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Messages - BryanH

#76
Let's do it!! / Re: status
September 30, 2010, 08:26:15 PM
The trouble with a big rear bar on these cars is it picks up the inside rear tire - no good with an open diff.  I did run less front rebound with my 87NA back in the day to keep understeer to a minimum.  That was on Koni Yellows that only adjust rebound.  Mike's Illuminas change both compression and rebound with the single adjuster.   Independent control over both adjustments (and separate hi- and low-speed damping curves) is more ideal but definitely overkill for a LeMons car.  Wonder how many penalty laps that would be...

Infineon's Turn 10 (last fast right hander before the final hairpin) is fast with almost no runoff area.  Disprespect that corner at your peril. :)

Signed,
Buzzkillington.
#77
Let's do it!! / Re: status
September 30, 2010, 11:10:44 AM
I think for an NA it's 56/44 or so.

I bet that wing doesn't create much downforce at all - if it does, it probably creates just as much drag.  I believe I read somewhere that its primary function on the back of the MK1 was to reduce drag because of the negative pressure area behind the rear window.

At the speeds we would be doing for a LeMons race, front downforce won't really be an issue.  Rear downforce would actually be more helpful to balance the car at higher speed while allowing for a looser suspension setup to be run for low speed turns.  When I ran my 87SC at Buttonwillow it was a bit scary around Riverside corner, doing about 100mph.  You do not want to get loose there!
#78
Engine Theory / Re: VVTi vs. V-TEC
September 29, 2010, 09:39:01 AM
I think they're O.Z.s :)
#79
Tires & Wheels / Re: Rota wheels
September 29, 2010, 08:44:29 AM
No flares for Mikey?  I think these bolt-on Datsun 240Z flares are the best looking of all.  Simple, elegant, functional.  Inexpensive too. :)

http://www.imoc.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=118064
http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/7BSA02/50-1562

Quote from: BigMike on September 29, 2010, 07:08:43 AM
Remember Bryan doesn't race as often as I do, he lacks the mad skillz I have, and my car has more horsepower than all his cars combined

Wow, 600+hp!  That is one strong GZE!
#80
Tires & Wheels / Re: Rota wheels
September 29, 2010, 03:51:33 AM
The twisted SubZero has to be fake, right?  I mean metal doesn't bend like that, so smooth and uniform across all spokes.  They're cast so they should be more brittle than malleable anyway right?

Any wheel will break when something bad happens.  We don't have the info on how those Rotas in the pictures got that way.  I remember one freak accident at an autox this year where a car hit a curb sideways and broke the right side wheels.  The worst wheel broke in such a way that the spokes all separated right near the outer rim, so all that was left of the outer rim was just that, and it looked like a hubless wheel.  Kinda cool actually. 

My Rota Slipstreams never gave me any trouble. 

When I hit a big hole at 100mph and bent two factory Honda forged alloys, I had them straightened and trued by Eagle Dynamics in Fresno.  The guy was impressed by the quality of the wheels and how easy they were to straighten. But then he showed me some of the chrome 20"+ RimZ that had come into his shop.  You want to talk about cheap wheels...

BTW Mike you know the offset you will need for the MR2 will get rid of that cool "dished" look on the Grids right?  Kind of a bummer.  Well I suppose you could go with a low offset wheel and put fender flares on the car... :evilgrin:
#81
Chit Chat / Re: VIDEO WAR!!
September 22, 2010, 11:46:02 PM
I like the use of AE86 N2 flares on the AW11.  And what a great sounding engine.  Vera nice.

What broke at the end?  Halfshaft?
#82
Let's do it!! / Re: status
September 22, 2010, 11:38:30 PM
Quote from: BigMike on September 22, 2010, 09:49:43 PM




The driving position is perfect! 
#83
Suspension / Re: Weak suspension components
September 22, 2010, 01:59:46 AM
Hm, I can't recall any of mine being bent.  Here's the only photo I have handy -- the right rear from my old red car:



I have heard about these bending when people use them to jack up the car, which seems silly as they're not very thick.
#84
Suspension Theory / Re: Tyres
September 02, 2010, 01:28:15 PM
15x8s will be a big challenge up front.  A 15x7 is a snug fit if you want to keep it within the fenders. 

It looks like the Z1 is the grippiest tire >190 treadwear so if it's available in a 205/50/15 or so it's still the best bet.  There should be a few more choices in general for 15s though.
#85
Track / Re: Video Overlay Systems
August 25, 2010, 03:02:37 PM
I don't even know anyone who has one.
#86
Suspension Theory / Re: Tyres
August 25, 2010, 03:01:51 PM
Heh.  Silly treadwear ratings.  Tire manufacturers can put whatever numbers they want on a tire.

With 190 TW minimum, it's gotta be the Z1 Star Specs for maximum grip.
#87
I ran the car with AC on for a bit today. I don't think the compressor is turning on.  Could be low on refrigerant, or maybe something electronic is not right. 

Checked the compressor inlet/outlet tubes while it was running and they were both the same temp. Sight glass showed nothing.

Seems strange that much freon would leak out in a year if nothing was leaking before. On the other hand if something electronic is not signaling the compressor to kick on, I'd be seeing the same nothingness in the sight glass, no?

Is R12 still readily available?  It was a couple years ago.  I'd rather not convert to R134A due to the expense and less effective cooling.  You know me, I can't take the heat. 

Once I get the AC working and the brakes bled I think I'm done for a while.  Need to find a helping hand with the brakes - I'm not driving it to a shop using the handbrake to stop. :)
#89
Suspension Theory / Re: Tyres
August 22, 2010, 02:00:21 PM
Quote from: BigMike on August 18, 2010, 10:56:28 PM
Bryan, do the choices for 13" rims get any better?
Not for street tires.  In 13-15" sizes, these days it's far easier to find race tires than streets. 

Just did a bit of looking at TireRack and Tires.com

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Hankook&tireModel=Ventus+R-S3&partnum=245WR5Z222
These are hot stuff.  It's one of the top 2 or 3 street tires for autox and it likes heat, unlike some other top autox tires that need to be cooled after a 60-second run.  So it'd probably make a good track tire.  Autoxers have been known to get hundreds of runs from the RS-3.  It's wide and short.  Might be tough to get them up front on an AW11 without either running low offset wheels and radiusing the fenders, or using coilovers instead of the stock strut bodies.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=Direzza+Sport+Z1+Star+Spec&partnum=05VR5Z1SS
These have been around a couple years and are a proven great versatile tire.  Great in the wet, good on heavy cars too so they can take some abuse.  This one is also available in a 195/60/14.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Ecsta+XS&partnum=05WR5EXS
These are cheaper and not far behind the top street tires.  I don't remember if they like heat or hate it.  It's supposed to be a great tire but not too many autoxers run it for some reason. 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Potenza+RE-11&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=05VR5RE11
The aforementioned Bridgies.  Right up there with the Hankooks and Dunlops.  I know little about these tires specifically - the predecessor, the RE-01R, lasted forever.

Actually I didn't find anything in my searches at Tires.com.  The Azenis is no longer available?

I'm assuming that 140 treadwear is OK... most of the tires above are at the limit for legality in street tire autocross classes.
#90
No worries.  I'm not sure I want to try a relay that might be a bit different, to be honest.  The car has had this problem for a few years now, it's just getting worse and it's to the point now that I need to manually raise/lower the lights to make sure they end up in the right place (otherwise they'll do a funky dance and stop in random locations since one motor is faster than the other).  Fun to watch but probably not good for the motor/linkage.

So on the exhaust studs, if the threads are flattened out are the threads on the exhaust flange messed up too?  It's the pre-cat I'm talking about, which was just replaced in 2007 and wasn't cheap.  Or easy to get to (except for the bottom where the flex pipe connects).

Two of the studs went back in just fine using the nuts to tighten.  The other one, with the messed up threads, stopped partway in and the nut started turning on the stud.