Last winter, after last summer`s track days i was totally bitten by a race bug so i decided to take a plunge in the world of motorsport and enter Finnish Time Attack series this year with my FN2.
I chose club class which is intented for cars that are road legal.
Pre season
Last year i was running with stock shocks, Eibach springs and camber bolts. Eibachs do feel better on street but i didn`t like the feel of them on track.
When cornering, first there was huge body roll, like the car was about to tip over then they stiffen up. I thought more linear feel would be better for track use so i decided to look for some coilover`s.
I came across with company called D2 which makes coilover`s and BBK`s amoung other things. Their coilover kit was reasonably priced so i decided to give it a go.
Installation was pretty straight forward, no major problems there. Same time in went also HEL braided brake lines and Selby rear sway bar.
But the biggest problem i had last summer, inner wheel spin, was still unsolved. Only thing i could do was bite the bullet and invest on Kaaz LSD.
At this point my credit card was so abused i had to leave engine as it is: HKS RSK, RRC, CPL racing mani, Miltek and Hondata FlashPro. Few extra hp would have been nice but not possible at this moment.
Few pics of D2 and Selby bar.
Round 1 Alastaro 7.5.2011
Suspension setup:
Front camber: -2deg
Front toe in: -1mm
Rear camber: -1.5deg
Rear toe in: +1.5mm
Tyres were Michelin Pilot Sport Cup.
Free Practice
Morning was quite chilly, only about +4c so i knew my tyres needed some time to get warm.
After few laps i was speechless. I didn`t believe i was driving same car than last summer. No understeer or inner wheel spin at all!!
To be honest car was bit too tail happy at first, i spinned once from about 100km/h and ended up on gravel. After some adjustment on rear shocks and tyre pressure i was able to make it more stable.
Qualifying 1&2
Next were two qualifying sessions, time to measure my speed against others.
Qualifying Top 4:
1.28.5 Honda Civic EK4 1.8
1.31.6 Audi TT RS
1.31.9 Me
1.33.3 Peugeot 106 S16
I was very pleased with the result, 340hp Audi was only 0.3 seconds away!
Superlap
On the Final i didn`t do so well. There was only one warming lap and i didn`t get my rear tyres warm enough. It made things bit tricky, as you can see on vid.
Final Top 4:
1.28.8 Honda Civic EK4 1.8
1.32.2 Audi TT RS
1.32.3 Peugeot 106 S16
1.32.5 Me
Overall i was quite happy with these results, it was my first race after all. D2 coilover`s worked well as did selby sway bar and Kaaz, totally transformed the car
After race i noticed i my brake discs were totally ruined. My current Ferodo DS 1.11 front pads seem to be working much higher temperature than DS 2500.
So, new discs are on shopping list next, any suggestions? Was thinking of EBC, maybe.
Lastly, few pics from track side.
Amasingly fast EK4
I chose club class which is intented for cars that are road legal.
Pre season
Last year i was running with stock shocks, Eibach springs and camber bolts. Eibachs do feel better on street but i didn`t like the feel of them on track.
When cornering, first there was huge body roll, like the car was about to tip over then they stiffen up. I thought more linear feel would be better for track use so i decided to look for some coilover`s.
I came across with company called D2 which makes coilover`s and BBK`s amoung other things. Their coilover kit was reasonably priced so i decided to give it a go.
Installation was pretty straight forward, no major problems there. Same time in went also HEL braided brake lines and Selby rear sway bar.
But the biggest problem i had last summer, inner wheel spin, was still unsolved. Only thing i could do was bite the bullet and invest on Kaaz LSD.
At this point my credit card was so abused i had to leave engine as it is: HKS RSK, RRC, CPL racing mani, Miltek and Hondata FlashPro. Few extra hp would have been nice but not possible at this moment.
Few pics of D2 and Selby bar.
Round 1 Alastaro 7.5.2011
Suspension setup:
Front camber: -2deg
Front toe in: -1mm
Rear camber: -1.5deg
Rear toe in: +1.5mm
Tyres were Michelin Pilot Sport Cup.
Free Practice
Morning was quite chilly, only about +4c so i knew my tyres needed some time to get warm.
After few laps i was speechless. I didn`t believe i was driving same car than last summer. No understeer or inner wheel spin at all!!
To be honest car was bit too tail happy at first, i spinned once from about 100km/h and ended up on gravel. After some adjustment on rear shocks and tyre pressure i was able to make it more stable.
Qualifying 1&2
Next were two qualifying sessions, time to measure my speed against others.
Qualifying Top 4:
1.28.5 Honda Civic EK4 1.8
1.31.6 Audi TT RS
1.31.9 Me
1.33.3 Peugeot 106 S16
I was very pleased with the result, 340hp Audi was only 0.3 seconds away!
Superlap
On the Final i didn`t do so well. There was only one warming lap and i didn`t get my rear tyres warm enough. It made things bit tricky, as you can see on vid.
Final Top 4:
1.28.8 Honda Civic EK4 1.8
1.32.2 Audi TT RS
1.32.3 Peugeot 106 S16
1.32.5 Me
Overall i was quite happy with these results, it was my first race after all. D2 coilover`s worked well as did selby sway bar and Kaaz, totally transformed the car
After race i noticed i my brake discs were totally ruined. My current Ferodo DS 1.11 front pads seem to be working much higher temperature than DS 2500.
So, new discs are on shopping list next, any suggestions? Was thinking of EBC, maybe.
Lastly, few pics from track side.
Amasingly fast EK4