Ewheels Road Course Build

[Stang55]

Was getting the car ready for BW this upcoming weekend (oil change, track pads/rotors, and bled the brakes) and when bedding the new rotors in, I noticed the Indy 500 tires I have on the front have pretty bad grip. Granted these are my street set of wheels/tires so I wasn't shopping for grip at the time but I was surprised how much less grip they have even compared to PS4S. They did not like hard braking.

@2morrow here's a rotor pic for you sir

Nice track prep. I did the 305 squared with PS4S's but forgot about my brakes haha. The track I go to is very good with tires, its like driving a tire on a tire haha they just don't wear out. What pads are you running I am thinking of going with Hawk 5.0 as its a daily. Also I know there is an actual benefit to 2 piece rotors in the front but with a single piston design in the rear is it really necessary? I'm thinking of doing a 2 piece rotor in the front and just doing a regular style disk in the rear.

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[Ewheels]

Nice track prep. I did the 305 squared with PS4S's but forgot about my brakes haha. The track I go to is very good with tires, its like driving a tire on a tire haha they just don't wear out. What pads are you running I am thinking of going with Hawk 5.0 as its a daily. Also I know there is an actual benefit to 2 piece rotors in the front but with a single piston design in the rear is it really necessary? I'm thinking of doing a 2 piece rotor in the front and just doing a regular style disk in the rear.

Hi Qays

Hopefully I can help a bit here.
I use GLOC R12 front and R10 rear for the track. For a double duty pad, keep in mind there is no true "do-all" pad. A street pad will melt on track and a track pad will dust and squeal on the street. The Hawk will be a decent middle ground pad but it will likely still make some noise on the street and dust a bit more than normal. It also will not hold up to high track temps if you push the car hard. I had some Hawk HP+ pads on the track last year and I heat cracked them pretty bad.

If you can swing the budget and don't mind the extra wrenching on your car, I would suggest getting a street set and a track set of pads and swap between the two. Make sure they are the same brand to avoid dissimilar pad compounds on your rotors (this will create brake judder....ask me how I know )

As for rotors, the 2-pc design is unrelated to the number of pistons. 2-pc is purely for heat management and additional weight savings. Frankly, if you're not seeing heat-related issues in your brakes yet, I would stick to regular ol' single piece

 

[Stang55]

Hi Qays

Hopefully I can help a bit here.
I use GLOC R12 front and R10 rear for the track. For a double duty pad, keep in mind there is no true "do-all" pad. A street pad will melt on track and a track pad will dust and squeal on the street. The Hawk will be a decent middle ground pad but it will likely still make some noise on the street and dust a bit more than normal. It also will not hold up to high track temps if you push the car hard. I had some Hawk HP+ pads on the track last year and I heat cracked them pretty bad.

If you can swing the budget and don't mind the extra wrenching on your car, I would suggest getting a street set and a track set of pads and swap between the two. Make sure they are the same brand to avoid dissimilar pad compounds on your rotors (this will create brake judder....ask me how I know )

As for rotors, the 2-pc design is unrelated to the number of pistons. 2-pc is purely for heat management and additional weight savings. Frankly, if you're not seeing heat-related issues in your brakes yet, I would stick to regular ol' single piece

In my old car I used to use EBC Red Stuff and the Yellow Stuff was a known track pad I just never needed it. I can definitely do pre and post track prep, I've been pointed a certain direction so my hopes are up for next track day The way out track days are organized is your session is only 3 laps then you come in for a cool down, this way people avoid wearing out all that stuff. I remember in Big Willow it would be a 20 minute session so yes you would need proper braking for that. I think I'll ease into the parts as I get better ill swap pads

 

[Ewheels]

Well this was happily unexpected

I did my first time attack event over the weekend. My honest goal was to not be last and simply focus on improving myself. Ended up going home with 3rd place in Street class!

They pre-grid us based on our previous time at Big Willow. Mine was a 1:42 so naturally I was placed 15th at the back of the pack. 1st sessions starts and I pass quite a few cars. Pulled back in and checked my times. Again, I was expecting something like a 1:39.....managed a 1:35! I pulled up for the second session, they check my name...I grid 3rd!

Second session = 1:34.7
Third session = 1:36.0
Thought about skipping the last session but decided to give it one flying lap and see what happens. I pulled in after the flyer....1:33.9! (Official timing read 1:34.1)

I haven't checked other peoples' times but I start to think I might actually make podium. They start the awards and sure enough I take 3rd!

This was the best feeling in recent memory! Ever since I started tracking my car, my ultimate goal was to get to a competitive level, compete, and potentially win. I never thought that day would come so soon. I thought I was years away from being in any sort of competition. I was beyond excited! This is only the beginning



As far as technical info, 305 Supercar 3 tires were hands-down the real winner here. Pretty much everyone in Street class was running these tires. They have tremendous grip! I could hold 20-30mph faster in every turn. I consistently took turn 8 at 130mph. That combined with the coaching from Racers360 made me feel so much more confident on track.
Also, this was the first time I drove the car in track mode. I thought if I turned off TC, I would spin off track at the first turn. I thought TC was saving my butt more than I knew. Well, I gave it a try, took it easy for the first lap, and it turned out just fine. Grip was the same; when the back end did kick out, it did so more predictably and more controllably. Best part, no throttle cut! Felt so refreshing to get back on full throttle right away and not feel like the engine is bogging.

Track Addicts and in-car G meter both said 1.5G turns, peak
CHT = 220ish
Diff = 250 peak
Oil = edge of green zone (close to 280)

 

[Stang55]

Well this was happily unexpected

I did my first time attack event over the weekend. My honest goal was to not be last and simply focus on improving myself. Ended up going home with 3rd place in Street class!

They pre-grid us based on our previous time at Big Willow. Mine was a 1:42 so naturally I was placed 15th at the back of the pack. 1st sessions starts and I pass quite a few cars. Pulled back in and checked my times. Again, I was expecting something like a 1:39.....managed a 1:35! I pulled up for the second session, they check my name...I grid 3rd!

Second session = 1:34.7
Third session = 1:36
Thought about skipping the last session but decided to give it one flying lap and see what happens. I pulled in after the flyer....1:33.9! (Official timing read 1:34.1)

I haven't checked other peoples' times but I start to think I might actually make podium. They start the awards and sure enough I take 3rd!

This was the best feeling in recent memory! Ever since I started tracking my car, my ultimate goal was to get to a competitive level, compete, and potentially win. I never thought that day would come so soon. I thought I was years away from being in any sort of competition. I was beyond excited! This is only the beginning



As far as technical info, 305 Supercar 3 tires were hands-down the real winner here. Pretty much everyone in Street class was running these tires. They have tremendous grip! I could hold 20-30mph faster in every turn. I consistently took turn 8 at 130mph. That combined with the coaching from Racers360 made me feel so much more confident on track.

Track Addicts and in-car G meter both said 1.5G turns, peak
CHT = 220ish
Diff = 250 peak
Oil = edge of green zone (close to 280)

Nice! What was your top speed on the straight? What gear did you use going up the uphill off camber left turn before the Budweiser sign? And what was your average speed on the oval before lap is over? Curious lol

 

[Ewheels]

Nice! What was your top speed on the straight? What gear did you use going up the uphill off camber left turn before the Budweiser sign? And what was your average speed on the oval before lap is over? Curious lol

I think the highest I saw was 135mph.
I only used 3rd and 4th. Would downshift to 3rd going into turn 3 and would upshift to 4th just after turn 6. I was right about at rev limit in 4th on the home straight. Anymore speed and I would need 5th.

 

[Stang55]

I

I think the highest I saw was 135mph.
I only used 3rd and 4th. Would downshift to 3rd going into turn 3 and would upshift to 4th just after turn 6. I was right about at rev limit in 4th on the home straight. Anymore speed and I would need 5th.

I like big willow, if you go off track you just do a little bit of off-roading haha. A lot of people wash out on the final turn where the turn sharpens, you just have to make it into two turns and you’ll hit the apex flawlessly

 

[TeeLew]

CHT = 220ish
Diff = 250 peak
Oil = edge of green zone (close to 280)

Nice run! I've been playing with e30 fuel and I've been impressed with how it has dropped by CHT. Even if you're not trying to make more power, the cooling advantage of burning alcohol might be something to look into if it's legal for you.

 

[Ewheels]

Nice run! I've been playing with e30 fuel and I've been impressed with how it has dropped by CHT. Even if you're not trying to make more power, the cooling advantage of burning alcohol might be something to look into if it's legal for you.

I did just read the Nasa TT rulebook the other day and it seems meth injection and the like is allowed. So far I haven't had any heat issues but I'm also not running full tilt for 20 min straight. I'm hoping ducting and venting will be sufficient for the time being.

 

[Ewheels]

What a weekend this was. Back at ACS for possibly the last time ever as it'll be demolished for a 1/2 mile oval in 2022. Not my favorite track but I had to get one more session in as this was also the very first track I ever drove on. Made it a special weekend. Besides the nostalgia, I advanced two groups in a single day, set a PB, had my first full-course red and then full black flag session, and saw my first big track accident.

Started the weekend off in HPDE 3. Then came Sunday and I got approved for HPDE 4. The instructor asked what my goal was and I replied that I wanted to do TT. He had an instructor follow me on track in the morning, he gave me some pointers and advice and checked me again later in the day. I wasn't expecting anything based on his constructive criticisms from the morning check ride but sure enough, he signed me off into TT! He said he appreciated that I listened to his advice, applied it on track, and saw real benefits (took 3 seconds off my lap time).

On the other side of the coin, a Boss 302S was rear-ended on track and rolled. Both cars were fully caged and both drivers walked away from it. Glad no one was seriously hurt. Crazy part, this happened in HPDE 3/4! So to all those who say safety equipment isn't needed in HPDE groups, it can literally happen to anyone. My fiancé says it's time for me to at least put a roll bar in my car.

My fastest for the weekend was a 1:55.2 and hit 145mph. My friends tell me with my tires and suspension, a 1:50 is possible so I still have some work to do.

It was a cooler day, only high 50s all weekend so temps were never an issue.
Oil: edge of green, as usual
CHT: 223
Diff: 230ish

Advancing from HPDE into TT also got me a hefty discount on tires. Looks like I'll be trying out slicks for the first time with a set of Toyo RR's.

TT3 build, here I come!

 

[Biggsy]

Damn man. I’ve been following since you started. I really enjoy seeing the progression from when you were driving in HPDE 1! It encourages me as I get more days in (whenever my season starts lol). Keep it up.

 

[Ewheels]

Thanks Biggsy! I still can't believe how fast it's gone by. I didn't expect to get to TT this quickly. The car seems pretty stable and reliable how it is now so I've been focusing on getting myself faster rather than the car. So far, it's working

 

[Biggsy]

Thanks Biggsy! I still can't believe how fast it's gone by. I didn't expect to get to TT this quickly. The car seems pretty stable and reliable how it is now so I've been focusing on getting myself faster rather than the car. So far, it's working

As they say...seat time is the best money spent. So what do you think is next on the list since you are stepping up? other than tires. And hope you get to making videos

 

[Ewheels]

As they say...seat time is the best money spent. So what do you think is next on the list since you are stepping up? other than tires. And hope you get to making videos

I'm planning to beef up the safety over summer. That crash put things into perspective. Steel brake lines, ARP studs in the rear, roll bar. Then maybe duct the radiator, add some more vents, and probably strip the interior out. I want to leave the engine unmolested for reliability so that means weight needs to drop to stay competitive within the power-to-weight ratio.

I have a couple videos but I only use them for submitting to Racers360.

 

[Ewheels]

My 60% off set of RRs came in. Can't wait to try these out once my Supercar 3's are toast.

I'm now in a weird spot where I can try to be competitive for Super GT Cup or Nasa TT3 but not both. These RRs would push me out of Street class in SGC but I could use these and strip a whole lot of weight for TT3. I think I'll keep the car as-is for SGC for the season and then next year, prep the car for TT3. Though with the roll bar, the interior will be stripped from the B pillar to the trunk.


Also, changed the fluid in the trans and the diff yesterday.
I change it once a year with BG products from OP Mustang and the old fluid really didn't look bad; no brown or darkening coloration at all. I probably could've gone two years on it but it's cheap insurance. That was with 5 track days on that fluid. Was planning more for the year but covid slowed things down a lot.

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