Desmond's Red Slug

[dezzymun]

PHHHEEEWW!!!! sway bar link issue sorted! Toyota spare parts $360.. Wreckers $50.. WIN

[Kenshin X]

fuken sik, ready for some track funnnnn. me, johnnieboi, mrmps and 2 other friends are heading up...

[dorifto]

I don't know if they still do it, but Pedders had a $14/28 point suspension and wheel check. At the end, they give you a list of what is "wrong" with the car and needs fixing or adjusting.

I did it for shi.ts and kicks and my report came out pretty bad

"Suspension non-progressive rate"

"Spring rate too stiff"

"Wheels scrub - reduce width/offset"

ect ect lol

[eviltwin]

i will never go to pedders for anything , great products but terrible service. I bought a minto Toyota Corona a few years ago off a guy as he had hit a gutter in it and the car was out of alignment , after a visit to pedders he sold it to me for 500 bucks with rego and gave me the list which was so laughable i almost went down there to let them know how discusting it is that they rip people off like this.

Anyway enough of that , good to hear your all sorted out Dez , always good to go to the wreckers mate!

[dezzymun]

Duy: No worries dude, see u up there!

Eviltwin: Im like that too, I only go to workshops or businesses that have good customer service. I visited Autobarn to order some plastifil for my front bumper. It should have only taken 3 days to order, however it took almost 3 weeks. The excuse they gave me was that there was a back order on it, but the truth was that they lost my receipt and i had to hassle them over the 3 weeks.. Never going there again..

Tomorrow will be the last day I can work on the car before track day. Lets hope i make the day productive! Will wake up early in the morning to go to wreckers, install parts, get it checked one final time, and then im all set for sunday.. Target time is 1:49. Keep an eye on the red sportivo at track day!

[dorifto]

1.49 on a pair/set of RE001's? Good luck.

Just curious, you said you've done a track day. What car, what track and time did you post?

Edited November 17, 2010 by dorifto

[dezzymun]

Yeh, 1:49 is my target, but doesn't mean ill get it, honestly ill be happy with 1:51. I've done Winton a couple of times. The most recent one would have been a year ago. Did a 1:51 in a stock starlet turbo on semis. Sunday will give me an idea on what to work on/improve on the car as its going to be my first outing for the whole year.

[dezzymun]

Heres a list of ppl i've found on another forum for lap records im using as a reference:

Please note times may have improved, these times are quite old..

205 / 01:46.04 / SAM / TOYOTA COROLLA-SPORTIVO / 12/06 semi

226 / 01:46.59 / SPOTIO (MATTHEW) / TOYOTA COROLLA-SPORTIVO / 04/07 semi

241 / 01:46.98 / MAURICE / TOYOTA COROLLA-SPORTIVO / 01/08 semi

256 / 01:47.45 / BRYAN NGUYEN / TOYOTA COROLLA-SPORTIVO / 12/06 semi

287 / 01:48.61 / 2FAST4U (MIKE) / TOYOTA COROLLA-SPORTIVO / 12/06 dk

318 / 01:49.90 / MICHAEL / TOYOTA COROLLA-SPORTIVO / 03/06 dk

379 / 01:52.13 / SAMUEL KOKLAS / TOYOTA COROLLA-SPORTIVO / 03/06 dk

473 / 02:00.68 / ZOE WATKINS / TOYOTA COROLLA-SPORTIVO / 05/08 dk

Edited November 17, 2010 by dezzymun

[dezzymun]

Quick update for today:

Woke up early to head down to the wreckers to pick up front sway bar links. When i got there, they were sitting on the counter for me!

Installed the links and it still knocks but its heaps better than what it was yesterday. The shorter ones that i was running were pulling the sway bar links up, but its meant to keep the sway bar pushed down. It only knocks when i go full lock. Not sure why this is but ill get it sorted after track day. Tomorrow i need to buy some oil and Im ready to go. Box of tools and fold out chairs have already been packed! woohoo!

[wil_rolla]

1:50 at winton with re001,, not sure what you have done to your car but i think it's achievable,

i managed a 1:54 with RE001's with only minor mods in a 1zz sedan.. but it took me 3 track days to get that time.

by the way SAM with the 1:46 was crazy (but good) driver. ;)

[dezzymun]

1:50 at winton with re001,, not sure what you have done to your car but i think it's achievable,

i managed a 1:54 with RE001's with only minor mods in a 1zz sedan.. but it took me 3 track days to get that time.

by the way SAM with the 1:46 was crazy (but good) driver. ;)

Lol yes sam is crazy. He did a 1:45 last track day he went to >.<!!

i have all his mods minus lsd and semis.. We'll see what i can do!

[Kenshin X]

Dezzy's sportivo hot lap @ winton. Now you got your benchmark time it can only get better! ;)

I reckon if u have antennas on your helmet u'd look like a fly

[Kenshin X]

another one... ;)

[johnnieboi]

nice.. cant wait till next year for another track outing!

[dorifto]

Checked Natsoft, a few seconds off the mark but always next time. Good attempt though.

[RME1]

Not too bad given that is the first track day with your car!

Consider this, you went from a Starlet Turbo with crappy brakes, and stock power to a Corolla with more power, more powerful brakes, a completely different suspension setup.

You have your reference time for the next outing.

We can experiment with braking lines and tire pressures. I felt that they were the key deciding factors in allowing me to get a PB. Shotgun ride next time!

Also...do 14" rims fit on your car? I'm thinking about putting back, my stock rims.

[dorifto]

Not too bad given that is the first track day with your car!

Consider this, you went from a Starlet Turbo with crappy brakes, and stock power to a Corolla with more power, more powerful brakes, a completely different suspension setup.

You have your reference time for the next outing.

We can experiment with braking lines and tire pressures. I felt that they were the key deciding factors in allowing me to get a PB. Shotgun ride next time!

Also...do 14" rims fit on your car? I'm thinking about putting back, my stock rims.

Buy my 14' Impuls with RE55S's? :P

[Kenshin X]

Not too bad given that is the first track day with your car!

Consider this, you went from a Starlet Turbo with crappy brakes, and stock power to a Corolla with more power, more powerful brakes, a completely different suspension setup.

You have your reference time for the next outing.

We can experiment with braking lines and tire pressures. I felt that they were the key deciding factors in allowing me to get a PB. Shotgun ride next time!

Also...do 14" rims fit on your car? I'm thinking about putting back, my stock rims.

Buy my 14' Impuls with RE55S's? :P

if you can magically change them to 15x7s i'll take em!

[dorifto]

I've got ultra light RPF1's - 15 x 7... your call!

[dezzymun]

Hi guys, did winton on the weekend and it was boiling! Managed a 1:55.0930. Still a PB but theres way more room for improvement.

After isntalling the coilovers a week before the track day, I was enjoying them as they were really comfortable on street. Track day came I didn't change the settings (didn't know how/didn't bother trying). Lets just say I was running the softest settings lol. Not the best on the track! Another big hurdle is tire pressure. Its vital to monitor the hot/cold tire pressure to maximize its capabilities to work in your advantage. These last couple of days I've been playing around with the hard/soft settings while driving to and from work and everywhere else. By the end of the week i should have the best set up for my driving style. One other BIG issue i fount is that the gear box didn't want to up shift/down shift smoothly. You can see in one of the vids i slow right down to 40km before the turn cause i can't get into 2nd, and also losing time slightly crunching 3rd. I changed the way i was shifting throughout the day and it helped only a tiny bit. The down shift from 3rd to 2nd always got me worried cause it would go in smoothly 50% of the time.

In the mean time Ill find some time to search up how to strengthen my gear box in the most cost effective way. Also thanks to Duy and his mate for popping down to spectate and passenger. Hope I thought you the right lines Duy!

CUSCO Zero 2 Coilover testing so far:

(5 settings, 1 is softest 5 is hardest)

21/11/10: Exe Track day: F1/R1 : Way to soft for track, understeer, understeer, understeer! But excellent on street (apart from the bounciness)

22/11/10: Day after track day: F2/R2 : Way better than track day!FML should have ran this setting! Car sticks to the ground more and turn in is a lot more sharper.

23/11/10: F3/R3/ : Slightly more responsive than F2/R2 (still testing)

Will most likely be running F5/R5 and im not going to enjoy it lol.. I've been busy with my new job and haven't been albe to be in this site much, but will try to keep giving updates where possible.

[Kenshin X]

u gave me some good ideas man, i'll try those lines out the next time i'm there... ;) i'll be closely following u and learning haha

[dorifto]

Have you learnt to heel-toe for shifting? Kick the throttle to raise the revs (rev match) on the down shift and it will help catch the revs rather than 'fall' into the appropriate revs with conventional down shifts.

[Kenshin X]

Have you learnt to heel-toe for shifting? Kick the throttle to raise the revs (rev match) on the down shift and it will help catch the revs rather than 'fall' into the appropriate revs with conventional down shifts.

yeah he got the heel-toe shifting trung :)

[dyslexik]

Hey Des,

Try F4:R2 or F5:R3. My opinion is to run the rears less stiff than the fronts to minimise bunny hops over lumpy roads and also help induce cornering at higher speeds on the circuit. Maybe try running with the rear tower brace off to reduce understeer, then set rear dampers one lower to the fronts.

I can't recall if you had a front strut brace, if not, it would be a good investment too.

I suggest lowering your car another 15-20ml, making sure you keep a rake position of about 10-15mls. Effective ride height will reduce unnecessary weight transfer due to the decrease of center of gravity. It will also positively affect the aerodynamics of your car.

I personally have noticed an indirect positive impact on the tyres. They seem to stick to the bitumen a whole lot better as both tyres are pretty firmly planted on the ground. It will also compliment your -3.00 camber. In addition, I found that the more I increased the front dampers, the better steering response was attained. I suspect the reasoning behind this, is because when the front dampers are stiffer, it puts less strain on the stock rubber control arm bushes (It also increases the longevity control arm bushes).

I noticed that you apply the brakes abruptly, which negatively affects balance and momentum of the car. Just as there is a race line to take, there is also a braking line which you need to consider in braking progressively fast and smoothly, not suddenly.

In addition, try 3rd gear instead of 2^nd, where I mentioned it whilst sitting in your car on the circuit, with better throttle control you will be able to have sufficient high cam power to pull out of corners. Refer to attached diagram.

There is no best line to take. The best line is what you are comfortable with in executing. Develop a time attack race line that is appropriate for your driving technique, skill level and your car. Every car behaves differently even the same model cars, because it's either been tuned to the driver's specs or not tuned at all. Adapt to the car, because the car will not adapt to you with exception to the ECU.

Knowing the course is one of the most important things to consider. Knowing which gears to be in, prior to entering a corner/s bend is a must.

Try to refine one hand steering technique, because this you enable you to develop the skill to to maximise entry and exit speeds with less turn in on your steering wheel. You can induce more oversteer if required with the brakes progressively fast not abruptly, prior to entering a corner with the front end pointing slightly to the corner you are attacking. Also, another technique is to lightly tap the brakes with your left foot whilst your right foot is on the accelerator whilst cornering. This will also induce a bit more oversteer to compliment the one hand steering technique.

Just remember to keep the car in high cams, or you will have no torque upon exiting the corner, thus being as efficient as a push bike on track.

Good luck on your next sessions... hopefully 1:50 will be acheieved. Go the RED ROCKET! ;)

[dorifto]

^ You seem knowledgeable and full of advice, how come you don't track/circuit your car? I'm not being a smart ar.s.e, genuine question.

I agree with some of your points, others not so much on. For example, lowering your car will help with CG yes but you have to factor in bump, rebound and roll-centre adjustment if you do go too low. Braking abruptly is fine, imo - I do it at Winton on both the back and main straights. I do not slam them ever, coming up to the apexes or hairpins. I'm not too sure what you mean about the one hand-technique. If your implying steering with the one hand while the other is stagnant then I don't know how you can induce more oversteer. When cornering, it would only take a matter of seconds. Moving your left foot over to tap the brakes, reduce pressure, lift foot off, then go back to clutch for gearshift is effectively almost a half second - much like a gearchange.

Regardless, it's your first time out in the Sportivo at Winton so don't worry too much, just that sub 1.50's isn't as easy as it seems unless your a b/s ace driver then fair enough, my mistake!