clarkspeed

I'm sure you will!

Greg, I also find it hard to believe it's harmonics. Seems impossible to destroy one bearing without at least wiping the coating off of others. It is a 7 bearing motor so it seems hard for the entire crank movement to be limited to the center bearing. It's possible harmonics contributed if the oil film was marginal, but not the root cause.

Blocking the lower was chosen based on simplicity for this application. Supports were there and we already had an existing grill to fit. The KISS principle. Hopefully I get some aero help from it.

I have a BSME from NCSU and have been in the workforce for 20 years. I've had the privilege of working on everything from Nuke Subs, Aircraft Carriers, Space Shuttle, Missiles, Lasers, Glass Plants, Power Plants, just to name a few. Funny thing is, I rarely use my engineering and have never done design. I learned a lot about manufacturing and how to build just about anything and currently manage an Industrial Engineering department for a large defense contractor. I've always networked with people and kept my experience varied and marketable. As far as being happy in your job? I like things different everyday. Never bored. Some engineers like a little more structure. And if you don't like sitting in front of a computer all day, don't get too heavy into pure design. I knew a guy who went to work in the engine shop of a large Nascar team. Sounded cool, but he ended up running dyno tests for weeks on end and was bored to death. And the pay was lousy. Keep in mind a dream job may not be that glamorous and you end up with much more competition to get ahead. Above all, for me to be happy, it takes a dynamic growing company with a young diverse workforce, good management, and a good boss who is willing to teach. Doesn't really matter what the product is or even what I do. You can create your own opportunities in that environment and move up or lateral. Or get good experience and move on. It's a big world out there. That ME degree will get your foot into a lot of doors, even ones you never dreamed of.

The easy way is to buy the welded spool I have posted on Ebay right now. It seems to be well made. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140300981083&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

That car rules! Let me know when you go back to the track. I have the helmet cam up and working again!

Garrett, Are you pulling from the SDS brain or taking inputs from individual sensors?

I'm an FI guy and no carb expert but I do have some advise for a NA L6. You will want to data log your LM-1. Things happen so fast, sometimes they are hard to see on the gauge. RPM and throttle input even better. Jet for a steady WOT ratio a little above 12.5 to 1. Say 12.8 to 13.0. My LM-1 read a little high so I ended up about .5 above. Then tune for throttle transition per some of Jon's notes. You will end up with a comprimise. Going a little lean then a little rich is about right without going too lean and never rich or never getting lean and going too rich. That's what causes the stumble. Should clean up within 1000 RPM. Then if you really want to get it close, take it to a dyno, with LOTS of spares.

I think that's what he is saying. Tune to the temps, and you will end up about a degree "less camber" in the rear. (ex. -3 Deg F, -2 Deg R). Seems about right.

I think that's what he is saying. Tune to the temps, and you will end up about a degree "less camber" in the rear. (ex. -3 Deg F, -2 Deg R). Seems about right.

If your bias is way off, you will see noticable difference in wear on the fronts vs. backs. More heat also. Again, you might experiment with pad materials first since that's the easiest. What tire and size are you running? Stopping distance is always limited by the Cof between the tire and the road, not the size of the brakes. The bigger brakes will only allow you to modulate and control heat better.

I'm good at drilling fenders. Is that the same?

Damn this is a good thread. Now I know what I didn't know or something like that. Thanks all!

Damn this is a good thread. Now I know what I didn't know or something like that. Thanks all!

Awesome. I guess I'm not too far off then. It was a little cool at the Mitty so my temps ended up around 150 but I measured them with a IR gun. I know, not as accurate. Ended up 20 degrees different LR to FR. Around 10 degrees hotter on inside vs. outside. 3 out of 4 anyway. Took too much camber out of rear and LR ended up 14 hotter on outside, last sesson. Still, much better than where I started at. Another good track day should get them real close. And yes, the Bilsteins seemed to reduce tire wear but time will tell. Katman, Do you shoot for the same temp spreads front and rear? ie. 20-25 bias toward inside? In the past I've run a little less camber in the rear to increase traction out of slower corners.

Awesome. I guess I'm not too far off then. It was a little cool at the Mitty so my temps ended up around 150 but I measured them with a IR gun. I know, not as accurate. Ended up 20 degrees different LR to FR. Around 10 degrees hotter on inside vs. outside. 3 out of 4 anyway. Took too much camber out of rear and LR ended up 14 hotter on outside, last sesson. Still, much better than where I started at. Another good track day should get them real close. And yes, the Bilsteins seemed to reduce tire wear but time will tell. Katman, Do you shoot for the same temp spreads front and rear? ie. 20-25 bias toward inside? In the past I've run a little less camber in the rear to increase traction out of slower corners.

The Spin Werkes are not too bad compared to other custom offset wheels like CCW. Wait until you try and put the Diamonds over a big brake kit. Their 16" wheel has a 15" center. And 4 pounds at the wheel is like 40 on the car.

For those of you contempating race set-ups, Katman posted an excellent set up guide on ImprovedTouring.com that explains many of the questions above. I am giving it a shot and so far the results look very promising. Search for "240 set up". Katman, Care to post some insight into tire temp measurment? I felt like I was "chasing" things at Road Atlanta a couple of weeks ago. I ended up backing quite a bit of camber out with the heaver spring rates. I think the long back straight was messing with the measurments.

For those of you contempating race set-ups, Katman posted an excellent set up guide on ImprovedTouring.com that explains many of the questions above. I am giving it a shot and so far the results look very promising. Search for "240 set up". Katman, Care to post some insight into tire temp measurment? I felt like I was "chasing" things at Road Atlanta a couple of weeks ago. I ended up backing quite a bit of camber out with the heaver spring rates. I think the long back straight was messing with the measurments.

Just curious if anyone has tried the Spin Werkes wheels available through Racer Parts Wholesale. They look a little funky but the prices are good. They seem to have plenty of options available for offest and widths.

All of your descriptions are relative so it's hard to diagnose your problem. Hard to modulate and locks up the fronts easy? Both fronts? Is this easy street driving, agressive street driving, or threshold braking from 130mph? Locking up the fronts first is the right thing, but it should be easy to threshold brake and modulate just before lock up. Especially with an overkill brake system. You've made some serious changes to your system. From your description, I'm not sure what caliper piston sizes you have or brake compounds. You may have quite a bit more clamping force at the front than the rear. If so, you may never get the rears to lock. Still should be easy to modulate. Are you straight plumbed from the MC to calipers? F/R correct? If so, I suspect one or more components is not working correctly. Sticking caliper pistons maybe, improper pad installation, something moving or binding. The booster does strange things when it gives out but not overboosting. If anything, the larger calipers and 15/16 mc should be giving you a longer pedal throw which makes them seem easier to modulate. Again, don't move the prop valve. Changing pad compounds can make all the difference in the world once you solve your problem. Think about getting the fronts working correctly, then worry about bringing more rear force in, after that, you can use your valve.

Excellent post. I just spent 2 hours on a Superflow last week. As tempting as it is to look at that max number, I just kept making runs and programming EFI to get the A/F ratio I wanted across the rev range. End of the day I only gained 10 HP max, but made huge gains in areas under the HP and torque curves. I was able to find the best A/F ratio for my N/A engine, adjust to desired A/F across usable rev range, and find best timing advance. Dyno time seems like a bargain for the payback in power. And I had already done considerable tuning with a LM-1 before this.

Racer Wholesale has some SA2000 helmets on sale now. I'm sure some other vendors are doing the same. These guys also have some good prices: http://www.discoveryparts.com/

You'll need to split the inner fender from the outer fender to get any decent clearance when rolling the rears. Then you must re-attach.

If you are gonna race, any race, go Fuel Safe or ATL. There is a BIG difference in construction and safety from the cheapo's. For street driving, Summit is fine.