Papercup's RX-7
Discussion
I've owned this beast for two years, so i guess it about time i threw something up on here. I still have no plans to sell it; it still awes and scares me in equal measure and i honestly couldn't think what i'd replace it with.
Now running 420 horses at the flywheel but weighing less than most hatchbacks (1230kgs with a full tank of fuel), its an absolute weapon on track, and eats almost everything it meets.
I bought it to use it; hence its been tracked and raced, as well as used on the road.
It will be familiar to many of you; its been to several PH meets (Run to the Coast in 2007 & Sunday Service at Wadhurst in 2008), lots of Goodwood Breakfast Clubs (including the Jap one in November 2008 where it was one of the 'start/finish straight' cars), two Fighting Torques and one FB5K run (Millau, April 2007).
I looked for one for a while and when i finally found it i bit the guy's hand off; the standard of work and care he had put into it was exceptional. It was the tidiest i'd seen; any of the pics with 'New Era' on them are from the original advert. The tailgate is Re-Amemiya and is made from carbon fibre. It was £2000!
Since then its been a rolling project; every time it needs something it gets a better or stronger one. Hence the single plate Exedy clutch (weedy) got changed for a twin-plate OS Giken when the former died after Fighting Torque 2007 (during the timed run at Brighton Speed Trials 2007, unfortunately
).
The turbo, which popped at Rockingham in October 2007, was rebuilt with a larger wheel inside. It went from 402hp at the flywheel to 420.
The standard brakes, being weedy and not up to track use, were changed for the APs, which are stunning when combined with Pagid pads.
Water injection was fitted for safety's sake (it is not mapped with the water).
The original intercooler was fine but was mounted vertically at the front, with the radiator behind. This worked OK on the road but led to gradually increasing water temperatures on track. I'd do 3 fast laps then have to do a slow one. Not ideal; hence the WGT V-Mount set-up which is fantastic. Now the water temps never get above 85 and the intake temps hang around the twenties when under hard use.
You'll notice the wheels change, but i still own both pairs. In fact, i picked up a cheap third set (the Volks, being new and imported from Japan, were not cheap!) recently to help with the racing; its nice to not have to change tyres all the time . The Volks change the look of the car completely. They are now the 'road wheels' with noirmal tyres on while the BBS and the Work wheels have differing track tyres on. The Volks are too nice to change the tyres on all the time; they are utterly spotless. I bought them after i got the APs and realised that, with the BBS on, you couldn't see the brakes at all!
The original coilovers (Tein HA) were replaced this year by the newer version of them, Tein Mono Flex. Coupled with a full geometry set-up by Wheels in Motion (highly recommended) and a full powerflex bush kit the amount adjustability in the chassis is nothing short of breathtaking. You can go into a corner and, with a little throttle, push the front wide. More throttle and the back starts to squirm, then let go. Balance it and you can hold a perfect four wheel drift. Stunning. I hired a Caterham R400 from BaT at Donington and thats the only thing i've driven that has that level of precision and control, that much playfulness in the chassis.
Some amazing memories:
Anyway, time for some pictures
There you have it. At present, all tucked away in the garage, waiting for this years' Sprinting season, and whatever else the year may bring
cheers
Andy
Now running 420 horses at the flywheel but weighing less than most hatchbacks (1230kgs with a full tank of fuel), its an absolute weapon on track, and eats almost everything it meets.
I bought it to use it; hence its been tracked and raced, as well as used on the road.
It will be familiar to many of you; its been to several PH meets (Run to the Coast in 2007 & Sunday Service at Wadhurst in 2008), lots of Goodwood Breakfast Clubs (including the Jap one in November 2008 where it was one of the 'start/finish straight' cars), two Fighting Torques and one FB5K run (Millau, April 2007).
I looked for one for a while and when i finally found it i bit the guy's hand off; the standard of work and care he had put into it was exceptional. It was the tidiest i'd seen; any of the pics with 'New Era' on them are from the original advert. The tailgate is Re-Amemiya and is made from carbon fibre. It was £2000!
Since then its been a rolling project; every time it needs something it gets a better or stronger one. Hence the single plate Exedy clutch (weedy) got changed for a twin-plate OS Giken when the former died after Fighting Torque 2007 (during the timed run at Brighton Speed Trials 2007, unfortunately
). The turbo, which popped at Rockingham in October 2007, was rebuilt with a larger wheel inside. It went from 402hp at the flywheel to 420.
The standard brakes, being weedy and not up to track use, were changed for the APs, which are stunning when combined with Pagid pads.
Water injection was fitted for safety's sake (it is not mapped with the water).
The original intercooler was fine but was mounted vertically at the front, with the radiator behind. This worked OK on the road but led to gradually increasing water temperatures on track. I'd do 3 fast laps then have to do a slow one. Not ideal; hence the WGT V-Mount set-up which is fantastic. Now the water temps never get above 85 and the intake temps hang around the twenties when under hard use.
You'll notice the wheels change, but i still own both pairs. In fact, i picked up a cheap third set (the Volks, being new and imported from Japan, were not cheap!) recently to help with the racing; its nice to not have to change tyres all the time . The Volks change the look of the car completely. They are now the 'road wheels' with noirmal tyres on while the BBS and the Work wheels have differing track tyres on. The Volks are too nice to change the tyres on all the time; they are utterly spotless. I bought them after i got the APs and realised that, with the BBS on, you couldn't see the brakes at all!
The original coilovers (Tein HA) were replaced this year by the newer version of them, Tein Mono Flex. Coupled with a full geometry set-up by Wheels in Motion (highly recommended) and a full powerflex bush kit the amount adjustability in the chassis is nothing short of breathtaking. You can go into a corner and, with a little throttle, push the front wide. More throttle and the back starts to squirm, then let go. Balance it and you can hold a perfect four wheel drift. Stunning. I hired a Caterham R400 from BaT at Donington and thats the only thing i've driven that has that level of precision and control, that much playfulness in the chassis.
Some amazing memories:
- Snetterton, 2007; coming onto the back straight round the outside of an F40 then matching it so utterly for the entire straight that i could have reached out and adjusted his wing mirror for him!
- A 'meet at Guildford Cathedral' before a BreakFast Club in 2007 when i had a Murcielago in front (lime green one) and an Enzo behind (red, of course). Later on it was an older Ferrari in front (348?), then the Murci, then me, then a T350 TVR all going for it; no-one else kept up.
- Rockingham, October 2007. Sticking on the tail of a lunatic in an R500 Caterham, watching him slide on the way into a corner, slide round it, then slide all the way out. Then pull away on the straight! (Which doesn't happen often, believe me). I'd catch him on the brakes each corner, then gain slightly mid-corner, then he'd clear off again.
- Goodwood, August 2008. Brighton & Hove Motor Club (of which i am a member) Sprint. After a wet practice and damp first timed run, the sun came out. I got fastest time of the day as well as winning my class. Two trophies, and i'd have had three if there wasn't some daft rule about me not being allowed to win them all!
- Castle Combe, October 2008. A fantastic tussle for a whole session with a Series 1 Elise with a supercharged Type R engine. Stopped for a chat afterwards, then did it again!
Anyway, time for some pictures
| Goodwood Breakfast Club, sometime in 2007 |
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| Fighting Torque 2007 |
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| Brighton Speed Trials 2007 |
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| FB5K Millau Bridge Tour 2008; this is at the top of Mont Ventoux |
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| Fighting Torque 2008 |
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| Brighton Speed Trials 2008 |
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| Six-pot APs & Tein Mono Flex coilovers | Recaro SPG seats and Sabelt harnesses |
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| Mazdaspeed carbon gear lever | Racing Beat twin tailcan |
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| Cusco Cage, Water Injection, Lightweight Battery | HKS T04E bored out for larger compressor wheel |
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| Re-Amemiya carbon fibre tailgate & Knightsports rear wing | WGT Engineering V-Mount Intercooler & Radiator |
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 |
There you have it. At present, all tucked away in the garage, waiting for this years' Sprinting season, and whatever else the year may bring
cheers
Andy
Edited by papercup on Tuesday 16th February 23:27
HighOctane91 said:
hugh_ said:
Any plans to go back to Lydden? I'll pop down for a gander if you do because that looks stunning. I found Lydden superb in the BEC Fury, does the Rex get on ok on what is ultimately quite a small, slow circuit?
Theres some trackdays coming up at Lydden, if he's taking the RX-7 I'll pop down there.I'll post here when i know my plans.
HighOctane91 said:
papercup said:
HighOctane91 said:
hugh_ said:
Any plans to go back to Lydden? I'll pop down for a gander if you do because that looks stunning. I found Lydden superb in the BEC Fury, does the Rex get on ok on what is ultimately quite a small, slow circuit?
Theres some trackdays coming up at Lydden, if he's taking the RX-7 I'll pop down there.I'll post here when i know my plans.
Car not ready right now anyway, still being prepped for the year. Just had the Tein EDFC kit fitted; i can now control the dampers with a little electronic push button doohicky; very nerdy
Also has gearbox rebuilt (was getting very noisy; bearings) and a few other bits and bobs.
Next it gets geometry setup and i want to get an MSA log book this year as well. First outing is probably that Lydden sprint.
Andy
jaik said:
Watching you effortlessly blitz past me and then Darren before screaming off round a bend in a blur of rotary Japanese fury was one of the highlights of the Millau tour and a real lasting memory for me I hope that fuse is behaving itself
Hi Mate I hope that fuse is behaving itself Nice to hear from you.That fuse was the damnedest thing in the end. It turns out its had a few intercoolers and a fair bit of the front panel removed to accommodate them over the years. Someone left a dirty great self tapper stuck through the front panel with the sharp end pointing inwards. The loom on a Rex goes down one inner wing, across the front panel, then back up the other wing (with bits coming in and out all the way along). So that screw had been rubbing on the loom for years and years (god knows how long, but several of the wires were exposed and corroded green , which should tell you thats its been a long while). That horrendous bumpy road on the way up that mountain was the final straw.
When we got back i went to the garage that look after it. With the key in the ignition and bonnet open we were just talking and suddenly POP the fuse goes right in front of the mechanic and smoke comes out the front bumper at the exact point. We just took the bumper off and it was plain as day; nice easy find (it had the feel of something that was going to be a sod to find in France didn't it?). Replaced several sections of wire and taped it all up; not a peep since.
How you doing; still got Celica? (was that you, or the Capp?)
Sorry, awful memory....
HighOctane91 said:
papercup said:
HighOctane91 said:
papercup said:
HighOctane91 said:
hugh_ said:
Any plans to go back to Lydden? I'll pop down for a gander if you do because that looks stunning. I found Lydden superb in the BEC Fury, does the Rex get on ok on what is ultimately quite a small, slow circuit?
Theres some trackdays coming up at Lydden, if he's taking the RX-7 I'll pop down there.I'll post here when i know my plans.
Next it gets geometry setup and i want to get an MSA log book this year as well. First outing is probably that Lydden sprint.
Andy
http://www.twmc.org.uk/allcircuit/index.html
HighOctane91 said:
papercup said:
HighOctane91 said:
papercup said:
HighOctane91 said:
papercup said:
HighOctane91 said:
hugh_ said:
Any plans to go back to Lydden? I'll pop down for a gander if you do because that looks stunning. I found Lydden superb in the BEC Fury, does the Rex get on ok on what is ultimately quite a small, slow circuit?
Theres some trackdays coming up at Lydden, if he's taking the RX-7 I'll pop down there.I'll post here when i know my plans.
Next it gets geometry setup and i want to get an MSA log book this year as well. First outing is probably that Lydden sprint.
Andy
http://www.twmc.org.uk/allcircuit/index.html
Practice @ 9, and on the half days its all over by 11.
In the last month I've had the Tein EDFC kit fitted, which allows me to electronically change the suspension from within the car. I have a +/- button for front and rear and little motors on the suspension tops. Nerd delight!
There are also three pre-sets so you can change front and rear from one extreme to the other in about 3 seconds. Clever stuff.
I'll get a few pics of this soon.
Andy
There are also three pre-sets so you can change front and rear from one extreme to the other in about 3 seconds. Clever stuff.
I'll get a few pics of this soon.
Andy
Then this years' suspension setup continues. First we corner weight it as is; the fronts are spot on left to right but the rear has a 40kg difference! I want it lower as well this year so to start I drop the ride heights to 25inches from the floor all the way round, as recommended by a guy in the states. The fronts are high; they come down by almost an inch!
Once they are all the same, with the front slightly lower than the back, we start corner weighting. After several hours of jack car up, take wheels off, change suspension height, wheels back on, lower car, find out its not right yet - its done.
Final results:
weight: 1186kg (with half a tank of fuel)
front left 299kg
front right 299kg
rear left 294kg
rear right 294kg
How spot-on is that?
Left to right balance: 50% exactly
Front to rear balance: 50.4% front, 49.6% rear
Cross (diagonal) balance: 50% exactly
This is with me not in the car; while my sprints are done alone, all trackdays end up with a passenger, as does using the car on the road mostly. So there'll be that balance in place.
This Friday its off to Wheels in Motion to get the geometry done. Similar settings to last year I think, then tweak from there after using it a few times. This year i want a little less understeer, but i do want to keep it on the 'safe' side of things.
Car is almost undriveable at the moment; with the drop in ride-height at the front its given the front wheels MONSTER camber; its hunting for ridges in the road and almost tearing the wheel out of my hand!
Andy
Once they are all the same, with the front slightly lower than the back, we start corner weighting. After several hours of jack car up, take wheels off, change suspension height, wheels back on, lower car, find out its not right yet - its done.
Final results:
weight: 1186kg (with half a tank of fuel)
front left 299kg
front right 299kg
rear left 294kg
rear right 294kg
How spot-on is that?
Left to right balance: 50% exactly
Front to rear balance: 50.4% front, 49.6% rear
Cross (diagonal) balance: 50% exactly
This is with me not in the car; while my sprints are done alone, all trackdays end up with a passenger, as does using the car on the road mostly. So there'll be that balance in place.
This Friday its off to Wheels in Motion to get the geometry done. Similar settings to last year I think, then tweak from there after using it a few times. This year i want a little less understeer, but i do want to keep it on the 'safe' side of things.
Car is almost undriveable at the moment; with the drop in ride-height at the front its given the front wheels MONSTER camber; its hunting for ridges in the road and almost tearing the wheel out of my hand!
Andy
Altrezia said:
Can you use them daily?
Yes, there are many people who use them as daily drivers. Apart from the horror stories about engine rebuilds every five minutes, they are actually a reliable car with no real issues. Altrezia said:
Can you put a baby seat in the back?
I have no idea, though i would guess not as the rear seats are utterly laughable (and some models had no rear seats, but 'storage bins' instead, with lockable lids). I'd ask on the www.mazdarotaryclub.com forum if you want advice from people who use them daily. Altrezia said:
What are these like to live with
Not bad at all. Mine's never let me down, though its hardly what you'd call a daily driver. There are many who say that they came from other jap cars and found the rex the sweetest handling of the lot. Not a surprise; it was designed as a racing car and has very good suspension design, excellent balance and weight distribution, and is significantly lighter than Skyline or Supra. With the sort of work mine has had i meet very little that can keep up over a lap of a circuit.Andy
ol' dirty said:
papercup said:
Altrezia said:
Can you use them daily?
Yes, there are many people who use them as daily drivers. Apart from the horror stories about engine rebuilds every five minutes, they are actually a reliable car with no real issues. ol' dirty said:
60k in standard trim?
How do they cope with upping the boost & other mods to fuelling?
Whats can the engine make owerwise- keeping it relitively reliable (i.e. not going to blow up after a years worth ofabuse)
It seems very hard to find an unmodified one for sale- so a little knowledge comes in handy!
Not easy to answer really, as mine isn't standard. Its far from it...How do they cope with upping the boost & other mods to fuelling?
Whats can the engine make owerwise- keeping it relitively reliable (i.e. not going to blow up after a years worth of
It seems very hard to find an unmodified one for sale- so a little knowledge comes in handy!
Two ways to go really. Sticking with standard twin turbo setup. Change ECU, pipe, air filter, turn up boost, remap. The most you'll get is 320 horse i believe. Again, i am no expert here, this is just what i have gleaned from the forum so i'd point you there for honest answers from owners. A lot of people make the turbos boost together instead of sequentially. I have no idea what the above does to reliability. Not a huge amount, i believe. Thats the funny thing with the rotary. The amount of cars that popped at between 60 and 70 thousand miles on the forum is uncanny. But it affected the daily drivers, the pampered garage queens, the used-hard part-time track cars. Its almost a time limit with this engine, not a usage limit. So you mildly tune them, still get respectable power and a fast car due to the light weight, and not really affect what is the standard cars' poor engine life.
Then there is junking the standard twins and putting in a large single turbo, like mine. Uprated fueling, bigger injectors and secondary injectors as well. Open pipe up as much as you can (gets loud!). Open ports up a little (mine has a 'street port', like most around this power - still driveable). Bigger intercooler, increased cooling (heat is the enemy of the rotary). Mine's running 420 at the flywheel and around 400 is what people generally refer to as 'safe power' for a tuned rotary. More than that and you need to start strengthening things internally.
I've had mine for two years and done a lot of trackdays and racing. Hard use. I am over 10,000 miles on this engine. There are a lot of cars running the above sort of power. A guy i know drives to the 'ring 6-9 times a year, rags it round, comes home. He is somewhere between 20 and 30 thousand miles on that engine. I have been told to expect 20-odd.
I've had very little trouble, far less than i thought i would. Having listened to all the stories I've been waiting for it to blow up the whole time i have had it, to be honest. Us rotary oners have a fatalism different to other car owners.
You have to shop so carefully. See several. I did. When i found this one i bit the guy's hand off.
Edited by papercup on Wednesday 4th March 17:31
Today: Wheels in Motion. Geometry set-up.
Last year we got it close, though initial turn-in was a little understeery. Example; Goodwood, first corner. Turn in and you'd get understeer, then grip. A little unnerving. From that point on it was great; with a little throttle you could push the front, then with yet more the rear would start to squirm, then a little more still and you'd get controllable four-wheel-drift. Heavenly. But that initial bite is what i want, without that little understeery slide beforehand.
We also wanted more caster. We ran out of adjustment last year and couldn't get it as high as we wanted it. With the lower ride height this year we are hoping for more. Caster is steering weight and feel.
I wanted to know what camber it turned up with (if you remember last week's ride height drop had given lots of negative camber) as i didn't like it. It turned out to have just over 2 degrees negative. So we want to stay under than.
We are going to concentrate on that understeer by adding some toe at the front. Last year we ran none front or rear.
I've been studying this very informative post from a guy in the states: http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=723617
I've taken bits of what he says on board. I set my ride heights to 25 inches (from floor to top of wheelarch. Other settings he suggests:
Toe in front between a 1/16 and 1/8th inch
Toe in rear zero
Camber front and rear 1.2 degrees negative
Caster equal minimal
Zero rear thrust angle.
We've only really ignored him on the caster. Tony at Wheels in Motion (WIM) doesn't really understand why he says so, and it isn't explained brilliantly. We think more caster is good.
So, my car is set as:
rear camber 2 deg negative
front camber 1.5 deg negative
rear toe zero
front toe-in zero degrees, ten minutes - equal to about a 16th of an inch
caster 6.4 degrees
As usual; WIM are excellent. A place you can go to and truly discuss in detail corner weights, balance, geometry and a place where you can ask for the tiniest change in the way a car handles and they'll know not only what you mean but how to do it. Top marks.
Got home and went for a drive around the block. Ended up staying out for a while. Car seems very sure-footed and sharp at the front. Rear grip is good under power (but as always i can unstick it easily if i am careless with the throttle).
Castle Combe tomorrrow - we'll see what its like on track
Andy
Last year we got it close, though initial turn-in was a little understeery. Example; Goodwood, first corner. Turn in and you'd get understeer, then grip. A little unnerving. From that point on it was great; with a little throttle you could push the front, then with yet more the rear would start to squirm, then a little more still and you'd get controllable four-wheel-drift. Heavenly. But that initial bite is what i want, without that little understeery slide beforehand.
We also wanted more caster. We ran out of adjustment last year and couldn't get it as high as we wanted it. With the lower ride height this year we are hoping for more. Caster is steering weight and feel.
I wanted to know what camber it turned up with (if you remember last week's ride height drop had given lots of negative camber) as i didn't like it. It turned out to have just over 2 degrees negative. So we want to stay under than.
We are going to concentrate on that understeer by adding some toe at the front. Last year we ran none front or rear.
I've been studying this very informative post from a guy in the states: http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=723617
I've taken bits of what he says on board. I set my ride heights to 25 inches (from floor to top of wheelarch. Other settings he suggests:
Toe in front between a 1/16 and 1/8th inch
Toe in rear zero
Camber front and rear 1.2 degrees negative
Caster equal minimal
Zero rear thrust angle.
We've only really ignored him on the caster. Tony at Wheels in Motion (WIM) doesn't really understand why he says so, and it isn't explained brilliantly. We think more caster is good.
So, my car is set as:
rear camber 2 deg negative
front camber 1.5 deg negative
rear toe zero
front toe-in zero degrees, ten minutes - equal to about a 16th of an inch
caster 6.4 degrees
As usual; WIM are excellent. A place you can go to and truly discuss in detail corner weights, balance, geometry and a place where you can ask for the tiniest change in the way a car handles and they'll know not only what you mean but how to do it. Top marks.
Got home and went for a drive around the block. Ended up staying out for a while. Car seems very sure-footed and sharp at the front. Rear grip is good under power (but as always i can unstick it easily if i am careless with the throttle).
Castle Combe tomorrrow - we'll see what its like on track
Andy
Edited by papercup on Tuesday 10th March 15:18
Edited by papercup on Friday 27th March 17:55
rpla102 said:
Papercup, were you up at Castle Combe on Saturday (7th)? If it was, you were looking good, we were in the RS4!!
yeah, that was me I thought....ooh, an RS4 - MUST DESTROY!!!!
You weren't holding back though; that thing handles far better than a car that heavy should. Very composed. We were wetting ourselves watching you throw it through the chicanes.
That CSL was rapid as well.....
My top battle for closeness was with the R400. I can match one in a straight line but he brakes later than me. We were neck-and neck for about two laps. Top fun.
I won't mention that black and white widebody CSR260 with the sequential gearbox....he just came past and buggered off!
Disappointing day due to the lack of traffic really.....wasn't busy at all. A good shakedown for the car after the recent suspension tweaking though, I'm happy with the handling for the sprinting season.
I am at at Brands GP circuit on Friday; looking forward to that.
Top fun at Brand Hatch on Friday; the full GP circuit. Its spoilt me; i don't think i want to drive the Indy any more!
Interesting to note that while i have tuned out the initial understeer upon turn-in, i have lost that adjustability i had on the throttle.
The car is now much more like how it was when i first got it (old suspension and unknown set-up). It has that initial bite and turn-in again, but its more edgy and is harder to catch when it goes. You still have to provoke it to do so though, so its still very 'safe'.
With the previous set-up (last year's) it would initially understeer, then grip. With a light throttle you could push the front but as you fed in more throttle the rear would squirm and finally it would truly four-wheel-drift. A wonderful feeling. That is what has gone.
Not sure which i prefer. I didn't like that understeer at first, its unnerving at turn-in. But the adjustability on the throttle was great. But that turn-in bite is now fantastic. Mmmm.
All from a drop in ride-height and a little toe-in at the front. Amazing how you can change a car's behaviour with such small things.
Worth noting that it is now so low at the front that i catch the front bumper on the ramps of my trailer, my driveway, anything else thats not flat! Its annoying, i had got used to, in the last year, being speed-bump safe. Now i am wearing the bumper away underneath! On a plus side, it does look really evil. Zooming along the M27 in the week, its amazing how people move over for it. Looking how it does, and so low, I think 'normal people' see it as a super car of some sort, and you get smiles and thumb-up, and the aforementioned moving out the way. Totally different to my daily-driver BMW...
Still running too much camber at the rear; the wear on the tyres obviously doesn't reach the outside edge. We left the camber untouched from last year (1.3 front, 2 rear) as i didn't want to change too many things at once so i truly understood the relationship between them all. So in a week or two i'll get it back to WIM to get the rear camber brough down to 1.3 to match the front. That should increase rear grip when cornering; its still very easy to unstick the rear with throttle, too easy i believe.
Andy
Interesting to note that while i have tuned out the initial understeer upon turn-in, i have lost that adjustability i had on the throttle.
The car is now much more like how it was when i first got it (old suspension and unknown set-up). It has that initial bite and turn-in again, but its more edgy and is harder to catch when it goes. You still have to provoke it to do so though, so its still very 'safe'.
With the previous set-up (last year's) it would initially understeer, then grip. With a light throttle you could push the front but as you fed in more throttle the rear would squirm and finally it would truly four-wheel-drift. A wonderful feeling. That is what has gone.
Not sure which i prefer. I didn't like that understeer at first, its unnerving at turn-in. But the adjustability on the throttle was great. But that turn-in bite is now fantastic. Mmmm.
All from a drop in ride-height and a little toe-in at the front. Amazing how you can change a car's behaviour with such small things.
Worth noting that it is now so low at the front that i catch the front bumper on the ramps of my trailer, my driveway, anything else thats not flat!
Its annoying, i had got used to, in the last year, being speed-bump safe. Now i am wearing the bumper away underneath! On a plus side, it does look really evil. Zooming along the M27 in the week, its amazing how people move over for it. Looking how it does, and so low, I think 'normal people' see it as a super car of some sort, and you get smiles and thumb-up, and the aforementioned moving out the way. Totally different to my daily-driver BMW...Still running too much camber at the rear; the wear on the tyres obviously doesn't reach the outside edge. We left the camber untouched from last year (1.3 front, 2 rear) as i didn't want to change too many things at once so i truly understood the relationship between them all. So in a week or two i'll get it back to WIM to get the rear camber brough down to 1.3 to match the front. That should increase rear grip when cornering; its still very easy to unstick the rear with throttle, too easy i believe.
Andy
declasm said:
Hey man - great thread, I love car blogs especially rx-7s.
We met at the sunday service last year and I had the other rex there. good to see your car is still going strong. I've finally got round to adding some performance to mine - getting de-catted and mapped next week.
Hi mate, yes i remember chatting with you. Good to see you've still got it and modifying sensibly. Too many people don't put enough into them and they slowly decline...hence all the munters about. Takes deep pockets though!We met at the sunday service last year and I had the other rex there. good to see your car is still going strong. I've finally got round to adding some performance to mine - getting de-catted and mapped next week.
First round of the All Circuit Sprint Championship was last weekend (not easter, the one before) and i won my class by about a second and a half from a very tidy Sierra with a normally-aspirated 2.3 YB.
As for handling...think i was wrong about the camber. I now have less at the rear (1.5 instead of 2 degrees) and i seem to have less grip. If anything its easier to drive; it 'goes' sooner and seems to be slightly easier to catch. Less nervous.
I really think i need to invest in one of the tyre temp thingies so i can check the temps across the tyre at three points when i come in.
Next round at Goodwood on the 24th
As for handling...think i was wrong about the camber. I now have less at the rear (1.5 instead of 2 degrees) and i seem to have less grip. If anything its easier to drive; it 'goes' sooner and seems to be slightly easier to catch. Less nervous.
I really think i need to invest in one of the tyre temp thingies so i can check the temps across the tyre at three points when i come in.
Next round at Goodwood on the 24th
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