Civic Type R FN2 Track Car
Discussion
Bit behind on updating this but the next part for the car was to get a second set of FN2 Enkei wheels to run some semi slick tyres for a dry track and then keep the other wheels for a wet set / road set .
Some nice second hand wheels came up for sale that were in good condition and had been resprayed in a Anthracite colour so they were ordered .
Second set of wheels .
Then tested fitted to the car .
I was thinking about some lighter wheels but that would mean getting two sets so the stock FN2 units will do for now .
Some nice second hand wheels came up for sale that were in good condition and had been resprayed in a Anthracite colour so they were ordered .
Second set of wheels .
Then tested fitted to the car .
I was thinking about some lighter wheels but that would mean getting two sets so the stock FN2 units will do for now .
DanielSan said:
I suddenly feel like I need to read this from start to finish... Had a skim through so far and it looks like a proper weapon now. If my silver car does become a car I'm going to keep for a fair while I wouldn't mins taking it down the track car route but time will tell.
Many thanks it is getting there but still have a lot of upgrades still to install on the car to get it to how i want it to be .Your silver one looks very nice and if i read it right was it Paul Wests old car ?
He is on my list to go and see to have a few bits done as i keep on hearing good things about TPW .
So at long last the car and me have had our first track day with out too many issues .
The track days was at Bedford last Friday and the last time i was on track at Goodwood 3 years ago things did not go entirely to plan
The day before the track day the cars were loaded up ready for the day .
I have spent just over a year getting the car ready and have changed lots of parts on the car so was very happy that there should not be any mechanical problems and the only week link may be the driver .
I also have only driven the car twice since buying it so there would have to be a (getting to know you) done on the drive there and on track as i did plan on driving the car the week before but work dashed that plan .
Bedford from Arundel is around a three hour drive so we set off at 3.30 AM and then 2 miles down the road this flashed up on the dash .
Sods law this would happen now but i thought i could take a look at this when we get there but not a great start .
The drive there was fine but lacked traction control and ABS but we made good time and got to Bedford and parked up and unloaded .
A few pics of the track .
The one thing i forgot to take with me was my code reader but after asking a few people and a google search a faulty ABS sensor is most of the time the problem so it looked like for the day i would be with out traction control ( no bother as i always turn this off anyway ) and no ABS mmmmmm not ideal but i should be able to manage .
At this point it started raining so the lack of ABS on a wet track with a car i don’t know was a touch unsettling but we will have to play the cards im are delt .
Next was noise testing and the car was at 87 DB so no problems .
Having a quick look around the carpark there were some lovely cars that would be out on track .
Then on to the briefing and we were ready to do a few sighting laps but spent too long faffing around so missed them .
It was then time for session one and my first time back on track in 3 years so a mix of excitement and nerves were aplenty .
The track had dried up a bit so i bolted on the AR1 tyres , set the coilovers to 15 clicks front and 5 clicks rear ,checked all the fluids and we were good to go .
After getting the tyres up to temperature and remembering the track layout i had great fun if a bit on the cautious side with very early braking and taking things easy .
Session 1.1
https://youtu.be/FW88ispmgTc
Session 1.2
https://youtu.be/2llf0q48m1E
Session Rear 1.1
https://youtu.be/MjAoWMFAIdQ
Session Rear 1.2
https://youtu.be/gkEg3X5zGks
After a cool down and coffee it was time for session two but the rain was back so i was even more cautious on the AR1 tyres . I know they would be fine as there was not loads of water but just wanted to take it ease for my first track day even tho i could have pushed a bit harder .
Session 2.1
https://youtu.be/7J5U2PRiOwY
Session 2.2
https://youtu.be/fXXzuQpXOLI
Session Rear 2.1
https://youtu.be/neVFkGflYnQ
Session Rear 2.2
https://youtu.be/-Q8vUdR6DWs
The second problem of the day was that the Go pro batteries had all died ( I have not used them in years so they are finished and need replacing ) so i could not get any more videos of the other sessions but the track was dry again after lunch and had a few more great sessions and started to get back to a respectable pace for me at least .
Apart from the ABS and traction control issue the car did not miss a beat all day only needed a small top up of oil and some fuel .
The drive home was a 4 hour affair as there was traffic but there were no issues with the car and it was a nice if long drive back .
An overview of the car below with some thoughts on what is good and what needs changing .
Handling was very natural and just to my liking with very little understeer and very little oversteer and a very crisp turn in . The coilovers felt great and the extra camber at the front and rear helped with the balance . The AR1 tyres were amazing as normal . The car needs to have a full Geo set up done and corner weighting and then it will be perfect and the biggest part missing from the car is a LSD as it is crying out for one .
The K20 engine is a thing of joy not overly powerful and lacking torque but makes up for this with glorious revs all 8400 of them on stock tune and does not feel too pedestrian in a straight line .
The brakes i did not use to there full but the Megane MK3 Brembo and 345 mm discs felt very powerful and will be one of the best things on the car . The Winmax W6.5 pads were good but i may swap them out for some EBC XPR pads as they were mega on my old Fiesta ST .
The gearshift was utterly amazing and just so perfect with feel and precision as i did not miss a gear all day and is such a joy to use .
The engine temps were all fine and the max coolant temps on track were 89 deg and oil temps were a max of 102 deg so the large radiator is doing its job well .
The car is very different to how my old Fiesta St was and nowhere near as quick but i think it will be just as much fun and it will be great to learn the car and upgrade it on going to make it better .
So to sum up the day was fantastic and it was great to get back on track after too long off and as a bonus i did not bin the car this time
Next stop will be to book Lydden Hill for the 11/05/24 and i cant wait to get the car back on track .
The track days was at Bedford last Friday and the last time i was on track at Goodwood 3 years ago things did not go entirely to plan
The day before the track day the cars were loaded up ready for the day .
I have spent just over a year getting the car ready and have changed lots of parts on the car so was very happy that there should not be any mechanical problems and the only week link may be the driver .
I also have only driven the car twice since buying it so there would have to be a (getting to know you) done on the drive there and on track as i did plan on driving the car the week before but work dashed that plan .
Bedford from Arundel is around a three hour drive so we set off at 3.30 AM and then 2 miles down the road this flashed up on the dash .
Sods law this would happen now but i thought i could take a look at this when we get there but not a great start .
The drive there was fine but lacked traction control and ABS but we made good time and got to Bedford and parked up and unloaded .
A few pics of the track .
The one thing i forgot to take with me was my code reader but after asking a few people and a google search a faulty ABS sensor is most of the time the problem so it looked like for the day i would be with out traction control ( no bother as i always turn this off anyway ) and no ABS mmmmmm not ideal but i should be able to manage .
At this point it started raining so the lack of ABS on a wet track with a car i don’t know was a touch unsettling but we will have to play the cards im are delt .
Next was noise testing and the car was at 87 DB so no problems .
Having a quick look around the carpark there were some lovely cars that would be out on track .
Then on to the briefing and we were ready to do a few sighting laps but spent too long faffing around so missed them .
It was then time for session one and my first time back on track in 3 years so a mix of excitement and nerves were aplenty .
The track had dried up a bit so i bolted on the AR1 tyres , set the coilovers to 15 clicks front and 5 clicks rear ,checked all the fluids and we were good to go .
After getting the tyres up to temperature and remembering the track layout i had great fun if a bit on the cautious side with very early braking and taking things easy .
Session 1.1
https://youtu.be/FW88ispmgTc
Session 1.2
https://youtu.be/2llf0q48m1E
Session Rear 1.1
https://youtu.be/MjAoWMFAIdQ
Session Rear 1.2
https://youtu.be/gkEg3X5zGks
After a cool down and coffee it was time for session two but the rain was back so i was even more cautious on the AR1 tyres . I know they would be fine as there was not loads of water but just wanted to take it ease for my first track day even tho i could have pushed a bit harder .
Session 2.1
https://youtu.be/7J5U2PRiOwY
Session 2.2
https://youtu.be/fXXzuQpXOLI
Session Rear 2.1
https://youtu.be/neVFkGflYnQ
Session Rear 2.2
https://youtu.be/-Q8vUdR6DWs
The second problem of the day was that the Go pro batteries had all died ( I have not used them in years so they are finished and need replacing ) so i could not get any more videos of the other sessions but the track was dry again after lunch and had a few more great sessions and started to get back to a respectable pace for me at least .
Apart from the ABS and traction control issue the car did not miss a beat all day only needed a small top up of oil and some fuel .
The drive home was a 4 hour affair as there was traffic but there were no issues with the car and it was a nice if long drive back .
An overview of the car below with some thoughts on what is good and what needs changing .
Handling was very natural and just to my liking with very little understeer and very little oversteer and a very crisp turn in . The coilovers felt great and the extra camber at the front and rear helped with the balance . The AR1 tyres were amazing as normal . The car needs to have a full Geo set up done and corner weighting and then it will be perfect and the biggest part missing from the car is a LSD as it is crying out for one .
The K20 engine is a thing of joy not overly powerful and lacking torque but makes up for this with glorious revs all 8400 of them on stock tune and does not feel too pedestrian in a straight line .
The brakes i did not use to there full but the Megane MK3 Brembo and 345 mm discs felt very powerful and will be one of the best things on the car . The Winmax W6.5 pads were good but i may swap them out for some EBC XPR pads as they were mega on my old Fiesta ST .
The gearshift was utterly amazing and just so perfect with feel and precision as i did not miss a gear all day and is such a joy to use .
The engine temps were all fine and the max coolant temps on track were 89 deg and oil temps were a max of 102 deg so the large radiator is doing its job well .
The car is very different to how my old Fiesta St was and nowhere near as quick but i think it will be just as much fun and it will be great to learn the car and upgrade it on going to make it better .
So to sum up the day was fantastic and it was great to get back on track after too long off and as a bonus i did not bin the car this time
Next stop will be to book Lydden Hill for the 11/05/24 and i cant wait to get the car back on track .
Edited by Kaveney on Friday 5th April 18:41
Edited by Kaveney on Saturday 6th April 18:39
MDifficult said:
It's fair to say that we've all been waiting a year for this post and I'm so happy for you - must have been a nerve-shredding experience on your first out-lap especially after the warning lights on the way there (lesson learned... have some wheel speed sensors in your spares pack... rough curbs can kill them too... ask me how I know 
).
Sounds like you've built yourself a brilliant car, and any track day you can drive away from is a huge win - especially in the rain
So - massive round of applause and can't wait to see what you do at the next one!
Many thanks for the very kind words that is very nice of you to say so and you are correct i was very nervous going out on track for the first time in three years, but everything went well with no dramas . ). Sounds like you've built yourself a brilliant car, and any track day you can drive away from is a huge win - especially in the rain
So - massive round of applause and can't wait to see what you do at the next one!
I had a great time with a little confidence restored .
Looking forward to Lydden Hill next and i will again take things easy to start with and then build up the pace from there .
Good Call about the ABS/ Speed sensors so this will be put in the spares bag for next time .
Kev_Mk3 said:
Great to see after all this work enjoyment! Ok minor issue of the sensor but great to get seat time and start to use it. Wonderful to see!
Many thanks and it was great to finally drive the car and looking forward to Lydden Hill next but just need to sort the ABS sensor first .JJJ. said:
Couldn't agree more.
Again thanks for the kind words After the track day at Bedford the only issue i had was the ABS / VSA was showing a fault .
After some research an ABS sensor was the most likely cause but with out a code reader it was more of a guess .
The rear ABS sensors i changed only a few months ago so it should not be one of them so i took a look at the front units and they looked to be the originals or have been replaced a very long time ago .
They could do with changing and would be the most likely cause of the fault so i ordered up two front replacement units .
Then at last the code reader i had on order arrived .
After reading the fault code it was left rear ABS speed sensor ???
The unit was new but after checking the wiring and re fitting this it was still showing a fault so another new unit was ordered op for the Left rear .
The rear ABS sensor was replaced and fault code cleared and has not come back on so far but i will need to drive this a bit more to confirm it was a faulty new sensor .
It was then on to changing the front ABS sensors out and this was one of the worst jobs i have ever done as the sensor bolts came out but the sensor its self was welded in to the hub so needed to be chiseled out bit by bit taking care not to drop any of the crumbling sensor in to the sealed hubs where the ABS ring is .
After around two hours a side the units were finally out .
Fitting the new sensors was a 5 minute job so this should have fixed the problem but i will need to give this a longer driver to confirm the fault is fixed .
After some research an ABS sensor was the most likely cause but with out a code reader it was more of a guess .
The rear ABS sensors i changed only a few months ago so it should not be one of them so i took a look at the front units and they looked to be the originals or have been replaced a very long time ago .
They could do with changing and would be the most likely cause of the fault so i ordered up two front replacement units .
Then at last the code reader i had on order arrived .
After reading the fault code it was left rear ABS speed sensor ???
The unit was new but after checking the wiring and re fitting this it was still showing a fault so another new unit was ordered op for the Left rear .
The rear ABS sensor was replaced and fault code cleared and has not come back on so far but i will need to drive this a bit more to confirm it was a faulty new sensor .
It was then on to changing the front ABS sensors out and this was one of the worst jobs i have ever done as the sensor bolts came out but the sensor its self was welded in to the hub so needed to be chiseled out bit by bit taking care not to drop any of the crumbling sensor in to the sealed hubs where the ABS ring is .
After around two hours a side the units were finally out .
Fitting the new sensors was a 5 minute job so this should have fixed the problem but i will need to give this a longer driver to confirm the fault is fixed .
Accelebrate said:
Car sounds great in the Bedford videos! Nice to see it out on track after all your hard work and expense.
I always think I don't rely on ABS, but there have been a couple of occasions where I've been on track without out because I've spun and upset a wheel speed sensor, I've then found myself locking up into a corner and briefly been confused about where all the smoke is coming from.
The induction is very nice on the K20 but sometimes can be a problem with noise but i was ok this time .I always think I don't rely on ABS, but there have been a couple of occasions where I've been on track without out because I've spun and upset a wheel speed sensor, I've then found myself locking up into a corner and briefly been confused about where all the smoke is coming from.
TBH it was fine with out the ABS and you just have to think a bit more about your braking zones but i would rather have it on going
What dates have you got booked for the MX5 coming up ?
Next little job done on the car was to look to remove a bit more weight and one part that is doing nothing on the car is the stock CD player and speakers, so this was removed to save a few Kg .
First was to remove the stock head unit .
This was then replaced with a Dynamic sound’s fascia panel and blanking plate .
[url]
|https://forums-
images.pistonheads.com/246690/20240419543604[/url]
Then it was on to removing the tweeters .
Then the front and rear speakers got removed .
I ordered a Sound core 3 that will take up the duties of the now removed head unit and speakers and TBH it sounds a hell of a lot better than the Honda OEM units .
The head unit had a weight of 4.3 Kg
The speakers had a weight of 4.3 Kg
The bass booster had a weight of 1.6 Kg
So a total of 10 Kg removed from the car this time and along with all the other weight saving bits done the total removed from the car stands at 107 Kg .
First was to remove the stock head unit .
This was then replaced with a Dynamic sound’s fascia panel and blanking plate .
[url]
images.pistonheads.com/246690/20240419543604[/url]
Then it was on to removing the tweeters .
Then the front and rear speakers got removed .
I ordered a Sound core 3 that will take up the duties of the now removed head unit and speakers and TBH it sounds a hell of a lot better than the Honda OEM units .
The head unit had a weight of 4.3 Kg
The speakers had a weight of 4.3 Kg
The bass booster had a weight of 1.6 Kg
So a total of 10 Kg removed from the car this time and along with all the other weight saving bits done the total removed from the car stands at 107 Kg .
JJJ. said:
107Kg is very impressive on car like that. Top work as usual.
Many thanks mate .White-Noise said:
I gave you a subscribe on yt earlier. It really does sound good! Have you considered mounting on a headrest, I liked the way it showed the more full experience?
Thanks for taking a look at the vids . I did try and mount the go pro on the head rest on past cars but the video came back washed out due to the sun so will keep it mounted to the front of the windscreen .The Bearded Tit said:
Love the stereo panel! I did something similar on my Corsa a few years back, but I couldn't find a double din blanking panel, so I cut a sheet of black gloss perspex, and glued on a Vauxhall badge from an old hub cap to make it look a bit nicer.
It has come out nice TBH looks all most OEM .
The one you did looks very nice on the Corsa and adds a bit of colour too .
It has come out nice TBH looks all most OEM .
The one you did looks very nice on the Corsa and adds a bit of colour too .
Kev_Mk3 said:
I keep thinking about removing my suzuki standard head unit and sticking a car play unit in as you can stick obd gauges on them now to read things but those little speakers work well. Going to Germany my mate in his clio used my Anker one and said it was brilliant
They are amazing little things and sounds better than the OEM units that were in the car . Amazing something so small can give that lover of sound .A few more upgrades have done to the car and first up was to install the passenger bucket seat to go along with the OMP drivers bucket seat .
This is how the old set up looked with one OEM seat still installed .
I ordered a new OMP champ R again to match the driver’s side .
I also ordered another SW Motorsport seat subframe , OMP side seat mounts and Schroth 4-point clubman 2 AMS harnesses .
I also ordered some 3.3-ohm resistors for the seat airbag delete .
Then this was all installed in the car .
The passenger OEM seat has a weight of 27.5 Kg .
The OMP seat , subframe and side mounts have a weight of 9.0 Kg .
When installing the seat i also took the opportunity to remove the rear air vent piping and metal air bag connector covers .
They have a weight of 1.4 Kg .
With running 4-point harnesses there was no need to keep the front seatbelts, so they were also removed .
And Again a 3.3-ohm resistor was used .
Each seatbelt assembly has a weight of 4.0 Kg .
The next job was to remove the passenger airbag unit .
And again another resistor was used .
The passenger airbag has a weight of 6 Kg .
The last job to do was to remove the steering wheel air bag .
The steering wheel air bag has a weight of 1 Kg .
The total weight removed on this round of weight saving is 34 Kg .
Total weight removed from the car so far is 141 Kg .
This will wrap up the weight saving as there is not much else i can remove ( I can look at wheels but this will later ) with out going down the full striped out route and i want to keep the car more down the OEM lightened track car path .
The car is booked in for a full Geo set up and corner weighting at Balance Motorsport so it will be good to see what the true weight of the car will be after all the parts removed and a few parts installed like the cage , strut bars etc .
This is how the old set up looked with one OEM seat still installed .
I ordered a new OMP champ R again to match the driver’s side .
I also ordered another SW Motorsport seat subframe , OMP side seat mounts and Schroth 4-point clubman 2 AMS harnesses .
I also ordered some 3.3-ohm resistors for the seat airbag delete .
Then this was all installed in the car .
The passenger OEM seat has a weight of 27.5 Kg .
The OMP seat , subframe and side mounts have a weight of 9.0 Kg .
When installing the seat i also took the opportunity to remove the rear air vent piping and metal air bag connector covers .
They have a weight of 1.4 Kg .
With running 4-point harnesses there was no need to keep the front seatbelts, so they were also removed .
And Again a 3.3-ohm resistor was used .
Each seatbelt assembly has a weight of 4.0 Kg .
The next job was to remove the passenger airbag unit .
And again another resistor was used .
The passenger airbag has a weight of 6 Kg .
The last job to do was to remove the steering wheel air bag .
The steering wheel air bag has a weight of 1 Kg .
The total weight removed on this round of weight saving is 34 Kg .
Total weight removed from the car so far is 141 Kg .
This will wrap up the weight saving as there is not much else i can remove ( I can look at wheels but this will later ) with out going down the full striped out route and i want to keep the car more down the OEM lightened track car path .
The car is booked in for a full Geo set up and corner weighting at Balance Motorsport so it will be good to see what the true weight of the car will be after all the parts removed and a few parts installed like the cage , strut bars etc .
Another update on the car as this week i sent the car off to Balance Motorsport for a full Geo set up and corner weighting session to be done .
The corner weighting was done first and was done with 85 Kg put in the drivers seat and set to a 50 / 50 split .
The results were the below .
The official weight of the car with fluids is said to be 1,320 Kg
The weight of the car came out at 1,235 Kg
So the total weight removed from the car if going on official figures is 85 Kg in total .
Total weight removed from the car was 141 Kg before the corner weighting so the extra 61 Kg will come from the below parts fitted i would guess .
SG Motorworks roll cage
Ultra Racing braces lower front
Ultra Racing braces front
OMP rear strut brace
Gorny Sport front strut brace
Whiteline rear ARB
Japspeed large radiator and extra coolant
Spoon baffled sump
underbody sealent
Centre exhaust silencer and larger exhaust back box
Other small little bits like billet oil cap etc
Next was to get the Geo sorted on the car as this was done by me and by eye so would not be ideal and out of spec i would think .
I asked for the front to be 0.00 Toe and - 3.00 deg negative camber .
The rear is a beam axel so there is no adjustments that can be made on the car with out camber plates or toe shims .
The results were the below .
The front camber was a bit off before on the left side at nearly - 4.00 deg and - 0.50 toe .
This was corrected and set to 0.00 Toe and - 3.00 deg negative camber .
The problem that we found was that the rear was out of spec and this could not be adjusted on the day .
The rear is running a touch too much negative camber on the left side at - 3.2 deg and this needs to be taken back to - 2.5 so this should be easy by just removing x 1 rear - 1.0 deg camber plate .
The rear left is also at - 0.62 toe so again this can be adjusted with a toe shim to bring this back in line .
I’m not sure i will get chance to get this done before the next track day at Lydden hill but the car felt good to me at Bedford even with the alignment being out of spec so this should be ok to wait and if i bin it at Lydden i can blame it on the alignment being out of spec
The corner weighting was done first and was done with 85 Kg put in the drivers seat and set to a 50 / 50 split .
The results were the below .
The official weight of the car with fluids is said to be 1,320 Kg
The weight of the car came out at 1,235 Kg
So the total weight removed from the car if going on official figures is 85 Kg in total .
Total weight removed from the car was 141 Kg before the corner weighting so the extra 61 Kg will come from the below parts fitted i would guess .
SG Motorworks roll cage
Ultra Racing braces lower front
Ultra Racing braces front
OMP rear strut brace
Gorny Sport front strut brace
Whiteline rear ARB
Japspeed large radiator and extra coolant
Spoon baffled sump
underbody sealent
Centre exhaust silencer and larger exhaust back box
Other small little bits like billet oil cap etc
Next was to get the Geo sorted on the car as this was done by me and by eye so would not be ideal and out of spec i would think .
I asked for the front to be 0.00 Toe and - 3.00 deg negative camber .
The rear is a beam axel so there is no adjustments that can be made on the car with out camber plates or toe shims .
The results were the below .
The front camber was a bit off before on the left side at nearly - 4.00 deg and - 0.50 toe .
This was corrected and set to 0.00 Toe and - 3.00 deg negative camber .
The problem that we found was that the rear was out of spec and this could not be adjusted on the day .
The rear is running a touch too much negative camber on the left side at - 3.2 deg and this needs to be taken back to - 2.5 so this should be easy by just removing x 1 rear - 1.0 deg camber plate .
The rear left is also at - 0.62 toe so again this can be adjusted with a toe shim to bring this back in line .
I’m not sure i will get chance to get this done before the next track day at Lydden hill but the car felt good to me at Bedford even with the alignment being out of spec so this should be ok to wait and if i bin it at Lydden i can blame it on the alignment being out of spec
Next part ordered for the car was a Hondata Flash pro that i managed to get at a good price .
I was not planning on doing any power upgrades on the car until next year but could not say no to this as a stop gap .
Putting it simple the Hondata Flash pro is a mapping tool that you can load tuning files on to the ECU via the OBD2 port and a laptop .
The map files are generic and is in no way anywhere near as good as a full live mapping session at a tuners that use the likes of ECUTEK but it will do as a nice mild little upgrade .
The Groupe N map from Hondata takes in to account mild induction and exhaust upgrades but that is about it so may give an extra 5-7 BHP using this map with the exhaust and induction .
The main reason for me installing this on the car is the option to lower the V-tec cross over point from the stock 5400 RPM to 4000 RPM thus keeping the car on the hi lift cams lower in the rev range .
Another option it to raise the rev limit from the stock 8400 RPM to 8600 RPM so again another benefit for track use .
I will see how i get on with this and keep this on the car for the rest of the year to go alongside the Induction and exhaust upgrades that are on the car .
I was not planning on doing any power upgrades on the car until next year but could not say no to this as a stop gap .
Putting it simple the Hondata Flash pro is a mapping tool that you can load tuning files on to the ECU via the OBD2 port and a laptop .
The map files are generic and is in no way anywhere near as good as a full live mapping session at a tuners that use the likes of ECUTEK but it will do as a nice mild little upgrade .
The Groupe N map from Hondata takes in to account mild induction and exhaust upgrades but that is about it so may give an extra 5-7 BHP using this map with the exhaust and induction .
The main reason for me installing this on the car is the option to lower the V-tec cross over point from the stock 5400 RPM to 4000 RPM thus keeping the car on the hi lift cams lower in the rev range .
Another option it to raise the rev limit from the stock 8400 RPM to 8600 RPM so again another benefit for track use .
I will see how i get on with this and keep this on the car for the rest of the year to go alongside the Induction and exhaust upgrades that are on the car .
Janosh said:
Balance motorsports looks like a quality outfit, have you used them before?
Based on the details you’ve shown, I’ve contacted them for a setup on my car.
Hi there yes i have used them before for my Fiesta ST a few years ago and was very impressed with the work .Based on the details you’ve shown, I’ve contacted them for a setup on my car.
Julian knows his stuff and will explain everything that is done to the car and what actions this will have on the car and if there is anything other that is needed he will point this out as well .
I would recommend them to anyone .
So on to the second track day with the car and this was booked for Lydden Hill last Saturday .
The day before i loaded the car up with all the usual bits and also 90 liters of super unleaded in the VP fuel cans .
I also treated the car to a wash and wax before the track day .
Lydden Hill is only around two hours from me so we got there trouble free and parked up in the paddock .
It looked like it was going to be a busy day as the paddock was full .
I managed to get a few picks of the track from the grandstand .
Then noise testing and again this came back at 89 DB so no problems there ( Noise limits at Lydden hill are 100 DB static and 92 drive by )
The day was borken up in to six 15 minit sessions and my plan was to run the PS4 tyres for three sessions and then swap to the AR1 tyres as Lydden Hill is a killer for tyres .
In the end i did 4 sessions on the PS4 and they were working well giving a good amount of grip and not going off to bad but i had to keep adjusting the pressures after each session .
The temps were also all good on the day with a max coolant temp of 95 deg i think and oil peeking at 112 deg . The day was a hot one at around 26 deg so the cooling coped well and no need for an oil cooler just yet .
For the last two sessions i bolted on the second set of wheels with the AR1 tyres .
They held up well but again the track is a killer to tyres so they were showing some were to them at the end of the day .
This was my second time at the track and the day was great but Lydden Hill is very much a marmite place as overtaking is where ever you bloody well like on the left , on the right in braking zones , mid corner etc . Throw in a mix of different cars and skill sets and it makes for a wiled ride that you need to keep your wits about you .
Lots of fun but a bit of a gamble when you go out on track .
Another problem was that it was verry busy with cars on top of each other so was difficult to get a clear lap in .
Below link was a quick vid of the day .
https://youtu.be/MJicb84cLBs?si=wrjWaMPzBqObM_3J
The car was faultless again and was great on track with the new upgrades done from Bedford ( Geo , corner weighting , Flash pro ECU remap )
I have a few little more bits to fit in the next few weeks and then the next plan will be to get the big transmission upgrades ordered and booked in with TGM Sport and i hope to have this done by the end of July and then look to book another track day for August .
The day before i loaded the car up with all the usual bits and also 90 liters of super unleaded in the VP fuel cans .
I also treated the car to a wash and wax before the track day .
Lydden Hill is only around two hours from me so we got there trouble free and parked up in the paddock .
It looked like it was going to be a busy day as the paddock was full .
I managed to get a few picks of the track from the grandstand .
Then noise testing and again this came back at 89 DB so no problems there ( Noise limits at Lydden hill are 100 DB static and 92 drive by )
The day was borken up in to six 15 minit sessions and my plan was to run the PS4 tyres for three sessions and then swap to the AR1 tyres as Lydden Hill is a killer for tyres .
In the end i did 4 sessions on the PS4 and they were working well giving a good amount of grip and not going off to bad but i had to keep adjusting the pressures after each session .
The temps were also all good on the day with a max coolant temp of 95 deg i think and oil peeking at 112 deg . The day was a hot one at around 26 deg so the cooling coped well and no need for an oil cooler just yet .
For the last two sessions i bolted on the second set of wheels with the AR1 tyres .
They held up well but again the track is a killer to tyres so they were showing some were to them at the end of the day .
This was my second time at the track and the day was great but Lydden Hill is very much a marmite place as overtaking is where ever you bloody well like on the left , on the right in braking zones , mid corner etc . Throw in a mix of different cars and skill sets and it makes for a wiled ride that you need to keep your wits about you .
Lots of fun but a bit of a gamble when you go out on track .
Another problem was that it was verry busy with cars on top of each other so was difficult to get a clear lap in .
Below link was a quick vid of the day .
https://youtu.be/MJicb84cLBs?si=wrjWaMPzBqObM_3J
The car was faultless again and was great on track with the new upgrades done from Bedford ( Geo , corner weighting , Flash pro ECU remap )
I have a few little more bits to fit in the next few weeks and then the next plan will be to get the big transmission upgrades ordered and booked in with TGM Sport and i hope to have this done by the end of July and then look to book another track day for August .
Edited by Kaveney on Friday 17th May 18:52
Next new part to go on the was a new rear K brace as I’m not sure the OMP rear brace is doing much apart from looking nice .
The OMP rear strut brace is a flat blade design so not the strongest and flexes under load so seems to be more for show .
The design also does not allow great access to the rear coilover adjusters so this was removed ready for the replacement .
Old OMP rear strut brace .
The replacement is a K brace from BAF Motorsport that is a much thicker tube design that is a 4 point triangulation design that bolts through the chassis .
New BAF Motorsport K brace .
Spreader plates and bolts .
The fitment is not that hard but you do need to drill through the body and make adjustments to the rear carpet .
Then all installed .
The fitment was spot on and i can now rock the entire car from the brace so it will be adding more strength and rigidity as opposed to the old OMP unit and as a bonus i can now access the rear coilover adjusters with ease .
The OMP rear strut brace is a flat blade design so not the strongest and flexes under load so seems to be more for show .
The design also does not allow great access to the rear coilover adjusters so this was removed ready for the replacement .
Old OMP rear strut brace .
The replacement is a K brace from BAF Motorsport that is a much thicker tube design that is a 4 point triangulation design that bolts through the chassis .
New BAF Motorsport K brace .
Spreader plates and bolts .
The fitment is not that hard but you do need to drill through the body and make adjustments to the rear carpet .
Then all installed .
The fitment was spot on and i can now rock the entire car from the brace so it will be adding more strength and rigidity as opposed to the old OMP unit and as a bonus i can now access the rear coilover adjusters with ease .
MDifficult said:
This is turning into such an excellent car - no surprise there!
Have to say though, the first few minutes of your Lydden Hill video was a bit sketchy! Everyone has to put a lot of trust into a lot of other people, especially the poor lads in lightweights. Good to see everyone behaving themselves but explains why there's no GT3s
Many thanks MDiffcult im enjoying building it and for a change driving this one Have to say though, the first few minutes of your Lydden Hill video was a bit sketchy! Everyone has to put a lot of trust into a lot of other people, especially the poor lads in lightweights. Good to see everyone behaving themselves but explains why there's no GT3s
Lydden Hill is great fun and a cracking little track but like you say not for the faint hearted and you take more of a gable there trusting other people .
There were a few expensive cars on track and also an Atom that i thought may be your one but it was an older guy who was having lots of fun .
I take it Lydden Hill will not be a track you would consider in the future ?
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