Ewheels Road Course Build

[Ewheels]

That was exactly my perspective as well. Plus, vents over cooler will not add another point of failure which always nice to avoid.
I'm heavily leaning towards vents.
And definite no on the thermostat? I figured it would be an easy and cheap mod that might help to some degree.

Side note, will an OBDII reader be able to give me actual coolant temp read outs?

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[BmacIL]

That was exactly my perspective as well. Plus, vents over cooler will not add another point of failure which always nice to avoid.
I'm heavily leaning towards vents.
And definite no on the thermostat? I figured it would be an easy and cheap mod that might help to some degree.

Side note, will an OBDII reader be able to give me actual coolant temp read outs?

At the temps you're seeing, the T-stat is fully open.

Coolant temp is inferred. You would need to install a sensor to get top-tank radiator (rad inlet) temp.

 

[AlbertD]

I agree with BmacIL.

The first focus should be getting improved airflow through the radiator.

I would skip the thermostat. On track you will heat up the engine so fast that a thermostat won't make any difference in my opinion. It will probably lower your cruising Temps around town, but that isn't necessarily a good thing.

 

[Ewheels]

At the temps you're seeing, the T-stat is fully open.

Coolant temp is inferred. You would need to install a sensor to get top-tank radiator (rad inlet) temp.

Is it worth the effort to see actual coolant temps or are they going to be similar enough to CHT that it's not needed? Additionally, what is "too hot" for CHT/coolant temp? I've heard the car cuts power around 240° but I don't know if that's accurate.

 

[Ewheels]

Minor update here; more to document data for myself along the way.

I finally got around to putting my street pads/rotors on and in doing so, got to look at the condition of my track parts. The G-LOC pads look fine, no cracks, no glazing. No cracks in the rotors but they do look to have hot spots on them. I'll still likely get better rotors next time around to better handle the heat.
The front R12 pads measured at 8.9mm after one day at Chcukwalla and two days at Willow Springs. I didn't measure them when I first got them but I've read they are 12mm brand new. So at least for the way I drive, it seems to drop roughly 1mm per track day. I know it'll vary depending on the track

 

[Ewheels]

Since all the track days are cancelled now, I figured this was a good time to do some maintenance. I put in BG diff and trans fluid. Never done diff or trans fluid change before so this was a simple but new experience for me and the supplied hand pumps that came with the kit from OP Mustang made the whole process even easier.
Some people on here say to use 75w140 in the diff to keep the temps down. After discussing with @BmacIL I decided against the 75w140 as he informed me about the ill affects it has on the torque bias ratio. That and though the 140 weight may take longer to heat up, it also takes longer to cool down. So 75w90 was the winner. That combined with the exhaust heat wrap I have, the diff temps shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Ewheels]

Finally getting some fun work done on the car! I've been wanting to add hood venting for awhile now and decided today was the day.

Now, I've never cut up a car before and I only have minimal metal working experience so this was quite the pucker! The instructions supplied are very clear and the template works great. I have to add, Race Louver customer support is second to none! I've been annoyingly emailing Albert for months now with various questions and he is beyond helpful. I called him halfway into cutting and he was quick to answer my questions. He even called me back later in the day to check on my progress and see if I had anymore questions before he left for the day. Albert, if you see this, THANK YOU!

The entire process was quite straight forward. Time consuming, but straight forward. I HIGHLY recommend taping the entire hood as metal shards and fragments get everywhere. I then used moving blankets to cover the engine and the windshield.
For finding dead-center, I used a long strip of floss and taped it to the center of the windshield (small decal label there perfectly in the center) and then pulled it tightly over the hood and lined it up with the crease line in the front bumper. Then simply measure about 17 different times and tape down the template.
I used a Dremel to cut the whole thing. Took 1 diamond cutting disc (or whatever the more expensive disc is made of) and 2 regular metal cutting discs. I tried to cut it all with the hood still on the car but getting the bottom layer cut correctly requires the hood off. After that, it's cut, trim, measure, and repeat till it all fits snug.

 

[Ewheels]

A little late to update here but suspension has finally found its way on the car! No more floaty boat feeling! There's an infinite number of suspension install write-ups and videos so I didn't feel the need to document this process.

BMR SP083 Springs (250/980#)
Ford Track Shocks
Vorshlag CC Plates
BMR Front Sway Bar (35mm?)
GT350R Rear Sway Bar
BMR CB005 IRS Lockout

As far as alignment specs, the car is currently at -2.6 front camber and -1.1 rear. The tech was having a bit of trouble getting the rear camber to where I wanted it (-1.5 desired) so we ended the day at -1.1 I'll likely go up from there but I'll try the car as-is first.

Haven't had much time to really feel out the new setup yet but it definitely feels stiffer and more responsive. I'll have to go through some canyons this weekend.

Also noticed my street set of tires (OEM PS4S) were beginning to cord on the inside fronts. Toe must have been off. Got some Firestone Indy 500s for the fronts now. I wanted something cheap, long lasting, and had enough grip to have some fun on the streets. No way I was going to pay for expensive Michelins just as a commuter street tire.

 

[Biggsy]

What setting do you have the front bar on?

 

[Ewheels]

Currently, the middle setting

 

[Ewheels]

We tried loaded and unloaded. The slot design makes it difficult to hold in place. It wanted to fully slide one way or the other. Had to use a pry bar to hold the wheel in place against the alignment rack while the tech tightened down the bolt. Camber arms would definitely make this process much easier!

 

[JustDSM]

We tried loaded and unloaded. The slot design makes it difficult to hold in place. It wanted to fully slide one way or the other. Had to use a pry bar to hold the wheel in place against the alignment rack while the tech tightened down the bolt. Camber arms would definitely make this process much easier!

No doubt the BMR arms are the real-deal! I'm eyeing a set myself.

However for a interim solution and a bit more on the cost effective side of things, I fitted the Steeda rear camber adjustment kit (https://www.steeda.com/rear-camber-adjustment-kit.html) It' makes dialing in the rear camber much easier than trying to manipulate the camber arm in the slot alone.

 

[Ewheels]

Those look nifty. I'll likely add those when I need to adjust alignment again.
I should be good for BW in October. Sounds like quite a few TMO guys are coming to that event. I'll just keep an eye on temps. If oil temps are still high, I'll either do more venting/radiator ducting or just add a cooler.

 

[Ewheels]

I've made my bank account very unhappy lately but my car will love its new presents!
Bought DBA T3 4000 series rotors yesterday to get rid of my hot-spotted and warped cheapy Centrics. These should be a nice addition for cooling and performance in my upcoming event at Buttonwillow.

Well to further my savings account deficit, today I found 19x11 SVE wheels on sale for 55% off. Looks like I'll finally be joining the 305 square club!

 

[PaddyPrix]

I've made my bank account very unhappy lately but my car will love its new presents!
Bought DBA T3 4000 series rotors yesterday to get rid of my hot-spotted and warped cheapy Centrics. These should be a nice addition for cooling and performance in my upcoming event at Buttonwillow.

Well to further my savings account deficit, today I found 19x11 SVE wheels on sale for 55% off. Looks like I'll finally be joining the 305 square club!

Welcome to the 300 club, it's better up here.
Let's spit on the puny 200 losers. *patchoo*

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