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To help with tire wear, a consideration is that those tires can be run backwards. The tread pattern dictates the tire rotation direction but that is for wet conditions. The carcass is omnidirectional. I have run them that way with no issues.
However, I would have called that line a “Starting” line for the Happy Couple...
Sorry to hear about the Ferrari and the problems that it caused. Almost sounds like an over-rev...
Hitting oil or antifreeze will cause really big pucker moment....
You are so right in pointing out the ceremony was held at the starting line. The gentleman is one of the early owners of the grassroot activism that created this great track. We were all invited to the dinner reception and followed with the glorious sunset between the backdrops of Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams. The wedding took place in the coolest day of the three day club weekend event.
We all felt bad for the owner of the Ferrari as anything can happen when you take the car to what it's intended for. It seems more likely the engine oil system sprung a leak and caused massive oil starvation the killed the engine. It cannot over-rev as it has dual clutch gearbox with silicon brain. All members are like family, and all will pitch in and help you get you and your disabled car home. The incident shutted down the track for a few hours as the experienced crew could not get the computer controlled dual clutch gearbox out into neutral.
To help with tire wear, a consideration is that those tires can be run backwards. The tread pattern dictates the tire rotation direction but that is for wet conditions. The carcass is omnidirectional. I have run them that way with no issues.
The thing is you have to flip the tires WRT the rims to do that and that cost money which make the exercise financially futile. It would be different once I have my own tire machines. But the better approach is to properly set up the suspension so the wear would be very even, and I have seen cars achieve that. The Red Baron is one prime example.
as many track days as you do a tire machine will pay for itself quickly. That said the cheap ones are rather difficult to use and will scratch wheels, most of mine are plasti dipped so the pad dust does not eat into them and the tire machine damage is hidden lol
The thing is you have to flip the tires WRT the rims to do that and that cost money which make the exercise financially futile. It would be different once I have my own tire machines. But the better approach is to properly set up the suspension so the wear would be very even, and I have seen cars achieve that. The Red Baron is one prime example.
For a track day, though, you could just switch the right front for the left reared the left front. No need to flip the tire on the wheel at that point. But this way you don’t loose a track day.
For a track day, though, you could just switch the right front for the left reared the left front. No need to flip the tire on the wheel at that point. But this way you don’t loose a track day.
Can't do. They are staggered and so are those on the Lotus. I know someone made them square.
For a track day, though, you could just switch the right front for the left reared the left front. No need to flip the tire on the wheel at that point. But this way you don’t loose a track day.
Ugh!
I need to proof read better. That has never been something I have done well....
That should have read “you could just switch the right front for the left reared or the left front”. Not sure if switching the left and right fronts would help much, given the wear you had.
Having a staggered tire really does make it difficult to do things about tire wear... And making it square has its drawbacks handling wise...
We reverse the track direction every day and hence I didn't need to swap left to right on that set of tires. Evidently running CCW is harder on the tires. It could also the right front scrubbed off more because they accumulated all that heat cycles. Also possible I simply drove more miles on the CCW configuration.
The owner of a 981 Cayman S changed to square front and back and he is the fastest of similar cars. Many Cayman track cars increase the width of front tires to combat the understeer tendency. Even the Lotus front tires can benefit slight increase in width up front.
I have been wary of cheap tire changing machines are far inferior than the commercial quality ones. When I was in Taiwan, all the garages I observed use domestic (Taiwanese) brands. They look quite decent. The cheap consumer ones here are all from China and I know all too well how they cut corners and material to the point the product's performance and usability suffer. Taiwanese tools are much higher quality these days. I have looked at some used commercial tire changing machines and even at very worn condition they are still very expensive.
With permission from my Mini brother in arms I am sharing the photos of the GP3 he texted me. He just picked it up from out of town and drove a few hundreds of miles home which is great for breaking in the drivetrain. He is very pleased with it and all the creature comforts and gadgets that is bundled with the car. Who wouldn't with a shining new toy like that? While contemplating the GP, his other choice was a 981 Cayman GTS.
When I saw one at my dealer, I was surprised at how good the car looks. Everything works together nicely, whereas pictures seem to make it look more of a caricature than what it really is.
Glad to hear he is liking it; that is the general response of the people who have picked theirs up and are posting on the GP3 thread I follow. Is your friend on NAM? Love to hear what he has to say about it after having it for a while and gets a chance to compare it to the Cayman...
He know NAM but as far as I know he hasn't posted here. He'd quite close in buying a GTS with PDK. He wants a car that he can drive daily comfortably so one with paddle shift or automatic is a checkoff item. He now has 3 Mini's and all has way more power than Desire. Many club members are getting new track cars. Two have ordered an Ariel Atom. It seems on the whole is general downsizing. Not so much from the costs of the cars, but towards lighter and more limbo cars, or more built for track cars, and moving away from off the shelf very high performance road cars that are crazy fast on the track but expensive and with high pain points to run.
It seems on the whole is general downsizing. Not so much from the costs of the cars, but towards lighter and more limbo cars, or more built for track cars, and moving away from off the shelf very high performance road cars that are crazy fast on the track but expensive and with high pain points to run.
Sounds like you'll need to unload that Lotus soon...
Sounds like you'll need to unload that Lotus soon...
I'll be happy to take it off your hands. 😁
The first time out with the Lotus, my goal was to break it in. Soon I started to drive faster and faster. On day it throw a code a bank 2 downstream O2 sensor lean. I figured no big deal as it is the downstream. The second day it threw a similar code, and I used my own ultragauge and found out this time was bank 1 upstream O2 sensor lean. It would be fine for a while but as I drove it harder it would throw the code again and kicked me into nanny mode which is most unpleasant. To obtain service codes with more granularity, I would later realize there is no affordable aftermarket scanner for Lotus. The company wants over $3.5k for their proprietary scanner software. And to add insult to injury you have to pay them to subscribe to drawings and service documentations. There are very few Exige V6's in the US and even worldwide so not much user helping one another. Lotus as a company, tasted growth, now behaves more like bigger auto companies. They more care about selling their higher volume Evora nowadays to people want a unique road car.
And the Lotus has another surprising quirk. For a race car you would think you can left foot brake with it. I found out it would kick me back into nanny mode if I overlap throttle and brake too much. As I experimented, as long as I avoid or minimize the overlap of both, then I can left foot brake.
I am plotting a sharper and more focused weapon. Until I make more progress I'm keeping y'all in suspense.
Originally Posted by putttn
I bet it won’t be long until Hank at Advanced Auto Fab has his hands all over that new Mini. It will be fun to see what they come up with.
Yes. Hank can't wait to get his grubby little hands on it.
Originally Posted by Eddie07S
I get the idea of a purpose built track car. I have toyed with that idea, but haven’t pulled the trigger on it...
I have been coming closer and closer to the conclusion purpose built track cars are the way to go.
My R56S kills the boost if I left foot brake and recovery is really slow. The F56 JCW is set up perfectly for left foot braking. However, on the tracks I go to, anytime I have to brake I almost aways have to shift, so I don’t bother trying.
My R56S kills the boost if I left foot brake and recovery is really slow. The F56 JCW is set up perfectly for left foot braking. However, on the tracks I go to, anytime I have to brake I almost aways have to shift, so I don’t bother trying.
Because of Desire's relatively soft spring rates, I developed a habit of overlapping brake and throttle to reduce weight transfer. Once I realized the Lotus computer does not like that I stop the overlap and all was fine. It let me have some overlap, but too much it thinks you must be panicking and sent in the nanny.
The GT4 doesn't do that. But it sorely need spring rates increase for track use. I am planning to get the suspension modified and set up myself comes this winter.
To keep up with my Mini track buddy's shinny sharper track weapon that is the GP3, here is a more track focused car that I am plotting.
I will admit to not know car interiors that well. Clearly small and tight and not much of a tunnel. An automatic or DTC with paddle shifters. The hand brakes looks like it is out of a MINI. And I see a roll cage off to the right... The dash is modern but old school. That is what I can see, but it doesn’t clue me in... Ugh!
Because of Desire's relatively soft spring rates, I developed a habit of overlapping brake and throttle to reduce weight transfer. Once I realized the Lotus computer does not like that I stop the overlap and all was fine. It let me have some overlap, but too much it thinks you must be panicking and sent in the nanny.
The GT4 doesn't do that. But it sorely need spring rates increase for track use. I am planning to get the suspension modified and set up myself comes this winter.
To keep up with my Mini track buddy's shinny sharper track weapon that is the GP3, here is a more track focused car that I am plotting.
Image search suggested a McLaren. It's wrong, but that is what it suggested, and I'm too lazy to try any harder.
Because of Desire's relatively soft spring rates, I developed a habit of overlapping brake and throttle to reduce weight transfer. Once I realized the Lotus computer does not like that I stop the overlap and all was fine. It let me have some overlap, but too much it thinks you must be panicking and sent in the nanny.
The GT4 doesn't do that. But it sorely need spring rates increase for track use. I am planning to get the suspension modified and set up myself comes this winter.
To keep up with my Mini track buddy's shinny sharper track weapon that is the GP3, here is a more track focused car that I am plotting.
Nice!!!
That's a rad looking interior! The three piece looking dash, center display, air vents, and hand brake all look like they share some of Desire's DNA.
I agree, this is a MINI, or at least, the bonnet is a MINI. How much MINI there is left is debatable until more photos are available. Looks fun though.
