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Thanks Ben - I gotta tell you it hurts a little bit seeing your intercooler cut up there and mismatched hot to cold side for now.
We'll get it cleaned up and looking sharp once everything's back in the engine bay. I have this dream of doing a Mardikian Twins Turbo or Logan Defined style intercooler overthetop ducting mated up to the hood - I'd be saying mismatched endanks what?! We'll see
You mentioned possibly wanting to reuse the custom twin turbo piping. I don't have the full endtank but will need to match up what I have in stock. I can pull that together and PM you if you're interested and have a customer interested in a similar IC setup. I have the Racing Suction kit that matched it up perfectly too
Yea, mil-spec stuff is no joke. Tried my hand pitching in on making up a custom harness with my friend's endurance S2000 with a Motec C185
Concentric twisting is an artform - trying my hand at it gave me a greater appreciation for how clean my harness came out
Here's a link for the brave of us I referenced when I tried to get a better understanding on how I wanted to layout my harness before leaving it up to the pros (dig deep - takes a lot of chutzpah!) - rbracing-rsr ecu wiring guide
It feels great thought knowing you did it - such a feeling of not having to pay someone to do something for you... and then paying them again to repair it when it breaks..lol
I would just keep the old vm parts because you never know the future and youll have a vm kit that can go both ways... hahahahaha
I mean, I'm 100% biased, because I wrote and filmed the course, but High Performance Academy have pretty nice material showing a process for building harnesses to stand up to motorsport environments :-).
Sounds good Ben - let me know if anything comes up and you'd liked them
I think the TT IC piping will be sitting indefinitely - the probability of going EFR 8374 to Hitachi HT-12s, as much as I loved my full twin turbo set up, isn't exactly zero but not too far off... but strange things happen
It'll be here if you need it
Zac, that explains this beauty than. Great start, looking forward to how it comes out best of luck!
Originally Posted by ZacMan
I spend so much time on HPAcademy, the Haltech forum, or their video overviews trying to join this century (from Power FC to Elite 2500) - thank you for your contributions!
Another awesome update! Kudos on your diligent documentations
Looks like this installment is coming together quite well with some very fine harness work. When do you think it'll be up and running again?
And wow you're not kidding about that rally style seat. Impressive to say the least. Sounded like a very fun day stopping by and checking things out. Interesting you mention a helmet mod, was this to accommodate the new seat and/or interior dimension(s) and may I also ask what helmet + hans device you use? My current helmet is the Bell RS7 carbon and I'm considering purchasing the HANS III or Schroth SHR device. Any recommendations or relative experience to share?
Also, the Autoexe rear bar install looks great btw. Was there any reason you didn't have your cage extended into the rear strut pillars? My vehicle is currently at the shop and I requested that they remove my AE rear bar and incorporate the new cage into the rear pillars, etc. My impression from what I'm lead to believe is that they also plan to use this 'permanent cage/strut bar' situation to also serve as my Voltex 7.5 chassis mount. Unfortunately still waiting on Evasive for that to arrive, sad face.
Timeline is out of my hands, but we have all necessary parts from external vendors / partners for completion in order
Updated target date for completion is April 15th with my plan to head down over a few days to put some miles on the build (troubleshoot more than break in, since break ins before dyno tune aren't necessary with the I-Rotary apex seals)
Hoping to have it finished by the time the salt and sand clears up here in the northeast and just before track season 2022 starts
That trip up to HMS Motorsports is from a few years ago (apologies for the duplication, might be documented somewhere else in here now without the pictures)
Helmet mods was probably an overstatement. I have a Stilo ST5 Composite helmet, and I had brought it up to the shop to swap the communications and hydration from side to side
Rollbar mounted water bottle - not needed in the RX-7 since I wouldn't be doing endurance races and anything more than 30-minute sessions (if I am dehydrated after that, I have bigger issues!)
Picked this up for endurance racing (AER, WRL, LeMons) in a "dress for the job you want" move. Sadly wheel to wheel took the backseat when I put the FD up on jackstand hiatus
Hydration bite valve and microphone
Communications
Earmuffs for noise protection and speakers for communication
For a head & neck restraint I have a HANS Sport II. It takes some getting used to with it limiting your side to side mobility, but I got used to it after a session
For a harness, I would recommend something like my Schroth Profi II 6-poin harness that has the tapered webbing up top if you go with the HANS. It makes it a little more comfortable with less material and spill over
I also wear a nomex suit that add some material in the legs, and the slimmer sub and lap harness belts make some more room (I'll need every extra millimeter once I go with the Bride)
The new Xero has larger openings for the shoulder belts, but I didn't feel like a change in the Evo was necessary?
My chunky Clubman's on the passenger side for reference on excess material
These are both expired, so I'll be grabbing a new set for the driver side to pass tech when the time comes
I don't have a cage, just the back half 4-point Autopower. It meets SCCA and NASA's guidelines, and was one of the many purchases I made in college to get me out on track as soon as possible (not ideal by old man me standards)
Added to one of the many college budget pieces I will replace when I get my car back. I have reached out to a few local fabricators on a Docol D8 roll cage designed to meet sanctions while being tucked in as neatly and aesthetically as possible (call me crazy, but a GT3 cup cage makes me drool a little bit!)
Are you doing a custom cage or a bolt in?
Very nice with the V7.5 swan neck - I'll admit I am a recent swan neck convert after the latest P-Car Cup GT3's
What width are you going with? The RX-8 is a little thicker in the hips - I think a nice ~1700 would suit it well! Is the AoA adjustable? Is it a pivot at the element mount? Taking a look and am not seeing it.
One thing I'd recommend if you still can is add the gurney flap from the factory. I thought about it and went with a Juran rubber gurney flap and have been regretting it ever since (not on efficacy, just on aesthetics)
Keep up the great work Paul - sounds like your latest iteration is going to be a beast!
Voltex publish downforce numbers for their wings? I went looking and never found anything. Because of that, I'll probably end up running an APR GTC 300.
I couldn't find the NASA TT3 / ST3 guidelines on aero to see what rules you're up against. I can see limitations on element count or mounting points between wing types for classing, but I'd imagine the GTC300 is in the same field as my Type 2 (with or without gurney flap depending on what the rules say)
I also couldn't find anything definitive on Voltex downforce numbers, but this is nothing math and patience couldn't solve (downforce is still 1/2p * A * Cl * V^2)
I have my wing up in the rafters of my garage if you want to run some numbers - I'll bust out the TI84+
As a strictly back pocket overview, here's what I found on a quick search
Is your hesitation that you can't find numbers to support a Voltex wing's efficacy against what APR publishes?
I can confidently say if it's within your rules on wing design characteristics, Voltex has a range of options more effective than the GTC300 (a design that is long in the tooth)
There are also a lot more great wing options than just APR and Voltex these days - you'll find something that fits for sure
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 03-02-22 at 10:49 AM.
TT3/ST3 says that the wing cant stick out more than 6" past the farthest part of the body line and cant be more than 8" above the roof line.
Yea it might be a but much but if a company doesn't openly publish their information then I don't real seem like they are catering to 'our' demographic.
Nine Lives publishes their info as well as AJ Hartman. Verus Engineering does a fantastic job with theirs, but they dont have any products for the FD
APR has data on theirs, and its what led me to choose the GT-250 straight profile wing, knowing that I don't mind mounting it up high for track only use. It's about level or a little above the roof line. What I saw was, the 300 and 500 are more aggressive profiles and get draggy. I've got a nice balance now, and its not even at an aggressive angle of attack, and you wouldn't know its there otherwise.
Looks like TT3 regulations open up quite a few options for you - there's more than one way to skin the wind
I have seen a few good options over the years, weighed out my options as you are, chose the Voltex (Type 2 x 1700mm x 300mm wide x 275mm stands x Type B endplates), and have found my own success with it
With or without the downforce numbers, all I know for sure, is that this car...
...is slower than this car
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 03-03-22 at 10:52 AM.
Reason: succinct and to the point
Very cool helmet set-up! Such a worthwhile mod if you plan to spend any amount of extended time on track imo. Hope you get the chance to try it out soon. From my own searches / conversations, I'm personally leaning towards the HANS III and assumed there could be slight mobility impediment to become accustomed to. Thanks for sharing you experience. And I can't wait to see your 'shakedown' update come April / May!
I believe I ordered the same set of Schroth 6-pt harnesses (per recommendation of my shop tech) and I'm having a full cage built and welded in. Comparable quality of work to that of TC design imo.
And I couldn't agree more about how impressed I am with bolt-in cage offerings for Porsche GT cars. Do I ever wish there were more shops and customers who aim to modify their vehicles to this level of refinement. I've been geeking hard over shops like E-motion eng. and BBi for a few years now.
My 8 is getting what I consider a 'minor' widebody with the LEG Motor Sport 2018 WTAC front fenders, side skirts and rear quarter panel flares in exposed carbon, etc (I say minor because it only increases the vehicle width by 10mm on each corner but extends my overall width to 1790mm). I ordered the wet carbon (should've gone dry with this part as well) Voltex 7.5 in 1800mm and there wasn't a gurney flap option available to me but I definitely will be modifying the set-up further once we set a baseline. Per discussions with my tech, he's potentially going to make a pedestal inside the trunk for the 7.5 to mount onto. Something similar to this set-up from the SH feature below (I have a new Seibon dry trunk that we'll be cutting apart for this experiment). Fingers crossed it all works out, hoping for the best.
Headed down to the shop Thursday to pick up my remanufactured engine and check in on progress
Nothing like 73* at 4:50am to know you're in for a hot day....It was 99* heading northbound home through George Washington traffic. A few old school Euros broken down on the bridge slowed us down - in their defense, not sure how my FD would do approaching 100* in stop and go traffic for an hour
My 8N TT 225 K04 setup hated every second on the way back up from Mr. Scrubby Mcvicker's after the Baltimore Grand Prix... N51 is solid every time, though the E92 is like a fishbowl in the heat without tint where my 8N was like driving a oversized fully covered bath tub with your elbows 10" below the windows (I loved the driving position while my wife hated it)
Long story long, I will be towing the FD home versus testing stop and go traffic performance out through or around NYC
Brian did an awesome job mounting up the fire suppression and battery isolator buttons on the cowl - love how the bracket blends in perfect
Cartek XR battery isolator top, Lifeline fire suppression bottom
Will throw on the wife designed <3 vinyl (FIA approved design pictured lower left) so corner workers will know what's what
Hard to see in this picture (was too tired to notice in person until I looked at the pictures at home), but the gold engine fire suppression nozzles are mounted at 9 o'clock, 12:00, and 3:00 o'clock (gold nozzles bracketed)
Will have to check where the blue cockpit fire suppression nozzles are mounted next time I head back
Nozzles for reference - gold engine, blue interior with different spraying patterns
Items in the have but hope to never use column along with the nomex and HANS pieces
Lifeline zero 360 novec 1230 2.25kg mounted up
I don't foresee a passenger seat going back in anytime soon.... Not a bad thing since I don't have another Bride super aramid just yet to quell my FD OCD vs the Bride / Sparco combo that will drive me crazy
My 5-year old daughter keeps asking when she's getting her racecar back, she wants a pony ride! Fun explaining to her that I can's get a "baby"seat in their safely for her, or that she's too small for a 6-point harness in a fixed bucket. Riding in my FD without AC is overrated anyway
Haltech brains and supporting accessories mounted and getting sorted
I believe we are pulling in the very talented Costas to get mounting up the AiM MXG over the line in a flush / solid mount with a potential bracket similar to his beautiful PDM design
HVAC switch panel is coming together - I am loving where it's headed!
Those AiM momentary button relocations (<<< | >>> | OK | Quit) are going to be great for scrolling through the dash pages on the fly versus reaching through / around the steering wheel, or acknowledging / resetting alarms on track
Front defroster full temp full fan speed, on/off button to be configured in the blank "HVAC" spot
Factory hazard button to be moved over to blank "HAZ" spot
Haltech Elite ECU USB data pull provision to be mounted in blank "ECU" spot
Adding a USB type C phone / GoPro charger and relocated horn button for the SuperTones to the double blank space on the right (I typically have a track map on my steering wheel for visualization exercise before and between sessions anyway)
Costas did an awesome job with this VR conditioner mounting bracket - thank you sir!
Should help smooth things out for setting up boost by gear in the Elite
Might need to rework the mounting location a bit around the monster AutoExe front tower brace - we'll see
Dr. Huk's exhaust porting work finished up and looking good
Thanks Ihor for talking me through it and the show and tell on where we're at and where we're going to get this racecar back on track literally and figuratively
Original exhaust port on my engine for reference
And one more look at Mike / Rotary Science's machining work on these turned up to eleven brand new rotors
Last edited by ZumSpeedRX-7; 08-06-22 at 02:55 PM.
I don't usually lose it over cars in real life, but the Pagani Zonda R is my dream car and this was about as close as I will ever come to it. And believe it or not, I have a little bit of a love jones for carbon fiber - this thing threw me over the top live and in person and up close!
I think I hung out with this thing for about 15 minutes, circling it and taking in as much of Horacio Pagani's artwork as I could appreciate in person
If I had the means and space and arrogance to, I would hang this thing up on a large wall as a piece of art (and have another one for track duty of course)
My sister and I actually had the chance to take a walk out around the course once it went cold - surprised this was my first time doing it
Track walks are always the best - can really translate a lot of the characteristics from more of a "driver seat view" angle
This lap record will have to stand until next year
Im glad you like it RickI didn't know you were using that strut bar . If it interferes i can make the bracket longer so it clears the strut.
as for the buttons on the mxg.
my pdm dash does not have any buttons. What i am doing to simulate the same things i have wired some push buttons . If you go in the trigger commands in the racestudio3 you can set virtually any parameter you desire (in my case just push buttons) to change the pages, reset alarms, trigger warnings etc. Sof you decide to do a flush mount on the mxg and therefore the buttons will be buried you can set it up like that. My buttons are hidden but very easily accessible while on the driver seat.
as for the gt wing. I have been wanting to make a similar setup but using the 99spec mounting holes because i want to use the gt wing just on track. I did help a friend make his uprights and chassis mounts brackets so it was right in my alley. I did however come across this and it was exactly what i was looking for so it was very hard to say no to this lol
I did decide not to post my stuff anymore because some clueless c*nt calls my stuff " ALL THAT GLITTER" but i figured we know each other well enough to chime in here haha
I'd say your updates are like how Rich laid it out - like dropping nukes when you send them. Your build is too good to hide and it's a lot of custom fabricated out of your own mind creativity - myself and many others here have taken a lot of inspiration seeing it come together
Keep the great stuff coming!
Originally Posted by R-R-Rx7
I didn't know you were using that strut bar . If it interferes i can make the bracket longer so it clears the strut.
Mock up mount looks like it's going to be close and need some massaging here and there at every mount point
We'll cross that bridge when we get there - I appreciate the offer
If you go in the trigger commands in the racestudio3 you can set virtually any parameter you desire (in my case just push buttons) to change the pages, reset alarms, trigger warnings etc. Sof you decide to do a flush mount on the mxg and therefore the buttons will be buried you can set it up like that. My buttons are hidden but very easily accessible while on the driver seat.
Yea, that PDM is on a whole other level leaps and bounds ahead of my MXG v1. There's so much good stuff in RaceStudio, and I think between you Carlos Mike and I, we should be able to iron out solid track setups with all the bells whistles and alarms for the community
I picked up the remote pushbuttons interface preemptively expecting the on the dash buttons to be a PITA
I would be okay flush mounting the dash, burying the side mounted buttons in the panel
Not sure if you've been fully recruited yet - PM me and I'll get you my number and we can talk through design and priorities
You can see in the packaging where most out of the box mounts have cut outs to access the buttons
as for the gt wing. I have been be wanting to make a similar setup but using the 99spec mounting holes because i want to use the gt wing just on track
Your idea here reminds me of a design Tom / theory did. That swan neck incognito street mode is going to be killer! Not sure if you'd need it, but I am sure you could get more track rats on board to make the juice that much more worth the squeeze if you wanted to
I'll be heading back to NJ once the motor is fully done, dressed and installed - typically weekdays, but we'll have to coordinate a meet up some time
Fluff, filler, and a non-caloric glitter post - I'm taking the word Costas, if your build is glitter mine is pixie dust fodder
To all the wheels I've loved before
Going off the Apex EC-7R detailing piece, I was contemplating the wheels I've had before over my coffee and was thinking of what I'd do if I had to do it all over again or what I might do on the next shoes...
In some cases, nothing beats a stock wheel
I had worn the factory shoes as long as I could, powdercoated them and threw some stickier track tires to get the most out of them while I sorted out other safety and performance items
Summer 2003 a few months after I bought it
NHMS track day 2010
Notice anything odd in this picture...
I had a pretty solid HKS front mount intercooler with ducted Fluidyne radiator that I could never get a handle on the temp - autocross, HPDE, time trial, solid traffic. VMIC has been nothing but solid ever since.
No, this is not an invitation to rehash the neverending FMIC vs SMIC vs VMIC debate : ) I have made up my mind and moved on
Overheated out at Monticello Motorsports Club, but was fortunate to have Rich, Dan, Renna, Ambrosio, and Damari there to help patch me up to get me home
I still have this set with 225/16 Direzza's as my shop shoes (at least until I finally bump up to a proper brake system)
Monticello Motor Club 2010
I tried to sharpen my butter knife autocrosser for the 2006 SCCA Autocross Nationals at Fort Devens gun fight with shoe string college budget Sport Edition D3s on Ecsta V710's
16x7 with 225s
I picked up a set of some lightweight classic SSR Type C's from Phil Sohn that I was optimistic about tucking in 18x10.5 +43 (x all four corners)
These sadly never made it out of the garage test fit, but damn would they be cool as another set on the current setup
Heat cycled to be mounted old school by todays standards A048s - 295/265
Chronologically out of order, but saving the best for last (old news but I enjoy seeing them)
Picked these CCW Classics up from Brent Dalton after a loved life of taking a beating out on track
17x11 and 17x10 7.5" backspacing with 295/35 rear and 255/40 front
Some soda, elbow grease, a whole lot of love, and some powdercoating make these my all time favorites
If only the size was 18" and it was all a hell of a lot lighter, I'd still have them today
A custom ordered, swissed for lightweight, better offset to keep more tread planted (versus the absurd camber I need to run on the TE37's) could be a good acquisition eventually...
I can dream
Day 1
A few barrel options for front and rear sizing
Options for 17x12 17x11 or 17x10
A soda bath works wonders
120 bolts was a lot fun assembling every time
Powdercoated bengal black outer and inner barrels, and black magic centers - I'm unimaginative and love some all black, so would do that finish again
Cleaning them was about as painful as the EC-7R's, but worth it when they were shiny
Like I said, fluff non-update, but I guess this is sometimes what happens when you have to stay inside with a sick kid
02-28-22, 10:16 AM
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