Throughout the years, there have been various engine oil additives that have had claims of increased engine power or better gas mileage. Everyone knows that some products are simply gimmicks that only apply to primitive engines, ones that are designed inefficiently from the factory in the very beginning. These manufacturers are now very careful in how their products are represented, taking special care not to mislead consumers by using false claims in their advertising. But how will an engine oil additive, that supposedly contains modern NASA technology, adopt to a commercialized automobile powerplant?

Fresh oil change before testing the RAN UP

That was the claim behind RSR’s RAN UP oil additive; one that we had to put to the test.

As RSR tells it, nano technology is basically a dispersion of certain elements to a nano scale level by lasers and chemical reaction methods. Enthusiasts in the automobile industry may be familiar with ceramic applications, such as HPC coating and its high heat barrier characteristics, but the base ceramic element also serves a different benefit when broken down to a smaller nano scale particle form. NASA has utilized this ceramic powder technology in their robotics field as a substitute for lubrication, since liquid forms are not compatible in space. It may sound cliché, but it’s literally modern space age technology.

RAN UP

Tuning parts manufacturer RSR has just released their engine oil additive, called RAN UP, containing this modern nano-ceramic technology in a powder and liquid mixture form. In appearance, RAN UP is similar to milk. The ceramic particles, with a high dispersion rate, mix very well with the engine’s oil and are able to get inside the rotating metal components to reduce frictional energy loss. Nano particles are smaller than the standard flu virus, and can even be compared to the size of a human cell.

Supercharged 2003 Ford Mustang Cobra test car

For immediate results, RAN UP can be applied to any kind of engine that has a high vibration rate such as air tools, compressors, motorboats, and motorcycles. It’s not entirely new to the motorsports industry; RSR claims that some Super GT cars have been using it in Japan for some time now. Of course, the RSR team has also adopted the juice in their Formula D Scion tC’s turbocharged race engine all season long. RSR claims these benefits:

• Increased engine power and torque output
• Increased response
• Decreased engine noise and vibration
• Extends engine oil change intervals
• Promotes fuel efficiency
• Reduces C02 emissions output

THE TEST

To reveal the true nature of the RAN UP ingredients and its effects on an engine, we teamed up with SR Motorcars of Gardena, California to perform a comparison test on their two-wheel drive dynamometer. A supercharged 2003 Ford Mustang Cobra was chosen as the test vehicle, lightly modified with bolt-ons. Due for an oil change, our plan was to baseline the car on its old oil, dyno right after an oil change (to show the effect of fresh oil), and then dyno after adding in the RAN UP (to show the difference the additive made).

Our Cobra’s first baseline (using old oil, due for a change) logged in at 445.41 HP and 446.07 lb/ft of torque via Dynojet. After changing the oil, we ended up with 440.66 HP and 444.40 lb//ft of torque. We were surprised to see a large 4.75whp loss but multiple runs proved consistent in the results.

For the test to remain as neutral and fair as possible a controlled environment was created, attempting to standardize such variables as the starting outside air temp, humidity, engine operating temp, and supercharger surface temps for the back-to-back pulls.

The RAN UP additive was simply added to the crankcase of the 4.6 liter V8 following the baseline power tests. RSR did recommend that the RAN UP be shaken thoroughly before being added, to stir up all particles, and that the receiving car be given a 30-minute break-in with RAN UP added for maximum results. This allows the RAN UP additive to filter throughout the engine. With a 4.6-liter displacement, the Cobra was given two bottles of RAN UP. RSR recommends one bottle for 2.0-liter range four-cylinder compacts and two bottles or more for larger V8 engines.

RESULTS

The result presented some astonishing numbers, a 12.91 HP increase and 11.26 lb/ft of torque improvement. A 12whp gain may not seem to be a substantial gain to some folks but in the world of motorsports, a few horsepower can potentially mean the difference between a podium finish and a loss. This is especially important for drag racers, club racers, or autocrossers, who are all looking for easy, undetectable gains in power. Considering the environmental factors were kept similar for the comparison, these numbers are pretty solid. Also, according to the owner’s testimonial, the Mustang’s engine seemed quieter and smoother in operation during a real world test drive.

The results can clearly be seen on the dyno graph. The power and torque output is increased consistently throughout each powerband.

The MSRP for a bottle is still pending, but since it costs about 6,500 yen in Japan, the US price can be anywhere from $50 to $100 per bottle. We realize that this product won’t be for everyone, especially when you factor in the price and the fact that regular additions are necessary with oil changes. But for the racer who needs every edge that he can, stealthily gaining 13hp without breaking out the toolbox is always worth something.

SOURCES
RSR USA
130 E. Dyer Rd.
Santa Ana, CA 92707
(714) 424-0686
http://www.rs-r.com

SR Motorcars
115 E. Gardena Blvd, Suite 1A
Gardena, CA 90248
(310) 516-1003
http://www.srmotorcars.com

RSR RAN UP Oil Additive Dyno Test

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One of the most overlooked areas in project cars is the drivetrain. When you’re hammering through the gears at the track, the clutch under your left foot and the lever in your right hand matter as much as anything else. Put together a good system and you’ll be too busy chasing short straights and tightening turns to notice anything else. Drop in a few pieces of junk and you’ll be cursing the imprecise feel and shocking engagement as you careen off the road.

The Holy Grail for SR20DET owners is a true six-speed transmission. The promise of shorter gearing and an overdrive 6^th for freeway cruising is sometimes just too good to pass up. But most of the six-speed options for the SR20DET aren’t a direct drop in, requiring custom parts or lots of parts swapping.

The previous best option was to swap in the stock six-speed transmission from a S15 Silvia Spec R or one of the special six-speed Autech S15 Silvias.

But that route has its own issues, as the S15 six-speed doesn’t have a mechanical speedometer drive gear inside the transmission casing like the five-speed S13, S14, and S15 Spec S models do. Enter Nismo.

Short for Nissan Motorsports International Co., Ltd., Nismo is the tuning and racing arm of Nissan Japan. From within their Tokyo headquarters, Nismo maintains a Super GT GT500-class program and produces some of the most extensively engineered and tested aftermarket go-fast parts. This includes camshafts, reinforced oil pumps, suspension arms, brakes, limited-slip differentials, and a reinforced drop-in six-speed transmission for SR20DET equipped S13, S14, or S15 owners.

Required – S15 Clutch Kit

The first thing that you should be aware of when attempting this particular swap is the price. The transmission itself doesn’t come cheap (it retails roughly around the $4,000 mark last we checked – Ed.) and if you own a S13 or S14, you’ll have to source a S15 clutch kit due to the difference in depth and transmission input shaft length. Trust us, your busted old S13 clutch won’t work here. With our test car being a S13, we sourced a S15 Silvia application Nismo Coppermix clutch kit.

The single plate Coppermix clutch is rated to hold 391 lb-ft of torque and engages lightly and easily. It’s also 1.4-lbs lighter than the factory SR20DET clutch. The Nismo Coppermix aluminum flywheel is 3.3-lbs lighter than stock for a reduction in rotating mass but the most important thing about our clutch kit is its S15 fitment.

Nismo Reinforced Six-Speed Transmission

The S15 Spec R picks up its speedometer signal electronically from the rear ABS sensor and a S15 six-speed transmission swap necessitates a swap to the rear S15 pumpkin and lots of custom wiring to get the S15 gauge cluster to work (the S13 and S14 gauge clusters will not read the S15 speedo signal). So, unless you don’t care how fast you’re going down the street, a S15 six-speed transmission is not a direct bolt in into any USDM 240SX.

S15 clutch required

Starting with the FS6R92A S15 six-speed transmission casing, Nismo fits a custom reinforced gearset and adds a mechanical speedometer drive gear to the mix. Tomei USA also sells the separate Nismo bolt-in kit, which includes the transmission mount, driveshaft, shifter, hardware and required harness extensions.

The only other items you’ll need are the previously mentioned S15 clutch, new shift knob (five-speeds use a 10×1.25 thread, six-speeds are 12×1.25), and gear oil. Unhappy with all the burning hot aluminum and titanium shift knobs on the market, we had our rubber Nissan shift knob machined out to 12mm.

Nismo offers the reinforced six-speed transmission with a multitude of kits to make it a direct drop-in into any S13, S14, or S15 equipped with a SR20DET or SR20DE engine. If you own a S13 or S14, the S15 flywheel, pressure plate, and clutch will bolt directly to any SR20DET engine.

We paid a visit to Steve Rodgers at SR Motorcars in Gardena, California and swapped out our tired five-speed transmission in less than half a day. Rodgers knows the S-chassis and SR20DET engine inside and out and made short work of the installation after lifting the transmission into place with a Herculean effort.

3.8-lbs lighter with 1 more gear

We were pleasantly surprised to discover just how simple Nismo has made this six-speed swap. All parts are labeled and separately bagged and have perfect clearances. The included driveshaft was the perfect length and had zero balance or vibration issues. After we fired up the car, it was ready to go and the speedometer functioned perfectly. This is what you get with near OEM level engineering.

Because it’s based around a standard S15 six-speed transmission, shifter feel is largely the same as with a stock S15 Silvia Spec R. The throws are quite long for performance use but the precision is what matters and the six-speed shows its strength over the five-speed there.

Shifting is much more precise through the gears and the movement is so smooth, there isn’t any need to force gear changes. Nismo claims to have reinforced this transmission over a stock S15 six-speed through the use of larger diameter gears and by changing most of the gear ratios versus the standard S15 box.

For fifth gear, which is the same as the standard S15 (1.000), Nismo has reduced the number of both counter and main gear teeth and has increased the size of the gear teeth.

The Nismo first gear is noticeably taller (numerically lower), with the new gearing helping to cushion the shock load of a hard launch from a standstill. One of the biggest advantages with the Nismo six-speed though is how 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th gear have all been moved closer to each other, which helps us stay above the boost threshold when on track. Combine that with a higher torque capacity and you’ve got yourself a winner.

Contact
Tomei USA
www.tomeiusa.com

TIRE SIZE WIDTH (mm) 225
ASPECT RATIO (%) 45
WHEEL INCH 17
TIRE DIAMETER 634.3

TYPE S13,S14 STD 5-SPEED (FD: 4.83)
1ST 3.321 26.45 (speed at 3k RPM) 44.08 (5k RPM) 57.31 (6.5k RPM) 70.53 (8k RPM)
2ND 1.902 46.18 76.97 100.06 123.15
3RD 1.308 67.14 111.90 145.48 179.05
4TH 1.000 87.85 146.42 190.34 234.26
5TH 0.838 104.86 174.76 227.19 279.62

TYPE S13.S14 NISMO-6SPEED (FD: 4.83)
1ST 2.907 30.22 50.36 65.47 80.58
2ND 1.989 44.17 73.62 95.71 117.79
3RD 1.537 57.15 95.24 123.81 152.39
4TH 1.218 72.13 120.22 156.29 192.35
5Th 1.000 87.85 146.42 190.34 234.26
6TH, 0.862 101.87 169.78 220.71 271.64

TYPE S15 SPEC-R STD-6SPD (FD: 3.692)
1ST 3.624 26.81 44.68 58.08 71.49
2ND 2.200 44.16 73.60 95.68 117.76
3RD 1.541 63.05 105.08 136.60 168.12
4TH 1.213 80.08 133.47 173.51 213.55
5Th 1.000 97.15 161.92 210.50 259.07
6TH 0.767 126.60 211.00 274.30 337.60

TYPE S15 SPEC-R NISMO-6SPD (FD: 3.692)
1ST 2.907 33.42 55.70 72.41 89.12
2ND 1.989 48.85 81.42 105.84 130.27
3RD 1.537 63.20 105.33 136.93 168.53
4TH 1.218 79.77 132.95 172.84 212.72
5TH 1.000 97.15 161.92 210.50 259.07
6TH 0.862 112.65 187.76 244.08 300.41

Like a good set of tires, drivetrain is an often-overlooked area of car tuning. Many obsess over blowers, exhausts and wheels but when it comes time to get that project buttoned up, the cheapest clutch kit is usually shoved in.

Or, more often than not, the stock clutch is pushed to the ragged edge and subjected to 400 lb/ft more torque than it was ever designed for.

Being cheap and getting too light of a clutch is a surefire way to shorten the life of your clutch kit and reduce the efficiency of your car. Besides having to live with poor pedal feel and the possibility that something will go wrong, meaning the transmission will have to be pulled again, using a cheap clutch can actually leave acceleration power on the table. Who wants that?

Remember, all the power in the world is a great thing but it still has to get to the pavement. To complement a high-powered engine, you’ll want a clutch kit that has more than enough holding power, good pedal feel (if driven on the street), smooth engagement and a lighter weight. With all these elements in place, a car can accelerate and decelerate faster using the same amount of power.

The key is the fact that the clutch and flywheel are solidly bolted to the engine’s crankshaft at all times. The clutch and flywheel combo will always spin around at the same RPM that your engine is reading. By pressing in the clutch pedal and moving the gear lever, you’re actually engaging and disengaging the transmission’s input into the engine.

16lbs lighter than stock

It’s simple enough to guess that a lighter clutch and flywheel is easier to spin up to a certain RPM since it weighs less. This is the reason for the massive popularity of lightweight aluminum flywheels; they can get you tenths in the quarter-mile with their reduction in weight.

And since the force required to spin a clutch depends on mass and clutch size, a smaller clutch should also aid with acceleration. It’s the same principle behind using lightweight forged wheels versus big, heavy chrome rims.

Taking rotating mass out of your drivetrain with carbon fiber driveshafts, lightweight clutches and small wheels has been done for years. But to find out how effective it really is we hit the four-wheel dyno at Tuning Technologies in Colton, California.

Alfred, Jen and the TT crew opened up their facility for us to test the SPEC Clutch Mini Twin kit on the M1 Fabrication & Development 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII. This Evo has seen some heavy track use in NASA Time Trial competition and we decided to test the stock and SPEC clutches back to back. A custom GT30R turbo kit has been fitted to the M1 Evo VIII and 420whp is available at a low boost setting of 22psi.

The SPEC Mini Twin clutch kit offered both of the elements that we were looking to test gains from, a smaller size and a lighter weight. Rated to hold 800 lb/ft of torque, the SPEC clutch kit came with an aluminum flywheel 7lbs lighter than stock (8.5 versus 15.5 lbs) and was 16lbs lighter in total than all the factory parts. This is even counting the SPEC hydraulic throwout bearing that converts the clutch from a pull-type to a push-type for more reliable operation.

With aftermarket clutches there are a few ways to increase holding power and torque capacity but each have their downsides as well. Some of the most common include different friction material (better heat resistance but minimal holding power gains), a stronger pressure plate (stiffer pedal to push down) and swapping to multiple discs (expensive and could be noisy from internal rattling).

The SPEC Mini Twin clutch uses two clutch discs with what is basically another flywheel sandwiched between them. This gives more surface area than just one clutch and thus more holding power with minimal pedal stiffness.

Pedal feel with the SPEC twin-plate clutch is noticeably light and short and the engagement is much sharper than with the factory clutch. Without as much mass on the flywheel to help launch the car, this kit is designed for road racing and track use, not for drag racing.

The clutch needs to be slipped with plenty of revs to keep going and is pretty easy to stall. You get used to it and this unit can be used in a street car but it’s not exactly street friendly with an OEM feel. This is a real racing unit. SPEC does offer more street friendly units but this racing-style clutch is the best option for us to be able to test the difference in rotational mass.

First up, we dyno the GT30R’s fury against the stock clutch setup. This combo has overheated and slipped on track at Buttonwillow Raceway, proving the low capacity of the stock parts. Next, Tuning Technologies completed an amazing 4.5-hour clutch swap. That may seem really long to some of you but remember, this isn’t a Honda Civic. An Evo clutch install is an ordeal and could easily take twice as long.

The SPEC clutch was then given a full solid day of driving for break in and then the M1 Evo was put back on the same dyno. Both dyno runs used the same exact Tuning Technologies ECU tune and boost level. We measured the same exact atmospheric conditions except for a 2-degree F increase in air temp for the SPEC testing.

Dyno testing reveals the time difference required to reach a specific torque out put. The lighter SPEC system is faster past 3,000 rpm.

The results are eye opening, with the lighter and smaller SPEC twin-disc clutch kit allowing the Evo’s engine to rev faster and easier, hitting peak boost and making power sooner. Where the stock parts allow the Evo to reach 300 lb/ft of torque in about 5.2-seconds, the SPEC clutch hits that same amount in only 4.5-seconds. We measured almost a half second difference from stock for the Evo to reach the 350whp mark and once peak boost is reached, the SPEC clutch helps free up power all the way to the top.

It took almost an entire second less for this Evo to reach the 300 lb/ft mark during a single dyno run. Think about when this car goes out for a track session. Imagine how many times the car must enter braking zones, hit apexes and then accelerate out of a corner. Multiply all that acceleration by the time gained here and you’ll see the advantages of reducing rotating weight and having a lightweight clutch.

Races are won or lost by fractions of a second, we have that here already in a single dyno run and this clutch won’t slip at all on track. Sometimes going faster isn’t just about adding power. Sometimes it’s about maximizing what you already have.

Sources
Spec Clutch
(800) 828-4379
www.specclutch.com

Tuning Technologies
(909) 783-1200
www.tuningtechnologies.com

M1 Fabrication & Development
(714) 671-0077
www.m1fd.com

When it comes to cars, heat is the enemy. It robs power, destroys parts, and can make for quite the sweaty, uncomfortable drive. Don’t ask.

In the realm of engines, heat is both a byproduct and a hindrance to making horsepower. Turbochargers compress intake air in order to better fill an engine, simultaneously heating the air as well. Exhaust ports, firing on pure hellfire, also generate significant underhood heat, captured within exhaust pipes and manifolds.

All of this latent heat seeks to raise the temperature of intake air, which needs to remain as cool as possible to generate power. The captured engine heat also has a tendency to spread its effects, melting nearby wires, downpipe-adjacent body panels, and causing the firewall or foot panel area to become unbearably hot.

Enthusiasts often go to extreme measures to withstand the heat, especially during extended track or racing outings. Some users employ massively heavy intercoolers, ground-scraping cold air intakes that snake out of the engine bay, and double thick socks that keep burned toes at bay.

One of the solutions from Design Engineering, Inc. (DEI) is the Reflect-A-GOLD heat reflecting tape. Similar to the gold thermal tape used in aerospace and the racing industry, Reflect-A-GOLD is a self-adhesive golden tape that DEI claims can reflect up to 80% of radiant heat and can handle continuous operating temperatures of 850-degrees F, with the adhesive side rated up to 325-degrees F.

The Reflect-A-GOLD tape has many potential uses in the performance car market. By wrapping an air intake box or tube, the intake air can be shielded from heat. Firewalls or rear decks can also be covered in it, keeping engine bay heat from entering the cabin. The tape can even be applied to certain sheet metal heat shields, increasing their effectiveness.

As opposed to more expensive wraps, blankets, or sprays, the gold tape is easy to apply (peel and stick), very thin for clearance, and lightweight. We’ve always liked its simple nature and you’ve no doubt seen golden thermal tape applied to the firewalls and airboxes of numerous racecars. But how well does it work?

PARTS TESTING

Our testing idea is deceptively simple – torture blast the Reflect-A-GOLD tape and see how it holds up. Using the blue flame of our torch, rated at 3000-degrees F, we’ll be testing to see the effective temperature reduction and reflection of the Reflect-A-GOLD tape.

Unless your car is on fire and melting to the ground (at which you’d have bigger things to worry about – Ed.), it’s unlikely to see any temperatures near 3000-degrees F. But using this high of a temperature, far beyond the rated capacity of the tape, will allow us to display the behavior of the product under incredible stress.

In order to keep our results consistent, all of our testing was done with the same ambient air temperature and sensor. Our sensor was tied into place on a vice and the distance to the torch kept constant between our two tests.



RESULTS

Our first test consisted of the 3000-degree torch flame being applied directly to a steel plate, which itself was in direct contact with the temperature sensor. Our initial temperature reading was at 83-degrees F. After a 20-second burn cycle, our sensor was reading a temperature of 205-degrees F.

For the next test, the same steel plate was covered in Reflect-A-GOLD tape on one side. After waiting for the temperature sensor to normalize back to 83-degrees F, we completed another 20-second burn cycle at the same distance. Our new ending temperature was now 95-degrees F. That’s a 54% reduction in heat.

Pushed almost ten times past its rated fire resistant heat capacity, the Reflect-A-GOLD tape charred and burned on its outer layer, as expected.

Still, the tape managed to pull off a 110-degree reduction in temperature and resisted the fire with its inner secondary layer. These are impressive results, especially for a roll that is as easy to put on as masking tape.

The Reflect-A-GOLD tape isn’t what we would consider super cheap, a 1’x1’ piece runs around $20 but it’s perfect for thermal situations that require low clearance, odd shaping, or just a small shield (around a exhaust pipe, for instance). As a tip, the Reflect-A-GOLD tape rolls, 2”x15’ for around $40, are much better bargains for covering intake tubes and airboxes.

Contact
Design Engineering Inc
www.designengineering.com

Features:
·    Reinforced shoulder tread blocks
·    Continuous center rib design
·    Specially formulated tread compound
·    Reinforced internal construction

To the average commuter, the rubber doughnuts underneath their car are only good for one thing – to keep their wheels from getting scratched. Most “normal” people don’t pay close attention to what keeps them on the road. They’ll buy re-manufactured tires (four for $100 on special! – Ed.) and rarely ever check the pressures. So why then has every tire manufacturer on Earth released a new all-out performance street tire in the last couple years? For you, of course.

Compare a normal driver to the average OR reader, who obsesses about the perfect hot tire pressure and tread design. Commuters don’t understand the capabilities and intricacies of a performance tire the way that a gear head would but they’re not the target buyer. The OR reader is the one with the modified car, bursting at the seams, asking for every nuance of grip that it can muster.

The OR reader is the one that will win time attack championships, club races and autocross national titles. These are the things that can help boost a brand’s reputation, reaching down to even the commuter level. When it comes to competition, everybody’s out to win.

The NT05 is Nitto’s latest maximum performance offering. With a low UTQG rating of 200, it’s matched up against the usual SCCA Street Touring standouts like the Falken RT-615, Yokohama Advan Neova, Toyo R1R, Hankook RS-3 and Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1. UTQG wear ratings are arbitrarily determined by each tire manufacturer so they are not true yardsticks with which to measure how soft or sticky a competitor tire really is.

The first striking thing you’ll notice about the NT05’s design is the tread compound. The outer edges feature huge blocks of rubber with a few sipes for water evacuation. The center features what Nitto calls a “continuous center rib design”. This equates to a thick strip of rubber right through the middle and two large channels on each side. These channels will help with wet weather grip, although the NT05 is not recommended for snow use.

Surely taking a few cues from their NT01 r-compound racing tire, Nitto has created a very fast street tire that is capable on track as well. We sampled the 255/40/17 NT05 size at Spring Mountain Motorsports Park in Pahrump, NV during the Redline Time Attack weekend. The test car was our full weight, registered and daily driven Project Evo IX. The NT05s were not heat cycled or shaved before they hit the track.

Right off the bat, the NT05s displayed their high level of grip. Entering into the medium-speed Turn One off of the front straight,Project Evo IX averaged a lateral load of 1.01g and a peak spike of 1.61g. Through Segment 4, a tight hairpin left, the NT05s scored a peak lateral load of 1.22g. Perhaps most telling though is the high 66-68mph average speed maintained through Segments 7 and 8, which are undulating mixtures of hills and turns.

The NT05s also displayed good heat resistance, with no chunking or tearing appearing at all after they had gone on track. The tires also showed very little graining or overheating across the surface, its lack of tread squirm no doubt helped by its large tread blocks and relatively shallow molding depth.

The key thing to remember is that Nitto had the intention of creating a tire that was to be used on the street first and the track second. They were not in the market to create an all-out performance street tire like the Yokohama Advan Neova AD08, instead focusing on a balance of wear life, grip, price and noise. The NT05 doesn’t quite have the steering precision of the Neova tire but it’s still one of the fastest street tires on the market today and comes in at a much lower price than Yokohama as well.

If you’re looking for a decently priced street tire for your project car, you can’t lose with the NT05. You’ll have more dry grip than you can legally use on the street and hitting the track on the weekend won’t require a tire swap. That’s what we’re always looking for in a performance street tire.

Source
Nitto Tire
www.nittotire.com

Seemingly one of the most successful, cash-infused tire companies at the moment, Continental Tire went balls to the wall for the launch event of the Extreme Contact DW (Dry Wet) and DWS (Dry Wet Snow) tires. California Speedway, now Auto Club Speedway, played host to the event with the oval, infield, go-kart track and parking lot rented out for testing. On hand in the parking lot were a wet skidpad, wet braking test and two tight autocross courses (dry and wet).

Continental Tire’s test fleet of BMWs and Mustang GTs were on hand for journalist abuse and we delivered. The BMW 3-Series proved to be an easy low-speed drift machine on the wet autocross course, while the Mustang GT left us pining for a competent limited-slip differential (LSD) to be installed in the rear axle.

Muscling the Ford pony car around the wet skidpad became an exercise in understeer and throttle management as the V8’s torque refused to properly overcome both of the rear Continental DWS tires with power-on oversteer. Luckily, the DWS tires provided enough traction and wet surface feel that balancing the Mustang around the wet asphalt was no problem.

Still, the star of the day was the Extreme Contact DW tire. We’ve driven on Continental’s previous ContiSportContact 3 performance offering and found it to be very consistent and with a pretty good level of grip. The DW was our main focus for the day and it did quite well for an all-season tire (all season in CA at least, we only get dry and some wet – Ed.).

The DW doesn’t provide the outright dry grip of uber-top tier rubber, like Yokohama’s Advan AD08 Neova tire, but, then again, Neova’s cost an arm and a leg and will wear out faster than you can say burnout. For the average real world driver, the Continental ExtremeContact DW provides a better balance between cost and performance and will provide more than enough grip for the street and, occasionally, the track.

We pushed the DW on the autocross course, on CA Speedway’s massive oval (in an ex-Toyota Pro/Celebrity Celica racecar) and in a timed “time attack” session on the infield course. Even tith the launch event full of club racers and karting enthusiasts, we took the 3rd place trophy. The DW tire proved to be very responsive and had an easy to find limit of grip, making learning both easier and faster.

While out on course, the DWs delivered. They were very consistent over the driving period and delivered more grip than we had originally anticipated. The current generation of street tires have progressed with amazing leaps and bounds, almost matching racing tires for consistency and grip.

The Continental DW and DWS tires are quiet, comfortable, consistent and have a decent amount of grip. These weren’t designed as one-shot wonder Street Touring autocross tires but If you’re looking for a grippy tire that you can slap on to your street car all year round, the Continental DW and DWS are very good choices.

Update (Nov. 2009):

Our very own Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution track car test bed, Project Evo IX, recieved an invite to the annual Evo vs. STI Shootout. The time trial competition is run on a spec tire, the Continental ExtremeContact DW tire, meaning all competitors would be on the same exact tire. This evened out the playing field, making for closer competition.

After a day on track, Project Evo IX emerged as the fastest car of the day, beating full racecars. Equipped with an aftermarket KW suspension, 400hp and 265/35/18 Continental ExtremeContact DW tires, we set a laptime on track faster than both the Porsche 911 Turbo and the Chevy Corvette Z06. Our car is registered, driven regularly and is full weight.

Source

Continental Tire

www.continentaltire.com

If you’re anything like us, your hands sweat like fat sausages when you drive fast. On track, our palms get so sweaty that the steering wheel and shift knob can become slippery. Being too slow to catch a tank-slapper or missing a shift because of grip, well, sucks.

That was our first reason for banning the use of smooth metal shift knobs. Driver comfort while on track is very important to being able to focus and drive fast and that’s one of the biggest reasons to wear driving gloves during a track day.

Racers all wear the latest safety gear – neck restraint, suit, gloves, shoes – because they bang doors and run the risk of serious damage during competition. Since HPDEs, driver’s schools and track days are not run wheel-to-wheel, there isn’t so much a risk of balling up your car and catching on fire.

Although driving gloves aren’t required during casual events, we always prefer to wear a pair to maintain proper grip throughout the entire session. It’s a safety bonus that, by wearing fireproof gloves instead of leather gloves, your hands will be able to open any number of hot surfaces should your car catch on fire.

5Zigen’s ARD racing gear division recently released their ARD-272 driving glove, a FIA-approved glove that appeals to both racers and weekend drivers. In compliance with FIA standard 8856-2000, the ARD-272 glove comes in four different colors and four different sizes.

The ARD-272 glove is externally stitched to prevent irritation or itchiness to the hand inside. Every pair of gloves does come with a distinctive, almost tribal, logo pattern on the outside of the hand and a textured surface covering the palm and finger wear areas.

The secondary textured layer is almost like treated leather in terms of feel but is soft and pliable. FIA standards regulate that gloves only use leather or leather-like materials across the tactile surfaces of the hand, since leather shrinks when exposed to fire. By only putting the textured layer across the wear areas, ARD was able to combine the ARD-272 glove’s elastic flexibility with the outside layer’s grip and strength.

The resulting combination provides a glove that fits easily and tightly, the material will stretch slightly across your hand, and isn’t stiff at all during hand movement. Although it feels slightly thinner, we’d say that this glove provides greater tactile feedback and movement than the Sparco Profi gloves that we also have.

FIA standard 8856-2000 mandates that during testing a glove’s finger seams be exposed to flame for 15-seconds. Four different gloves of the same type, in total, will be tested under fire and the threads should not “melt, show after-flaming or break”. The FIA also requires that no flaming or molten debris be present and that the gloves don’t split under the stress. Fully compliant with the FIA standard, the ARD-272 gloves should be good to allow for a speedy escape from a car on fire.

One plus of the external textured layer is its ability to be used with non-suede steering wheels, i.e. leather wheels and most stock steering wheels. Suede-palmed racing gloves provide excellent grip when combined with suede wheels but often don’t grip as well on leather or vinyl surfaces. If you’re using your car for autocross or track use and haven’t switched out to a suede wheel, the ARD-272 gloves will be right up your alley.

The ARD-272’s external leather-like layer provides just the right amount of friction to maximize handgrip across other leather and vinyl-type surfaces. In simpler terms, the ARD-272 gloves work great with stock and leather aftermarket steering wheels and will provide better grip than a comparable suede glove. We realize that these gloves aren’t the cheapest on the market but their combination of safety, grip, looks and flexibility will surely appeal to many enthusiast drivers. Just be sure to air out the sweat from the insides to avoid any unnecessary glove funk.

Item #ARD272
MSRP: $200 ($179.95 below at 5Zigen store)
Sizes: S, M, L, XL
Colors: Blue, Black, Gray, Red

Sources
5Zigen USA
www.5zigenusa.com
www.5zigenusastore.com/arragl.html

Size tested: 285/30/18
Type: Ultra-high performance tire
UTQG: 180 AA A
Test car: Project Evo IX
Test track: Willow Springs

Features:
· Serrated groove walls
· Heat releasing dimples
· Optimum groove position
· Rounded tread block design
· Unique casing shape
· Micro silica compound

The Yokohama PR catalog can talk all day about silica construction, block casings, and environmental designs but, when it comes to performance, tires speak for themselves. As anyone in the street tire autocross scene can tell you, the Yokohama Advan Neova tire is the best street tire on the market today.

With its high price tag and limited availability, the Neova tire scares away many potential buyers. But those owners of high performance or competition cars would be missing out if they let their wallets make their decisions. Yokohama is one of the most well known Japanese tire manufacturers, with offerings in club racing and the ALMS, and the Neova is their best.

First off, the Neova tires is difficult to track down. Not a high volume seller, the tire is, in fact, often out of stock at Yokohama Tire HQ itself. Trying to find a last minute 18-inch Neova at your local Discount Tire is going to be next to impossible. Your best bet is to shop at racing or performance shops and still factor in a wait time.

The Advan Neova is Yokohama’s current flagship tire and sports all the features that they could pack into a street tire. We tested the Neova tire on Project Evo 9, on both the street and the track. Our first impressions of the Neova tire came on the 2-hour drive from our headquarters to Willow Springs Raceway.

The Yokohama Advan Neova sports all the comforts of a true street car tire. There is more road noise transferred into the cabin than from an all-season touring tire, but very little when compared to a racing tire or event some other high-performance street tires, such as the Toyo R1R.

The Advan Neova did however provide outstanding stability, grip, and steering feedback. Through freeway sweepers, lane changes, and off-ramps, the Neova gave more driving feedback than any other tire we’ve driven on.

The Advan Neova is even above average in the wet, as we found later during a rainy stretch. Some ultra-high performance tires get their dry grip by sacrificing wet weather stability and capability but the Neova managed to retain its feedback and feel.

We also took the opportunity to test the Advan Neova tire at Willow Springs Raceway, the “fastest track in the west”. With Willow’s daunting Turn 8 and 9 complex capable of propelling Project Evo 9 over 120mph through turns, many street tires have given up the ghost during testing.

Once on track, Project Evo 9 began to push the limits of the sticker-fresh, full tread depth Yokohama tires. We didn’t do any heat cycling, shaving, or preparation. Especially in the summer, Willow Springs’ high speed and high load turns have a tendency to punish front tires.

Putting Project Evo 9 on the track in 15-minute sessions, we switched on our datalogger and flipped open our notebook. Our test driver returned with similar feedback to our street drive. The Yokohama Advan Neova tire displayed high grip and sharp steering feedback on track, especially through the very quick Turn 2 (average 87 mph) and Turn 8 (average 119 mph) areas. With consistently high grip marks (at or above 1 lateral-g in almost all corners), the Neova tire could in fact match the pace of racing tires from just a few years ago.

Like any street tire, the Neova didn’t display as much heat capacity as a true racing tire, although it was consistent throughout the entire session, not completely dropping off into complete slipperiness like other street tires after a few laps. We found our lap spread to be within 1-second throughout the session.

Our final impression of the Yokohama Advan Neova is one of surprise. It’s not very often that we run across a tire that combines the wet weather capability and noise of a street tire with the grip and feedback of a racing tire. We had heard good things about this tire but its performance truly is excellent. The Neova’s only downside is its pricetag, almost $320/tire in this size, which matches or exceeds racing tire prices.

But, remember, your tires’ contact patch is the only thing holding you to the ground. If you have a high-performance car, such as a Porsche, BMW, Corvette, or Viper, that demands the best in grip and performance, you’ve found it.

Size tested: 255/35/18
Type: Extreme performance tire
UTQG: 140 AA A
Test car: Project Evo IX
Test track: Willow Springs (Redline Time Attack)

Features:
· Silica-reinforced, high-grip tread compound
· Unidirectional “arrowhead” tread design
· Tapered center block edge
· Multi-width EVAC channels
· Stability control slits
· Modified radial construction casing

Before we get too far into this review, let’s just lay it out there – the Toyo R1R tire is not for everybody. It’s not a tire for getting groceries, driving to Granny’s or zoning out in stop-and-go traffic. Toyo sells other tires for those purposes that are both quieter and longer lasting.

The R1R is an r-compound racing tire disguised as a DOT street tire. But if you’re interested in putting every last bit of power down to the ground or autocross in the SCCA’s Street Touring class, then please read on.

Why should the R1R be used by only the most hardcore enthusiasts and drivers? Compromise, really. Every single thing that you change or modify on your car will compromise it in some way. Your car can become stiffer, louder or lighter with a few changes. But luxury and comfort often get thrown out the window.

The Toyo R1R is designed first and foremost as a performance tire. It comes packing many design cues that can also be found in the Toyo R888 r-compound racing tire. Design cues that may bother your average Corolla S commuter.

The R1R’s sidewalls are stiff to give a crisp turn-in response and have a reinforced casing to avoid deflection under hard cornering. Driving on the R1R is not uncomfortable by any means but the stiffness does make the R1R ride hard when compared to your standard off-the-shelf all-season touring tire. The “arrowhead” tread design is supposed to aid with wet traction, which is good since the R1R has such huge tread blocks for dry grip, but it also increases the road noise transmitted into the cabin.

Wear and longevity are also an issue. With a soft, grippy compound and a low 140 UTQG wear rating, the Toyo R1R will not last as long as a El Cheapo touring tire. But, then again, the R1R will demolish any all-season or touring tire in terms of outright grip. In its comfort zone, at the track or in performance driving, the R1R shines.

We tested the 255/35/18 Toyo R1R on Project Evo IX during the Redline Time Attack Willow Springs event (full tread depth, no break-in or heat cycling). With a 255-width and a 140 UTQG treadwear rating, the R1R is at the extent of the limits and is one of the tires to have for the Street Class. The UTQG rating also bumps it up against the rules ceiling in the SCCA’s Street Touring (STX, STU, STR, etc) class.

The R1R was clearly designed to dominate in these street-based performance environments. Once on track, we knew the R1R was not your average street tire. At a hot track in the blazing heat of a Southern California summer, the tire did drop off quite quickly but during the first couple initial hot laps, the grip was commendable. We nailed our fastest lap (good for 3rd in Street AWD) on our second hot lap and spiked 1.32 lateral-g in Willow’s on-camber high-speed Turn 9.

We did wish that the R1R had a more responsive turn-in and steering response, the proper slip angle for the tire is difficult to find at times, but the high grip level is hard to beat. The tire also exhibited zero chunking or tearing (always the bane of a street tire driven on track) during our track testing. Ken Motonoshi, SCCA autocross national champion, also advised us that the tire would get faster as it wore down.

We’re hoping that as the tire begins to wear away and the tread blocks get shorter, there will be less tread squirm and the turn-in response will pick up. If the tire gets even faster, fantastic. Although, it’s hard to believe just how fast this street tire really is already.

Source
Toyo Tires
West Coast: 800-442-8696 (6:30am to 5:00pm Pacific Time)
East Coast: 888-444-8696 (9:30am to 8:00pm Eastern Time)
www.toyotires.com

The stiffer a chassis is, the less it will flex when forces are applied to it, i.e. through the suspension. This means that forces from the road surface will be contained and absorbed by the suspension rather than being allowed to beat up the body shell. As the chassis is stiffened, ride quality will improve and stiffer springs can be used before the chassis throws a fit. Hell, even OEMs use the methods outlined here on such cars as the Acura TL and the Mazda RX-8 R3.

Our thought process behind this urethane foam method is – when it comes to making your car stiffer and stronger, sometimes you just don’t want a full roll cage. Tying together the chassis with a custom welded cage would increase chassis stiffness by a large amount but if your car sees more street time than track time, cracking your skull open on a metal tube doesn’t exactly sound like a great Friday night.

This leaves you with the options of stitch welding, bolt-on chassis bracing bars, a simple four-point roll bar or urethane foam. Bolt-on braces and bars often have little effect or gain on chassis stiffness and they often cost a pretty penny. Doing something for dirt-cheap in your own garage sounds pretty tempting, huh?

Keep in mind though that the foam you want to put into your car isn’t the cheap spray insulation that you can buy at your local Home Depot. Many of those foams have a density in the range of 0.5 lb per cubic foot. We were after the 2 lb per cubic foot injectable kits for use in upper A/B/C pillars (made by Handi-Foam) and the 8 lb per cubic foot stuff for the rockers and frame rails.

Foams in the 8 lb per cubic foot density are commonly used in marine applications and we’ve never come across one that was an easy to use two part injectable kit. You’ll have to mix and pour these tougher foam types. Our expanding urethane foam pour kit was sourced from US Composites and came in two unassuming metal cans. The liquid in the two cans is mixed in a 1:1 ratio and has a claimed 45-second pour time. In actual use, the pour time (the time you have to pour it into your car before it bubbles over and turns into a solid) seems to be closer to half that.

We mixed up about 20-ounces at a time and a paint mixer/power drill combo came in handy as we zapped the mixture for 15-seconds before beginning the pour into our rocker panels. Any longer and the foam would begin to harden in the funnel as we poured, clogging any more of the mixture from entering our tester Nissan chassis. If you want to avoid ruining and wasting any foam, funnels or supplies, you’ll have to be quick with your hands.

The pourable urethane foam expands to eight times its liquid volume, meaning the 16 lb net weight size kit is more than enough to handle most any car’s rocker panels/side rails. Buy more than one kit if you intend to fill up a subframe or tubular control arm. Handling the foam itself isn’t difficult at all but proper prep is a must. The foam is pretty much impossible to clean off once hardened and hardens very quickly.

Before mixing and pouring began, we covered our 1989 240SX’s interior completely with a plastic drop cloth, placed newspapers underneath the car (foam will drip out of the rails on to the floor), wore disposable work clothes (no tuxedos here) and pre-cut bits of duct tape were placed next to every orifice that we pouring into. This was so that the holes could be covered after pouring and the expanding foam could be captured inside, instead of bubbling out. We also made sure to tape up the backside of the lower seat belt holes in the rockers, so that the foam didn’t fill up the threads for the mounting bolts.

The injectable 2 lb per cubic foot foam was by far much easier to use. A kid could literally figure out how to use the kit. Not recommended though as any kid on Earth would probably try to eat some of this stuff. Nasty. The Handi-Foam kit comes pre-assembled with two cans in an injector setup. You pop open the two cans, release the nozzle and you’re ready to go. Stick the injector tip into you’re A/B/C pillar holes and let the stuff loose. Be sure to use the duct tape trick again to seal the foam inside as it hardens.

Although we don’t have any exact chassis stiffness increase percentages, a simple garage measurement yielded a stiffer chassis with a 1/4-inch front and 1/8-inch rear increase in frame to ground height as the car was jacked up at the front left, with a floor jack saddle height of 10.75-inches. Road testing the car also provided a noticeable difference, with less creaks going up driveways and a noticeably smoother ride over broken pavement. For one afternoon’s work in the garage, and less than $80, why wouldn’t you try it?

Source
US Composites
www.uscomposites.com

Handi-Foam
www.fomo.com

Beyond possible suspension travel and alignment issues, some of the biggest concerns when it comes to lowering a car should be the effects on the roll center and on bumpsteer. Looking at a car head on, the roll center is quite literally the point around which the vehicle rolls when cornering.

It’s determined by drawing a straight line from the instant center to the middle of the opposite tire’s contact patch. Do that for both sides and the point at which the lines intersect is your roll center point. For front strut cars, like the E36 M3, WRX and Evo, the front instant center point is the intersection of a line parallel to the strut top and a line intersecting the lower control arm.

The problem with lowering your car excessively is that the roll center is always lower than the center of gravity and will actually fall more than the center of gravity with a decrease in ride height. As your front roll center approaches the ground, your car will actually begin to roll over more because of the increased torque leverage from the larger roll couple. This is bad for steering response, handling and basically ruins the entire point of buying a lower, stiffer suspension. This also means that you’ll need overly stiff swaybars or springs in order to compensate.

Excessive lowering also amplifies bumpsteer, which is where your toe settings will actually change based on suspension travel. Imagine you’re flying through a sweeper, cornering steady state, you come up on a slight undulation in the road and bam, your car darts even though you didn’t turn the wheel and you didn’t bottom out.

Thanks to excessive bumpsteer, your wheels just self-adjusted their toe setting. It’s caused by the increased difference in arc travel between the lower control arm and outer tie-rod end, and it only gets worse after changing ride height. It’s bad too, for obvious predictability and control reasons.

Curing roll center and bumpsteer problems has generally been a race-only proposal, but drop-in products do exist for garage mechanics to get their fix. Ideally, the best way to perfectly cure roll center problems is to create new control arms, alter the control arm mounting points or raise the front subframe.

Conversely, bumpsteer should be adjusted by using heim-jointed tie-rod ends and specially measured stacks of spacers to drop the connection of the steering arm to the spindle. These solutions, however, require careful race shop measurements and custom fabricated parts.

Size tested: 235/45/17
Type: Ultra-high performance tire
UTQG: 240 AA A
Test car: Project Evo IX

Features:
·    Lower sidewalls reinforced with DuPont Kevlar material
·    Jointless Band Technology to help maintain shape and performance at highway speeds
·    Max Flange Shield to protect rims from curb damage
·    Asymmetric design for easy mounting and tire rotation
·    Motorsport-inspired tread compound that promises dry and wet grip
·    Multi-Radius-Tread Technology that promises to distribute contact patch pressure smoothly during cornering
·    Unique bead fit system helps with tire and wheel mounting pressure

At the moment, it seems most tire companies just want to go to war in the performance street tire market. With outright handling records and SCCA Street Touring autocross national championships on the line, numerous tires have been released with 180 or lower UTQG ratings.

These premiere street offerings provide race tire-level grip but they also come with race-level pricing and incredibly quick tire wear. Not everybody can afford a new set of tires every six months. Luckily, Dunlop has released an ultra-high performance tire for real world street enthusiasts, the SP Sport Maxx TT.

As a summer tire, the SP Sport Maxx TT isn’t designed to be driven through snow or ice. It is, however, designed to provide optimal dry and wet weather grip. Think of it as a year-round Southern California tire (sorry Alaska). Dunlop’s recipe for the tire begins with the construction, which uses Kevlar reinforcement and Polyamide cord reinforced twin steel belts.

The tire tread itself is an asymmetric design that blends large tread blocks, for dry grip, with multiple water evacuation channels, for wet conditions. The SP Sport Maxx TT also features a curb protecting design that bulges slightly to protect wheels from scraping against curbs when parking.

“The SP Sport Maxx TT helps deliver great road feel, which is important for those who really love to drive.  The timely feedback from these tires allows the driver to react to turns and contours in the road,” said Razvan Bosomoiu, Dunlop general manager. By the time you read this, the SP Sport Maxx TT will be available in thirty-five sizes, ranging from 16-22-inch diameters.

On the streets of the real world, the SP Sport Maxx TT is a perfect fit. We tested these tires in a stock size fitment of 235/45R17 (on stock wheels) on Project Lancer Evo IX, which is equipped with stiff springs and spherical upper suspension mounts. Even with hard metal suspension bearings, the tire transmitted very little road noise into the cabin and, with 45-series sidewalls, absorbed bumps and shocks with ease.

Vibration through the steering wheel and directional hunting across the road was almost non-existent as well, which is more than we can say for some edgier performance street tires. With a UTQG rating of 240, the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT should also provide plenty of tire life before wearing out.

We tested the fiberglass version of the Aero Designs Notus seat, which rings in around the $470 mark. That’s quite a bit lower than any other comparable design fiberglass racing bucket and the Notus includes side mounts and a slider. Carbon fiber and carbon Kevlar versions are also available for $720 MSRP. The biggest reason for the difference in the pricetag? The certification. Seats from such manufacturers as Sparco and Recaro come with FIA certification and expiration dates.

These dates help such organizations as the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) and the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) keep track of a seat’s age. This, combined with manufacturer certification, determines whether or not a seat is legal to be raced in a wheel-to-wheel situation. Unfortunately for all you club racers out there, the Notus has to remain in your street car or tow vehicle. You can, however, still use it at open track days and autocross events.

And if you do take a run through some autocross cones, you’ll be glad you had the Notus on your side. This seat is seriously snug. With its design taken from Japanese Super GT racing, according to Aero Designs, only drivers with a roughly 30~32-inch waist need apply.

A larger waistline could technically fit into the seat all right, we measured the ass area tapering from 13-inches to 15.5-inches at the leg split, but if your waist is larger, then it’s very likely that your shoulders and sides are wider than the Japanese as well. The shoulder area and side bolsters could become comfort problem areas for you, although many drivers prefer a smaller, rather than larger, seat when on track.

The positive side of having such a snug seat is feedback. The Notus seat literally wraps around you, letting your softer, fleshier parts fill up its voids. The fiberglass shell itself doesn’t exhibit much flexing, which is key because you don’t want your seat bending every time you go over a bump. Every vibration, lateral-g and shock gets transferred through your chassis and up your spine. The Notus is padded, with removable lower cushions so you can sit even lower, but the padding is quite firm and so much of the seat surrounds you, you won’t be missing a beat. This seat lets you feel everything that’s going on.

The Notus also comes with a crotch hole and the capability to run 5- or 6-point safety harnesses. The seat fabric and cushions are even completely removeable and can taken apart to be cleaned. This is one of the features that we love in our other bucket seats. With the ability to take our seat fabric off annually and toss it in the washer, our seats always look as clean and fresh as possible. This is especially important considering the Notus’s placement as a high performance street bucket seat. You’ll be spending quite a bit more time sitting in this seat than if it was in a non-street legal racecar and you’ll be wearing it out even faster.

The Aero Designs Notus bucket seat is a snug performance-oriented offering that comes in at an incredibly low price point. The only trade-offs are the lack of FIA certification and the possibility that your large American behind won’t get used to the tight holding nature of this seat. For racers, this seat just won’t work because of the certifications. But for normal guys, on the street and at an autocross or open track day, this seat will transform your driving experience. You’ll be moving, pitching and leaning with your car as one. Get ready for the go-kart experience.

Source

Aero Designs
(909) 595-3027
www.aerodesignsusa.com

If you’ve ever swapped brake calipers, changed to stainless steel braided brake hoses or driven hard, then you’ve experienced the need to bleed your brakes. Most “normal” drivers don’t ever bleed their brake fluid but OR readers are not normal. We’re hard driving, parts straining folk that require extra maintenance.

Under hard driving, the heat generated by the brakes will transfer into the brake fluid. At a certain temperature, the brake fluid will actually boil and become a gas. This gas is easier to compress than fluid and so the pedal becomes softer and squishier than before.

Bleeding the brakes is the process of draining the brake fluid and evacuating this gas without getting any outside air into the brake lines. This is also when performance drivers often step up and fill their brake system back up with a brake fluid with a higher boiling point, to raise the resistance to squishy pedals. We hate squishy pedals.

In our opinion, nothing beats a good, old-fashioned two-man bleeding operation for effort, time and cost. But, sometimes, you’ll find yourself working on your car alone at 4AM or at the track while your friends are out driving in a different session. Or maybe you just don’t have any friends. If that’s the case, bleeding brakes is the least of your worries.

Complicated options exist, such as air-powered power bleeders or hand-pump operated units but Speed Bleeder produces a line of replacement bleeder screws that work surprisingly well for their simplicity. Installation is as simple and unscrewing your stock brake bleeder screw and then re-inserting the Speed Bleeder. Using a built-in check valve, the Speed Bleeder screws allows a single person to slightly loosen it and then pump away on the brake pedal to flush out old brake fluid without sucking in air. Just get out to fill up the master cylinder now and then. It’s surprisingly easy and effective at its job.

There are some drawbacks to the Speed Bleeder system though. The bleeders will help fix a squishy pedal from softness but they can’t match the firmness that a real two-man job provides. Also, the Speed Bleeder screws rely on a sealant to keep air from being sucked into the system. This means that the bleeders must be annually (at least) removed and cleaned before new thread sealant (sold separately) can be re-applied.

But, at only $7 for a regular version and $15 for a CNC-machined stainless version, the Speed Bleeder screw is one of the cheapest one-man brake bleeding options out there. It may not be as effective as having another human’s labor at your disposal, but it’s easy to carry, easy to figure out and makes a perfect backup for when you’re at the track or just need to get something done quick and by yourself. It’s the perfect parking lot emergency brake bleeding option.

Source
Speed Bleeder
(888) 879-7016
www.speedbleeder.com

The entire concept of track accessibility is changing every day. No longer do you have to have a full racecar and crew to drive on a track. With the explosion in recent years of weekend track days, anybody can take almost any car out on track. Combine that with publicity for club racing and cars sold out of showrooms that practically are racecars and you have a winning combo for attention. With such growth, the almighty dollar dictates that a greater trickle-down effect will take place.

Now any guy or girl on the block can easily buy a racing suit, HANS device, helmet, racing slicks and data acquisition. Items that were once only used by pro racing teams have now fallen within reach of the weekend driver. Some drivers may think, “Why do I need data acquisition?”

The simple reality of it is, it doesn’t matter how fast or how capable you are – a computer can help. There’s no hiding from raw data and the numbers that a data acquisition system records can help any driver find the fastest line or how to adjust his or her car. Formula One drivers are some of the fastest drivers on Earth and not a single one of them shies away from the computer. It’s all about that last winning edge.

But for those of us that don’t have race engineers or instructors to help us out every time (oh, you don’t? – Ed.), options do exist. Consumer- level data acquisition systems use GPS antennas to figure out track maps and then combine that with internal accelerometers (g meters) to record data on a car as it drives around the track.

Traqmate’s offering, which is available with a multitude of options, is a well-thought piece that is easy to use and gives the amateur level driver everything he or she would be looking for. Before even choosing a data acquisition system, we highly suggest finding out what people are running in your area and then download the trial software from the manufacturer (if that’s even possible) to try out. The analysis software varies heavily between manufacturers in terms of easy of use and options, and if you’re looking to swap data with friends, you’ll all need the same software.

Upon opening the package, you’ll realize that Traqmate’s system is incredibly simple to install. The heart of the system is the sensor unit, which is a small aluminum box with ports on it. It must be aimed a certain way and you’d be wise to sturdily attach it somewhere as flat as is possible, for accurate accelerometer readings. You attach your GPS antennae (which is magnetic), connect the display unit and plug in the power. Most cars have steel roof panels and we attach the antennae there for a clear view of the sky  – sorry, M3 CSL owners but you’re rich anyways.

Traqmate also sells a Traqmate Basic system, which lacks the display unit. The display unit is highly recommended by us, as it adds the all important in-car timing and function display. Seriously, what’s the point of getting a data acquisition system and skimping out on the in-car timing? Just save a few more bucks and get it. Really.

The display unit is full function as well, meaning it’s more than just a timer display. Through the display unit, users can select tracks, drivers and cars to record under, review laps and make sure the system is reading correctly before they head out on track.

The Traqmate is capable of recording looped driving (track lapping where the start and finish points are the same) or un-looped driving (rally or autocross where the start and finish points are two different places).Unfortunately for rally and autocross drivers, the Traqmate isn’t quite as useful or easy to use as on the road course. The system requires you to hit a button as you cross the finish line to end your runs.

The Sparco Evo is one of Sparco’s most popular racing bucket seats and it comes as little surprise why. It has many of the features and specs that performance drivers want and none of the excess junk that everybody doesn’t want.

Things like removable or integrated head restraints and built-in semi-reclining mechanisms are not present here. This helps keep the cost down to a MSRP of $739, although we’ve seen real street prices for much less. The Sparco Evo does, however, have necessary items such as guides for 5 or 6-point harness and FIA certification. It also provides good driver grip and easy ingress/egress due to the relatively low leg bolsters.

The seating surface also features high wear protection on the shoulders and the cover is easily removable for washing. This helps keep the seat looking new and clean. There’s nothing worse than having tiny dirt stuck in a seat that a vacuum can’t take out. The Sparco Evo is also quite heavily padded for comfort.

This makes it easy to live with in a high performance street car. The high padding and low leg bolsters makes getting in and out easy, and the seat’s shape is comfortable to sit in. This author is 5’9” and 150lbs with a 32-inch waist. There’s plenty of space and a 36-inch waist should have no problem with this seat. We’ve done a 7-hour drive in a Sparco Evo and felt fine on the other end.

The high padding does, however, make the seating position quite high for a bucket seat. We remove the lower cushions before heading out during track days and notice a remarkable reduction in our visibility line.

There are cheaper bucket seats out there, Sparco themselves offer the $319 Sprint 5. But for those looking for a certified and solid non-tubular fiberglass bucket seat that lets them properly mount up safety harnesses and not slide around under high g-loads, the Sparco Circuit is a good choice. For the street enthusiast who goes on track occasionally, it’s got everything you need and nothing you don’t.

Source
(800) 224-RACE
www.sparcousa.com

For most “normal” people, installing a racing-style bucket seat is like putting on kids’ size pants – it squeezes the ass and what’s the point again? They’re obviously more difficult to get in and out of, can’t recline and don’t offer as much space for enlarged American backsides. Performance drivers are a different breed altogether.

Certain auto manufacturers have realized this and catered specifically. The Porsche GT3 RS comes with a factory rollbar and bucket seats. Normal people still think it’s a great car. Nobody complains. The Sparco Circuit, however, isn’t for everybody and is definitely not for normal people.

Sold by Sparco as a competition seat, the Circuit is also available in carbon fiber (S Light Circuit) and in a slightly wider version (Circuit Pro). Different color seat fabrics are also available to match whatever shade you happen to feel like. The seat covers are easily removable and washable in any normal washing machine. We’ve washed this red cover once and it’s looking as new as the day it was manufactured. The only extra thing you’ll need is some fabric glue (we used the spray type) to properly re-attach the cushion covers after washing.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Sparco Circuit is that it’s a tight fit. Not recommended by us for any type of regular street use, the seat only belongs in a real racecar. First off, it’s tight around the hips, legs, sides and shoulders (ok, everywhere) and sits deep. This author is 5’9” and 150lbs with a size 32-inch waist. Anything larger than a 34-inch waist and a Circuit Pro is probably a better choice.

On track, the seat feels great. The deep seating position and high bolsters equal incredible seating grip. Every bit of force gets transferred straight to your backside and you can feel just how your car is behaving. NASA requires the integrated head restraints in any racecar that isn’t equipped with a right-side impact head restraint system. Unfortunately, the head restraints are also the largest reason why this seat is not recommended for street use.

With its deep seating and high bolsters, getting in and out of the Sparco Circuit can be difficult in a street car. Racecars come equipped with quick release steering wheels that aid in exiting. But the head restraints lead to large blind spots and noticeable police magnets on the street. This isn’t even dipping into the safety concerns that arise when using a bucket seat in a heavily modified car that has no rollover protection.

Still, if you have a caged racecar or a “street” track car that sees no real regular street use, the Sparco Circuit is an excellent choice. It provides everything that a driver looks for in a racing seat – grip, safety and comfort. The only downside of the Sparco Circuit for street performance enthusiasts is that it provides too much. A seat like this simply requires too many compromises to be used successfully on the street. Only racers need apply.
Source
(800) 224-RACE
www.sparcousa.com

If you caught up with our how-to on safety harness belt looping , then you’re already familiar with some aspects of the Takata safety harness. Having supplied to ALMS, F1 and Super GT racing teams, the Takata safety harness boasts a very reputable list of credentials.

A quality unit, the Takata brand’s racing reputation was hurt (in our opinion) by the early adoption of its products by car show loving compact car enthusiasts, many of whom had never seen a track before. But with its US profile slowly progressing and its appearance in professional motorsports growing (Acura LMP), Takata harnesses are falling within the purchasing reach of your average weekend track Joe.

Takata harness only come in one model, 3-inch wide 4-point belts with snap-in ends. There is a short shoulder harness belt version for two-seaters, such as the Chevy Corvette or Honda S2000, and a long shoulder belt version for four-seaters, such as the Subaru WRX STI or BMW M3 sedan.

Takata’s camlock is machined metal and the spring-loaded feel reeks of quality. The belts themselves are also quality units and come with FIA certifications. The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) requires harnesses to meet SFI spec 16.1 or 16.5, or FIA spec #8853/1985, 8853/98 or D-###.T/98. SFI rated harnesses expire after 2 years, FIA after five.

Considering that a Takata harness has more than twice the lifespan of a SFI rated unit helps justify its price. The available backing plates even show Takata’s eye to detail. A small hole is put into each plate’s corner, into which a rivet or bolt can be installed to prevent the plate from backing off of the eyebolt.

The thing to keep in mind when purchasing is that Takata has not fully shaken off its Japanese roots. In Japan, it’s fully acceptable by sanctioning bodies to run the shoulder belt mounting points down to the rear seatbelt mounting bolts, with no harness guide tube. The instruction manual even makes this seem to be an acceptable mounting method.

But in the US, that won’t get you through tech. NASA’s CCR requires the use of a racing seat (harness can’t be used with OEM seating) and a harness guide tube (either a harness bar or a cross tube in a rollbar / cage) to ensure the proper angle on to the driver’s shoulders. So, when picking which Takata you want, keep in mind that the long belt version is most likely going to be used for wrap-around bar installation and the short version for eyebolt-in-cage installation.

Also strange with Takata’s offerings is the lack of a 5 or 6-point harness package. The belts are only sold as 4-points. You can easily buy a 5th or 6th optional crotch belt, which is required by NASA, but we don’t see why it’s optional. Nobody should be allowing the use of a 4-point harness on track.

Source
Takata
www.takataracingproducts.com

First things first, Sparco does not manufacture this harness. Scroth manufactures this safety harness for Sparco using private label branding, meaning Sparco’s name is put on it at Scroth’s factory. The manuals and belts even bear Scroth marking and tags.

But that’s not to take away from the harness; Scroth itself is a quality manufacturer. This is just meant as a FYI to those of you that purchase this harness and may be confused.

Quality-wise, the Sparco harness is very good. There is no latch-and-link (which we don’t like anyways) design sold by Sparco, only camlock quick-release. This camlock is made of plastic and opens and locks quite easily. When closed, slip in all four of the other belts and then tighten your harness, starting with the lap belts up.

To open, simply turn the camlock and the belts will release. The 3-inch belts themselves are also well made, with proper length adjusters and reinforced stitching.

From Sparco you have to choose either a bolt-in type or a snap-in type. This particular harness is a bolt-in type, you can see the bolt-in bracket clearly installed on the 5th point crotch belt. Snap-in harnesses swap that bracket out instead for a locking end bracket and “snap” in and out of eyebolts that can be purchased separately. Whatever method you choose, be sure to get the correct grade hardware and pick up some backing plates.

Available from Sparco or easily substituted with some massive metal plates/washers and nuts, these plates prevent the harness bolts from ripping through your car’s floor in the event of an accident.

Sparco harnesses use FIA ratings, which means they are good for five years before they expire and cannot be used with such organizations as the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) and the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). If there were one thing we had to say, it would be that a six-point harness is highly recommended over a five-point. Primarily for comfort reasons. As you can imagine, a harness can get pretty tight once cinched down and well, use your imagination.

Source
Sparco USA
(800) 224-RACE
www.sparcousa.com

Helmets are one of the most overlooked items for track fans. If you’re only going to try out a track day or it’s one of your first couple times, by all means rent an open-face helmet or buy a cheap unit. But if you end up going more than once or, more likely, get hooked, buy a decent unit.

Safety should be your number one priority if going to track days and since a helmet is the most common sole requirement for entry, you shouldn’t skimp on it. How much is your skull worth?
The HJC Motorsports HX-11 isn’t the cheapest helmet for sale; at $1099.99, not by a long shot. But it is decently priced for a carbon fiber unit and is a very good helmet. The first thing you’ll notice when picking up the HX-11 is the weight. If you’re used to standard fiberglass helmets, get ready for a big surprise with the HJC. Weighing in at just a few pounds, the HX-11 is so light, it wouldn’t register at all on our scale.

We weighed it at about 2lbs on another scale but we can’t guarantee its accuracy. We’ve used open-face helmets before in the past and are a huge fan of full-face helemts, even for closed cockpit production car use. Versus WRC rally cars, there isn’t usually a whole lot of talking going on during track days and we appreciate the extra chin and lower face protection provided by a full-face helmet.

Carbon fiber has one of the highest strength-to-weight ratios of all commonly used automotive materials and its usage in a helmet makes perfect sense. Its construction is very strong to aid with impact protection (a huge obvious plus for your noggin) and its low weight can really make a difference when driving long stints. Even during a standard 20-minute track day or HPDE session, the helmet weight becomes invisible, negating all neck strain and allowing closer focus on driving.

The HJC HX-11 is also fully HANS device compatible for all you road racers out there. It’s Snell SA2005 rated for auto use and has a Nomex interior for fire protection. We’ve haven’t been able to test the helmet’s aero sculpting or intakes, we don’t drive an open wheel car, but the helmet itself has proven to breathe well with good ventilation. Through foggy winter weather and blazing summer weather, the HJC has proven to be resistant to fogging during cold (airflow through the helmet prevents it) and keeps cool during the summer.

The latch and “double D-ring retention system” on the visor can prove to be too tight for opening if the attachment screws are tightened all the way. Loosen them up a little bit to about halfway installed and the visor will open and close with ease (the screws will not fall out). We sprung for the optional HJC R.S.T. face shield in reflective silver and couldn’t be happier with its ability to resist glare. Swapping it out required a few simple bolts and we added a set of 4mil Racing Optics helmet shield protectors to keep our $80 investment in pristine condition. We put a big scratch right through the center of our original shield and the protector goes a long way towards keeping our R.S.T. in one piece.

Lightweight, quality and packed with features, the HJC HX-11 is the helmet that has it all. With this one helmet you can ride a motorcycle, track a door slammer or race an open wheel car. If you can afford a high performance car that can do 1-1.5g in the corners on track, a lightweight helmet like this just might be in your future.

Source
HJC Motorsports
(562) 407-2186
www.hjc-motorsports.com