Just got a reply from David - all is well.... thx

 

I have to say that this is the best thread I've read on any forum anywhere! Just wow! I'm moving from the Miata community (had a supercharged then turbo'd NB) to the FD. Been doing all the reading I can.

One thing that surprised me is that there are relatively few 4 wheel big brake upgrades for the FD. Most seem to be fronts. Though I've seen Racing Brakes 4 wheel kit. Are the rears good enough to balance well with the increased braking power up front? (never mind just found Coleman's FD New Brake Options thread...)

Love the real world data too! Keep it up guys.

 

Howard(or anyone else that knows),

Howard talks about 2 sets of bushings he would replace: 1 set is the diff bushings, and the other one he refers to as the lower longitudinal link.

Can you point out which are the corresponding part numbers of the SuperPro Bushings? (The Diff bushings I can figure out, its the other ones I'm not sure)

From Howard's original post:

"Continuing talking hardware… There are lots of bushings in the FD. Most of them should be just left alone. I would not change any bushings in the front. In the rear there are two sets of bushings that should be changed.

The lower longitudinal link that absorbs all the braking and acceleration has a big fat rubber bushing in the front. It needs to be replaced. I really like the beautiful aluminum OEM suspension members and consequently removed the bushing and substituted a nylon item. It is also easy just to replace the link with an aftermarket item that employs a spherical bushing. If you don’t replace this bushing your wheels will be toeing in and out on acceleration and braking.

The other set of bushings are the two at the top of the differential. If you place a jack under the diff you will find it moves up almost an inch before the car starts rising. A big no no. lots of driveline chatter."

Thanks!

LCA = Lower Control Arm
UCA = Upper Control Arm

$91.00 - SPF2822K - FRONT LCA - INNER FRONT BUSHING
$91.00 - SPF2823K - FRONT LCA - INNER REAR BUSHING

$72.00 - SPF2821K - FRONT UCA - INNER FRONT BUSHING

$35.00 - SPF2370K - STEERING RACK AND PINION MOUNT BUSHING - POWER STEERING

$102.00 - SPF2678K - REAR UCA - INNER BUSHING

$131.00 SPF2679K - REAR UCA - INNER ECCENTRIC BUSHING

$64.00 - SPF2674K - DIFFERENTIAL TO CROSS MEMBER BUSHING

$38.00 - SPF2680K - REAR SHOCK DAMPER, LOWER BUSHING: OEM SHOCK ONLY

$34.00 - SPF2675K - REAR TOE CONTROL ARM - INNER BUSHING

$34.00 - SPF2676K - OUTER BUSHING

$82.00 - SPF2677K - REAR TRAILING ARM - FRONT TO CROSS MEMBER BUSHING

 

Sounds like the very last one.

 

just wanted to thank howard again, i went to a three day track session and had a blast. I finally felt comfortable for the first time in my fd now that it is set up properly. i got the h-spec alignment and set the tires and my coilovers the way he recommended. i didn't have time to order a pyrometer to measure temps but did run the htr III. they were nice tires and gripped very well. i will post pics and vids up. remember it is only my third day with the fd on track so don't rip into me about my driving skills or lack of it I lost a coolant hose that bled coolant onto my front tires causing me to spin almost into a wall. after the underwear was changed i was able to fix it to get home. i didn't make it back for the sunday time attack session. there were lots of carnage this weekend. over ten cars into the walls. i was lucky not to be the 11th. kevin

 

Seems like a lot of folks running out of talent.

No kidding.

Which coolant hose was the problem? Throttle body?

 

friday, i lost the heater hose. split down the middle but the car never lost control. saturday, a hose split that was capped off. it use to go to the old twins. that one almost put me in the wall. i was driving and wham, it was gone. no notice. the car looked like it was engulfed in flames with all the smoke from the coolant. k vn

 

it's always a struggle to post pics for me on the forum but here is a link to some pics of my car on track. once i find the software for my camcorder for my mac i will post a vid also.

 

 

 

fd3virgin
Nice pics! I really like that rear wing!

Off topic, but what size gauges do you have in the dual pod?

Please upload some more vids

 

Could we get some input on coilovers with independent rebound and compression settings vs. rebound and compression in one ****. In your experience, how did the settings for each perform on the shock dyno with the Teins? Were they a good compromise? Or could there be a benefit/advantage to having seperate adjustable settings?

 

wow, very informative and helpful thread!!! stickied for later!! Thanks howard!

 

fd3virgin

Very sharp track beast.

 

This one ^

 

Was this on Summit Shenandoah?

Dave

 

FD3Virgin you were very lucky race cars don't use coolant because the same problem you had once it hits the tires you can't stop. BTW your car looks great!

 

yes, it was at summitt point. once i figure out my stupid computer i will post a vid on youtube. my car didn't want to stop on the coolant either, it just spun till it stopped

 

Thanks for the confirmation, dgeesaman!

 

Hey Howard,
I got some tire temp for you.

cold tire pressure was 32psi front and 31psi rear

hot tire pressure was 37psi front and 35psi rear
LF RF
out, mid, in in, mid, out
120,135,123 139, 147,124
LR RR
out, mid, in in, mid, out
120,133,128 142,148,124

after dropping hot tire pressure down to 32psi front and 30psi rear

LF RF
out, mid, in in, mid, out
133,150,140 130, 138,124
LR RR
out, mid, in in, mid, out
134,141,135 155,146,128

The track is mostly left turn so right side will show slightly higher temp than the left.

Also, I guess I need to put rear sway bar in my car. I was told that my front tire was about 8" off the ground when coming out of a turn. LR must be taken a load of weight transfer.

Let me know what you think of these numbers. I know they are a little low, I did half of a cool down lap before making any measurements.

 

Does anybody have experience with these coilovers?

Mazda RX-7 Gen 3 shocks $3,125.00

The Ohlins MASRX7HAK HA (height adjustable) shock package is a direct bolt in (plug and play) replacement of OEM shocks for the Mazda RX-7 3rd Generation (FD3S Chassis Code). Ohlins shocks will give you the suspension control needed for spirited road driving, Auto-x and track day use. This shocks package includes Front springs, Rear springs, mono-ball camber plates, steel bodies, and 25 clicks of (rebound)adjustment. A perfect upgrade for serious auto crossing and track day use.

Model: MAS RX7HAK
Manufactured by: Öhlins

 

i was gonna say is that celcius? i think to get good numbers you need to skip the cool down, and do the temp testing in the hot pits.

we usually do 3-5laps, take temps, and send the car out for the rest of the session.

 

I didn't think those numbers were valid. I got some new data today. I ran two sessions with 4 hot laps each and measured the tire temp immediately afterwards.

tire cold pressure was 29 front and 28 rear:

Here're the results:
1st session. I didn't drive too hard in this session since I was still testing my brakes after yesterday's incident.

Tire temperature was measured with Longacre, Accutech memory Pyrometer:

LF RF
out mid in in mid out
135 143 140 130 149 141
LR RR
out mid in in mid out
142 154 150 164 152 140

2nd session. I also dropped 1psi in the RR and .5psi in the RF. I was racing against the GT3RS with Perreli slicks so I was going full force in this session.

LF RF
out mid in in mid out
148 163 154 153 158 147
LR RR
out mid in in mid out
148 153 151 168 161 154


On a side note.
Here're the changes I did since the last event. Upgraded from Hoosiers R3S04 slicks to yokohamas Advan slicks, replaced all bushings, changed alignment.
I ran approximately 5 secs faster this time than the last event so the changes I did definately made a huge difference. The great thing was I finally beat the GT3RS by a good 3 secs per lap.

I'm planning to add a rear sway bar to help minimize lifting the front wheel coming out of a turn. I'm sure it will add more oversteer so I'll keep logging for more data

 

i think we'd still drop .5-1 psi on the fronts, but those temps look pretty even.

those temps seem cold, whats the recommended temp range for those tires?

whats the ambient temp? track temp? we ran thunderhill a couple weekends ago, about 95F track was 128f in the afternoon, tires were 190-210f, which is a little hot...

i made a little spreadsheet so we dont have to remember anything.

 

More word on these. They come fitted with 11 kg springs F/R, but can be reset w/ 9 F 7R