Toda Power and Licking Wounds

The Toledo ProSolo is always rough on cars. Combine incredible grip with intense heat and you've got yourself a potential recipe for disaster but thankfully Bumblestook held together to take the win last week. However it was not without issue. I had trailer wiring issues and had no trailer brakes most of the way there and back and Bumblestook's handling felt a bit inconsistent so it was time to get her back on the lift to give her a good post big event maintenance at SJF Performance.

Toda header installed - SJF Performance - 6/20/2017

First though, her win gave Bumblestook dibs on the new Jet Hot ceramic coated Toda Torquie-Kun Header. While I purchased this header for Lupa, it made more sense to put her in Bumblestook where I can hopefully use it to get even more usable midrange torque as well as keep the engine bay a bit cooler.

New header gaskets - SJF Performance - 6/20/2017

New header gaskets - SJF Performance - 6/20/2017

Installation was pretty smooth. The runners go out a bit further than the PLM header so we had to insert the header from the engine bay but fitment was excellent. Of course, new gaskets were put in for a proper seal.

Toda header installed - SJF Performance - 6/20/2017

SJF then flushed the diff fluid. The Toledo ProSolo was only the second event on the new ATS Spec III Type DD diff so it's just basically broken in but the diff fluid coming out was extra dirty. Hopefully it's just break-in carbon from the clutch plates but the diff itself seems to be having well and I'm not hearing of feeling anything unusual so I'm not too concerned. Once all that was sorted, she was put onto the alignment rack. The alignment had definitely shifted quite a bit and after talking to SJF, we decided to try a pretty different and perhaps more aggressive alignment this time around just to see how it would change things. We went with much more camber up front and a hair of toe out for slightly faster turn in. In the rear, we reduced the camber a smidge but still kept the 1/16" total toe in for stability.

Got Camber?  - SJF Performance - 6/20/2017

The new alignments specs are:

Front:
-3.7 camber
5.4 caster
0.04in total toe out

Rear:
-2.3 camber
0.06in total toe in

When we went to reset my sway bars back to meadowlands settings SJF noticed that the nut on my front sway bar was missing. The bar was definitely connected on Saturday in Toledo so somehow between Saturday and Sunday of the event the nut vibrated loose. The funny thing is I was struggling with understeer up until then so it's almost like Bumblestook just fixed herself for me by disconnecting her own sway bar haha. We reconnected it and dialed the front bar down from 5/6 to 3/6 and set the rear bar back to full soft from 5/7.

Added exhaust hanger - SJF Performance - 6/20/2017

I'm not sure if it's the new header or the fact that some stuff shifted but the exhaust tip was touching the rear bumper. To move it back into position, SJF welded an additional hanger onto the exhaust to pull it back towards the driver side so now there's no more play left and right. That was it for all the Bumblestook upgrades and fixes. The final thing to fix was the wiring/overload issues with the trailer. I suspected the issue was related to the trailer connector so that was replaced with a beefier heavy duty one and so far the trailer seems to be operating correctly again.

Trailer plug replaced - SJF Performance - 6/20/2017

We don't have any events until the end of July so Bumblestook will be off to Evans Tuning next month to get a quick retune for the new header to make sure she's 100% when we go to Nationals.

BSP Win at Toledo ProSolo 2017

With only one day of testing this season, it was time for Bumblestook to go to her first big event this year, the Toledo ProSolo. The Poconos event a few week ago was a good test to make sure she was generally working well but I didn't really get a chance to do any suspension tuning so it was unclear how she'd behave on the high grip concrete at Toledo. Before leaving, I swung by SJF Performance to drain out all the pump gas so I could switch to E85.

Some last minute work at SJF Performance - 6/8/2017

My plan was to just run pump gas in Toledo since I didn't have time to get any C85 (my preferred E85 blend) but thankfully Billy told me about a Speedway in Waterville, OH just 15 minutes from the hotel that had E85 at the pump. Unfortunately with pump E85 the ethanol content can vary from 70% all the way to 90% but having a Flex Fuel sensor on the car, the tune can compensate for any amount of ethanol so I took the chance. Turns out this particular station had the same ethanol percentage as C85 and she seemed to run ok so I was happy with that.

Filling up on corn juice - Watterville, OH - 6/8/2017

The next day I arrived on site early to get a good spot in paddock and it started pouring. This is pretty typical of Toledo but I'd rather it rain all day on a Friday than during the competition days in the weekend. Since I had no baseline to go against I just did what I always do when I get on concrete which is to up the rear swaybar setting going from full soft to 5/7 on the new Karcepts rear bar.  I used to go full stiff with the Ankeny rear bar but the Karcepts bar can go stiffer than the Ankeny bar so I didn't want to max it out just yet. It eventually stopped raining and we got to do practice starts in the dry which she was able to get done with no problems. Unfortunately Kirk's BSP 240Z destroyed a drive shaft u-joint and sheered the transmission output shaft during their practice starts so to keep class numbers, I took on Kirk as a codriver and Lee took on Mike.

Arrived on site - Toledo ProSolo - 6/9/2017

Saturday morning rolled in and it was time for the first set of competition runs. It did not go well. She was extremely pushy everywhere. It didn't matter if it was under braking, under power or just transitioning. Bumblestook did not drive like an S2000 and I was a bit worried. I needed to make some big shock changes to get her front end to bite better. The Moton tripples have 5 settings for low speed compression and it was set to full stiff in the front. I decided to dial it back 2 clicks and that transformed her completely for the afternoon runs. She started to drive as expected and I was able to regain confidence to push her a bit harder. She was rotating nicely under power with just enough slip angle to slide the rear around but it would still set and the diff could put the power down as needed.

Ready for morning runs - Toledo ProSolo - 6/10/2017

Unfortunately I was still having difficulty getting my timing right and was hitting cones in most of my runs so I found myself at the end of day 1 in 2nd sitting 0.7 seconds back from Lee. I reviewed the video and data of the runs overnight and knew that if I could just stay off the cones I could pick up some time in other sections now that I was more willing to chuck her into a corner and let her stick. I also felt that the front didn't have enough rebound so I added a click of rebound to control the front a bit more.

In grid for day 2 - Toledo ProSolo - 6/11/2017

I needed a good left side run and thankfully being 2nd I was starting off day 2 on the right so I took the first run as a recon run and get the tires and brakes heated up. When I got to the left side I was able to finally get in a clean run by being a bit safe and taking slightly wider lines and still finding 0.8 seconds to take the lead by about 0.1. I went back to the right side and put in a much faster run now that I was in the lead and tried to find her limits more. I was able to find another 0.7 seconds but coned the slalom so no improvement there. Back to my final run on the left, I pushed a little harder but the tires were starting to feel a little greasy and she was sliding a little more. I still managed to find some more time and seal the win with a 0.3 second lead.

Toledo ProSolo - Left Side

Toledo ProSolo - Right Side

I definitely lost some time in the launches. There was so much grip with the concrete and Hoosiers that even launching at 8800rpm I was bogging hard. Not having torque was not helping me here. I think she definitely had a lot more pace out there. I need to work on finding out how much space I need to give to clear the cones especially on right hand turns. The cone troubles are going to bite me hard at nationals if I don't figure it out. The Toda Racing Torquie-Kun header that I had ceramic coated for Lupa will have to be given up to Bumblestook I think as she has a greater need for a better mid-range torque curve so I'll have to find time to get her back on the Dyno. That will probably be the final change for the season.

Toledo ProSolo 2017 - 6/11/2017

I'm really happy with the changes for this year and it was great that I now have a working concrete setup for her. She didn't break and helped me secure the win defending her win at Toledo from last year. Going racing on my birthday was a treat. Winning was icing on the cake. We've got a little more work to do but good job Bumblestook!

SoS Hood Dampers

No big update today other than finally installing the Science of Speed hood dampers that I got over the winter but have been too lazy to install. These are replacing my rusting PasswordJDM ones that don't open nearly as much

Science of Speed Hood Dampers - 6/3/2017

Less than a week before we head out to Toledo. I've decided we're not going to run her at the NNJR event tomorrow for testing since I don't want to risk having any issues this soon to a big event.

All Systems Are Go

After months of various unrelated issues coming up that have prevented me from bringing Bumblestook out, the stars finally aligned and today I was able to take her out on her 2017 debut after all the work done over the winter.

NEPA SCCA Autocross - Poconos Raceway - 5/27/2017

With only two weeks left before we head out to Toledo, time was quickly running out to get her tested. The summary of changes over the winter are:

• Went to 315/30/18 Hoosiers up front to make it 315 all around (Previously I was running 295/315 staggered)
• The tires on the front now were my rear tires from Nationals last year so they were covered in OPR from Lincoln
• Switched from 10mm to 15mm spacers up front for clearance
• Cut more of the front fender out for clearance and added overfenders
• Switched to Karcepts front and rear sway bars for increased adjustability
• New ATS Spec III Type DD diff was installed
• Replaced passenger side front knuckle, wheel bearings and studs
• Replaced passenger side axle with the matching spare we used to replace the driver side axle during the ProSolo Finale
• Added mount for tablet so I can run SoloStorm this year for datalogging

I wanted to test for clearance, scrub the OPR off and break in the new diff as well as get a general feel for the balance of the car with the new setup. NEPA hosted an autocross today at Poconos Raceway. These are typically very fast courses but for some reason, today's course was particularly tight and slow. When we walked the course, many of us thought it was going to be a disaster. The gates were very tight and the elements felt all over the place and visually confusing. I was personally surprised that it drove better than I expected and all the transitions helped me achieve my goal of getting a baseline balance with her new setup.

The new tablet mount worked perfectly for capturing data

My first 3 runs were spent scrubbing off OPR. The fronts weren't hooking up too well with all that clag on the tire so I took the course at about 80% pace and at least get the diff to work. The new ATS diff feels incredible. The engagement is very smooth and I had no problems getting power to the ground. Also this year I'm trying much lower tire pressures so I started the day off with a target 28/25psi. She was feeling a bit pushy so I kept lower the front pressures until they were 25psi even and I really felt she was ready to dance but still leaving a bit of push which I was ok with at the Poconos. If this was at the Meadowlands I would've raised the rear bar to test but I wasn't about to do that on the road course so I'll leave that for next weekend. Also, since I was testing, I took the opportunity to take different S2000 drivers on ride alongs so they could feel what a BSP S2000 really feels like. The reactions were, as expected, priceless. 

Poconos Raceway - 5/27/2017

Unfortunately after our third runs another car had some issues and leaked coolant at the beginning sections of the course so on my final two runs I backed off a bit there to avoid sliding there but I was still able to drop time elsewhere. On my final run, I went solo and put in a good time but the narrow gates and the wider stance put me in cone trouble as all my runs ended up dirty. Overall, I'm super happy with how she performed today. Data showed we pulled a max of 1.6Gs lateral and I didn't even get her to slide yet so there's more. She performed flawlessly, the tires are OPR free and smooth and I had no rubbing anywhere. We've got one more day of testing left before her first big event this year so hopefully I can dial in the suspension a bit more and really make her dance. 

NEPA SCCA Autocross - 5/27/2017

Ready for the 2017 Season

Usually Bumblestook hibernates all winter long but the relatively good weather we've been having has allowed us to complete all the modifications and prep work for the 2017 racing season well ahead of schedule. First order of business was to get some fresh fluids in there.

Oil and Transmission fluids changed - 1/29/2017

While working on the car last week we noticed that the exhaust flex bolts had rusted quite a bit so I opted to replace those now since I was ordering some parts from Honda anyway.

Replacement exhaust flex bolts - 1/29/2017

Exhaust flex bolts to header replaced - 1/29/2017

Finally, we set the sway bars to the settings I wanted as a starting point for this season (1 hole from full stiff in the front and full soft in the rear). We also did the first alignment for the season. Since I have more tire and slightly wider track up front, I decided to reduce the front camber a bit but leave the rest the same to keep the general balance. There will be undoubtedly many more alignment adjustments throughout the year but I think this is a good starting point.

Front:
-3.4 camber
5.2 caster
0 toe

Rear:
-2.5 camber
0.06 (1/16") total toe in

Ready for alignment - 1/29/2017

Alignment specs - 1/29/2017

Big thanks to SJF Performance for getting all the work done before the early season rush. Bumblestook is ready for the first event in 6 weeks where we'll be able to test all the changes.

New ATS Diff and Replacing a Bad Knuckle

Last year we identified additional items that needed to be replaced over the winter. The ATS diff that I had been running for the past 3 years was still working but the clutch packs were starting to slip. Rather than have it rebuilt, I opted to send Lupa's spare OEM diff housing over to Karcepts and have Brian install the new ATS Spec III Type DD LSD in it. Since we had a break in the weather this weekend, SJF Performance installed the replacement pumpkin as well as replaced the passenger side axle with the matching spare to the driver side axle that broke during Nationals as a precaution. We also noticed that one of my rear diff mounts was installed backwards so we corrected that as well.

ATS Spec III Type DD LSD in AP2 diff housing
SJF Performance - 1/21/2017

Passenger side axle replaced - 1/21/2017

SJF Performance - 1/21/2017

When SJF was installing the new camber joints last year, he found that the threads on the passenger side front knuckle were cross threaded from a previous installation. He was able to tap and fix the threads but we weren't super happy leaving it that way. I picked up a used AP1 passenger side knuckle and he replaced the wheel bearing and hub and installed a fresh set of ARP extended studs so I could keep the old knuckle as spare complete unit.

New wheel bearing - 1/21/2017

New OEM hub with ARP extended studs pressed on - 1/21/2017

Spindle, new bearing and hub all pressed together - 1/21/2017

This completes all the major mechanical work that needed to be done over the winter. She only needs an alignment and new fluids before the season starts.

Going Wider

One thing I haven't done to Bumblestook because she was already working well was to try to go with wider tires up front to make it a square setup and increase front grip. With the significant gap we had to the Mazdaspeed Miatas at Nationals, I really have no choice but to try and extract every bit of performance I can get within the limits of the rules. Now that the season is over, SJF Performance was finally able find the time to work on this.

Circuit Garage S2000 front overfenders - 11/26/2016

We mounted the 315/30/18 Hoosier A7s on the 18x11 front wheels leaving the 315/30/18 Hoosiers on the 18x12 in the rear. I previously had 295s up front which were slightly stretched on an 11" wide wheel so the 315s are actually a better fit anyway. I technically don't need 18x12 in the rear but if I can't get the car to balance the way I want on the square setup, I'm leaving the option to go to 335s in the rear. I used to also run 10mm spacers in the front to get maximum clearance and to try and compensate slightly for the wider tire, I went to a 15mm spacer this time. To accommodate the extra tire width, I decided we should cut the OEM fenders some more and add overfenders so I picked up a pair of Circuit Garage S2000 front overfenders. Sadly these overfenders cost about as much as pre-made wider OEM style fenders but since those aren't Street Prepared legal, I had to go this route instead.

Make more room up front - 11/26/2016

It was clear early on that these overfenders had pretty bad fitment and would probably take a body shop a fair amount of time to mold properly to the car. Rather than use the entire overfender, we decided to just cut them up and just use the portion that overlays with the top of the OEM fender. I had my OEM fenders previously widened professionally by a body shop so they were shaped really nicely but unfortunately they were only nice because the shop used a fair bit of bondo to sculpt it into form. Some of the bondo cracked while cutting the fender away. Not a big deal but this was definitely going to end up being a case of function over form.

Front over fenders mocked up - 11/26/2016

Since I didn't know if I'd end up just destroying these fenders after a few events I was reluctant to have them professionally painted so I found a company that sells OEM color paint in spray can from (automotivetouchup.com). They give you a can of base coat, medium coat and clear coat each of your car color. I was a bit skeptical especially since Spa Yellow is often hard to match but SJF and I were both surprised at how well the color matched (at least from a reasonable distance away). Since we were going to color match the front fenders, I opted to also paint the rear over fenders the same color after we cut them up a bit more for extra tire clearance in the rear as well.

Automotive Paint - 11/26/2016

Over fenders painted - 11/26/2016

At the last run of the final event this year, the passenger side front fender got ripped out completely. Luckily I was able to get a pair of brand new ones for a steal from Dan who had it lying around in his garage so SJF installed the new one.

New passenger front fender installed and trimmed for tire clearance - 11/26/2016

The new square setup and the wider front track is going to completely change the balance of the car. Unfortunately, the Gendron front bar and Ankeny rear bar I've been running for years now don't have sufficient adjustment for this setup so I replaced both with a fresh set of Karcepts sway bars instead. I'm running the largest front bar Karcepts makes for the S2000, 1.375" OD with 0.25" walls. For the rear I'm using the standard Karcepts S2000 rear sway bar used by the STR cars (which I also have on Lupa). SJF also noticed that the tabs on the rear subframe used for rear toe adjustment had been warped from all the rear grip so he straightened them out again.

Karcepts 1.375" OD, 0.25" wall front sway bar - 12/4/2016

Karcepts S2000 rear sway bar - 12/4/2016

After we got back from Nationals, we also noticed that the offset camber joint was leaking so we replaced both sides as well with a fresh set. I want to run Solostorm next year for data logging but didn't want to have a tablet mounted in my field of vision so I picked up an NVidia K7 Shield K1 tablet along with a RAM Tablet mount (RAMHOLTAB12U), RAM Diamond adapter (Ram-B-238) and RAM V-Base strap clamp with 1" ball arm which we hard mounted behind the passenger seat.

Tablet mount behind passenger seat - 11/26/2016

We also drained the remaining E85 in the fuel tank and put in pump gas again for winter storage. We still have a few things left to do over the winter to get her ready for next season but thankfully a lot of the major work has been completed.

Front overfenders - 12/4/2016

Color matched overfenders - 12/4/2016

Painted rear overfenders with weather stripping - 12/4/2016

Front overfenders viewed from above - 12/4/2016