Edge Driving Part VI

Ehh, the video is a bit boring. You really can't get a feel for the speed and violence when watching from afar. Even in-car cameras can't capture that well. It's something you have to experience for yourself. It's like skydiving. You just really can't describe it to someone who hasn't been. I can tell you though that in many parts of that video, I was going well over 100 mph.

At 1:47, you can see me slide around Horseshoe (the downhill right hander). I was driving really sloppy because in the previous session, my amazing instructor was showing me how he can drift around every corner and still be faster than everyone on the track, so I was trying to (somewhat) emulate him. I think the message was "if you can safely control your car over the edge, then you won't be afraid to skate the edge." Easier said then done.

Despite slip-sliding all over the track, I think I was making ok times. The grey Subaru said he shaved a whole second off his lap time by following me. He said we did 1:27 one time. I think if I really concentrate on driving well, and not roast my tires by trying to slide/drift, I can probably squeeze out a 1:26 or maybe less?

I got one of the two most advanced instructors this time around. He is professional, as in he makes his living by instructing people who are serious about going fast ($700 per day!), and he's also trying to get into professional racing. Crazy what that mofo can do with a car, just ask my friend Troy who got a few rides with him (in my car, hehe).

Anyway, I'm "very" solo approved in yellow now. :) Next event, I'll get the solo discount, get the solo wristband, and not have an instructor at all... scary! I'm definitely going to ask for one to come along for a few laps... I usually need to be cleaned up since I forget in the time between events.

The damage:

• new (more or less) Z51 brake pads completely obliterated in 2 days, not just worn away, but burnt to a crisp also
• boiled brake fluid in 1 day, requiring a complete flush
• front r-compound tires debatably finished

The Super Vette

A recent Car and Driver article refers to the new Corvette ZR1 simply as "Superman". That's quite a statement considering the other (super) cars in the same review where were referred to by their normal names.

They strapped some test equipment to it and recorded some numbers. Apparently it has the shortest stopping distance of any production car they have ever tested. The 1/4 mile time is little disappointing though, in my opinion (11.5 seconds @ 128 mph). The skidpad number is really good (1.07 g).

Read the test results here and about its likeness to Superman here.

Driving on the Edge, Episode 4

It was Corvette country out there this time.

I did my 4th HPDE this past weekend. It was awesome as usual. We did the 3.1 mile, 16 turn course at Motorsport Ranch.

No yellow for you!

I wasn't put in the yellow group this time, despite my last report card recommending so. It's ok though, I don't really want to be in yellow group until I have more capable tires.

No tires for you!

Ouch. I spent so much time and money getting r-compound tires and I didn't even get to use them! I bought track wheels literally months before the event, and I bought the tires about two weeks before the event, but what I didn't do was see if they fit on my car.

I spent all day Thursday and Friday before the event trying to get them to fit, but to no avail. They wouldn't clear the front calipers, so I ground the calipers down till they fit (long, painful and ugly). Once they cleared the calipers, I found they hit the A-arm at full wheel lock. Ugh! Luckily, Discount Tire took the tires back. I'm going to have to sell the wheels on the internet.

First day frustration.

I didn't really have an instructor the first day, which at first I thought would be cool, but something didn't feel right. Instead of blowing by everyone like last time, I felt like I was struggling to keep up. Nothing felt smooth, I was sliding all over the place, and I was just using my cars capabilities, instead of driving skill, to keep afloat.

For the last session of the day, they put an instructor in with me. He was admittedly not an advanced instructor and said I was doing fine.

Second day epiphany.

The next day I got paired up with an incredible instructor (Tony, I think his name is?). Within a few laps, he cleared up most of my mistakes, which were related to over aggression, going into corners too hot and thusly understeering the whole way through them, which reduces how quickly I could get back on the throttle for corner exit. I was also late and early apexing on a handful of corners.

Once Tony cleared up those issues and we were flying again, he then showed me some bad ass racing lines, and that's when the beat down ensued... ;) I had to start braking mid-corner to avoid t-boning and rearing ending the cars in front of me. My exit speed on one corner increased so much (15+ mph) that I went off the track at the next corner because I wasn't used to having to brake so much earlier and harder.

Feeling the fade.

For this event, I had some Hawk HP+ brake pad that I bought used off the internet. They are Hawk's most aggressive street pad. They weren't enough. I've gotten to the point to where I am aware of brake fade... and these faded noticeably. Tony suggested getting some Hawk HT 10 pads, which are considered racing pads, and just change them out right there at the track. Changing brake pads on a C6 is really easy, so I think I'm going to do that for next time.

Competitive?

Pre Tony in the car with me, there were some fast people/cars out on the track! I really have to be on top of my game to keep up with Jason and his modded Z06. A lady in a Porsche Cayman put the smack down on both of us though (she had r-compound tires and got bumped to the yellow group on the second day). There was a kid in a modded S2K that I caught up to, but couldn't claim an outright pass on. Then there was a spec Miata that passed both me and Jason!

The second day, I did much better. I passed both the S2k and Miata, but still had problems with Jason (duh). Didn't have a chance to try the lady in the Porsche again cuz she got moved to yellow.

Everyone else was a cakewalk. Here are some notable passes: two NSX's (these cars are massively overrated, imo), Cadillac CTS-V, Lingenfelter C6 (ooohh that felt good), normal C6, C6Z06 (ooohh, felt good too), lots of Lotus Elises, and a couple of Porsches.

I know it's not a competition, but it's fun to see how many people I can pass, and see if I can catch the people that pass me.

Pictures

Trailing Jason.

Now me in front!

He spends more time in front though... :P

Choo choo! Stuck in a train.

Train conductor? Na, that was a warmup or cooldown lap... ;)

That kid in the S2K was fast!

Catching up to a Z06 is a great feeling.

Passing a Porsche feels even better!

Easy Ethanol

(Jay Leno's 600 hp E85 Corvette)

What does GM think the future fuel source of autos will be? Hybrid? No, although they make a few models to "keep up with the competition." Plug in electric? No, although they are trying their damnedest to bring the first one (Chevy Volt) to market, again to "beat the competition." Diesel? Heh, no.. I don't think they have any interest in that.

No, none of that stuff... they're betting on E85. Why? One reason, according to Maximum Bob, is that it requires the least amount of change to our current lifestyle and fuel infrastructure. If we all switch to E85, what would be different? Nothing really... we still fill up our cars at gas stations like we have for the past century. Furthermore, any car can be converted to use E85 for like $100. Path of least change is good.

Great, so why aren't we already on E85? Well, the current method to produce it (with corn) is somewhat difficult and inefficient, but the main reason, IMO, is that we simply don't have enough corn to make a dent in our nation's fuel consumption. Hell, even if we converted 100% of our farm lands to corn, we still wouldn't have enough.

Enter Coskata and their "breakthrough" method for producing cellulosic ethanol...(click for full article). Another article here.

To summarize...

• patented process to produce ethanol from almost any carbon based matter (garbage, plant waste, old tires)
• consumes 3 times less water than other processes
• generates 7.7 times the energy it takes to produce it (vs 1.3 times for corn based ethanol)
• reduces CO2 emissions by 84% compared to gasoline
• GM expects to have the facilities to produce 50 to 100 million gallons per year by 2011
• less than $1 per gallon

Sounds pretty promising, no?? I dream of a day when I can have a 600 hp, guilt free sports car!!

Tunnel of Death

(thanks to Adam for the link)

Ok, I usually hate blog posts that just recap another cool post elsewhere, but I had to do it... this video is highly entertaining!!

It's traffic camera footage of a tunnel in Russia. It's the longest tunnel in Europe or something, but that's not what makes it interesting. What makes it interesting is that a river runs over part of it and leaks water onto the road... and winters are very cold in Russia.

Btw, this collage was supposedly made from a single day's worth of traffic footage.

Mythbusting: Corvettes are big and heavy

It's not a "muscle car" and it's not heavy just because it is American.

Lotus Exige S                      2,077 lbs
Honda Civic Si                     2,886 lbs
Porsche Boxster S                  2,987 lbs
Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera  2,998 lbs**
Porsche 911 (997) GT2              3,175 lbs
Ferrari F430                       3,196 lbs
Corvette                           3,217 lbs
Nissan Z Nismo                     3,350 lbs
Subaru Impreza WRX STI             3,395 lbs
Dodge Viper SRT10                  3,445 lbs
Ford Mustang GT                    3,450 lbs*
Porsche 911 (997) Turbo            3,494 lbs
BMW M3 (E92)                       3,500 lbs*
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X      3,585 lbs*
Lamborghini Murcielago LP640       3,670 lbs**
Dodge Charger SE                   3,727 lbs
Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano            3,722 lbs
Nissan GT-R                        3,836 lbs*
BMW M5                             4,012 lbs**
Dodge Charger SRT8                 4,160 lbs

Note, all cars listed are model year 2007-2008 (the latter if possible).

* Curb weight not listed by manufacturer.
** Dry weight.

My History of Cars (Part 3)

Finally... the Vette post.

I don't know why it took me so long to finally make this post. I think it's because there is so much, really too much, to say.

Let me start off by saying... I love this thing as much as a human can love an inanimate object. While almost everyone will tell you that buying a new, expensive car is one of the worst financial decisions you can make, I will tell you that it is the best purchase I have ever made, straight up. It's one of those things that brings me enjoyment everyday. I look forward to waking up in the morning just to drive it to work. Before taking the plunge, I thought I would be riddled with guilt and buyer's remorse, but infact, the opposite happened: I love it more and more with each passing day. Even Aimee, who swore she would break up with me if I bought it, loves it. She drives it to her gym, to the grocery store, to the mall, etc. Hehe, I think that's pretty cute hot.

This car is the best bang-for-your-buck sports car, period. I'll probably never own a Ferrari, hell, I'll probably never even own a Porsche 911, but owning this Corvette gives me 80% of the performance of the Ferrari (and 110% of the Porsche) for a tiny fraction of the cost. It is truly an everday, everyman's sports supercar.

I got a 2008 Z51 Coupe. It is rated at 436 hp, but realistically makes about 40 more hp at the rear wheels than a 2005-2007 model. It also uses a different (and better) transmission than the previous model years. Also for the 2008 model year, GM addressed a long standing gripe against the Corvette (numb and poor steering feel) by tweaking and modifying the steering column, which is nice, but I don't necessarily think it's BMW or Porsche caliber yet.

I opted for the HUD, Z51 and dual mode exhaust options. The HUD is pretty cool... it projects driving information (speed, RPM, lateral g-force, etc) onto the windshield, much the same way a jet fighter does. The Z51 package is the track and road racing package which includes a race tuned suspension, oil cooler, power steering fluid cooler and close ratio transmission. The dual mode exhaust is expensive, but worth it... the mufflers have a computer controlled valve in them that opens at 3500 RPM and unleashes that deep American V8 growl... :) Perfect for people like me who typically like to keep a low profile, but still like to cause a raucous on occasion.

The car performs phenomenally on the track, capable of beating high end supercars 3x it's price. I'm not going to lie, the car is way beyond my ability as a driver, but I still love that it can beat the pants off most any other car out there in the hands of someone more competent.

I also love all the extra little things about owning a modern car. I love the keyless, wireless entry and ignition. I never have to take the key fob out of my pocket. The doors "unlock" when in range and "lock" when out of range (actually they don't lock or unlock persay, they simple won't open if the key fob is out of range). HID highlights are awesome; even better, they are automatic (they turn on/off according to how much daylight is present). Memory seats/mirrors are sweet, especially when there are two primary drivers. Telescoping steering wheel, auto exit seat positioning, auto dimming mirrors, completely electric doors and trunk release, XM radio, etc... blah blah, the wireless key fob is awesome. Yeah, I know I already said that, but it's so awesome, that I honestly think every car should be that way.

There is so much more to say about this car (and how I feel about it), but this post is already running long, so I'll just leave you with the standard performance statistics.

• 0 to 60 in 4 seconds flat (2008 model year)
• 1/4th mile in low 12 second range (2008 model year)
• 0.98 lateral g's in the skidpad*

* Holy Jesus, that number is so good, I must provide a source for integrity.

P.S. The roof comes off (completely off, not like a t-top), so I more or less have a convertible whenever I want... how cool is that?? I actually use this feature a ton more than I thought I would. It's very nice.

Godzirra!! (broken Engrish accent)

• 3.8L twin turbo v6
• 473 hp / 433 tq
• super high tech AWD system
• 0-60 in 3.5 secs
• 1/4th mile in 11.7 secs
• 7:38 Nurburgring time
• $70,000 estimated price

For all you out-the-know non-car people, those performance statistics are utterly amazing for that price tag, especially that ring time...

So why do I hate it?? Ok, I don't really "hate" it, but something about it pisses me off. No, it's not the fact that it knocks my beloved American car off it's pedestal. It's not because I want it but can't afford it either. It's because of all the damn hype and PS2-armchair-racers.

God, I've never heard so much hype and smack talk over a car before. From Nissan claiming that they are targeting the half million dollar Porsche Carrera GT, to MotorTrend's latest "Corvette Killer" cover story, to the endless JDM fanboy comments on Autoblog... it has simply ruined the car for me. It's no longer just a new, badass world beater made by Nissan. Now it's some monstrosity used to fuel internet flame wars, power the hype machine, and bring out the insecurities of every lesser sports car owner (like me!*).

There is just too much stigma attached to the car for me to ever consider buying it. It's what every pimply, Gran Turismo playing, Fast and Furious watching teenager has wet dreams about.

Still I have to give credit where credit is due. Those performance stats are incredible, and kudos for Nissan for not reincarnating this "legend" into some flaccid underperformer.

* That ring time is suspicious. For starters, it was made with a preproduction car. Plus Nissan spent like a year with it at the ring. You give me 365 laps around the ring and I'm bound to get one really good one... :P Then there is ubiquitous cut slicks debate, hehe.

Oh, and it looks like a catfish.

Dyno Tuned the Vette

I got my car dyno tuned at 21st Century Muscle Cars. John Page (the shop owner) is very friendly, accommodating and knowledgable. Kenny K., who did the actual tuning, is extremely friendly and owns his own C6 which he modified (headers, cams, etc) and tuned himself.

I was expecting to dyno at 390 rwhp stock and gain about 5 rwhp from the tune. Instead I dyno'ed very low for an LS3 (364 rwhp) and gained 30 rwhp from the tune. Apparently my LS3 C6 is an anomaly and came from the factory pig rich (AFR for the first dyno run was below 10.0), which accounted for the low horsepower.

Most LS3's are 390 stock and gain 5 from a tune. I was about 365 and gained 30 from the tune. Either way, end result is 395 rwhp... so I shouldn't be too concerned, right? Right??

Btw, for you non car people out there, 395 rwhp means my car makes about 445 horsepower. Hell, let's just call it an even 450... :)

2008 Sub $100,000 Test Drive List

Corvette C6 Z06

Test drive? Hell, I might even own one of these someday.

Porsche 911 Carrera S

I'm not really a Porsche fan. I think they are kind of ugly, somewhat pricey for what you get, and a bit overrated by the magazines. Still, I want to see what all the hoopla is about. Btw, I would have put the 911 GT3 on this list instead, but it is $7,500 over budget.

Lotus Exige S

I will probably never own one of these because they make terrible daily drivers, and I'm not wealthy enough to have a $60k car that is strictly a toy. Still I'd want to test drive one just to see what a true, dedicated track car feels like.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X

What, I can't have a ricer on the list? This car has garnered so much respect from rags, as well as the enthusiast community, over the years that I'm curious to try out it's latest incarnation. Also, I have little experience with AWD cars, so I want to see what that is like.

Honda S2000

Owners seem to love them. I've never heard a bad thing about an S2000 from an owner, instead they rave about them. The car is very high strung with very little torque, so I'm curious to see what makes them so good.

Honda Civic Mugen Type R / RR / Si

This is the car I love to hate. :) How can people call it a sports car? It's FWD for crying out loud! It's chassis' primary design function is that of economy! You can't just take an economy car, slap a bunch of performance parts on it and call it a sports car! Still, it has somewhat of a cult following... that has to count for something, right? I just want to test drive one so that my bashings have more credibility, ha!

Saturn Sky Red Line

I have a weird obsession with this car. I know it's not that great of a performer, but I love it's edgy design. They always catch my eye and it takes me a second or two before I realize what they are. Some would argue that it is a sporty little roadster because it's based off the same platform as the Pontiac Solstice.

Ford Mustang GT500 KR

Though I've kind of lost interest in drag racing, I'm still a Mustang fan. I wanna see what this car has on my previous beast. Also, I have read some articles that say it can keep pace on a road course, though I speculate it's via sheer horsepower.

My History of Cars (Part 2)

Fast forward a few years. I've graduated from college, been working a couple of years (long enough to not be making chicken scratch anymore) and my Prelude is on its last leg. It had all sorts of problems. The suspension was completely shot, some part of the engine was cracked and was leaking oil onto a belt, it had major trouble idling, and it had a dent that had started to rust. My friends and family convinced me that I was stable enough to take on a car payment, though I was very reluctant to.

I wanted something sporty, but kinda nice... I was thinking G35 Coupe. I test drove one, along with a few other entry level luxury cars, but was left disappointed by their acceleration. This was about the time that the S197 (2005) Mustang was all the rage, so I gave it a try... and I was instantly hooked on American V8's. Also, the price was very right (compared to the entry level luxury cars)... :D

The S197 Mustang is a great car. Most people don't know that because they don't know jack about cars. All they know is stupid stereotypes that they see on TV. Well, here's a brief overview. The S197 is a complete redesign from the ground up. It shares almost nothing with previous generations of Mustang. It's weight distribution is near 50/50, it's chassis is worlds stiffer than previous generations (100% or 50% stiffer, I can't remember), and it has a whopping 300 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque!

I modded the hell outta that car:

• twin screw supercharger (Saleen Series VI)
• all the crap that comes with a supercharger upgrade (injectors, MAF, spark plugs, intake, etc)
• full Roush stage 2 suspension
• 4.10 differential gears
• short throw shifter adapter
• second fuel pump
• Xenon headlights
• CAI (pre supercharger)
• throttle body space (pre supercharger, waste of money)
• two sets of wheels (MB Motorsport VR5S, Body Coddington Smoothie 2)
• big tires BFG KDW2 255 in front and 285 in back
• Borla Stinger (S-Type) axle back exhaust

The car was a beast (420 rwhp / 400 rwtq). Because of the low end torque of the twin screw supercharger, combined with the steep 4.10 gears, traction was a major issue. I could lose traction in 1st gear just by stabbing the gas... without using the clutch! 2nd gear was a gamble too. Because of this, I could never get a decent time in the quarter mile. The best I did was 13.2 seconds. I could have done better with some stickier tires, but then I'd worry about other parts of the drive train breaking (if the tires stick, all that torque has to go somewhere, right?).

And that's what I was always worrying about, things breaking. For you see, when you modify a car, you pretty much throw your warranty out the window. It makes sense. If you add 200 hp to a car via a supercharger, then the engine explodes, why should Ford float the bill?

Regardless, modding is still extremely popular. It allows people to buy "cheap" cars and "cheaply" raise their performance level. For instance, average Joe out-of-college can't usually afford a Porsche, but he can probably afford a 350Z and to mod it to reach Porsche level performance. The big trade off is the warranty (and thus peace of mind).

Peace of mind is worth a lot.

My History of Cars (Part 1)

I'm the kinda kid who grew up on toy cars and racing video games. Yeah, I had the Lamborghini Countach poster on my wall, as well as that Vector poster, ubiquitous to many young kids' rooms. I played the hell out of Gran Turismo 1 and 2, and I still play racing video games today (Forza Motorsport 2 on Xbox 360). As long as I can remember, I've desired fast sport cars.

In college, my mommy bought me a used Honda Prelude Type SH. It was lowered, and had intake and exhaust. At the time, I thought that car was shiznit!! ..but that era was also my rude awakening to 4 banger imports. It's very hard to squeeze power out of such small displacement engines. I distinctly remember saving up enough money for a turbo for the 'lude and asking a well known Houston tuner how fast it would make my car. He said it would maybe shave 1.0 to 1.5 seconds off my quartermile. Haha, ridiculous! A freakin' $5000+ turbo kit, and my car would go from 15.5 seconds to 14.0 seconds. What's the point? Why bother going from really slow to just slow? So I bought a used Honda CBR 600 F3 (a crotchrocket / sport bike) with the money instead.

Ahh how young and naive, I was back then. My perception of the car often greatly exceeded its actual capabilities. Still, I loved that car and got into lots of trouble with it (pulling a 540 on 2222 comes to mind).

VTEC... what a joke. Of course, at the time, I was like every other young ricer who equated VTEC to a sudden large surge of forced induction boost. Hardly. It gives what? 10, maybe 15 lb-ft of torque? Even that is generous.

And yes, I was that ricer with the obnoxious exhaust. How embarrassing in retrospect! To my credit though, at least I didn't have the huge coffee can exhaust. I had the dual DTM style exhaust. It was Tanabe DMT Medallion to be exact. Heh, nothing like loud and slow, eh? Hehe.

Don't get me wrong, I mean no offence to anyone into this kind of stuff. It's just a style that I moved away from and I like to laugh at myself in the past. I respect all kinds of car enthusiasts and modders and think it's great that they are into it, regardless of what "style" they are into.