Awesome! I love how even though they gap you on the straights, you're right there with them again in every corner. That little green Ford is fast as heck at 1:18!

 

Yeah, I had heard of them before, but never seen one. They are really cool - 1.6L with about 135 HP, only 1,560 lb with the driver.

https://scca-e.com/spec-racer-ford/

 

Was at VIR one day this week. It was fun - with the Eurosport Porsche group from Richmond. It was not very crowded - maybe a dozen cars on the track so a lot of clear track time. I could not get my Garmin Catalyst to work and recorded a 2:22 on Harry's Lap Timer. I can see getting to 2:20 ish, but not much less for me without more power. I'm on Kumho Ecsta tires (17"). They seem decent but do not last long and they get pretty greasy by the end of a session. I was starting at 35 psi, but might should be starting even lower. The car was very stable, and I was gaining confidence to push it harder - wish I had another day

Of course I gave a year's worth of point-bys and enjoyed one myself, overtaking an old camaro that was slow in the turns.

I lost the right inner axle boot in the last session, so I will need to replace that. The other side will need it soon too.



Here is what seems to be a pretty good video of that job:
FCP Euro has the outer boot for $14: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/min...kn-31607518259
and inner for $19: https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/min...kit-gkn-304153

 

Interesting to (me) note; that in the video they didn't bother to "burp" the boots after packing with grease.

 

Hey... just sifted through your whole thread. Great info. We have very similar mods and track experiences. (lots of pointing out the window).
Am I correct you have a carbon fiber hood now?? Can we have some more info and pictures?? How much weight savings and how do you like it?

I'm guessing you don't have a sunroof? Or have you removed it already?

 

No sunroof!

I WANTED a CF hood, but had to settle for FiberGlass. It saves 22 lb over the OEM hood. It was a huge PITA to install and I could only get one latch to latch, so I had to add rubber straps on each side. Unfortunately, I tagged the Armco at VIR with front right and the fender/hood took the brunt of it. Had to do something so decided to go for less weight. No one builds CF hoods anymore - at least not that ship to the US. There's a guy in San Antonio that has a brand new CF hood in the box, but he could not get it to UPS or FedEx.I found a delivery service that would pick it up and take it to FedEx for the low price of only $600! So, no CF hood for me! Now that the hood is installed, it's good and serves the purpose of a hood, but the looks are marginal as is the fit.

Due to the impact, I had to get a new right-front wheel also. As I recall, I don't think it was bent but had a chunk out of it like a massive curb rub. Had to get a new knuckle as well. I could not tell the knuckle was bent, but it must have been because the suspension and wheel position was correct with the new one. The OZ wheels I have are decently lightweight - seem like a good balance of price and performance. I have OZs on the GT4 as well.

The Willwood calipers and rotor save more weight that you would guess. I think it was like 7 lb per wheel - the calipers are aluminum vs. steel OEM. The rotor is a bit lighter also.

I failed to keep a tally of all the weight savings, so I need to take it to a scale somewhere. It feels pretty light and will accelerate surprisingly well out of turns, even against the high HP cars. Of course they leave me in short order on straights, but you can tell the low weight helps a lot.

I have a feeling running over all the curbs at VIR is what finally killed my CV boots. I have new boots but have yet to put them on.

My fabric headliner is coming off of the foam (or whatever is under it), so my next project to lose weight will be to remove the foam up there (starting at the windshield and moving back). I have read that is a horrible job. But getting that weight off that sits up high will be a good thing. At that point I might have to get a driving suit. It seems the "rule" these days is if your car is "track prepped" you need a driving suit to supply fire retardance that you lose by removing interior parts.Once I get that suit, then there's no reason to keep the door trim, so I'll see about removing that and replacing it with nothing or fiberglass. Must be a few pounds there, and I'm keen on getting more weight off the front.

I'll get more photos up...maybe that will make me fix the CV boots!

 

What a cool thread!! Nice work. So, you regret the Cravenspeed Short throw?

 

Thanks!
Given the amount of work to get it in and the cost, I think I could do without it! I will say I do like it a bit more than OEM, but it does not make a significant difference.