Thanks for the explanation and the pic. So, I've seen other people put a duct into that hole in the side of the frame too. That area is sealed off so to speak. What is the reasoning behind pulling air from there? It seems that there might be a restriction and vacuum in that space behind the fender and splash shields.

 

Based upon what reasoning? I was going to start with a K&N filter in my stock airbox because I'm not excited about a hot-air intake.
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I have moved to the K&N with plans to replace their heavy metal heat shield with a new box around the filter made from either sheet ABS plastic or carbon fiber. The air flow will be directed from the area on the side of the radiator and the hole near the horn that goes into the fender well. Two 2.5" tubes (shop vac) can fit up in that area near the radiator to help direct air back to the filter. Hopefully everything else will be reasonably sealed off.

I don't see an issue drawing air out of the fender well. It is far from sealed and would certainly be cooler than the engine bay. If I still had thermocouples I would do some measurements.

Mods that I do from here forward have to have a weight saving component and must not lose any power. Header and HFC are next.

 

Great driving, all that shifting looks fun! Do you think you are losing any time shifting compared to cars that don't have to shift as much?

 

Thanks. The car felt great other than a touch of push due to the rear bar being disconnected.

As for the shifting that certainly set a record for me at 12 shifts up/down. I'll say on average the shifting pays off by keeping the AP1 engine in the power band. There's nothing more frustrating then waiting for power coming out of a corner. For most local events I try both ways on the corners where it's questionable.

 

If you have ever seen Rob drive or have ridden with him he almost never makes any mistakes shifting. When I drive his car I probably shift in half the places that he does, but I'm nowhere near as good as he is on the downshifts into 1st and is why I now drive an AP2.

 

Dang, you AP1 guys really love 1st gear...

 

You betchya!! It is a tall and usable gear... plus, it is painful waiting... and waiting... and waiting for the power to come in.

I must admit that with moving to STR, I thought a lot harder before doing the 2-1 downshift because street tires get over powered pretty easily, and lowering VTAK helps minimize the need too. Now that I feel that my handling is where it needs to be and being on grippy concrete, I'm more likely to do the 2-1 downshift almost like I did in the stock class.

-Dave

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/zeusbb#p/a/u/0/APW6VkBUHm8

Shifting is part of the fun.

 

I was thinking the same thing. The K&N Heat shield is metal. Therefore, I was planning on just covering the outside with prepreg caronfiber and baking it. In theory... it shouldn't be difficult. Just like in theory, modifying my 4ft Harbor freight trailer to fit two sets of wheels shouldn't be difficult. I swear, I'm in to this stupid trailer like $400 clams and it's still not finished.

I'm still a little sick to my stomach that one has to bring two sets of tires to be competitive in STR (If the weather is unpredictable). Didn't I switch to this class from BS to stop bringing so many sets of wheels to an event? FML.

 

This might be the case in an AP1. You might gain the time you lost shifting down with greater acceleration. From what I've seen in data logs, every time you shift you loose a 10th. Now, this doesn't mean you can't get that tenth back... However, if you're the only damn AP2 that has to shift on a course just to not beat the rev-limiter to death... you're certainly going to either loose two tenths for every up/down shift or, you're just going to loose time because you can't go fast enough staying in 2nd gear.