Got any big plans.

I'm just improving the car

And the "plan" is to NOT put it off until last minute...

What's up everyones sleeve?

Well I've won the lottery and come to the realization that I cannot drive so I've decided to hire Sam to drive my car for me.

Back to reality...

Well I'm going to buy the UE phb lowering kit and their adjustable rear sway bar kit fro my 21mm rear bar. Next I'm ditching the front prokits for some Ground Controls and buying a couple sets of springs for my allstars in the rear.

I'm not sure what to do about rear shocks yet, I'd like to send my rear Bilsteins to be revalved once Jason gets some numbers-or just have Jack at Bilstein make an educated guess. My front Bilsteins were originally valved for 500# front springs and a 35mm bar. I think I'm just going to have them shortened 1/2" and run 500's up front.

Then some Pacesetter LT's with a custom y-pipe-followed by a dyno tune. Oh yeah and fresh tires for next year.

I haven't made it through LAST winter's plan yet.

All things considered, I've been happy just to be able to keep competing with negligible maintenance and no breakage..

So, my list still includes the 500 mile diff oil change from installing the T2R in February, flushing the very old (1.5 years) Castrol SRF with some ATE Super Blue, replacing the caliper guide pins, and installing the SLP diff cover.

Of course I'll continue my perpetual, quixotic quest for a reliable way to run my LS1 on pure gasoline instead of ersatz two-cycle mix within the ESP rules.

I may get around to installing coilovers and slightly stiffer springs or not. I may go to 500/150, but considering I never run on concrete and frequently run on sealer, I may go a little softer. Daily driving constrains the ride height to higher than ideal anyway. Then again, now that I've got the alignment tweaked for Hoosiers I may leave it alone. I don't see anything but local events in my future for a LONG time.

I'm anxious to see how that UE decoupled torque arm works out, and hoping Sam gets around to turning his "maybe I should do my own coilovers" comment into reality.

I may even tinker with fitting a convertible x-brace, and I'm idly toying with the concept of a damper of some kind on the torque arm, but that's WAY down on the list.

Someday I may even get around to fixing my trashed tranny. In it's current condition, it's costing me low end power due to false knock retard, and the thicker oil I'm running to help that a *little* plays havoc with the synchros, so the shifting is crappy. But it still works (with a lot of double clutching), so it's still in.

Oh yeah, there's still the 180 thermostat and PS cooler I bought last year, maybe a Turn One pump, ...

I'd still like to add two proportioning valves (one per rear channel on my TCS car) but getting it balanced well enough to be safe in rain and ice seems like a nightmare.

Yada, yada, yada....

Our season starts in less than 2 weeks. Time to see how the new GC setup works. And yes here in the desert we're backwards from everyone else.

Gonna try

UE Decoupled TA
UE Lowered PHB
Shocks or revalve to match LPHB
Lower Front LCA's
Stiffer Springs all around to match LPHB
....

....and on and on...

New trailer - two sets of tires plus the creature comforts of home no longer fit on the HF 3-1/2x4.

That's about it. We're getting the "Baby Mod" for Christmas this year. Those creature comforts will be more important next summer!

First I'm waiting to see how the whole EVO/STI thing works out. If they stay then I'll try and find a co-drive deal with someone else. If they move then:

#1 Brake pads. Hawk HPS front, stock in the rear

#2 Tires. One set of 275/40/17 RA1's to practice on, take to schools, and use as rain tires. One set of 275/40/17 Hoosier's for the big events.

#3 Torque arm. My car is axle hopping more and more.

#4 17x11 CCW's before the Peru Pro next year. Big maybe.

Probably just tires. If anything else, I'll pick up a T2R.

I got to thinking, I hate to continually abuse the Firehawk, and when it's paid off, I may pick up another 4th gen and run F-stock, so that I can keep the Firehawk as a Sunday driver.

Our region was small enough that last year, I was semi-competitive for Soloist of the Year on street tires. This year, a couple STX guys have stepped it up, and it's hard to beat them in the PAX when I'm on streets. That, and the few who do use R compounds are pulling away from me, albeit slowly. Last weekend I beat the 03 Cobra on V710's and nearly got a FSP MG on Hoosiers.

Go autox! I'm in California

1: 6pt Roll Bars and harness, maybe a race seat as well.

2: Convert from rear drums to rear disk brakes.

3: Replace the TBI with TPI.

4: Begin building new 350. I hope

same here, finally get to go out in Florida without heat stroke and dehydration

I know it was a cool summer, but it's still August!

I still have three events to get through :drive: I need to win 2 of 3 to beat my 03 Cobra competition in ESP and if I do that, the results should hold on to my trophy spot in street tire class.

Winter? What's that? I thought you fellas up North put on tire chains and raced on the ice

No break in the action down here for our club. I'm not sure if SCCA has local events year long down South ...?

If these dang hurricanes would just leave us alone, I could stop saving money for potential disasters and put it to good use on the car!

For me, I'm looking to try the UE de-coupled TA, swap pads & rotors, burn off the Victoracers and get some V710's. I like the compliant ride right now on stock springs - even thought I'd like additional traction with the UE LPHB, I'm concerned about the ride quality with the necessary stiffer springs. Maybe the GC coilovers.

Phil worst case, they are gonna be fone for Pro's.

I want them gone period. But that is good enough for me to justify throwing more money and time at it....

Even still we have some work to do, as the Mustangs were out 60'ing us..Unless you were pulling kick butt 60's

Since I share Bill's car that would apply to me as well. I am, however, thinking of doing a 6 pt cage in my T-top RS and running that on street tires next year in ESP. If I do, I will also change to rear disks and add a cat-back.

Are you saying the EVOs and STIs might get kicked out of ProSolo but not Solo2? WTF?

4.10s and a good clutch this winter.

If for some reason Stemler or Tipple don't show well at Nationals then my pessimistic side feels that they will still be around in ESP next year. FOR SOLO 2.

But they are GONE from ESP in Pro Solo action...Not even the owners of anything but a stock EVO/STI beleive that they are ESP cars...in a Pro format...

Pro format classing doesn't have to follow solo 2 classing. Although it does...

In Peru on Saturday I was with Jorgenson until the turn around (I lined up with him in the afternoon) and then he flat spanked me on the rest of the course. Plus I was pulling 2.1 second sixty foot times so I'm not so sure about the Camaro being that far behind the Mustang on launch's and I know I had the least prep'ed car in the class.

To go back on topic I also polished and waxed the car for the up coming winter; I almost forgot how good it looks all polished up.

Fall, winter, sometime....

Mount the cutout switch. (it's just laying in the floorboard at the moment)

Things I already have sitting around that need to be installed:
Rear end cover, shift kit, svo 30 lb injectors, walbro pump (still running the stock v6 pump)

Things to get:
Aluminum rod ended lca's (pinion angle is out 4-5 degrees), couple of fittings to hook up the dry nitrous again

Might get the a/c on the car again. Need to get some hoses fabbed up with v8 ends on one end, and v6 ends on the other... From what I hear anyway.

Maybe a roll bar. Depends on ET at the strip, if I end up doing it over the winter, or the middle of next year.

Repaint that black metal piece between the t-tops.

Probably sfc's.

I'm still paying for parts I bought this year. If I rob a bank in the spring I wouldn't mind doing heads and cam. Probably will add a B&M Hammer ratchet shifter. Tired of pushing too hard and missing gears. I think I'm going to stay with the Avons. Between my son and I we have 137 passes on them so far. Tires have been very competitive with unbelievable wear.

I still have nationals and 3 events to go this Summer. Beyond that, I think my mods need to concentrate on tightening the loose nut behind the wheel. Next would be to continue trying to cure the intermittant long brake pedal syndrome and replace the front hubs. I may even look into a moderate weight loss plan,... for the car as well. Last, I need to study and learn more about suspension design, I hate not fully understanding it.

We don't get "winter" in central Texas

But during the holiday season, I'll probably throw some Koni SA's on to spice things up I'm jonesing for the lower perch to squat the 4x4 look down a little

How does the grip compare to V710's? With wear like that I may have found a new tire.

Rob I probably shouldn't answer for Steve but I think I can give an accurate accessment...

If I were to compare the Avon, grip wise to another tire it would be somewhere between a Kumho Victoracer, and a Kumho Ecsta V700. On big cars, with big tires like ours the Victoracers work great.
Ecstas or OK

From what I saw the Avon lasts FOREVER. And STILL has good grip. BUT an important note is that all of the passes on Steve's Avons have been on asphalt NOT concrete. Makes a big difference.

From what I have heard, and observed so far...The Hoosier is no longer the fastest tire. V710 is the tire to have!!

I do have evidence to back it up, and am to lazy to look it up. But trust me....This is coming from results, and observations put up by BIG, BIG, names in the sport. Tunnel, Ames Strelnieks, and in our game, Jorgenson.

New tires, new rear end, and LOTS OF SLEEP!

FWIW, Dan Popp told me he thinks the new Hoosiers are slightly faster than the new Kumhos, but not by much, and probably not quite as fast as a fresh set of the old Hoosiers. He also said that the new Hoosiers take a lot more pressure than the old ones (many people probably running them too soft), and that he hasn't seen anyone cord the center of an A3S04 yet.

I've found that I'm fastest with the A3S04s inflated beyond the point where they feel or wear the best. In other words, when I think they are overinflated, they are about right They seem to be wearing like iron though, even on some very old and abrasive concrete (many decades of weathering with little traffic to wear it smooth) and three events in a row on a very fast rough course on extremely grippy asphalt.

The main downside of the A3S04s in my opinion is that it's hard to get them hot enough on a low grip surface. At one event a few months ago on slick, sandy asphalt, Rob's tire temps were running over 10* higher than mine, and picking up a lot more debris in the grid. He was running 275-17 Victoracers and I was running 275-16 A3S04s. Both sets are about the same age and have comparable runs on them.

FWIW, I don't think Popp has any trouble getting a set of tires up to temperature quickly. It's amazing that they don't melt on the first turn.

For me though, there isn't much choice. The only current production 275/45-16 is the Hoosier x3S04. While I could use Kumho 265s on my 10" rims, I'm not inclined to do so - the Hoosiers fit "just right".

Tunnels account.....

Strelieks on V710's (has been a Hoosier guy he isn't a Kumho guy like Scotty, or Dave, or Brian Priebe)
Ames on Hoosiers

Ames was pulling the best 60fts and 200fts all weekend yet Strelniesks was putting .5 secnds EACH side on Ames

Jorgenson is now on V710's. At the Toledo Pro he was on VICTOS, and at the Peru Pro on V710's. IMO that is enough for me..

The Sias M3, whooping everyone in wendover (it did run a least some of saturdays runs on Victos but then switched to 710's)


The real advantage BY FAR of the Hoosiers is they heat MUCH faster than the old Hoosier. HOWEVER many folks are OVER heating them.
Sam even tried the road race compound Hoosier at the Peru Pro because of the overheating problem....


The Kumho 265/16 V710 could be nearly as wide as the 275 Hoosier. And a 265 can't be that bad. It was on the back of Dave's Cobra R last years ESP champ, and front and back on Jorgensons Cobra.


Some people forget that for the last 3 years the fastest DOT car has been on KUMHO.

I am impressed that the A3S04s seem to just keep getting better - no hint of falling off so far. I'm curious to see how they hold up over the winter if I don't cord them first.