Spec Boxster Build

[seningen]

Originally Posted by thstone

Exactly! Same situation as my experience in the SRF.

In the Boxster, high grip 255's in the front really let you stand on the brakes along with way more grip at corner turn in. That is really how the Boxster should have come from the factory.

I think this is what I struggle the most with.

I drove a track prepared Boxster S that had no track diet -- so my braking in SPB is wayyyyy early (and sadly I was probably an early braker to begin with).

Slowly, I'm getting more used to waiting longer and longer to brake. I've already bested my
Boxster S times at CoTA by 5 sec. I have about 2-3 more to go to be bottom end fast competitive and about 5 sec to be towards the pointy end -- which I doubt will happen -- I care too much about my car :-)

But I am amazed at how much time you can gain (or lose) in the braking zone.

Mike

[rastta]

I ran the RS14's front and rear when I first got the Boxster S. I liked them quite a bit. However, I switched to the RS29 yellows in the front as a friend had a new set that he sold to me for a price I couldn't pass up. The yellows do have a bit better modulation, and seem to not need quite a much heat to get started. As for rotor wear - I didn't really notice much difference between the two, but the Yellows themselves seem to last a bit longer. I just bought a set of RS1's which are next generation Yellows, they'll go in probably after a couple more days on track.

[thstone]

Quick run up Hwy 2/Angeles Crest Hwy this morning to bed the new brakes and make sure that everything is running well in prep for racing at Willow Springs this weekend.

Hwy 2 was wide open with hardly any traffic so I had a nice clean run. The car ran great and my initial impression of the Paid Black pads is that they have a LOT of grip!

Being able to take it out for a quick test run on the streets is one nice aspect of having a BSR that is still street legal.

On the way back, I stopped off at Pro Motorsports in Burbank, CA and said hi to co-owners Brad Keegan who races a really nice GT-3 air-cooled 911 and Tyson Schmidt who built my Spec Boxster when he was at Hergesheimer Motorsports. Pro Motorsports still does all of the race specific prep on my car (race setup/alignment, fab, etc).

[itsnotanova]

Sorry if this has been discussed as this is a long thread. You drive this on the street correct? Are you running the stock exhaust? If not, how are you getting past the new sound laws out there?

[jaykay]

What is the preferred bedding procedure for just pads these days. Perhaps it's no different for rotors and pads..

I have come some that are very a very tricky profile to drive in an s/urban setting

[Anker]

The bedding procedure is exactly the same.

Best done at night on an empty highway.

[thstone]

Originally Posted by itsnotanova

Sorry if this has been discussed as this is a long thread. You drive this on the street correct? Are you running the stock exhaust? If not, how are you getting past the new sound laws out there?

Hey Woody, yes it is street driven. Mostly to/from the tracks within a 6 hour driving radius from LA. Once in awhile I'll do a test run up in the local mountains north of LA or drive to a local car meet/show to display it for House Automotive.

I use one of the China-made cat back mufflers (mine is branded TopSpeed but they come in a variety of brand names). That keeps it quiet enough to not rattle windows as I drive by but free flowing to give a couple extra horsepower at full throttle and loud enough that I can hear it on the race track.

The cops don't bother me at all. They do take a close look but then drive on by. Compared to all of the Harleys with open pipes, my car is quiet as a Tesla.

[thstone]

Originally Posted by jaykay

What is the preferred bedding procedure for just pads these days. Perhaps it's no different for rotors and pads..

I have come some that are very a very tricky profile to drive in an s/urban setting

Originally Posted by Anker

The bedding procedure is exactly the same.

Best done at night on an empty highway.

As Anker said, the procedure is same for just pads or pads & rotors. I do about 10 panic stops from 70mph down to 15mph or until I can smell the brake pad material wafting up from the wheel wells.

I go early in the morning up into the local mountains (not a lot of traffic during the week) and bed them on the way down the mountain and then let them cool on the way back home. Works like a charm.

[itsnotanova]

That blows my mind that you drive your spec car on the street. I'm thinking you're the only person in the country that does that. I've always wanted to say that's way cool.

[thstone]

Originally Posted by itsnotanova

That blows my mind that you drive your spec car on the street. I'm thinking you're the only person in the country that does that. I've always wanted to say that's way cool.

There is a fine line between brilliance and idiocy. And I've been known to cross over to the wrong side on more than one occasion!

My friend and POC BSR Champion Alex Bermudez and I decided to build street legal BSR/SPB's so we could drive them to the track, race, and then drive back home. Much to most people's surprise, we didn't do it to save money or because we couldn't afford a truck/trailer.

I mention that because I occasionally get comments like, "Hey Tom, I know a guy who's selling a truck and open trailer for super cheap. I know that you're strapped for cash (which is why you drive your BSR to the track), but he said that he just wants to get rid of it so he'll cut you a killer deal".

I appreciate the offers but we did it because that is how the cool amateur racers did it back in the 1950's and 1960's. If you recall, James Dean died while driving his 550 from LA to Laguna Seca to race. We wanted to re-live that old school approach to racing.

And I've been doing it that way ever since.

This summer, I have four far away (5-6 hours one way) events that I plan to attend; two trips to Laguna Seca and two trips to Sonoma Raceway (aka Sears Point, aka Infineon). Check back and see how much I love driving my race car to the track after that!

Thanks for the comment, I appreciate it.

[thstone]

NIGHT RACING IS INSANE.

The POC race weekend at Willow Springs featured a 3 hour enduro from 6:30-9:30pm.

Originally, I had not planned to do this race but I got a call from Galen Bieker, an ex-pro 911 Cup car racer, who was going to be at the event as the crew chief for another Cup car and his customer wasn't planning to do the Enduro so Galen asked if he could rent a seat in my car and we would do the Enduro in the Open division where driver changes are allowed.

There is also a relay division where each driver stays in his own car and 2-3 cars make up a team. Think of it like relaying a baton, one car comes in and another goes out, relay style. I have done the relay team previously and its not nearly as much fun as the Open division where you have to swap drivers and fuel the car.

Since this all came together at the last minute, we had to recruit a team manager, a refueler, a fire marshall, and a scoring person on the day of the event (in between practice, qualifying, and the 30 min sprint race). It made for a super busy day but we got it all done.

A big shout out goes to my friend Carolyn Pappas (who races her own 914) for taking the lead as our team manager and pulling everything together including driving to the local Home Depot to buy buckets and fire extinguishers!

Galen took my car out for one of the DE sessions to become familiar with a Spec Boxster. I think that it was quite a change from his usual Cup car experience - low power, low grip, high momentum. It was a new beast to him.

The rules called for two mandatory pit stops of at least 5 min each. Thusly, we decided that I would start the race and drive 45 mins. Then come in, swap drivers, and refuel. Then Galen would drive until the low fuel light came on (about 100 mins). Then he'd come in, swap drivers, and refuel just enough for me to finish the race.

In order refuel, the driver had to be out of the car and there had to be one dedicated person as the fire marshal whose sole job was to man a fire extinguisher and watch for fire. Since my car still has the stock fuel filler, we need a funnel so another person had to hold the funnel while a third person poured in the fuel (there was no way that one person alone could hold the funnel and pour the fuel). Oh, and if you spilled fuel more than about a 50 cent piece, you received a substantial time penalty so we had to be very careful. Of course, everyone over the wall had to be in a fire suit.

So here's how we orchestrated the whole ordeal:
1. Driver 1 comes into the pit, stops, loosens all of the belts and gets out.
2. Driver 2 takes tire pressures and bleeds off air if needed.
3. Then Driver 1 pours fuel while Crew 1 holds funnel and Fire Marshall observes.
4. As fueling progresses, Driver 2 gets into the car, tightens belts, and waits for fueling to complete.
5. When fueling is complete, Driver 2 leaves pits.

Since we were using the stock fuel fill tube, pouring in the fuel was the slowest task (by far) which gave the driver getting into the car more than enough time to get the belts adjusted and everything settled before having to pull back onto the track.

Here are a couple of photos of me and the crew...









I am going to split this into two posts....

[thstone]

Ok, now let's talk about RACING at night...

It was dusk when I started the race at 6:30pm so I didn't need my sunglasses but I didn't need my headlights either. There was more than enough light to see where I was going.

I had a very good start of the race and passed a few cars. Then I settled into a rhythm and was driving to a pre-planned lap time so some of those cars caught and passed me. It was a 3 hr race so I was sticking to the plan.

The first pit stop at 45 mins went fine but it felt like total chaos! I did spill a tiny bit of fuel but the stewards decided to not levy any penalty so I was quite pleased.

There were 5 other Boxster's in the Open division and with 60 min complete, we were running 4th of 5 but I figured that some of the other cars may not have done their first pitstop yet.

Eventually, complete darkness enveloped the track. Its was DARK. The pit next to us had a generator and some lights which threw a glow onto our operations but otherwise it was pitch black dark. The track didn't have any lights but they had added some small reflectors to the curbing on the inside for the track to help drivers find the apex. Did I mention that this sounds a LOT better than it actually works?

As expected, we were running 3rd of 5 when Galen ran low on fuel and came into the pits for me to finish the race. Please understand that Galen had the advantage of going from dusk to dark gradually which allowed him to maintain fairly good lap times.

When I went out in the dark, my first thought was, "what the fu&k was I thinking when I signed up for this? I am going to die". It was a lot like going up into the canyons at night where your headlights are the only light (and which don't angle into the corner very well). Then imagine doing that at 120mph. It was like driving on pure memory because I couldn't really see into the corner for the apex, so I just had to turn in at the usual point and head towards where I expected the apex to be and then then do the same on turn exit. It was harrowing.

But like most things, your brain adapts and pretty soon you get used to not being able to see into the corner and you just keep your right foot planted into the throttle.

Also, you have to race with your rear view mirror since the faster cars come up on a Boxster SO INCREDIBLY FAST. The key is to maintain your racing line (so they know where you're going) and let them work around you. Its intense but it all works out pretty well if everyone is on their game.

At the end of racing for 3 hrs, we finished 3rd of 5, but we were only behind 2nd place by 14 seconds! I was quite pleased the we did pretty well, didn't catch anything on fire, didn't crash the car, and the car ran flawlessly (and near or at engine redline) for 3 hours straight.

It was an awesome experience and I hope that the POC races again at night next year so I can do it again. Only better next time.

Unfortunately, my in car video cameras didn't work at all so all I have is a short video clip that I took just before I got back into the car for my last stint in the dark...

[seningen]

Originally Posted by thstone

Ok, now let's talk about RACING at night...

It was dusk when I started the race at 6:30pm so I didn't need my sunglasses but I didn't need my headlights either. There was more than enough light to see where I was going.

I had a very good start of the race and passed a few cars. Then I settled into a rhythm and was driving to a pre-planned lap time so some of those cars caught and passed me. It was a 3 hr race so I was sticking to the plan.

The first pit stop at 45 mins went fine but it felt like total chaos! I did spill a tiny bit of fuel but the stewards decided to not levy any penalty so I was quite pleased.

There were 5 other Boxster's in the Open division and with 60 min complete, we were running 4th of 5 but I figured that some of the other cars may not have done their first pitstop yet.

Eventually, complete darkness enveloped the track. Its was DARK. The pit next to us had a generator and some lights which threw a glow onto our operations but otherwise it was pitch black dark. The track didn't have any lights but they had added some small reflectors to the curbing on the inside for the track to help drivers find the apex. Did I mention that this sounds a LOT better than it actually works?

As expected, we were running 3rd of 5 when Galen ran low on fuel and came into the pits for me to finish the race. Please understand that Galen had the advantage of going from dusk to dark gradually which allowed him to maintain fairly good lap times.

When I went out in the dark, my first thought was, "what the fu&k was I thinking when I signed up for this? I am going to die". It was a lot like going up into the canyons at night where your headlights are the only light (and which don't angle into the corner very well). Then imagine doing that at 120mph. It was like driving on pure memory because I couldn't really see into the corner for the apex, so I just had to turn in at the usual point and head towards where I expected the apex to be and then then do the same on turn exit. It was harrowing.

But like most things, your brain adapts and pretty soon you get used to not being able to see into the corner and you just keep your right foot planted into the throttle.

Also, you have to race with your rear view mirror since the faster cars come up on a Boxster SO INCREDIBLY FAST. The key is to maintain your racing line (so they know where you're going) and let them work around you. Its intense but it all works out pretty well if everyone is on their game.

At the end of racing for 3 hrs, we finished 3rd of 5, but we were only behind 2nd place by 14 seconds! I was quite pleased the we did pretty well, didn't catch anything on fire, didn't crash the car, and the car ran flawlessly (and near or at engine redline) for 3 hours straight.

It was an awesome experience and I hope that the POC races again at night next year so I can do it again. Only better next time.

Unfortunately, my in car video cameras didn't work at all so all I have is a short video clip that I took just before I got back into the car for my last stint in the dark...

I both love and loathe night racing...

Done several 18's, 24's and a 37! One weekend I was "lucky" to be woken after ~2 hours sleep because the next sequence driver refused to get in the car -- the night racing scared him before he even tried it! I never actually drove that track in the daylight :-)

You definitely learn car control, as you often find yourself reacting to the line of the moment!

Mike

[seningen]

Originally Posted by thstone

NIGHT RACING IS INSANE.

The POC race weekend at Willow Springs featured a 3 hour enduro from 6:30-9:30pm.

Originally, I had not planned to do this race but I got a call from Galen Bieker, an ex-pro 911 Cup car racer, who was going to be at the event as the crew chief for another Cup car and his customer wasn't planning to do the Enduro so Galen asked if he could rent a seat in my car and we would do the Enduro in the Open division where driver changes are allowed.

There is also a relay division where each driver stays in his own car and 2-3 cars make up a team. Think of it like relaying a baton, one car comes in and another goes out, relay style. I have done the relay team previously and its not nearly as much fun as the Open division where you have to swap drivers and fuel the car.

Since this all came together at the last minute, we had to recruit a team manager, a refueler, a fire marshall, and a scoring person on the day of the event (in between practice, qualifying, and the 30 min sprint race). It made for a super busy day but we got it all done.

A big shout out goes to my friend Carolyn Pappas (who races her own 914) for taking the lead as our team manager and pulling everything together including driving to the local Home Depot to buy buckets and fire extinguishers!

Galen took my car out for one of the DE sessions to become familiar with a Spec Boxster. I think that it was quite a change from his usual Cup car experience - low power, low grip, high momentum. It was a new beast to him.

The rules called for two mandatory pit stops of at least 5 min each. Thusly, we decided that I would start the race and drive 45 mins. Then come in, swap drivers, and refuel. Then Galen would drive until the low fuel light came on (about 100 mins). Then he'd come in, swap drivers, and refuel just enough for me to finish the race.

In order refuel, the driver had to be out of the car and there had to be one dedicated person as the fire marshal whose sole job was to man a fire extinguisher and watch for fire. Since my car still has the stock fuel filler, we need a funnel so another person had to hold the funnel while a third person poured in the fuel (there was no way that one person alone could hold the funnel and pour the fuel). Oh, and if you spilled fuel more than about a 50 cent piece, you received a substantial time penalty so we had to be very careful. Of course, everyone over the wall had to be in a fire suit.

So here's how we orchestrated the whole ordeal:
1. Driver 1 comes into the pit, stops, loosens all of the belts and gets out.
2. Driver 2 takes tire pressures and bleeds off air if needed.
3. Then Driver 1 pours fuel while Crew 1 holds funnel and Fire Marshall observes.
4. As fueling progresses, Driver 2 gets into the car, tightens belts, and waits for fueling to complete.
5. When fueling is complete, Driver 2 leaves pits.

Since we were using the stock fuel fill tube, pouring in the fuel was the slowest task (by far) which gave the driver getting into the car more than enough time to get the belts adjusted and everything settled before having to pull back onto the track.

Here are a couple of photos of me and the crew...









I am going to split this into two posts....

Congrats on a successful race and another check off your list!

Mike

[thstone]

Originally Posted by seningen

One weekend I was "lucky" to be woken after ~2 hours sleep because the next sequence driver refused to get in the car -- the night racing scared him before he even tried it!

Oh man, that is hilarious!

[thstone]

In a previous post (Spec Boxster Build Post #1238), I mentioned that the Pagid Black brake pads are somewhat known for being hard on rotors.

After about 5 hrs of track time, there are already grooves that can be seen and felt when running your hand radially across the face of the rotor. The brakes work great and provide truly brutal stopping power, but they do require some heat in them and a bit more pedal force than the Pagid Orange. They can be a bit hard to modulate and its easy to over-brake on corner entry.

[thstone]

In prep for the summer heat, I decided to upgrade my Cool Shirt system from the 12 qt soft pack that I've been using for 5 years to the hard case 24 qt version. This should extend the cooling duration from 30 mins to around 1 hour in 95F heat.

If you're not familiar with these systems, they circulate ice water from a cooler mounted in the car through tubes that are woven into a shirt that is worn under your fire suit to cool your body while racing.

This system has worked REALLY well with the cooled hooded shirt (which gets the cold water under my helmet) and cooled pants, but I wanted longer duration. Once I get in the car and switch on the freezing water flow, its like having my own private a/c system.

I mounted the larger cooler by attaching the standard Cool Shirt cooler mount to a passenger seat mount that bolts to the factory seat mounting points. The cooler can be removed from the mount by the included velcro straps for easy emptying.

[thstone]

I finally got around to reading the April issue of PCA Club Racing News and found that I had been recognized as a hard charger in Race 2 at the Festival of Speed. Always nice to see your name in print!

*Note - I believe that only PCA Club Racers receive this magazine. Unfortunately, it is not distributed to PCA members at large.

[WizardSmokey]

Congratulation!

[Burg Boxster]

Way cool as always Mr. Stone!