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ok, first track outing Monday. went pretty well, with a few lessons learned & some other observations.
first, WHEELSPIN. inside wheelspin is a big issue now. never was before. i will need to adjust my suspension to allow a bit more roll.
second, i am RUSTY! two years out of the cockpit took a toll! by the end of the day, i was turning some REASONABLE laps, but nothing i haven't beaten handily with the 2.5L. two my defense, i forgot to air up the tires before i aligned the car & it was toeing out under braking. that, coupled with the extra power, meant i was braking way too much. also, my tires are several years old & apparently hard as rocks.
third, HEAT!!! the 2.5L cooling system is NOT adequate for this motor in track conditions. it was only 84F out and after only about thirteen minutes full tilt, the car would heat up to 225F before i'd pit to let it cool. i was even shifting 300 revs shy of redline. i will be installing the center radiator, removing the AC condensers, replacing the supply lines to the motor with the 'S' version, and eventually, removing the AC compressor. i will also be adding some vents to the wheel wells to allow for better flow through the radiators.
all things considered, the car ran quite well. i was VERY nervous what with Byron's recent exploits......every little sound or weird smell produced visions of dollar signs dancing in my head. BTW, Byron borrowed a race car for the outing, which he did NOT blow up. thank god.
best TOD for me was 1:12:01 (best ever in the 2.5L was 1:11:11). i'll be back out there in may with a re-vamped cooling system. and hopefully some speed!
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