A most exellent couple of days

I want to thank Bernie and Alex and Cliff for working so hard to stage the "coaching day" and today's closed club event. I appreciate your efforts.

And ... I learned a lot of things from Peter Scheck, Gary Milligan and Joe Cheng.

"NO more coasting"
Radio Flyer

[Race Miata]

I didn't go to the coaching day but I second Radio Flyer's thumb-up on the sunday's closed-club.

For people who wondered, I parked my miata in the afternoon and drove Terence's BMW. I noticed power was down since I swapped back in the TBs 2 weeks ago and have been struggling for solutions (See http://www.vcmc.ca/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000060.html for details ). Once I put the car on the autox course, I knew my power was way down (even though it sounded cool, right Robert?). I figured that was something more serious than I could fix and test out in the afternoon runs and decided to park the car and help Terence testing the new suspension mods on his BMW. Sorry for those who I promised to give rides and those who wanted to see my TBs in action. I guess you'll have to wait til next closed-club.

On another note, I was quite amazed by all the work Terence has done these weeks (in parallel with my IRTB work) to the BMW suspension which made such a BIG difference. Even though the car pushed quite a bit on the big U and crossovers, the transition has improved so much that the car enjoys dancing around slalom pretty nicely now. The rear-end goes out easily in a very predictable fashion. The already-nice stock suspension has usually paced Terence 6-7 seconds behind me depending on the course layout. On sunday, Terence managed to get down to 2-3 seconds even in a shorter course with tight turns. That's like 3-4 second improvement! Like my IRTB project, Terence still has bugs to fix on his suspension. Once bugs are gone, wohoo!

[AgneoN]

Hey Everyone,

I'd like to third that thumbs up. My first time out there. It rocked! I didn't do too badly either. Can't wait for the next clsed event. I'll be going to the Datsun thing too. Don't tell the G/F though! Thanks to everyone for their support, especially Gerald. If it weren't for his coaxing/coaching, I wouldn't be here. I just hope that next time the announcer can actually figure out what my name is and what car I drive. Kinda disapointing to be 'the guy in the silver whatchamacallit' None the less, great outing!

[ZFoo]

Chris,

From outside, I couldn't tell your car was down on power, the sound was sure louder (sort of like the EP Civic with dual Mikuni induction roar). How'd you like the sound of the RSX - it was so quiet that with a helmet on you could not tell that the car was idling. Same as the starter, its so silent you can't hear the engine turning over. Hope you get that port thingy matched up and go 3 steps forward and only 1 step back.

Robert

[Race Miata]

Robert,

IRTB and side-draft carbs are physically very similar so they make similar sound. When tuned properly, IRTB or side-draft carbs make some unique sound that's very sexy, especially on blipping throttle.

The RSX seems to sound more quiet than a stock ITR. Maybe I'm getting deafened by my loud car. Anyways, Honda knows how to make high performance engines and they always sound sweet at high rpm. I still remember the sweet engine sound from Terence's brand new '97 Prelude.

Noticed the RSX's 1st gear seemed pretty tall even with your stock-circumference tires. What's the other 5 speeds doing? Is Honda making some super close-ratio 6 speed tranny?

What's that 3 steps forward and 1 step back thing?

[ZFoo]

Hey Chris,

Oh you never heard that "One step forward, 2 step back" (or something like that?). You made changes to your Miata, it was suppose to go faster, but the initial result was it wasn't, so you went some steps forward, but ended up a few steps back. So hopefully your next mod/tuning will get you lots of steps forward.

The 1st gear in my 6spd is the same as the 5spd box, but my 2nd-5th is squeezed between the 2nd-4th of the 5spd box. So 2nd gear is shorter. I think I need 13" wheels in order to get into vtec, only time I was over 6000 to get into vtec-land was at the start in 1st gear, but I was at the 1st cone just then and had to let out, and just as I crossed the stop lights. Outside of vtec the car feels like its in overdrive.

But getting 2 runs in the Phantom made me realize what speed really is, not just pure acceleration (fastest acceleration I've ever felt) but handling/cornering speeds. Its been a few days and I still can't get that last run through the slalom cones in the Phantom out of my head. I remember squeezing the throttle deeper and deeper, turning the steering left/right faster and faster and before I new it I was in the stop box. The cones in a normal car I can usually see them as I pass, but in the Phantom it was a bit blured and its neat to have that feeling of driving at _your_ limits instead of pushing the car to its edge.

Robert Lu
ZR-uhh.....RS-what?

[swiftdb1]

Rob,

Come over to the dark side

Seriously, the only time I could think about acceleration, brakes, g-forces was in the 180 sweeper at the far end. About half way through the turn when you are in the pure cornering mode and about to apply the throttle. I had a smile on my face and thought to myself... This thing is pulling some serious G's. The rest of the time I was concentrating to stay ahead of the car and couldn't really think about anything else.

Alex

[Race Miata]

Originally posted by ZFoo:
Hey Chris,

Oh you never heard that "One step forward, 2 step back" (or something like that?). You made changes to your Miata, it was suppose to go faster, but the initial result was it wasn't, so you went some steps forward, but ended up a few steps back. So hopefully your next mod/tuning will get you lots of steps forward.

OK, I see. I knew from day 1 that I would run into lots of problems setting up the IRTB. That's why I started a month of planning/preparation before installation. No regret for spending so much time and effort on the IRTB. My only regret is not waiting til winter to start the project. I think it's too soon to say if it's 2 steps backward or not until I have the problems fixed.

I know I have diverted my focus from driver improvement for a while but I don't put in the IRTB to expect a faster time in autox. I put in IRTB because of track days, because I love machines, I love mechanics, I love fabricating stuff, not just to win.

FYI on some of my background... While you guys were watching cartoons as kids, I was busy building mechanical projects from scrap material. My recent favorite TV show is Junkard Wars. Even during these busy evenings of IRTB setup for SIR this coming saturday, I stay 1 hour monday evenings away from the garage and lay back on the sofa for the show on TLC if it's not a rerun episode (actually I did watch one rerun episode).

I know you didn't intend to offend me Rob but from what I sometimes heard recently from the general crowd, I seem to give people an impression that I couldn't drive fast on the track so I make the car go faster.

I don't autox just for trophy. This and road-course are good places to test my projects. Instead of getting a set of Hoosiers and wide wheels for autox a few months ago, I chose to pick up a 17000rpm sportbike because I appreciate the sexy sound from the high-revving 4-cylinder 4-stroke machine more than I appreciate how Hoosier turns any car into a race car.

I know I'm not a top driver and still need improvement, but I would say that I'm not a bad driver either. Even with the big culture shock and my most hated ABS, I could still bring Marlon's C5 back to the stop box quicker than some Z06s and quite closely behind Rob's ZR1 in just one ever run.

Everybody please respect what other people do for hobby. Some poeple like autoxing, some like road-racing, some like drag racing, others like top-down driving, yet others just like the machinery art of an automobile. Why can't I like all of them by forgoing to be top of the top in just one sport?


rant mode off...

Originally posted by ZFoo:
Its been a few days and I still can't get that last run through the slalom cones in the Phantom out of my head.

I remember someone said having driven a super fast car like the Phantom is like losing virginity. Rob, you have that feel?

[Cliffy]

Originally posted by Race Miata:
I know you didn't intend to offend me Rob but from what I sometimes heard recently from the general crowd, I seem to give people an impression that I couldn't drive fast on the track so I make the car go faster.

Chris, I hope you didn't think that my post on "Misguided Modification Syndrome" was directed at you, 'cuz it wasn't.

I actually commend your determination to see your projects to the end.

[Race Miata]

Originally posted by Cliffy:
Chris, I hope you didn't think that my post on "Misguided Modification Syndrome" was directed at you, 'cuz it wasn't.

I actually commend your determination to see your projects to the end.

Appreciate your commendation, Cliff. I almost wanted to stop the project at one point. But as I told Terence that if I call if off at the worst point, I didn't know what went wrong and I didn't learn anything. I'd rather get to the dead end instead of turning back without knowing what the road leads to.

I know your post is not directed at me Cliff, but my little ranting will assure people not to associate MMS with me.

[Cliffy]

Part of finding out what does work is finding out what doesn't.

[ZFoo]

Originally posted by Race Miata:
I remember someone said having driven a super fast car like the Phantom is like losing virginity. Rob, you have that feel?

Well, I can't say its like that, but its been awhile since I had my hands and legs shaking after a run. Before the runs I kept asking Alex about how you steer this car, like do you take your hands off and feed the wheel, and whether having your elbows being snugged in would limit your arm movements. It just felt like I wouldn't be able to turn the wheel in such a confined space. Alex said "gees, I don't remember". After 2 runs, I'm thinking back and "I can't remember either how I turned the steering". All my focus was like Alex trying to keep ahead of the car and getting through the course.

[Cliffy]

Originally posted by Race Miata:
I remember someone said having driven a super fast car like the Phantom is like losing virginity.

Geez, I sure hope that it took longer than 33 sec. though.

Actually driving the Phantom is like being shot out of the barrel of a high powered rifle. Remember when (and I'm showing my age here) you first saw the original Star Wars in the theatres? When the space ship made the jump to light speed and the stars on screen shot towards you...that's how cones look like when you are at full speed in the Phantom. Don't blink or you'll miss everything.

[Vancouver Special]

My next A-Mod car will be called the Virgin Special

Joe

[Race Miata]

Originally posted by Cliffy:
Geez, I sure hope that it took longer than 33 sec. though.

No, I didn't mean the duration part. But before driving the Phantom the very first time, you must be very nervous of how it feels like at first. When you get on it, you just "squeeze deeper and deeper" and "turn faster and faster" as Rob suggested. And it gets so intense that "before I knew it was in the stop box". Oh! Also, don't forget he mentioned "It's been a few days and I still can't get that ... out of my head." The more you think about it, the more you want to do it again! Doesn't that remind you of something?