SCCA 8/5 at LaGrave - Anyone going?

[C3]

I've not been to this site yet but have heard bad things. Hopefully the SCCA has more sense than BMWCCA and can design a course around the imperfections.

[Paul]

Re: SCCA 8/5 at LaGrave - Anyone going?

We raced there last year and it was fine. Course design just needs to take into account the limitations of the site. Something BMWCCA does not do in their limited mindset.

[Fair!]

Re: SCCA 8/5 at LaGrave - Anyone going? HELL YEA!

Amy and I are registered and get this.... HANCHEY IS GOING TO THIS SCCA EVENT!



This event this Sunday being at LaGrave is GREAT news. Perfect practice for the Divisional there later this month. An event that cannot be missed!!!

As for the horrific course that the BMW club ran there last month, well... the course couldn't have been laid out worse. I talked to Tom Ramey about the event the SCCA did there last year and he assured me that its not a problem with the right course tweaks - they had that course going over that dip at an oblique angle instead of perpendicular. Non issue. Houston deals with this at GGP and we've seen it at dozens of other sites. Just takes some course design chops and drive thrus above 10mph, which was not done at the BMW event.

SUNDAY!SUNDAY!SUNDAY!SUNDAY! We will see you guys there!



(click to enlarge)

Oh yea... we just got the new 265 RE-01Rs mounted on a new set of silver 18x10s last night for the M3. Hanchey came over last night and installed, with various spacers, then test drove around. Its not perfect, but when we swap on production AST struts for the prototypes on there now (that cause the wheel to stick out 5mm more than necessary) it should work flawlessly.

The rears fit very well and any fender rolling/flaring concerns will soon be nullified... I am going to REDUCE even the slightest perceived bowing out of the rear fenders Saturday, as there's just too much room with these narrower Bridgestone 265s. The 265 Yokohamas measured 273mm and they fit... these Bridgestones are noticeably narrower. Bummed that my new aero or seats won't be here in time, but hopefully by the Divisional the M3 will be as prepped as it can be.

[McCall]

Re: SCCA 8/5 at LaGrave - Anyone going?

Paul and I will be running the Kansas Region Divisional at HPT this weekend. You guys will have to give us the scoop on the site at La Grave.

[Shortcutsleeping]

Re: SCCA 8/5 at LaGrave - Anyone going?

Is LaGrave asphalt? Similar to the nats surface?


Costas

[McCall]

Re: SCCA 8/5 at LaGrave - Anyone going?

Is LaGrave asphalt? Similar to the nats surface?


Costas

Yes. It seemed very simular to me. Of course it's a non-racing asphault vs. HPTs.

[Fair!]

Re: SCCA 8/5 at LaGrave - Anyone going?

Is LaGrave asphalt? Similar to the nats surface?

Costas

Yes, it is actually. What are you thinking about bringing to the Div... Scratcher??

Look at you with the pimpy new avatar...

[C3]

Re: SCCA 8/5 at LaGrave - Anyone going?

Fun event yesterday with the most straightforward but challenging courses I've driven in a long time. Too bad the SCCA takes forever to post results online, I guess we'll find out how we did sometime late this week.

Jason/Paul - how'd Topeka go? I heard some Saturday positions but nothing final.

[hancheyb]

Re: SCCA 8/5 at LaGrave - Anyone going?

Fun event yesterday with the most straightforward but challenging courses I've driven in a long time. Too bad the SCCA takes forever to post results online, I guess we'll find out how we did sometime late this week.

Jason/Paul - how'd Topeka go? I heard some Saturday positions but nothing final.

That course was awesome. Very "Nationals" like. A great test to show how jacked up the Subaru still is. I ran a 60.8 with a cone on my first run and it felt HORRIBLE. There was easily a 59 in the car which was right with B Stock. But I got slower on every run! I can't explain it.

B'stones feel horrible compared even to the stock tires. My timing was so "off" b/c the car turned in to slowly. Yuck. I have the street tires back on and it feels like a race car again. What gives?? I feel like I'm on Falkens again. The tires were BOILING when we took them off afterwards. I guess they just can't do heat.

[Shortcutsleeping]

Re: SCCA 8/5 at LaGrave - Anyone going?

Yes, it is actually. What are you thinking about bringing to the Div... Scratcher??

Look at you with the pimpy new avatar...

Heh....I was going to change my title to 'witchdoctor motorsports' also but I think that ability has been restricted.

Anyway, no Scratcher for the Div. Todd would have kittens (it would run in CP) and I'd have to add a ton of weight. If I go, I'll bring the white B4C. I'm considering it.


Costas

[hancheyb]

Re: SCCA 8/5 at LaGrave - Anyone going?

Anyone know of a local (in Texas) place that shaves tires?

[Shortcutsleeping]

Re: SCCA 8/5 at LaGrave - Anyone going?

There is a truck tire center here in San Antonio somewhere that does it. Folks on the sasca board were talking about it a while back.

Want me to recon more info?

Costas

[hancheyb]

Re: SCCA 8/5 at LaGrave - Anyone going?

There is a truck tire center here in San Antonio somewhere that does it. Folks on the sasca board were talking about it a while back.

Want me to recon more info?

Costas

If you don't mind. Kinda risky at this point I guess shipping them down there and back.

[Fair!]

Re: SCCA 8/5 at LaGrave - Anyone going?

That course was awesome. Very "Nationals" like. A great test to show how jacked up the Subaru still is. I ran a 60.8 with a cone on my first run and it felt HORRIBLE. There was easily a 59 in the car which was right with B Stock. But I got slower on every run! I can't explain it.

B'stones feel horrible compared even to the stock tires. My timing was so "off" b/c the car turned in to slowly. Yuck. I have the street tires back on and it feels like a race car again. What gives?? I feel like I'm on Falkens again. The tires were BOILING when we took them off afterwards. I guess they just can't do heat.

Amy and I ran the M3 with the 18x10s/265 Bridgestones. Tires felt... yes "horrible" is the right word. The feel and response in transitions was poor, and they would not take a "set" in steady state cornering. The front was hopping - the tires were so jacked up! They got incredibly hot but we didn't realize that until the 3 run. By then they were boiling and the small heat size and quick 2 driver changes made it hard to cool them down.

I noted the poor transition performance from the TMS event running the RE01Rs on Brians car, but cooler temps, with a single driver, big road course layout, and a lucky win that day may have overshadowed their actual suckiness.

After my first run yesterday the new 265s up front and big bump in the course both "came together" to cause some fender damage. I spent much of the first part of the run heat fixing that and raising the ride height. Will have to swap the front struts for the corrected design to get the wheels to tuck in a few mm more. After that fast paced repair, coupled with what showed to be 108°F ambient temps in the grid, I got a bit overheated myself and was at "BarfCon 1" for rest of the run heat. Maybe that explains why I sucked so badly? I spent more time trying to cool myself off than the tires. Hottest event of the year so far, by a lot.

Cody came over and told me that I was "pretty far off the cones" on my first run, which was when I was smashing the fenders and had a freagin baseball cap flying around under the pedals. Comically bad run... but it wasn't that much slower than my best. Like Brian noticed, these tires go away FAST and as the runs progressed and I felt like I was getting closer to the potential of the car, the tires went further into the toilet. Amy had the same impressions - the tires felt like CRAP and kept getting worse.

We did drop pressures dramatically but maybe not enough - the 265s are stretched out on the 10s so we could possibly go even lower. A Houston STU racer is running his 'Stones in the 27 psi range, which was lower than we got to (33/31). He also noted dramatically better performance after running them for a few events plus a ROAD TRIP driving on the RE01Rs. Possibly heat cycling them enough times is making them less heat sensitive? We will do some more testing at lower pressures and drive them back and forth on the street for the next 2 weeks - hopefully they will suck less.

Not shaving the RE01Rs was a big mistake. Huge. 11/32" of tread squirm... what was I thinking??? Feels like we are on wobbling tire sensitive Falkens again, but there are folks going fast on these tires - we will keep at it.

The course was full of transitions and big 180° sweepers, things neither the M3 nor the STi were not doing well with these greasy new tires. The local Honda STS contingent came into STU and took the first 2 spots, eeking out Hanchey (3rd) and me (4th, I think?) for the win. Hanchey's first run would have been a lot closer or winning, without some cones. After the way the tires felt we were lucky to not be DLF.

[Fair!]

Re: SCCA 8/5 at LaGrave - Anyone going?

There is a truck tire center here in San Antonio somewhere that does it. Folks on the sasca board were talking about it a while back.

Want me to recon more info?

Costas

Please do. We are desperate. Hanchey has our contact at Discount checking into shaving both sets we have. They have got to be shaved ASAP. I might go home early to get all 8 wheels to Discount for dismounting and ship those bastages off. Divisional is in 2 weeks. ARG!

Didn't get the wing installed on the M3, but that wouldn't have helped me yesterday. This week I will get the last of the hardware modified and swap the white trunk onto the M3. At this point I'd try anything to get some grip back...

That course yesterday... it was the perfect M3 course. The same course (and surface) we've seen at TMS Bus Lot earlier this year and last where the M3 dominated. Transition heavy... car just doesn't feel worth a damn right now. It felt better 2 weeks ago on the same lot with year old/dead 255 and freebie/throw-away 265 yokohamas! wtf.

We're hoping shaving the hell out of these RE01Rs + some heat cycling + a lot less pressure gets them back into the performance level of the Yokohamas. We got so spoiled on the Yokes... heat sensitivity went away, the weren't pressure sensitive/didn't gain tons of pressure, didn't get boiling hot. I hope moving to the RE01R wasn't a mistake this late in the season.