Watched some dolphins swiming around just off the shore while this storm approached...what an ending to an epic holiday!!!! 17 Friday -4 by modena photo, on Flickr
So I decided that I haven't dríven the car enough lately ( ) and so I went on the trip to Golburn for a speed off the streets day, my second ever. It was very attractive to me because I really just wanted to test how the new wheel alignment was, and now the brakes felt, and at $120 I couldn't pass it up!!
When I arrived I noticed a small pool of brake fluid sitting below the prop valve...EFF. I tightened them all very tight, but not tight enough, literally about 10 degrees not enough... At this point I was like EFF, gonna have air in the lines after I just put a bottle of BRAND NEW RBF600 in it!! But I went out to see just how bad it was.
First session was really weird; the brakes had initial bite but then would fade to nothing. I did a few laps like this just seeing what was happening and if it would improve (obviously early braking to give me time to pull up or manouvre if the brakes were to fail), but decided to end session early after a few laps. Went back to garage and noticed that the pads were smoking. I think that, although bedded on the road, it needed the speed and heavy braking of a race environment to bed them properly, because the next session it was a consistently hard braking experience!!
Anyway, for the subsequent sessions I couldn't get out of the 1:16s which frustrated me immensly. At this point I decided to have a look back at the data from my 1:14.5 lap (still in racechrono on my phone). An analysis showed that I was consistently slower mid corner, with less g-forces...interesting. So the next session I tried braking earlier and accelerating later, to try and cary more mid-corner speed....BAM!!!! 1 second gone. So now I am stuck in the 1:15s....piss
I really have no idea what is going on. I have been watching my video of the 1:14.5 lap and my videos of my 15s laps, and the lines appear to be the same, braking points appear the same. The only thing different is the shifting points on account of the different rolling radius of the tyres. From this I have concluded that surely it has to be the tyres that is the source of my woes, and their not being able to carry the same mid corner speed as my previous dunlops.
Overall though the car was epic. The new wheel alignment I had done worked a treat; no more under steer, and it was in that magical spot between over steer and under steer. I also removed the whiteline swaybars front and rear, so am now running stock front and rear sway bars. I also tinkered with the shocks, and found that 5 clicks from hard back and 6 clicks from hard at front worked the best for me. Tyres remained at 32psi hot all day.
Soo, penny for your thoughts. This is my 1:15.3 lap (fastest today)
I cant see the vids at work, so will watch at home - but how bout you watch your vid at the same time watching other similar MX5 laps on the same screen to see differences?
So after the SOTS day I decided to investigate the state of the front pads, and I was concerned by what I found. I found the beginning of the same uneven wear pattern as I previously had, which apparently I can't do much about :S So I am going to have to swap these pads around to get even wear out of them, which frustrates me. I also found that the paint on the pads had melted off:
Also found that my brand new dust boot has a crack in it!!!!
Also found that when putting the lower slider pin back in, my slider grease was coming out a small hole in the boot, not sure if that is normal? Looks to have been designed that way, however??
Also, while cleaning up the shed I found one of dads old steering wheels from his adolescence, which was brand new in its box. So, I decided to give it a whirl. It is thicker, and has a different arm angle but it is the same diameter.
I added my old one, and my Nardi, and dads Motolita to the wall:
This is from a while ago, but still cool. A family friend (and ex-neighbour) has recently built himself a large shed on his property, and these photos are from its christening. The night basically ended with a whole lot of the cars' owners jumping in and revving the sh*t out of their cars.
) and so I went on the trip to Golburn for a speed off the streets day, my second ever. It was very attractive to me because I really just wanted to test how the new wheel alignment was, and now the brakes felt, and at $120 I couldn't pass it up!!
At this point I was like EFF, gonna have air in the lines after I just put a bottle of BRAND NEW RBF600 in it!! But I went out to see just how bad it was.
That's a hell of a Christening.
is that the jetters edge guy.
