick and consistent. But both the Ferrari and my car were not optimized for a track as rough as Nelson

I'll be at Mid Ohio for the NASA event in July, stop by and check out some racing. Better yet, sign up and drive on one of the best road courses in the US

1998 GM 3.8 90 degree V6 detuned to 185rwhp
2850lbs. including driver, fuel, and 220lbs. of ballast
225/45/17 BFG R1s
Stance coilovers 10k front 8k rear springs
1 1/8" front sway bar, no rear bar

 

Any particular reason you chose to de tune a v6 as opposed to going w/another motor? Perhaps one that's lighter, offers better weight distribution, or is easier to mount? I mean you can make 185whp w/ anything

 

I mean 185rwhp... that's a stock T2 with a downpipe

 

did they chop the F430 engine in half for this challenge? it should have 2.5 times the horsepower you do yet you were pulling on them in the straights, that should not happen... gotta love pansy *** rich people who can't drive.

the F430 challenge cars also weigh less than your 2850lb curb weight at 2701lbs curb weight, there's no reason they should be lagging behind unless they had governor's installed to keep the throttle from going further than 20%.

i just don't get it, unless they were instructionals.

 

That was an awesome video. I like it a lot.

 

Because class rules only dictate peak generated WHP to determine class (in very simplified terms).

So a torquey motor with a fairly flat power curve is ideal. To give you an idea, the most dominating cars in these classes are sometimes boosted cars that run high boost at low rpm but bleed it off as the RPMS rise to have a flat power curve...

 

interesting. 180hp flat from 2000RPM to 8000RPM would be significantly faster than 160 at 3000 growing to 185hp at 8000

 

Yep. Instant torque too.

 

Why don't you just come out and say you prefer rotaries. I like them too, but for what I do the V6 offers many advantages. The car is better balanced with the V6, lower center of gravity too. It has loads of torque and is ridiculously reliable.



We were both running laps averaging over 90mph. Look closer he was putting buslengths on me in the straights. He may be rich but he wasn't being a pansy. It takes ***** to hustle a car around Nelson Ledges, some drivers refuse to race there claiming it's too dangerous.

 

^That track looks brutally rough. You can tell in the video the whole car is bouncing.

 

While, I do that was not my point (if it was I would have said so). I was just curious as to what benifits could be retained by underutilizing a heavier engine, as opposed to lighter one. I was thinking more along the lines of a 4cyl or 4cyl turbo actually since you certainly don't need 6cyl for 185hp. You answered my question.


Well if the track is that much of a beast that it made those 2 cars look remotely equal then my hat goes off to you sir!

 

Definitely... there were some straights that he was becoming a speck.... he definitely let you by; but still, nice racing; good lines and good throttle control; that track looks freaking terrifyingly rough.

 

Yeah except that you spend your entire time above 5000rpm regardless of the engine...5hp at the top will make the difference.

185 flat from 5000-8000 is the ideal situation, but really only possible with electronically controlled forced induction...

 

My curve is pretty flat but stops just past 5000rpm

I'm as jealous of your guy's RPMs as you might be of my torque.

 

I've been keeping an eye out for a V6/6speed out of a 2011 mustang...that would be a nice swap...and before long they will be EVERYWHERE in wrecking yards/ebay/craigslists...

 

Hmm that is a low redline...That's TDI territory!