The Booster
First and foremost, the brake booster replacement. We went with a remanufactured, 1987, VW Golf, nonABS booster replacement. The install went well, with none of the usual “it’s never easy” frustration moments when something else seems to brake while fixing what was already broken. Since we had to remove the brake lines from the master cylinder to gain access to the booster anyway, we figured now was a good time to go ahead and flush the entire system with new Motul RBF600, which is what we had on hand. We are anxious to try the NEO 610 fluid that we’ve heard good things about, but ended up using what we had on hand; maybe next time. Fingers crossed we are back in business.
The Wing
This is one of those projects that we’ve tossed around for a while now. Not a project that is totally necessary, but we were interested to see what sort of effect it would have on the car’s performance. Fortunately for us, we had a spare OE wing laying around so when we were faced with the decision of hacking up the wing to make this project work, we didn’t have to stress over it too much. We’ll keep you posted. For the complete write-up, check here
The Studs
I’ll be honest and say we were budget shopping when we bought our original set of studs and nuts for this build and it’s been heavy on my mind ever since. Although we’ve never had an actual problem while out on track with our stud/nut setup, we have had a few of the nuts gum-up and become impossible to remove from the stud. Once we finally exhausted all the spares that we had on hand, it was time to order some new ones and figured now was the best time to upgrade. We found Track-Studs.com and picked up a set of 80mm “race series” studs and nuts. So far they are great. Time will only tell.
Joseph’s Helmet
Full write-up to follow… someday.
Data Overlay
Using the same LRP video we recently posted, we tried out a new data overlay video software. Previously we were using RaceChronoAvi, but needed a bit more control so we opted to purchase RaceRender for a mere $25 USD – so far we dig it. There are a few things we wish we had a bit more control over, but for now we’ll work with it and see what we can come up with. Let us know what you think.
[stream provider=youtube flv=http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DCyg7e_j6XrY img=x:/img.youtube.com/vi/Cyg7e_j6XrY/0.jpg embed=false share=false width=640 height=360 dock=true controlbar=over bandwidth=high autostart=false /]
love the wing! did you attach it to the stocker, and is it now fixed or does it still raise/lower? my tail was a little loose this past weekend and I was thinking about something a little beefier myself. keep up the good work!
thanks blair. i just posted a bit more in depth write up. our wing has never been operable anyway, but i’m pretty sure this renders it totally inoperable (although we haven’t tried) since it extends all the way to the hatch.
i see, it does look really good. I especially like how the sides wrap around the hatch and seem to be able to “deflect” some of the air moving up the corrado’s upward body line. that alone should be able to realize gains in downforce vs. the stocker, i would think. I’d aim a vid cam right at it for the next event to see if it is rigid enough at speed.
In addition to seeing if the wing will hold up at speed, I also thought maybe we should add some 3″ pieces of string taped to the rear hatch glass and new wing to get an idea of airflow. Maybe we need to add some roof mounted airtabs to clean up the air as it passes over the roof and down the rear glass.
the string is a great idea. i’ll need to look into the airtabs, as i’m not familiar with them.
i’m just getting to the point where i think i can benefit from some aero tweaks myself, so seeing what you guys have done is very informative/inspiring.
if you guys want to see a couple un-edited vids of my C at LRP last w/e:
http://contour.com/stories/open964pit993
http://contour.com/stories/grass993
Blair~ watched the vid – I see the oversteer issues. What’s your current suspension/sway-bar setup ? What air pressures are you running?
bilstein sport dampers, h&r race springs, oem front bar and (new for this season) autotech hollow adjustable rear bar. usually shoot for 40-41psi hot. little less in the rear.
in the first vid, i had the rear bar in the middle setting and the car was super loose. after that session, we put it on the least aggressive setting and it was better but still oversteering. did manage to post a new best of 1:04.9, but i attribute it more to new brake setup, and obv think i can do better if i could keep the rear in line and thus maintain more momentum.
since i have been tracking this car for 14 years, and doing mods/upgrades at a record breaking slow pace, I’ve really been able to feel/quantify what each change does on it’s own. the car has always been very neutral, and planted in that left-hander.
this year was the first of consistent oversteer. “conventional wisdom” always advised big, aggressive rear sway with stock or no front sway. I decided to give that theory a try by adding just a rear bar and keeping the front oem. It’s not for me. my slc streetcar has neuspeed sway front & rear (rear in mid setting), and it feels great; solid, planted and neutral both on street and at LRP. I think i will get the AT front sway and see how that counters the issues i’m trying to dial out. I can always go back to no aftermarket sways, but i do think there is benefit there as they would effectively increase my currently conservative-ish spring rates and def also control body roll, of which i had a little. I have NEVER subscribed to “super stiff, oversteering track car” mentality.