If you are only talking about weight transfer, it is linear to the spring rate. However, the further the car moves, due to a soft spring, at the same suspension speed, the worse the transitional "feel" will be. I guess what I am saying is spring rate is only one part of the equation. Thinking that spring rate change alone will suddenly make middle of the pack car into top dog is not true. In cars, everything is always a compromise. Spring rates can be too soft or too stiff. Most cars would like slightly stiffer than stock springs for RX, at the expense of ride quality. That being said, on snow and ice, most cars will handle better with softer springs and no sway bars. Always a compromise.
yep, it is best to focus on upgrading the software behind the wheel. i am somewhat partial to the make sure all 4 wheels are pointed in generally the same direction and modest application of the go foot school of thought when it comes to rallycross. then wait 'till i am as fast as i can be with the setup i have and then start the upgrades to the hardware under my butt.
hey mark u., how did you like the immedeate feedback on your times? seems like that would be a great way to boost the speed factor. or induce a pretty nasty red mist. either way it seems to lend istelf to some pretty specatular results.
I like seeing my time immediately. I don't think I was alone in that opinion. As to it contributing to red mist, I don't buy it. I think we are all trying to go as fast as possible anyway. Isn't that what we're supposed to be doing?
I agree. If anything, for me, it led to a more clinical approach. Knowing that the little thing you did different last time made a difference pro or con allowed you to incorporate it or discard it the next run. Seeing the times made me think a lot harder about each element. The breakdown of how I drove earlier, I probably couldn't have given you for any other rallyx I've ever run, because I never went through the same thorough mental walkthrough over and over after every run.
Okay, allow me to explain the car I have, how I was driving (c/n: poorly, my first driving event ever), and what it all felt like to me. Car: stock springs, stock sways (20mm F, 13mm R), front strut bar (only thing that had me in PA, because my rear sway didn't show up on time), Balding RE92A's, and the diffs on the car are open front, 4k center, open rear. My first run out there (the 55.9) I was pretty much "omg whats going to happen, omg this omg that omg first run" psyched myself out. I also made the mistake of shifting up into second that run and never coming out of it (bogging a bit, in places). Every other run was spent entirely in first (car has long gears... final drive, iirc, is like 3.70 - also, I wasn't ever really putting my foot all the way in the car, something about having to drive 220mi back home after the event...) First corner (sweeping left towards the pin) was usually spent fighting the lack of grip up front and the ridiculous amount of grip in back. I would try and drive it a like a paved road up til it started pushing, then I'd tap the brakes hoping the back would step out... which it did, for about 4 inches before it'd hook up again. Pin turn. I could not figure out how to get the car to go around it nicely (I tried flicking once or twice, but I pretty much sucked at it :laugh: not even close to doing it right; kinda forgot about trail braking), other than the constant radius turn way... and even then it wasn't really nicely. Floor it to the forced flick corner... though, again, I don't think the back ever stepped out. Drove wide towards the next corner, tap the brakes to try and rotate the car... usually pushed.. got pissed off and smashed the gas, then pushed into the next corner (yes, this was every run... few of you probably caught me shaking my head at this) set up wide for the not-really-S-more-like-straight into the turn before the finish... I never really put my foot all the way in it here, was more worried about not munching the cones and then after the last turn smash the gas again... usually end up sideways after the timing beam :laugh: As for what it felt like to me... it felt like the car really, really didn't have the grip to brake or turn, but the back end had all the grip in the world to keep me from turning. The two fixes I've thought of for this (aside from throwing parts at it) are ... A) the basic slow in, fast out ... probably would've saved me a lot of time in the S part after the forced flick. B) drive it a hell of a lot harder and just throw it around, because I know the back end would hook up long before I slide wide and hit cones. Leery of that one because of the RE92 sidewalls / having to drive this car home afterwards. if I was throwing parts at it, a rear sway and some fresher tires (even 92's with more tread life remaining) would be where I'd start. My last run, the 44.4XX was a bit closer to slow in, fast out.. but there were still a couple spots where I lost a bunch of time (first corner, pin turn), along with the usual not really on pace everywhere else. I really could/would have benefitted from a passenger or a co-driver to show me just how much room I have to improve. My only real comparison is vs. Sleeperwagon (the 2.5i wagon in M4), and last I heard he was running 41's or so.
The timing system was great, NO downside. I would love to have my own timing system in the car. We have found that more data for anlysis is always better and instant feedback will make you a better driver. This includes feedback from other knowledgeable drivers.
After extensive testing with Amys car (driving it from the paddock to the starting line) :eek3:, I got to watch her take her first run and it reminded me just how much power the car has when the boost comes on. Still, my first run was all about thinking "this thing is wicked fast" which led to "f@#&ing summer tires" and “dang, the ABS fuse is still in!!”. Which we fixed when I came back in. Then I got used to the car... Starting section was about getting the car mostly straight before gently mashing the gas, then hard on the brakes for the first left. It worked best for me to hold steady partial throttle and use the brakes very lightly to get the back end out just enough to keep the front wheels straight. I never did get the pin turn to work as nothing I tried stopped the pushing. I shifted to second just before the gate and keep it there thru the right turn. I only got this next part correct once (while messing up the first left and the pin turn), but it was worth at least 2 seconds. I trail braked into the left and when I was waiting for it to rotate, I shifted down to first and got back on the gas when I was pointed at the apex cone. The car swung around and I used that to swing the car around and over steer thru the right turn. (I think if I exited the left wider, I would have been much better off for the right turn.) Usually, I'd turn-in to late for the hard right and be stuck pushing thru the fluff. Then it was on the gas just enough thru the left as to not swing wide and hit the outside cone and hard on the gas thru the straight. For the last right, I'm sure I left way too much room on the outside on entering it as I was worried about clipping the cone with the back end. I tended to be a little harder than I wanted on the gas to get to the finish as I was always sideways, but it sure was fun. I know it wasn't the fastest way around, but it's what I managed to do.
where was the start this time? over by the bleachers or on the little blacktop road down the hill to the big parking lot.
We started on the north end of the bleachers in the grandstand area. Then went thru the wood gate onto the gravel parking lot and left thru the gate to do the pin turn. Then back onto the gravel parking lot and ended on the south end of the grandstands.
It was a lot of fun! I don't think anyone was disappointed by the course or the number of runs. Overall it was very well executed.
