A few laps at the FIRM, Mobius camera and Beluga Racing Exhaust
I went to an open track day at The FIRM this past weekend and it was pretty cool. Last time I was there in December I ran some 1:37 laps in the morning on my Hankook R-S3 tires and in the afternoon I ran some 1:33 with Toyo R888 and a single flyer lap of 1:31. This was on the stock M030 sport suspension.
This past weekend I was still on my Hankook R-S3 tires, but since December I had installed KSport Kontrol Pro coilovers and a Beluga Racing exhaust. This weekend I ran a whole bunch of 1:31's in multiple sessions including several consecutive laps that were faster than my previous 1:31.x on the R888. I attribute it to a few things:
In December I ran the car with the Toyo R888 and had the courage to push the car harder and felt what it felt like to run a 1:31.x lap. The car didn't magically fly off the road or self destruct, and so I felt confident pushing it harder.
I've been to several events since December (2 days at Road Atlanta, 3 days at Sebring, and 4 days at Roebling) and so hopefully my skills have improved.
However, I've only been to 2 events since the KSports - Roebling in May (disaster, I had the car setup all wrong, it was scary) and Roebling in June (car was setup properly but I was still building my confidence)
With confidence in the car, I felt comfortable pushing it. Also The FIRM is relatively low speed and that helped my confidence.
One milestone for me - I turned off the Traction Control and didn't use it except for the first 2 sessions (which were in the 1:34 range but I don't attribute a 3 second gain from turning off TC) - I got sick of it cutting power every time I tossed the car into a corner or bumped a curb with a back tire... Next time I go to Roebling I am turning it off...
Here is one of my sessions, recorded with the Mobius. I had to upload the whole raw session because for some reason when I produced an edited version in Camtasia, the audio would get out of sync.
Here are my 2 fastest laps, these were recorded on my Windows Phone and produced by Track Attack. Unfortunately the data is ahead of the video by a few seconds, that is a frustrating thing about this app and they don't seem to be making any progress toward fixing it. On iOS and Android the app has a feature that lets you fix this on the phone before upload, but Windows Phone doesn't have it...
My virtual best lap was a 1:29.782, made by combining the best segments together:
Most of that time gained was in the segment that included the hairpin, I got a good run through that corner on a lap that was otherwise slower (on the corner before and through the esses) and was over a second faster.
Things to work on for next time
The Mobius camera - I like it pretty good, and for $75 I love it. The video quality is not as good as the $500 GoPro Hero 4 Black that I returned, but it is not $425 less good. For example, with the GoPro I could easily read the digital speedo, can't with the Mobius (same resolution and frame rate, 1980x1080 30 FPS). The goPro also has a good spot metering, the Mobius not as good so sometime the road is washed out looking. This may be just because there are more setup options I haven't yet discovered.
Mobius Pros
$425 cheaper than the GoPro Hero 4 Black
Easy to use and setup - I have it configured to start recording when I apply power and stop when I cut power, this was very easy to setup
Cons vs GoPro
No external mic jack, only comes with an integral mic
Easy to overdrive the integral mic and there is no gain option in the config
Video not as good as GoPro
Audio not as good as GoPro
My wallet is heavier and fatter with all the money I saved
The Beluga Racing exhaust - I like it, but then my car is not a daily driver. While I have no drone, it is a fair bit louder at 3,000 which is where I usually seem to be when I am cruising along, and in a daily driver I think it could get pretty tedious. I think it sounds pretty good. In these videos after the hairpin, I do a pull in 2nd and then a pull in 3rd, I think it sounds pretty good
Several other Porsches came, my friend Caleb with his 2015 Cayman and a new friend Adam with a beautiful 2000 green 996 cab. I rode with him one session and you could really feel it when he hit the gas.
One improvement with the KSports - compare the body roll side to side, and also the nose diving and raising when I get on the brakes and throttle - this was my fast lap on the Toyo R888 last December. It is not extreme like a Miata (love to you guys) but there is a reduction:
RS3's are my favorite road/race tire but they sure don't last long.
Mine are holding pretty well in terms of track weekends, if I were to add up the miles driven it would probably be terrible
Last October I tore up the outer edges of my fronts at Roebling and subsequently got some some GT3 LCA put on last November'ish. I'm still on those fronts, and I'm still on the previous backs that I got April 2015.
Backs currently have:
2 days RRR 4/2105
1 day Sebring May 2015
1 day RRR 6/2015
Autocross July 2015
Autocross August 2015
Autocross September 2015
2 days RRR 10/2015 - this event shredded my fronts, and I flipped the backs on the rim after this event
New fronts + GT3 LCA, same backs as before
2 days Road Atlanta November 2015
1 day (3-4 sessions) the FIRM December 2015
2 days Sebring January 2016
2 days Road Atlanta March 2016
1 day Sebring April 2016
Ksports put on
2 days at Roebling April 2016
2 days Roebling June 2016
1 day The FIRM July 2016
The backs are getting down pretty close to the wear bars, but the fronts are looking great and plenty of tread left and nice even wear. Bumping the camber up (I'm currently at -1.3 in front, -1.7 in back, zero toe front, 1/16" toe-in in the back) is really working for me.
In terms of miles, the backs have ~8,000 miles on them, and are close to needing replacement, maybe 1 more track weekend. The fronts have ~4,000 miles on them, they have plenty of life, and because they are wearing so evenly I'm not planning to flip them on the rim. Some of these miles are guesses since I sometimes trailer the R-S3 on my tire trailer and drive to/from on my street tires. But sometimes I get lazy and don't switch for the way back
Yikes, I shouldn't have added up the miles... In terms of track day longevity I am happy with them
Location: Montreal, QC. (currently expat to Shanghai)
Posts: 3,249
All cool vids! Thx for sharing
Got to ask, who is the intelligent chap that signed-off on the metal guardrail in the first corner right after that slippery hairpin? Its one meter away from the apex. They might as well write "kiss of death" in fluo red paint on it, nah?
Love that ksport vs m030 vid. So fast I think I'd puke your passenger carpet after a lap man. Is that real-time speed or frame advanced?
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'97 Boxster base model 2.5L, Guards Red/Tan leather, with a new but old Alpine am/fm radio.
Got to ask, who is the intelligent chap that signed-off on the metal guardrail in the first corner right after that slippery hairpin? Its one meter away from the apex. They might as well write "kiss of death" in fluo red paint on it, nah?
Love that ksport vs m030 vid. So fast I think I'd puke your passenger carpet after a lap man. Is that real-time speed or frame advanced?
Thanks man! Real speed Yes where the east and west sides connect there is the stupid guardrail where the track is close, I wish they would move that corner back, I would love to squeal through that cornet but I am afraid.
In the past few years they have moved some of the other walls back, there used to be a wall right at the hairpin and another between turn 10 and 1, thankfully they are pushed way back now.
Location: Montreal, QC. (currently expat to Shanghai)
Posts: 3,249
I saw that loll At first I was wondering 'why is he suddenly stopping in this corner' then looked up the horizon and saw that smash wall. That unconscious fear-of-metal-wall must be shaving a good 1sec off your lap time :/
Thanks for confirming the video time/speed. Really look fast. Wouldn't puke but certainly I wouldn't be happy sitting there as a passenger without having control over this crazxzxy fast situation. Must be bloody fun as the driver however
That mobius cam look perfectly fine to me, again, great vids/good resolution
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'97 Boxster base model 2.5L, Guards Red/Tan leather, with a new but old Alpine am/fm radio.
Yeah there were only 13 of us there and since it was open track all day, we almost always had the track to ourselves all day! I passed 3-4 cars, and got passed 3-4 times, but mostly I didn't see another car at all. It was awesome
I did a day like that at Roebling Road Raceway last June 2015 and it was the same way. There is one coming up this October (TBD) with Holy City Motorsports at RRR, I think it will be on a Friday - I am definitely going to try and make that one.
Hey Steved0x. I used to go to the same track before it was purchased from Ivor Wigham by the owners of FIRM. I havn't been in a few years but I did recently pick up a 2001S 3.2 6 speed and you seem to be the closest like model to me. I live in Keystone Heights. I'm an engineer and I'm doing most of my maint/upgrades myself. Would love to chat with you.
Hey Steved0x. I used to go to the same track before it was purchased from Ivor Wigham by the owners of FIRM. I havn't been in a few years but I did recently pick up a 2001S 3.2 6 speed and you seem to be the closest like model to me. I live in Keystone Heights. I'm an engineer and I'm doing most of my maint/upgrades myself. Would love to chat with you.
Chaiyz
Mine is a 2000 S, I would love to chat anytime and if you wanted to come over and bleed brakes or oil change or any of that kind of stuff I would be happy to help out.
If you have never been to the FIRM (only been to the previous incarnation before it was called that) and had an interest in going to an open track day, they have a special going for folks that have never been, 50% off, so it comes to $107 (vs $214) and if you give my name as a referrer I will get a $50 credit
I am all FIRM'd out for now, but in a few months I will be ready to go back... maybe a bunch of us can go this time.
Excellent! I'll PM you my number and address. This is my second Boxster. I purchased a 1999 Tip 2.5 in 2002 and had it for 6 years. Never had any issues with it other than MAF and wierd heated seat problems. Seats only worked on the hottest days of the year and when it was hot, they'd come on for no reason. Never when it was cool or cold though. I sold the car hoping to buy a 996 S4 but that deal fell through at the PPI.
Then in March of this year I found a one owner 2001 S model 6speed that was at Brumo's for trade-in. I had a friend there and he called me and I was able to get the car (as auction car)out the door for 8k. She has 118K but has very good service history and I figured if I did have an engine problem, I'd source a 3.4 from a 996 and do the swap.
So far I've replaced the motor mounts, engine oil, brake fluid and rear pads and rotors. I removed the door plastics, center console and shifter plastic and had them all painted brushed silver and cleared with 10 coats so it should last.
I've also added new dash and door speakers as well as 4x3.5 kickers in the back storage compartment. That was actually a fun project. I just ordered a 2003 instrument cluster pn 98664123300 which I'm told is the correct part to swap my non dot-matric to the dot-matrix display. I'm planning to wire a switch next to the radio but I won't have the cluster till the 27th.
One thing I did like about my old non-S model was the speedometer. I loved the digital speedo in the center. My 2001 has speed in the left small LCD and it's difficult to get used too.
Anyway , I love my car and love working on them. Anytime you want some company, just send me a text or hit me up here.
2001 Porsche Boxster S
Linear Mode
