Rochester's new G
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2GoRNot2G (09-17-2021)
09-17-2021, 05:44 PM
#2792
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In prep for Sunday, I dismounted the tires one at a time this morning, so I could eyeball the tread depth and overall wear better, and so I could carefully look for nails or whatever. Plus, it's always easier to clean the wheels off the car, and much easier to pump the tires off the car. The valve stems on these Vossens are in a really crappy location. 
Anyway, I pumped them all to 36 psi. That seems reasonable to their +5 recommendation given these Continentals are 40 fronts and 35 rears.
Anyway, tires are good. Fronts are fine for next year, but the rears will be getting replaced. The ones on there now are maybe 2mm to 3mm, and the inner edge is starting to wear. Once that inner edge starts to wear off, it goes quickly after that. But I'm sure they're solid and safe as is for the rest of the year.
Anyway, I pumped them all to 36 psi. That seems reasonable to their +5 recommendation given these Continentals are 40 fronts and 35 rears.Anyway, tires are good. Fronts are fine for next year, but the rears will be getting replaced. The ones on there now are maybe 2mm to 3mm, and the inner edge is starting to wear. Once that inner edge starts to wear off, it goes quickly after that. But I'm sure they're solid and safe as is for the rest of the year.
Last edited by Rochester; 09-17-2021 at 08:13 PM.
09-18-2021, 02:40 PM
#2794
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I could easily get another couple thousand out of them, which is about right, all things considered... 12k miles out of high-performance 3-season tires with a -2.0° camber.
12k miles is very realistic. I mean, it's NUTS when you're talking about normal tires on a typical car, but this is just one of those compromises you have to make if you want to play.
09-19-2021, 06:59 PM
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09-20-2021, 08:34 AM
#2797
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Autocross
This Auto-X event was held at the old Seneca Army Depot, which was a WW2 military facility in the Finger Lakes Region of Western NY, about a 1 hour drive from home. The track was laid out over an old airstrip in the middle of a cornfield. It was a very surreal location, much different than the large parking lot events I participated in years ago.
Weather yesterday was perfect. 60°F morning leading into the 70s in the afternoon, with big blue skies and no wind to speak of. I left at 7:00 AM, after meeting up with the guy who talked me into doing this. Rod had his 2020 Corvette Stingray, and his daughter was driving his old Mazda RX8... which was in fantastic condition. That Mazda was beautiful. I mean, the Vette was beautiful too (drop-deal gorgeous, actually), but it should be.
We arrived at 8:00, unloaded the cars and set up. Tires were pumped tight, spare tires removed, etc. There was a club meeting, and a track walk. About 9:00 my friend John arrived as a spectator. I gave him my camera to take pics, and sadly there were a lot of pictures of trees and pavement, and a few horribly shaky videos. But he did take some really good pics with me staged to run, and for that I'm grateful. I was just super happy he came to watch. Besides, the track was laid out long, and as a spectator all he could do was plant himself at the starting gate, so it is what it is.
There were about 65 racers, split into 2 groups, with 2 sessions... morning and afternoon. That way the group not racing was working the track and fixing cones. Lunch was late, and the day ended around 5:00. Everyone got six runs in.
The cone track was typical Autocross... slaloms, chicanes, a huge hairpin and a full power straightaway as you cross the finish. It was a 2nd gear track, you really never leave second gear. Most of the course was pavement, but there was a large section of grooved concrete. Times ran between 50 seconds and 100 seconds. The cars running in the 50s were not street cars, they were dedicated carts, like Lemans kind of cars, and they were downright frightening. The vehicles running in the 60s were heavily modified street cars, with dedicated tires and experienced drivers. The cars running in the 70s were the bulk of the attendees (like me). The cars in the 80s and 90s really were out of place grocery getters, some actually getting air as their cars lifted on the chicanes. And the only other brand new Vette was an elderly guy running in the 100s and off-track all the time. It was just embarrassing, and a practical lesson that money can’t buy driving skills. The most scary moment of the day was the WRX that ran right off the edge of the airstrip and spun into the corn. Embarrassing for him, and a life-changing scare for the nearest track worker.
In hindsight, looking at the results, many of those "grocery getters" actually clocked in really fast times, even though they were getting air and looking out of place. I think that feeling like you're going fast isn't the same reality as actually going fast... which is kind of a humbling realization. There's an art here to Autocross which has nothing to do with how much money you throw at your car.
Anyway, my first run was with a Novice Instructor, and I had a 79 second time, on track and no cones. Fact is I never hit a cone all day, but I did go off-course twice. Man, that’s embarrassing, but things are happing so fast, and your adrenaline is pumping the entire time. If you’ve ever done this before, you understand. By “off-course” I mean on the wrong side of a cone, that’s all. It’s a disqualifying thing, and you beat yourself up when it happens, but it happens to everyone. My second run was about the same 79 seconds. Third run a little less, and less each time after. My last run was a flat 70 seconds, and my best of the day. Hearing the announcer call out my name and car as I pulled through the finish, declaring "John's best run of the day"... that was so cool. I was busting.
Like a true novice, I left TC on for the first two runs, but only because I forgot to turn it off (I'm an idiot). I was understeering all the time, it was very frustrating. However, with TC off I had a LOT more control, and when there was slippage it was oversteer that I could control with the throttle, instead of understeer that I had to brake for. If you understand what I'm saying, then you know how much fun that can be. In my fifth run I realized I was hitting the rev limiter at the final straight-away, so for my last run I actually shifted into third on the way out.
The car performed beautifully all day long. All my mods came together to keep my sedan completely planted on the entire course. There was zero body roll because of the poly engine/transmission/diff mounts, swaybars, engine/diff bracing, etc. The lightweight rotors made turn-ins precise and controlled, and the 4.083 gears moved all that power into second gear, which is where you live on this kind of event. My car was literally and almost effortlessly point-and-shoot through the slaloms... wow this car performed!
And holy cow was a rush! Not just an emotional thing, but a full-body adrenaline rush each and every run. I had to get out of the car and walk it off. I mean, I suppose it gets more manageable with experience, but it was almost too much for me. And I know that sounds wimpy, but I’m feeling like this was more of a checkbox moment than the beginnings of a new hobby. Either way, I need to process this over time, and may do it again next year, or maybe not. We’ll see.
I do have a brand new helmet, LOL.
Weather yesterday was perfect. 60°F morning leading into the 70s in the afternoon, with big blue skies and no wind to speak of. I left at 7:00 AM, after meeting up with the guy who talked me into doing this. Rod had his 2020 Corvette Stingray, and his daughter was driving his old Mazda RX8... which was in fantastic condition. That Mazda was beautiful. I mean, the Vette was beautiful too (drop-deal gorgeous, actually), but it should be.
We arrived at 8:00, unloaded the cars and set up. Tires were pumped tight, spare tires removed, etc. There was a club meeting, and a track walk. About 9:00 my friend John arrived as a spectator. I gave him my camera to take pics, and sadly there were a lot of pictures of trees and pavement, and a few horribly shaky videos. But he did take some really good pics with me staged to run, and for that I'm grateful. I was just super happy he came to watch. Besides, the track was laid out long, and as a spectator all he could do was plant himself at the starting gate, so it is what it is.
There were about 65 racers, split into 2 groups, with 2 sessions... morning and afternoon. That way the group not racing was working the track and fixing cones. Lunch was late, and the day ended around 5:00. Everyone got six runs in.
The cone track was typical Autocross... slaloms, chicanes, a huge hairpin and a full power straightaway as you cross the finish. It was a 2nd gear track, you really never leave second gear. Most of the course was pavement, but there was a large section of grooved concrete. Times ran between 50 seconds and 100 seconds. The cars running in the 50s were not street cars, they were dedicated carts, like Lemans kind of cars, and they were downright frightening. The vehicles running in the 60s were heavily modified street cars, with dedicated tires and experienced drivers. The cars running in the 70s were the bulk of the attendees (like me). The cars in the 80s and 90s really were out of place grocery getters, some actually getting air as their cars lifted on the chicanes. And the only other brand new Vette was an elderly guy running in the 100s and off-track all the time. It was just embarrassing, and a practical lesson that money can’t buy driving skills. The most scary moment of the day was the WRX that ran right off the edge of the airstrip and spun into the corn. Embarrassing for him, and a life-changing scare for the nearest track worker.
In hindsight, looking at the results, many of those "grocery getters" actually clocked in really fast times, even though they were getting air and looking out of place. I think that feeling like you're going fast isn't the same reality as actually going fast... which is kind of a humbling realization. There's an art here to Autocross which has nothing to do with how much money you throw at your car.
Anyway, my first run was with a Novice Instructor, and I had a 79 second time, on track and no cones. Fact is I never hit a cone all day, but I did go off-course twice. Man, that’s embarrassing, but things are happing so fast, and your adrenaline is pumping the entire time. If you’ve ever done this before, you understand. By “off-course” I mean on the wrong side of a cone, that’s all. It’s a disqualifying thing, and you beat yourself up when it happens, but it happens to everyone. My second run was about the same 79 seconds. Third run a little less, and less each time after. My last run was a flat 70 seconds, and my best of the day. Hearing the announcer call out my name and car as I pulled through the finish, declaring "John's best run of the day"... that was so cool. I was busting.
Like a true novice, I left TC on for the first two runs, but only because I forgot to turn it off (I'm an idiot). I was understeering all the time, it was very frustrating. However, with TC off I had a LOT more control, and when there was slippage it was oversteer that I could control with the throttle, instead of understeer that I had to brake for. If you understand what I'm saying, then you know how much fun that can be. In my fifth run I realized I was hitting the rev limiter at the final straight-away, so for my last run I actually shifted into third on the way out.
The car performed beautifully all day long. All my mods came together to keep my sedan completely planted on the entire course. There was zero body roll because of the poly engine/transmission/diff mounts, swaybars, engine/diff bracing, etc. The lightweight rotors made turn-ins precise and controlled, and the 4.083 gears moved all that power into second gear, which is where you live on this kind of event. My car was literally and almost effortlessly point-and-shoot through the slaloms... wow this car performed!
And holy cow was a rush! Not just an emotional thing, but a full-body adrenaline rush each and every run. I had to get out of the car and walk it off. I mean, I suppose it gets more manageable with experience, but it was almost too much for me. And I know that sounds wimpy, but I’m feeling like this was more of a checkbox moment than the beginnings of a new hobby. Either way, I need to process this over time, and may do it again next year, or maybe not. We’ll see.
I do have a brand new helmet, LOL.
Last edited by Rochester; 09-21-2021 at 11:56 AM.
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09-20-2021, 12:04 PM
#2798
Ah, you found the go-fast crack pipe. You’re hooked. The giddiness subsides still leaving palpable (but manageable) excitement.
great write-up. That post should be an auto cross sticky.
Offs mean you’re pushing yourself (good) or the course is too confusing (less good) or you’re an idiot (no bueno, but not *you* in this case - sounds more like spinny corvette guy). The whole point (other than for the FTD hardcore) is to find your car’s limits where there are only minimal consequences for exceeding them.
the VW lift is very common on FWD cars with stiff suspensions. The VW guys actively tune for it.
great write-up. That post should be an auto cross sticky.
Offs mean you’re pushing yourself (good) or the course is too confusing (less good) or you’re an idiot (no bueno, but not *you* in this case - sounds more like spinny corvette guy). The whole point (other than for the FTD hardcore) is to find your car’s limits where there are only minimal consequences for exceeding them.
the VW lift is very common on FWD cars with stiff suspensions. The VW guys actively tune for it.
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ngolbuff (09-22-2021)
09-20-2021, 10:43 PM
#2799
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Here's the map from yesterday:
And my recorded run times for the day. Off-course in my second and third run (although I don't remember going off-course in my third run... that's odd.) But clearly I was actually getting the hang of things by the time my 5th and 6th run came along... which was the same for everyone, really. Looking through the timings, it was pretty common to knock 10 seconds off between your worst and best run of the day. So although I felt some sense of accomplishment, so did everyone else.
And my recorded run times for the day. Off-course in my second and third run (although I don't remember going off-course in my third run... that's odd.) But clearly I was actually getting the hang of things by the time my 5th and 6th run came along... which was the same for everyone, really. Looking through the timings, it was pretty common to knock 10 seconds off between your worst and best run of the day. So although I felt some sense of accomplishment, so did everyone else.
Last edited by Rochester; 09-21-2021 at 08:34 AM.
09-21-2021, 12:01 PM
#2800
That sounds like you had fun at the autocross. 10 seconds is a huge difference in lap time for such a short course (compared to a road coarse). Do you think that difference was mainly in trying to learn the course and where to turn? I went to one autocross and rode with one of the fastest drivers on a very short and technical course and I was having difficulty seeing exactly where every turn was supposed to be based on which way the cones were pointing. Imagine your course at half the length with about twice as many turns.
09-21-2021, 04:26 PM
#2801
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That sounds like you had fun at the autocross. 10 seconds is a huge difference in lap time for such a short course (compared to a road coarse). Do you think that difference was mainly in trying to learn the course and where to turn? I went to one autocross and rode with one of the fastest drivers on a very short and technical course and I was having difficulty seeing exactly where every turn was supposed to be based on which way the cones were pointing. Imagine your course at half the length with about twice as many turns.
After that, I'd say establishing familiarity with the course, so that you know what to expect instead of trying to read the cones every time. Reading the cones is hard, LOL. Seriously, it's not easy. I mean, the concept is easy, but in practice while you're trying to barnstorm through them as fast as you can... yikes!
Lastly, I recognized that the rev limiter was getting hit at the end, and now that I study the map I recall it was also happening on the long approach to the turn before the hairpin. So in my last run I backed off a little before the hairpin and shifted to 3rd on the way out of the course. I never would have hit the limiter if it weren't for the short rear gears, then again the 4.083 gears were absolutely the right modification for an event like this.
Hmm... looking at the map I realize that full throttle out of the course really didn't matter because I'd already passed the exit gate. So really, shifting into 3rd then was pointless.
I was pretty nervous about doing this, because the times I'd done autocross in the past, I never got more than 3 or 4 runs in. And after only 3 or 4 runs you're lucky if you've figured things out. So I always felt awkward when it was over, like I didn't have a clue. But with 6 runs available, I absolutely upped my game towards the end. If I ever do this again, pretty sure it would take fewer runs for me to develop confidence.
Lots of lessons learned, I guess.
Last edited by Rochester; 09-21-2021 at 04:35 PM.
10-08-2021, 04:53 PM
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My front passenger side tire loses about 1 pound of pressure every 4 days, give or take depending on actually driving the car. At first I convinced myself it was the change in temperature, but now I'm sure of it. There's a slow leak, and I'm checking the pressure all the freaking time.
I need to remove the wheel and slop on some soapy water to see if I can find the leak. Never had a leak this slow before, though. And winter is right around the corner. I'm almost feeling like I should just wait it out until it's time to swap the duckfeet back on, but that's like 8 weeks away. I usually do that around Thanksgiving.
(sigh)
I need to remove the wheel and slop on some soapy water to see if I can find the leak. Never had a leak this slow before, though. And winter is right around the corner. I'm almost feeling like I should just wait it out until it's time to swap the duckfeet back on, but that's like 8 weeks away. I usually do that around Thanksgiving.
(sigh)
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Rochester (10-12-2021)