Best mods to make my FD a track star?
 

Hey guys,

I've made the decision to make my FD more track focused and begin racing it next year. I would really like some input on where I should be focusing my mods for the best performance gain.

Obviously proper maintenance is key, making sure everything is up to snuff, yada yada yada. I get that, and it will be in top shape or I won't be racing it...

Also, I know the best mod you can do is to improve what's in the driver's seat. I'm going to be taking a couple racing schools, and practicing my ass off, so don't worry about that.

This is pure and simple: What is the best and easiest way to shave precious seconds off my lap times?

Here is my list of mods thus far;

1993 JDM Type-R
-Apexi Intake
-HKS Cat-back
-Power FC
-Walbro fuel pump
-HKS Hypermax coil-overs
-Works lightweight rims
-Dunlop Direzza tires
-Project Mu brakes
-Koyo N-flow rad
-Samco rad hoses
-Defi oil and coolant temp and boost gauges
-fresh coolant flush, oil change, etc.
-new thermostat, fuel filter, etc.

Mods I will absolutely be doing;
-aftermarket AST
-vacuum line job
-Battery relocation to trunk

My budget is around $2500, but is flexible.

I'm leaning towards a new SMIC. Probably a CC3. Also, most likely a midpipe/downpipe combo. (I have the stock JDM DP without the pre-cat so it's not as much of a worry for me just yet) I'd also love a wideband, just to be safe.

I'm running stock twins and stock ports right now, but I don't have the budget to change that just yet...

I feel pretty well set-up reliability and handling-wise. Is there anything blatant that I'm missing out on?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

perhaps look into some aftermarket suspension/coilovers?

iv got hks coilovers and they can be pretty rough on certian stretches of road. But thats what having an FD is about, the feeling of driving a no compromise sportscar

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/making-case-rotary-powered-fd-fix-806104/

read the first post at a minimum and install a water AI system...

https://www.rx7club.com/suspension-wheels-tires-brakes-20/howard-colemans-fd-chassis-setup-723617/

setup.

howard

He has HKS coilovers also.

I agree with Howard, AI is an excellent investment. I would also go with a front mount over a SMIC. They're so cheap, and no heat soak to be had. Even after those 2 items in addition to what you already planned, you should still have like $1000 to spend. With that- Downpipe/midpipe/boost controller? And you would still have some cash left over. :nod:

R compound tires.

^What he said.

More power won't help you have as much as grip. Tires is THE best mod you can do for lapping. Also as everyone has stated keeping these cars cool is the first priority!

The driver mod, keep going to track days no matter what setup you have and you'll improve times substantially. Then go get some go fast mods after youre more familiar with the car.

Best track mod would probably be the driver mod. Track time and a professional driving school, if applicable.

I think it's safe to say that if the driver is no good then it doesn't matter what the car is capable of.

DEFINITELY go AI, as stated. :icon_tup: Also, I'd recommend getting rid of the AST all together...One of the best things I ever did! :D

Oh yeah, and I LOVE my Nitto NT 555Rs. I get very good traction, even with 500+RWHP. :)

Ditch the Walbro....

^ Definitely good advice...Get that thing outta there. Go with either an RP fuel pump or Supra pump. :icon_tup:

Isnt the RP pump a rebranded Denso/Supra pump?

I dont see sway bars on your mod list, thats a good area to start at. I recommend the RB sway bar package with the front swar bar reinforcement mount

Another good mod to have done to the car is a 1.5 way LSD.
They induce a slight amount of understeer, which depends on the aggressiveness as to how it is setup, but offer way more grip to the rear wheels.
You can always adjust the suspension and tire pressure to counteract any unwanted understeer.
Depending on how aggressive its setup, they can be a bit noisy with the popping, clunking and groaning.

But what you are planning on doing first like the AST, vacuum hose job, and batter relocation is a great place to start.
As for the vacuum lines, i recommend that you take the time to test each and every single solenoid first and replace as necessary. While each solenoid is in the area of around $60 each and the wastegate and pre-control solenoid is $120, its always a good idea to make sure your sequential system is in good health.

I tested all my solenoids because I had irregular boost issues(too little boost from secondary) i decided to test all my solenoids and i found that my wastegate and pre-control solenoid was sticking when it gets hot. $120 from Ray Crowe and now my boost hits harder than ever.
But i have yet to replace all the rubber vacuum lines for silicone since mine are still quite pliable since i bought my FD with 46k miles, unmolested and gently used. Bought from an elder gentleman

Oh, is it? If it is that's news to me! :P Learn something new every day. :lol:

listen to howard colemen haha.... But my advice would be. Get a Nice quality Bucket seat and some adjustable coils for suspension

+1 on all this, any small reliability mods you can do to make sure your cars running well, and wont have any issues on track are important. After that, its a never ending list of things that you could do to make your car "better"(faster), and multiple ways of upgrading each area. Its never ending...

seat time with good tires.

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=723617

/thread

I would *not* recommend just jumping to R Compound tires. They can be very unforgiving at the limit, which with new drivers can be disastrous.

Scrub and I have tracked our FDs a number of times this year with much success, at least as far as I measure it :). He's running Dunlop Direzza Star Specs, and I have the Yokohama AD08s. Both top tier street tires with phenomenal grip...... on a recent track day with the Viper Club down at NJ MS park, my AD08s combined with the new Zeal coilovers had me wishing I had harnesses installed in the car. I was coming out of my Spirit-R Recaros on tight turns, there was that much grip. I also was running neck and neck with a newer Viper with Moton coilovers and wide (345mm rears) Michelin PS Cup road race rubber. He was a bit..... surprised at my skinny street tires and tiny engine :D

I agree that the Walbro has a poor reputation, and the 'competition' fuel pump offered by RP/rx7.com is reported to support up to 500 rwhp. Gaby Stern, a top microtech tuner relayed this a friend of mine during a tuning session. Based on this it's something better than the standard supra tt pump, and should be a viable option.

Lot of good suggestions here. I do agree that making more power is not the answer. Learn how to push the car to the limits then upgrades on those. By this I mean the suspension and tires. Then you can put a bit of more power down.

I agree on focusing on reliability, good tires and upgrading mostly the suspension. AI should be at the top of the reliability list. After you install the oil temp gauge you may keep an eye on the temps (log if possible) to see if upgrading the oil coolers is in your future. The engine utilizes oil as a major cooling resource. You really have a good start on the car, after you start tracking it you will have a better idea of items that need addressed.

One thing that kind of surprised me was on the track day I mentioned earlier it was 100+ degrees on track, and my oil temps never got past 200 while lapping. Refurbished OEM R1 coolers, 99 spec bumper, R-Magic ducts, fresh Idemitsu 20w50 full synthetic.

Water temps are another thing though. Morning sessions I was able to stay around 102, but once it heated up in the afternoon and I was pushing the car more b/c of familiarity with the track, I couldn't make it more than 6-7 laps, about half the session. This was shutting down at 105C, that's about the extent of my comfort level. Blitz FMIC (doh), Fluidyne rad, 1.3 bar cap, 50/50 mix water to coolant, deleted AST, p/s, a/c.

Plan is to run 70/30 mix, and plug some gaps to better push air directly through the rad core. I should probably turn the boost down too, I think I saw ~17 psi on the main straight :D

Oh, and without my water injection I'm pretty sure my problems would have been much, much worse :lol:

Yank all of the turbo parts, IC, controls and cats. Pull the motor and P-port it. While your doing that project, go get a used Miata and drive the hell out of it until you can stick w/ the Vettes even though they blow you away on the straights. By the time you get the P-port built, you should have enough track experience to know how to keep the revs up to where you are always in the power band of the P-port. And wear a helmet. Happy motoring!!

EDIT: Oh, and Tien coilovers and 17 x 8 R compound tires.

I know it might be stretching your budget but you should consider a vmount intercooler setup, there are a few "do it yourself" vmount projects that were done on the forum, 007orkman comes to mind. Do a quick search and if you are pretty handy you might be able to do it all for cheaper than a SMIC.

lol

Ok, I am just now rereading the original post in its entirety with more care than yesterday. I did not notice till now that you had yet to upgrade the intercooler and you are without a wideband. Along with the AI, I would address both of those other two points very quickly. Don't even track the car w/o replacing the IC. Air intake temps will rocket skywards in a flash... Stock mounts are good setups if you duct them properly. Ducting is really the key when it comes to those. The v-mount is the best of both worlds but if you cannot shell out the cash or make a custom one yourself, the smic is next best.

Why relocate the battery if you do not have to? If you can leave it where it is with the IC you choose do so. If not, then go ahead and relocate it. Really I say that just because why spend $200+ in parts and a whole day doing something that is unnecessary? It is not difficult just very time consuming and you will need to make a secure mount for the battery that will be track approved.

Goodfella, that is really cool to know about the oil temps. I am not as lucky as you and the op and only had the single oil cooler and am still rockin the 93 front bumper. Oil temps were just recently on my mind since I just addressed this issue on my car.

Do the AI
look into some traction kits to beef up your suspension
upgrade tires
tune the car
take some professional driving classes

I didn't see a seat and harnesses on the list.

Driving an FD fast is much easier when you are strapped solidly into a seat that will keep you in place.

Then the steering wheel becomes simply the device you turn with, rather than something to hold onto to keep you in your seat.

[QUOTE=GoodfellaFD3S;10207570]I would *not* recommend just jumping to R Compound tires. They can be very unforgiving at the limit, which with new drivers can be disastrous.QUOTE]

I'd have to respectfully disagree with that advise.
Get Hoosier R6 tires. I started with Hoosier my first track day (and have done 42 seperate track days total) and I am so glad I did. The grip they have will save you from yourself (your own stupidity) when you go into a corner way to hot or you miss the apex. They will be the ONLY thing keeping you from spinning the car off track or into another car.
One thing to remember when on race compond tires........do AT LEAST one full warm up lap if not two. If you don't bring the tires up to working temp before you get on the throttle hard coming out of a turn, you will spin out for sure.

Bilstein coilovers made adjustable.
SS brake lines
Hawk black pads
Motul 600 brake fluid
Wheel bearings
Roll bar (at a minimum)
Rollcage
Helmet
Racesuit
HANS Device

Remember to look as far ahead as you can. You should be looking out the top half of the windshield.
Find reference points to start your 'turn in' and end your 'track out'.
Check all gauges when you are on a straight away. A quick glance might just save you from an overheating motor or running lean situation.

I'll be blunt. To be a track "star" and actually succeed in a competitive racing class, you need the following:
1) exceedingly good driving skills. Pro driving schools, track days, and just plain seat time at the track is the only way to get there.
2) A robust knowledge of the tracks you'll race on
3) A full knowledge of the class that you will race in and carefully prepare the car for that specific classification.

I see the discussion is going on about part three, and that's fine because the suggestions are leading toward a track durable and high performing car. But we can't really assist with this part of the question until you clarify your plans and permitted changes. To fix part 1 and 2, I suggest buying a tamer car that's already set up for road racing (Spec Miata FTW) and run several set of r-comps tires to the cord with it. Run all of the tracks that your competitive class will compete on if possible. Autocross when you can't make it to a track day. If you don't have significant driving experience you won't have a chance at properly tuning your RX-7.

If by track star you mean a track-capable street car, just read Howard Coleman's past postings. He's described the process and compromises as well as anyone. You might be competitive in time trial classes and it's a load of fun.

I've never tracked a car but I would make sure the diff bushings are ok and/or replace them with those nylon units. Too much movement back there will change your alignment while cornering. I would also replace the rear pillow balls. They start getting loose around 60,000 miles. Your rear end will fell brand new again I promise. ;)

i asume your car is all stock

for your budget focuse on suspension and brakes

here is my list

coilovers Tein Super Race Coilovers comes with Tein EDFC
http://www.tein.com/products/super_racing.html

sway bars

strut bars

diff bushings and motor mounts------ RP Complete Traction Kit
http://rx7.com/store/rx7/fdsuspension.html

hawk pads

Bönez Brake Upgrade - X-Drilled Rotors

RP Stainless Steel D.O.T. Lines
http://rx7.com/store/rx7/fdbrakes.html

methanol injection

intercooler - blitz

850cc injectors in primary rail aromotive FRP

power fc

15psi tune


1993 JDM Type-R

-Apexi Intake----->>> HKS
-HKS Cat-back
-Power FC
-Walbro fuel pump----- Supra pump will do or bosch 044 walbro pump is ass
-Works lightweight rims----not realy for racing ------ Enkei Racing RPF1 17x9f 17x9r 255/40 tire
-Dunlop Direzza tires--------No---- go with Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08


-Project Mu brakes ----can wait you are not making to much power or Rotora 6-PISTON Brake Kit

-Koyo N-flow rad
-Samco rad hoses
-Defi oil and coolant temp and boost gauges
-fresh coolant flush, oil change, etc.
-new thermostat, fuel filter, etc. --- steel mesh high flow fuel filter

Mods I will absolutely be doing;
-aftermarket AST------ ast delete
-vacuum line job
-Battery relocation to trunk


and you should be good to go

the brakes will need to be upgraded if running wider wheels with r compound tires, but no need to break the bank with some project mu or rotora big brake kits, just get the stock ones drilled or slotted (I don't remember which is preferable to reduce the chance of breaking) all you want to do is allow for better cooling of the brakes on track.

BOTH the direzza sport z1 star specs and the AD08s are great tires. rave reviews abound and I saw both running around the auto-x nationals courses this past week, you can't really go wrong with either. I'm choosing the dunlops.

In my last post, I forgot to mention

A 'race alignment'. It will greatly improve your cornering speeds and overall lap time. You can get about -3 degrees camber out of the (front) stock suspension.

If you drive the car on the street with a race alignment, you will cord the inside of the tire pretty quickly. I suggest having two sets of wheels. One with the track tires and a second with cheaper street tires.

Tires, R-comps or slicks.

I found a set of 1 season old Hoosier slicks for $150, gained 3s on lap times, $50/s lol

Also going from street tires to slicks, it was interesting because I actually found my car MUCH easier to handle at the limit, oversteer was very controllable and easily saved, I found that on my street tires they tended to break loose a lot faster and I'd have to be on the ball with counter-steering to save it. Might be my car's setup, but I found the slicks to be way more forgiving than my street tires

Since it's only been mentioned once - let me reinforce it - consider getting a proper roll bar, harnesses (6-pt, properly mounted) and true race seats. Accidents happen. You may also want to consider a head&neck restraint. That may eat up most of that budget.

You have more than enough car to go really fast (almost too fast) in. Focus on the maintenance items, fluids, brake pads, good air ducting in the front. Focus on keeping the driver in one piece.

R-compound tires are questionable, IMHO. I feel that when I first started doing track days (in the beginner and intermediate run groups) and ran the FD on street tires I got better feedback listening to and then starting to feel them giving way on the turns. You don't just get that with the R-comps (or at least not that much). When I bought the FC it came with R-comps and while I loved the grip, I think that it would have been better to run on street tires for at least another season or two - at least until I was a solid and *consistent* adv-intermediate driver.

Good luck,

-b

I've been exposed to lots of setups and this one is pretty much a lay up for track use.

susp:
tri point front bar
r1 rear bar
tein super R coilovers
cusco strut bar
m2 roll bar (i consider this susp because it truly stiffens car)

Engine Turbo exhaust and fuel:
Agressive street port
HKS to4e 1.06 hot side (runs on the 13lb spring)
Custom heat shield
Pettit resonated mp
RSR catback
550s 1300s and apexi or supra tt pump

Cooling:
RE V mount with custom ducting
25 row setrab oil coolers (needs proper ducting)
GTC front bumper

Wheels and Brakes:
SSR comps 275 40 17 hoos
Brembo GTs front and 99 rears with custom front brake ducts

Aero:
Mazdacomp GTC wing
Mazdacomp GTC front bumper

Interior:
Sparco evos
various gauges

drilled is preferable only sloted dont do much

Drilled is only good if your goal is to loose some rotating weight. Reducing the metal allows for faster heat up and cool down which causes cracking especially when there are holes which quickly bleed to the edge. If you're a using a fairly aggressive pad that doesn't leave much pad on the surface of the rotor then blanks are the way to fly. If you're dealing with rain or less agressive pads that could leave some pad on the rotor then slots would be preferred. The holes won't do much in terms of cooling it's the veins that get that done. Want the longest wearing rotor go as fat as possible with tons of veins but HEAVY and slow. Lightest or fastest drilled with few veins.

so what would you recommend for a modest improvement over the stock rotors to replace the stock rotors? A big brake kit, while the best performing, is well out of budget for most weekend racers, and the stock ones tend to warp when wide tires are thrown into the mix.

It's been a while since I've been on stock brakes but I'm pretty sure I used OEM blanks and I never warped a set when using hawke blues even when running 285 30 18 R compound tires and over braking from 145 consistently. I recall cracking some brembo drilled rotors in half in less than a day so don't buy those :)

Once you get up to speed or just have lots of power creating speeds over 130 consistently on the straights you'll need oem blanks with hawke blues or DT 70s. You need a very VERY aggressive pad that will eat the rotors and not melt because reaching those speeds constistently lap after lap will cause the pads to wear very fast and you'll melt even hawke blues in a weekend.

So with that said you'll probably spend less buying some stop techs at 2k and replacing the pads every 3 or 4 weekends and the rotors every 10 versus replacing both stock pads and rotors possibly every weekend. Once you have some good brake ducting in place you will pretty much double or even triple the life of both pads and rotors which is actually a very important brake mod that shouldn't be over looked.

Typically it takes most folks that get bitten by the track bug about 10 consecutive events (done in a 2 year period or less) to start driving at a decent speed and until then you could very well be fine with HP plus pads and stock rotors.

I could go on..........

please do actually, I'm hoping to make my car a bit of a track whore starting next summer which is why this thread caught my attention.

my mistake you are right.... to make up for it i got it streight this time :icon_tup:

A drilled rotor has less metal content than a slotted rotor. The holes in the rotor help to get rid of excess water in the rotor when driving in the rain. When less metal is used in the construction of a rotor, it has less stopping power than a rotor with more metal content in its construction. Slotted rotors have more metal than a drilled rotor. Slotted rotors are more efficient at moving water away from the rotor when it rains. Slots also help to keep your brake pads clear of debris.

A slotted rotor has approximately twice the life of a stock rotor. The design of the slotted rotor does this by expelling excess heat out of the slots even during excessive braking. This cuts down of the wear of the rotor. When slotted rotors are used, a car will have a smoother and shorter stopping distance when braking than a drilled rotor due to its heavier weight.

Keep in mind that Fritz is also speaking from the perspective of VIR. ;) VIR is a much higher speed track than most of the ones in the Midwest. Heartland and Mid America are much slower than VIR so you don't need to go too overboard with brake kits to run good speeds. Decent ducting and track worthy pads/fluid will work just fine on the smaller tracks we have in our area even with slicks.

No. The stopping distance is directly related to the traction of the tires. If the brakes are capable of bringing the tires to the braking threshold, it's then all up to the tires to bring braking distances down.

The only thing which would effect that from a rotor stand point is if you mount the caliper further out on the radius of the rotor. This can increase braking torque, but still the stopping distance is based on the tire traction as long as the brake system is working properly.

No doubt VIRs full course is a fast track but there are enough configurations at VIR to really test a fairly wide variety of braking situations. Summit point is a slower track than VIR full but it's actually harder on the brakes because you have two very heavy brake zones back to back.

Usually on smaller tracks you are using the brakes with less cooling in between each application so although you may be in the brake for shorter periods they have less time to cool. The bottomline is once you're up to speed at any track an HP plus pad won't cut it. I doubt the HP plus has enough bite for the faster autocross drivers with big slicks on. Hawke DT 60s are a good option if you don't want to tear up your rotors to bad but will offer enough stopping power at the track. PFC 97s are also a great option but a bit more expensive.

I never use Hawk pads, so I can't speak for which of those will or will not work. I'm just not a fan of them. I was more speaking about BBK's (i.e. upgrading to the Stoptech kit as you mentioned).

Again though I think it's pretty safe to say that if you're are tracking this car on a regular basis no matter what track you need a BBK. The pads and rotors will last 3 times as long so it just makes sense and you'll have a safer.

This is a car that didn't come with enough brake from the factory for road course work no matter what track you go to. However as mentioned if you're are just starting out you'll be fine for couple of years.

Pads like the old N-Tech Engineering race pads or the Carbotech XP11+ pads will last a season of tracking on most of the tracks in the Midwest with stock calipers. IMO, that's all you can ask for out of a pad. :) There are a handful of tracks (like down in Texas) which can chew up pads, but for the most part it's not a problem. Been there, done that. I respect your opinion on VIR as you live there. However, I don't think you frequent the Midwest tracks all that much. ;)

wow you guys are hard on your brakes! Granted I've only been tracking my car for 2 seasons now running only Hawk HPS pads and had no problems at all at Calabogie or Shannonville up here in Ontario.

If you're going out there just to have fun and are still learning there's no point in going that hard core right away. Start with a mild performance pad that will last longer. Once you find that they aren't enough then move up the ladder.

A smoother line will help you to save your brakes and you will be just as fast.