For the car guys...
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JayStPeter
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Here's a video that features my car. I'm the red car in front of the red #8 car at the start. I'm starting 2nd and the camera car is 4th. If you make it past 15:00 or so, the red car in position 5 makes an appearance running with the orange car that starts first. Orange car is fast, but was making sure some problems he was having were good before coming up to speed.
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JayStPeter said:
It took the camera car a few laps to get his legs, but he started to open it up about halfway in. Well, sort of. His car was faster than the others, but he just wasn't using it. He held a reasonably good line around the track, but had poor throttle management.
The biggest comment I have for this guy is that "if you're not hard on the brakes, you should be hard on the throttle!!". He had a habit of having the clutch pulled in before the corner, but still had his right foot on the throttle enough to tickle the throttle with the clutch pulled in. Why would he do this? This wasn't a downshift. He was tickling the throttle before he moved his foot to the brake!
You should never be able to hear a downshift. It should only happen during braking, and only to prepare the car for going back to hard throttle.
He also had a habit of holding his up-shift on the straights. It was like he was hesitant to go into top gear. It doesn't matter whether you hit the next gear for 1-second before jamming on the brakes, you still go to that gear.
It took him a while to realize that he could hammer it through the high-bank concrete turn, but even then he was lifting quite a bit. You have to lift a little entering it because it isn't a smooth transition, but once in the bank, that's where it is a blast to totally hammer it and feel the G's push you into the seat.
He also had a habit of braking into the hairpin too late and overshooting the apex. He was still braking by the time he got to the outside line. A little bit more of that and he'd be in the grass.
His car appeared to be pretty fast with the way he could easily overtake several of them on that one corner at different times. (Appeared to be his favorite corner.) He could actually be pretty good with a little better throttle management.
K119Phil
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I'm almost scared to post my videos now... but through humility is the only way to grow... so here we go!
This was probably the last video / last track day I did at Sonoma Raceway (previously Infineon Raceway). I'm running NASA HPDE Group 1+2, so naturally, all beginners. Poor Integra has blown a head gasket since then and I haven't gotten around to fixing it [crying]
My Integra's first video upon first stage build completion! A little autocross at Oakland Coliseum!
So you'll probably notice that the car is called "Circuit-Sports Integra". Circuit-Sports is a small suspension specialist company which my friend owns, with emphasis on Nissans. He wanted to branch into the Honda market, and I was lucky enough to hoodwink him into believing that I had an idea of what I was canoodling about -- thus the suspension system you see here is prototyped, and still on the car today!
Project DB8 Day 1
- Stage 1 build's emphasis was all on suspension. All rear suspension bushings are replaced with spherical bearings, and starting from rear trailing arm bushing forward, polyurethane. Monotube dampers, F:10kg, R:8kg.
Project DB8 (aka NinjaCat) - Stage 2
- Stage 2 saw minor weight reduction, and minor power increase by cams, exhaust system, and engine tune.
This was probably the last video / last track day I did at Sonoma Raceway (previously Infineon Raceway). I'm running NASA HPDE Group 1+2, so naturally, all beginners. Poor Integra has blown a head gasket since then and I haven't gotten around to fixing it [crying]
My Integra's first video upon first stage build completion! A little autocross at Oakland Coliseum!
So you'll probably notice that the car is called "Circuit-Sports Integra". Circuit-Sports is a small suspension specialist company which my friend owns, with emphasis on Nissans. He wanted to branch into the Honda market, and I was lucky enough to hoodwink him into believing that I had an idea of what I was canoodling about -- thus the suspension system you see here is prototyped, and still on the car today!
Project DB8 Day 1
- Stage 1 build's emphasis was all on suspension. All rear suspension bushings are replaced with spherical bearings, and starting from rear trailing arm bushing forward, polyurethane. Monotube dampers, F:10kg, R:8kg.
Project DB8 (aka NinjaCat) - Stage 2
- Stage 2 saw minor weight reduction, and minor power increase by cams, exhaust system, and engine tune.
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K119Phil said:
Naahh, no worries. That "drag-your-nose-across-the-asphalt" point of view of the camera was pretty cool!!!! [scared] [scared] That was fun to watch. [cool] [cool]
I do have the same comment though. You should never hear a downshift, because it means you are using the engine to slow the car instead of the brakes. If you used the brakes, you could hold power for a couple more seconds before hitting the brakes. That would be enough to put you right on the tail of the car ahead of you and possibly power out of the corner ahead of them.
You could also hold a tighter line through the corners. You've heard the line in the Dukes of Hazard theme song, "....straightening the curves...", right? Enter wide and aim for the tight apex, and then exit as smooth as you can with full power. The straighter you can make the curves, the faster you can take them. Your inside tire was a little too far away from the apex. Your entry can be a little jagged because you're on 4-wheel brake, but your exit should be a smooth curve because you are on full 2-wheel power.
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By the way, if the driver ahead of you is using the engine to slow the car, he's going to have to take a wide entry into the corner and a wide exit. When you come in with hard brakes, you can take a short entry, closer apex, and then a tighter inside angle coming out of the corner. That is the perfect time to make a pass leading into a straightaway. The tighter entry can get back on the power sooner and have the shorter line on the exit.
nehardwoodfloors
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This gtr is just insane
How about this jeep?
How about this jeep?
JayStPeter
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Rick Christopherson said:
He definitely held back on the first few laps to film his father and I (his father is in #8). His car is definitely more powerful than the others. He's a 1.8l prepped for SM, the 3 red cars are 1.6l prepped for SSM. I think the orange car is a SSM also, but I don't remember and don't know the guy.
I partially agree with your throttle assessments. His braking isn't his strong suit. In his defense, that is a funky track. It is severely crowned for drainage all the way around and doesn't have the nicest/smoothest pavement. Also, there are at least two braking zones where there is a small rise followed by a small drop before entry. Need to get most of the braking done during the rise as there is little grip over the crest and down into the entry. The wide angle camera really hides that.
Rick Christopherson said:
This track and stock Miata gearing don't get along well. If you do shift at the end of a couple of the short straights that put you right near red line you will lose a half a car length. Miatas rev up around 7500RPM. Best bet on a straight is to shift a little lower than that as power starts to drop off over 6700 or so, but the shift itself isn't worth it for the few seconds you're falling off the power band.
Rick Christopherson said:
The carousel is nasty. We all pretty much launch into it near the speed we'll go around it, no smooth transitions there we're catching air. But, it's bumpy and will spit you out if you try to go full throttle through it. About 2/3 of the way around it smooths out and you can hammer it and get launched out.
Rick Christopherson said:
Actually not a bad line through that turn. It reminds me of a motocross when you get a bunch of cars going into it. Some going deep, others tight, and all coming out about the same. It's super tight with crazy off camber and the exit is the inside of the track onto the really long straight that follows. Both left's that follow are full throttle if you setup the hairpin correctly, so it's really about the exit speed. The lines that bigger cars, like vettes, have to take through there is almost comical watching on video. There's just not much room to get the car fully turned and wind up pinned to the inside of the track on exit so you don't have to lift on little bend. I don't go quite as deep in as I rotate the car more under brakes, but his way works.
Rick Christopherson said:
I agree, a little more experience and he's going to be quite quick. He has no fear and has improved quickly.
K119Phil
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http://jalopnik.com/the-ten-bet-automotive-print-ads-of-all-time-1166190463
Enjoyable start to a Monday morning yea?
Enjoyable start to a Monday morning yea?
JayStPeter
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K119Phil said:
Had a bunch of car ads hanging in my room as a kid, mostly Ferrari, the then new high tech C4 vette, and trans am. Only one I had on the wall that made the list was the MG ad, also the only ad with a car I really had no interest in.
K119Phil
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JayStPeter said:
lol... :
my cubicle (from a parallel universe when I used to wear a suit and tie) was plastered with magazine tearouts -- anything with wheels, motorcycles, JDM, DTM, American Muscle, past present future -- oh what a shrine it was (regretfully no photos... come to think of it.... I don't even think there were cell phone cameras back then....!?) All the vivid colors eventually caught the eye of one of our Executive Editors, which spun into a promotion / new position as Automotive Editor for me at http://ign.com (when they still had an automotive channel).
No secret that I'm a Honda guy... so here's three of my favorite Honda TV spots
The Cog
Hands
Civic Nation
Normally I'm a Vintage Jaguar guy but today I fell over this little italian...aint she a beauty? [drooling]
Ferrari sold for a fortune and the money given away to charity.
What a nice story! [thumbs up]
(Sorry guys...you have to follow the link. I don't know how to embed videos)
Kind regards
Henrik
Ferrari sold for a fortune and the money given away to charity.
What a nice story! [thumbs up]
(Sorry guys...you have to follow the link. I don't know how to embed videos)
Kind regards
Henrik
K119Phil
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hrrb said:
to embed videos, just copy/paste the YouTube link right in the reply text box where you're typing! Hit "preview" to make sure the video is embedded correctly before you Post
A little embarrassed that my vintage Jaguar knowledge only lights up the E-Type and XJ220...
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K119Phil said:lol... :
my cubicle (from a parallel universe when I used to wear a suit and tie) was plastered with magazine tearouts --
Cubical?
I wish I had that luxury these days.
This is what my kitchen table currently looks like. [scared] Ya'd think that without being able to eat, I could hold my girlish figure....but alas, no!
[attachimg=#]
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K119Phil
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Rick Christopherson said:K119Phil said:lol... :
my cubicle (from a parallel universe when I used to wear a suit and tie) was plastered with magazine tearouts --
Cubical?
I wish I had that luxury these days.
This is what my kitchen table currently looks like. [scared] Ya'd think that without being able to eat, I could hold my girlish figure....but alas, no!
[attachimg=#]
BOOST! It's what's for dinner [cool]
