Ewheels Road Course Build

[Biggsy]

Hey Eric. In regards to the strut tower, I wanted the easiest and quicker way without taking any parts off the car so I bought the steeda tool. Took 5 min and resold it for half the price. Worked great. I then bought grommets to give it a more finished look. Just an idea. Excuse the marks around the tower. That’s from when I tried free handing it a couple years ago lol.

Here is the link to Steedas tool although I don’t remember it being this expensive. https://www.steeda.com/steeda-555-8920-s550-strut-tower-cutting-tool

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[Ewheels]

Hey Eric. In regards to the strut tower, I wanted the easiest and quicker way without taking any parts off the car so I bought the steeda tool. Took 5 min and resold it for half the price. Worked great. I then bought grommets to give it a more finished look. Just an idea. Excuse the marks around the tower. That’s from when I tried free handing it a couple years ago lol.

Here is the link to Steedas tool although I don’t remember it being this expensive. https://www.steeda.com/steeda-555-8920-s550-strut-tower-cutting-tool

That's funny, I actually ordered the Vorshlag tool but ended up cancelling that order and bought the Steeda tool instead.
I like to support Vorshlag but Steeda is cheaper and the tool shipped same day. Hard to beat that.

 

[TX-2019-Black_GT]

I DO NOT NEED MORE PARTS. I had a list of crap I wanted that would improve the car, but now I'm going to change that list to more seat time and consumables ONLY. Need more driver mod

Very wise words! This would be Great advice for all new drivers. I decided the same, and I'm not making any suspension, or even alignment, changes until I'm more experienced and very consistent, so I'll be able to KNOW what works, and reliably measure it by lap times.

Nice journal of your HPDE experiences!

 

[Ewheels]

Very wise words! This would be Great advice for all new drivers. I decided the same, and I'm not making any suspension, or even alignment, changes until I'm more experienced and very consistent, so I'll be able to KNOW what works, and reliably measure it by lap times.

Nice journal of your HPDE experiences!

Thanks for the kind words, Dan!

Yeah you get to a point where you finally recognize what the car is doing and predict how it will react to certain inputs.
My current problem is I keep chasing lap times rather than correcting habits and let the lap times come naturally.

 

[Egparson202]

Thanks for the kind words, Dan!

Yeah you get to a point where you finally recognize what the car is doing and predict how it will react to certain inputs.
My current problem is I keep chasing lap times rather than correcting habits and let the lap times come naturally.

That puts you squarely in the majority, friend. It’s not ideal, but “trying to go fast” just comes more naturally than developing good technique. Stay focused.

 

[Howitzer]

Very wise words! This would be Great advice for all new drivers. I decided the same, and I'm not making any suspension, or even alignment, changes until I'm more experienced and very consistent, so I'll be able to KNOW what works, and reliably measure it by lap times.

Nice journal of your HPDE experiences!

This is soooo difficult to just not keep modifying the car. Coming from a base car, there's a little extra to do. And there's also a certain way I want the car to behave...and then there's the mods to keep the car alive and healthy. It is great advice though. I'm going to try and calm down my own mods after this spring.

 

[Ewheels]

First round of Super GT Cup over the weekend and my first-ever time at Streets of Willow.
For the record, this track is great! I was told very early on that this track was not for heavy Mustangs as the course consists of lots of tight turns and quick switch backs. I think these types of courses are more fun than the larger top speed tracks and you can definitely learn more from them.

Anyhow, this was the first time in a few events I genuinely had fun. As sad as that sounds, it's true. My past few events, rather than trying to improve certain driving habits or simply have fun, I was so focused on hitting a particular lap time that when I didn't achieve that time, I ended the day feeling unaccomplished. I still timed myself to get data but I tried my very best not to focus on times and instead focus on smooth throttle input, looking ahead, smooth steering inputs, etc.

The first session of the day I spent learning the track; finding the line, braking points, etc. I ended that session with a 1:27. I was told by a friend that's a respectable time for someone's first attempt. I watched my lap video and I noticed a few areas where I could improve.
Second session, I noticed a few advantageous line corrections by following another driver. I combined that with some of the focal points from my previous session's video. This time felt smoother and more comfortable but could only muster a 1:27.5 . I could feel the old thoughts creeping back in my head but I kept telling myself "don't worry about lap times. Keep focusing on being smooth."
Third session: felt even more comfortable and started pushing myself in certain areas. Really focused on not chopping the steering wheel and not chopping at the gas pedal. Ended with two 1:26 laps and had so much fun doing so!

I did have some minor brake issues once again but I'm fairly certain this is just me going back to my old habits of stabbing the brake pedal. Another point of needed practice.

Overall, feeling smoother; just need to keep practicing and get more seat time. Lap times will come. (For my own reference, best of the day was a 1:26.4)

 

[Biggsy]

Glad you had fun man. Just curious, are you chasing times because you’re looking at the timer while driving? If so maybe try turning your phone around that way you aren’t looking at it and see how you do. I made that mistake before.

Also how is the Xineering module working out? What settings did you settle on?

 

[tosha]

@Ewheels , since you don't drive with instructors, have you thought of getting Garmin Catalyst or going more advanced data collection route?

 

[shogun32]

are you chasing times because you’re looking at the timer while driving?

I thought if one stared hard and long enough at the clock one could make time slow down. Or was that just me in 5th grade counting the minutes to Lunch?

/joke

 

[Ewheels]

Glad you had fun man. Just curious, are you chasing times because you’re looking at the timer while driving? If so maybe try turning your phone around that way you aren’t looking at it and see how you do. I made that mistake before.

Also how is the Xineering module working out? What settings did you settle on?

Chasing times in the sense that I'm too focused on the end-goal rather than the necessary steps to reach that goal.
And the Xineering is working great! I bumped mine up to 30% throttle from 25% and it works for me. I was getting a weird 2nd blip on some downshifts as I released the clutch pedal but I think that was user error. Need to play with it more.

@Ewheels , since you don't drive with instructors, have you thought of getting Garmin Catalyst or going more advanced data collection route?

Yes and no. The Catalyst is great but quite expensive for what you get out of it. As far as I know, it doesn't give ODB data so in a sense it's no better than TrackAddicts. The GPS I'm sure is more accurate than a phone though so it does have that. I don't know how helpful it's driving suggestions are but that could be a perk. And lastly, it only gives you over-the-hood view (same as a phone) so you still can't see what your hands are doing.

I have a GoPro attached to the roll bar already but I haven't gotten in the habit of using it yet. That's the best view point so you can see what you specifically are doing.
That combined with Blayze coaching is what I'm using now to analyze data.
I'd love an Aim Solo or something but I think my money is better spent on seat time right now.

 

[Ewheels]

I came back to Streets of Willow the following weekend. I was originally planning to go to Big Willow on the 25th for Mustang Driver's Club but I thought back-to-back weekends at the same track would be of better use for my learning. Turns out this was the best choice as this coming weekend at Willow Springs shows a chance of snow.

I had a couple goals for this passed Sunday: 1) get into the 1:25's and 2) get into the habit of using my GoPro for video (being able to see what my hands and head are doing will be yet another data point). I can happily say I met both goals!

First off - I should've been using my GoPro a long time ago. I got it around a year ago and had only used it once on track. I found it rather tedious to turn on and record while trying to get strapped in and everything else at the same time. And the little battery seemed to only last one 20 minute session. I was discouraged to say the least.
Well after doing some more research, it's actually quite easy. I can power on, record, stop recording, and power off all from the Quik app on my phone. I don't ever need to touch the GoPro the whole time at the track. And after changing out the battery door to allow charging while in use, a single battery stays charged all day long.

As for the lap: very first session of the day, I stayed calm and focused and the 1:25 was secured! After watching the video, I looked much smoother than pretty much any of my previous driving and I still saw a couple mistakes so I believe a 1:24 is possible with the car as-is.
1:25 lap

Next step is to play with the GoPro settings as it's quite hard to see anything outside of the car. Also, I need a GPS booster or something. When I had an Android phone, my TrackAddict data was perfect and accurate. Now on an iPhone, the displayed speeds are all over the place; delayed accelerations, delayed braking. Not sure if it's a setting in my iPhone or a GPS booster will help, or just buy an old Android phone to use only for this.

Lastly, I seem to have a love-hate relationship with these Toyo RR's. I originally loved them for being so affordable and praised them for being the best learner tire for the money. Then I hated them for lack of pace/grip. Well, now I'm back to liking them. I can see now that my issues with their pace was simply because I was over-driving them and not being smooth. I'm sure they are still lacking in pace compared to the 200tw wonder tires but they ARE great for learning. They make a ton of noise at the limit, they will kick out if you apply too much throttle on exit but are easy to correct, they don't get greasy...ever, super consistent lap after lap, track day after track day, they last a long time (I think that was my 6th day and still have life left) and they are still under $1200 a set for 295/19 size. They won't win you any time attack events but they will help you become a better driver.
I think what also helped me come to this conclusion was the previous weekend. Most people were on super sticky 200tw tires or better and were setting very good times. All 305 size or bigger. Then, a friend in the group comes out with a very minimally modded mustang on 285 Supercar 3's (non-R) and comes in first place! Skill > mods.

 

[Biggsy]

Great job man! Glad to hear it went well. As for the GPS. When I was using GoPro + Track Addict+ OBD, I found the SkyPro XGPS160 to be very helpful and flawless with the iPhone. Input it in the windshield and speed was accurate throughout. I have switched to RaceCapture system since then.

 

[tosha]

XGPS160 is what I was planning to buy up until I got garmin device as birthday present. @Ewheels, this page should help you with enhancing your TrackAddict experience: TrackAddict Documentation - Interoperability (racerender.com)

Just FYI that TrackAddict app can take control over one GoPro camera (certain older models) and turn it on automatically. It worked with my Hero Session.

 

[Ewheels]

Great job man! Glad to hear it went well. As for the GPS. When I was using GoPro + Track Addict+ OBD, I found the SkyPro XGPS160 to be very helpful and flawless with the iPhone. Input it in the windshield and speed was accurate throughout. I have switched to RaceCapture system since then.

Thanks Biggsy!
I'll have to look into both those devices. Thanks for the tip!

XGPS160 is what I was planning to buy up until I got garmin device as birthday present. @Ewheels, this page should help you with enhancing your TrackAddict experience: TrackAddict Documentation - Interoperability (racerender.com)

Just FYI that TrackAddict app can take control over one GoPro camera (certain older models) and turn it on automatically. It worked with my Hero Session.

Thanks for the tips Tosha! Didn't know that about TrackAddicts. I'll have to test that too.

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