M3TOS2K (Mugen, J's Racing, Spoon, ASM)
07-11-2018, 07:28 AM
#551
Actually quickly checked eBay and there is an Amuse poly replica, can't say anything about fitment, as I have never heard of the company before Magic Drift). I am sure you can find more bumper styles on eBay in poly, but I wouldn't trust any brands for bumpers there. I've had Shine replicas and they are a lot more well known and even their stuff needs some work to fit perfectly or close to it.
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ToniWonKanobi (07-11-2018)
07-15-2018, 01:57 PM
#553
Super technical track. the L3 config looks like fun - L2 seems more like an autocross/karting track.
Scary, though, very little room for error, only a city course like long beach or something that is all walls has slimmer margins.
Scary, though, very little room for error, only a city course like long beach or something that is all walls has slimmer margins.
07-16-2018, 06:20 AM
#554
Thread Starter
Yea they have a short L1 configuration which is about 35 seconds long and it's the most like an Auto-X course. It's also the safest as the speeds don't get very high and the walls aren't so close. But it is a driving school so no wheel to wheel racing happens on this track which is why it's not so wide and doesn't have a ton of run off.
12-06-2018, 05:44 AM
#555
Thread Starter
Been awhile since I wrote an update. I've done a lot of maintenance over the past few months and in about a week I'll be driving at COTA for 2 days. It will be my first time there so I'm pretty excited. I've been practicing to learn the track well enough on my simulator and should have a pro driver coach me on the first day (assuming his schedule is free) to give me a huge head start. I'll definitely be posting videos and photos after that event.
But back to some maintenance notes. I was running on year old RE71R's that have seen hell. They weren't cording yet, but the outsides were pretty bald. The insides were still pretty good on tread so I had a tire shop rotate them left to right. After that I went to get an alignment. The weirdest thing happened after that alignment. The car would constantly pull to the right and if I accelerated, the car would pull harder to the right as if were trying to rotate while I was driving straight. Extremely unnerving. I thought for sure the alignment shop screwed up. Maybe the rack wasn't calibrated properly or he didn't torque down the bolts after. I went back and he assured me it was just because of the worn tires. But this isn't the first time I've rotated worn tires and run on them. Never felt this before. So he rechecked them for me and verified that everything was in spec. The next day I took it to the track to see if it was just in my head or if something was really wrong. Driving the car at 10/10th's felt perfectly fine. Strange. But then back on the street driving normally, the car felt very twitchy and pulled to the right on acceleration. It must have been the tires. Since winter was coming I decided to get a more weather friendly tire. I ended up getting Hankook RS4's.
Took the car for a test drive after the install and...problem solved. So my alignment guy was totally right. Car felt fantastic on the street. So well that I drove my S2K for a week straight and my GT350 sat in the garage the whole time. I took the S2K to the track to see how the new RS4's felt and I was in love. They aren't quite as fast as the RE71R's when new, but so much more fun to drive on.
I flushed all my fluids (I usually do it yearly) and shifting was buttery smooth again. Flushed my brake fluid with Project Mu again (also yearly) and my pedal pressure felt much better. Also can't believe I'm already at 85k miles on the car. I bought it when out had about 68k and don't feel like I've driven it that much.
The last time I bled my brakes using the motive bleeder, the rubber gasket they provide didn't seal very well and fluid leaked out everywhere. I had towels in place, but they were completely soaked and I had a bit of cleanup to do in the engine bay. This time I was prepared. I tested the seal with air for a good 20 minutes to make sure there was no leak and I put towels everywhere to capture a potential leak. To my surprise there was absolutely no leak this time. So the motive bleeder works perfectly fine on this car. You just have to really make sure you have a good seal.
Since I signed up for COTA, it was time to make sure my brakes will be ready. I've had a new set of gyrodisc rings in my garage for over a year. Instead of replacing my rings, I just went back to my centric blanks because I was only driving on that tiny private track where I only hit speeds of about 80mph. COTA has the longest straights of any track I've ever been on so I definitely need to make sure my brakes are up to the task. I'm also doing a 2 day event so it's best if everything is new. So I swapped the rings out on my gyrodiscs and brought out my new Endless ME20's which have also been sitting in my garage for over a year.
And for good measure I put my brake duct hoses on as well.
Yesterday I designed some new numbers for the car.
The car is pretty much ready to hit COTA! I even picked up a few of those MUGEN tote boxes King Motorsports was selling to organize some of my track gear. I'm impressed with how much I can fit. I know these are a huge waste of money, but I'm a huge sucker when it comes to Mugen. I know it's stupid.
And on a related note, I finally got around to ordering M3TOS2K as a vanity plate in Texas. The best part is they have (fake) CF designs.
But back to some maintenance notes. I was running on year old RE71R's that have seen hell. They weren't cording yet, but the outsides were pretty bald. The insides were still pretty good on tread so I had a tire shop rotate them left to right. After that I went to get an alignment. The weirdest thing happened after that alignment. The car would constantly pull to the right and if I accelerated, the car would pull harder to the right as if were trying to rotate while I was driving straight. Extremely unnerving. I thought for sure the alignment shop screwed up. Maybe the rack wasn't calibrated properly or he didn't torque down the bolts after. I went back and he assured me it was just because of the worn tires. But this isn't the first time I've rotated worn tires and run on them. Never felt this before. So he rechecked them for me and verified that everything was in spec. The next day I took it to the track to see if it was just in my head or if something was really wrong. Driving the car at 10/10th's felt perfectly fine. Strange. But then back on the street driving normally, the car felt very twitchy and pulled to the right on acceleration. It must have been the tires. Since winter was coming I decided to get a more weather friendly tire. I ended up getting Hankook RS4's.
Took the car for a test drive after the install and...problem solved. So my alignment guy was totally right. Car felt fantastic on the street. So well that I drove my S2K for a week straight and my GT350 sat in the garage the whole time. I took the S2K to the track to see how the new RS4's felt and I was in love. They aren't quite as fast as the RE71R's when new, but so much more fun to drive on.
I flushed all my fluids (I usually do it yearly) and shifting was buttery smooth again. Flushed my brake fluid with Project Mu again (also yearly) and my pedal pressure felt much better. Also can't believe I'm already at 85k miles on the car. I bought it when out had about 68k and don't feel like I've driven it that much.
The last time I bled my brakes using the motive bleeder, the rubber gasket they provide didn't seal very well and fluid leaked out everywhere. I had towels in place, but they were completely soaked and I had a bit of cleanup to do in the engine bay. This time I was prepared. I tested the seal with air for a good 20 minutes to make sure there was no leak and I put towels everywhere to capture a potential leak. To my surprise there was absolutely no leak this time. So the motive bleeder works perfectly fine on this car. You just have to really make sure you have a good seal.
Since I signed up for COTA, it was time to make sure my brakes will be ready. I've had a new set of gyrodisc rings in my garage for over a year. Instead of replacing my rings, I just went back to my centric blanks because I was only driving on that tiny private track where I only hit speeds of about 80mph. COTA has the longest straights of any track I've ever been on so I definitely need to make sure my brakes are up to the task. I'm also doing a 2 day event so it's best if everything is new. So I swapped the rings out on my gyrodiscs and brought out my new Endless ME20's which have also been sitting in my garage for over a year.
And for good measure I put my brake duct hoses on as well.
Yesterday I designed some new numbers for the car.
The car is pretty much ready to hit COTA! I even picked up a few of those MUGEN tote boxes King Motorsports was selling to organize some of my track gear. I'm impressed with how much I can fit. I know these are a huge waste of money, but I'm a huge sucker when it comes to Mugen. I know it's stupid.
And on a related note, I finally got around to ordering M3TOS2K as a vanity plate in Texas. The best part is they have (fake) CF designs.
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ToniWonKanobi (12-06-2018)
12-06-2018, 09:06 AM
#556
What do you think makes the Hankook RS4 more fun to drive? Is it the consistency? From what I've read the RE-71R are more of a peaky autocross tire but I still see so many people at the track run them.
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radiantm3 (12-07-2018)
12-07-2018, 04:48 AM
#559
Thread Starter
Less grip, and how progressive they are. I'm usually almost as fast on RS3/4's as I am on RE71R's because I'm more comfortable driving at the limits of the Hankook's. Larger slip angles tend to just be more fun to me.
12-07-2018, 04:51 AM
#560
Thread Starter
I'm running standard spec Ohlin DFV's with upgraded swift springs at the moment. They have been pretty great so far. Especially for the price. I want to say 275mm stands, but I honestly forget what they are. I just got the standard setup Gotuning sold with the J's wing.