Cortex Torque Arm Racechrono Track Review

[barbaro]

Took the Stang out to Willow Springs and got 28 laps in and here is my track review on the Cortex Torque Arm, Watts Link, Adjustable Lower Control Arms package and other things.
5 others and I rented the entire track at Willow Springs. In other words I had the track almost all to myself on a 79 degree afternoon. I shared it with 5 other cars. How Bitchin that was, I cannot tell you, except I'm gonna try. First let me qualify my words with the fact that I am an Amateur driver with a capital A. Thus, nothing I say is definitive on anything except I guarantee you it is honest.

1st, Cortex stuff. Great as always. Much more grip and really have to push the car in the corners to get the Torsen to engage where you can feel it. But engage it does. Gives me a lot more confidence at the track because what is being communicated through the steering wheel and what is being communicated through the seat of my pants are in harmony. However, I still do not have the cojones to take turn 8 at 120. It is a mental thing because the car is holding the road very well. The biggest difference I noticed between my last track day and today is that in 28 laps I must have shifted at 7400-7700 rpm some 100 times. I did not miss one shift. Same thing with downshifting. My feeling is that the torque arm has stabilized the drive train and eliminated much deflection. Last time out I could not get the car into the appropriate gear on at least 3-4 occasions. This time the "Crummy" Mt82 performed flawlessly. Maybe the problem is not the tranny but the design of our shifter? In any event the torque arm has eliminated the shifting problem completely. Next up Cortex Coilovers? I hear they have a nice street track setup that has a wide range adjustability and I can custom match the appropriate springs to custom valved shocks. Must make more money! Although I am very happy with the Boss Springs and Koni Yellows, and they outperform me by a long ways . . . the track bug is biting me and what the heck . . . I went this far.

2nd, Downloaded Racechrono App to use to lap time at Willow Springs. Sorry to say I could not get it to work at all. Was having trouble downloading the track and communicating with the satellite etc. . . Bottom line it did not work and I did not want to spend my entire day at the track trying to get it to work. I am looking for some lap timing software where I can record videos of my lap and have speed, lap and time info displayed in the playback. Open to suggestions.

3rd, Hawk HP Plus Pads squeal like a stuck pig but work very well and chewed up my rotors. Since I anticipated that, I removed my lightweight Full Tilt Boogie two piece rotors and went back to my stout stock Brembo rotors. Last track day, brakes were melting. this time brakes were stout and very little fade. No smoke. No melt. Did 7 laps straight and by lap 5 I could smell them but no effect on performance.

4th, Set camber at 2.5 degrees. I thought I went as much as 3 degrees last time out but I was mistaken. 2.5 is pretty much the max with the MM Caster Camber Plates. Set Koni's at full stiff after first three laps. Willow Springs is so fast that you gotta go full hard. Started out with the fronts half way and rear end soft. No go. I was uncomfortable. Went full hard and I was very comfortable.

5th, Just toyed with a Vette that was out there. It was legit because he was equally as crappy a driver as I was. When chasing him I was making up approx. 3-4 seconds a lap. When he was chasing me he just gave up after about a half a lap. Theoretically I know my car is better but it is still hard to wrap my mind around it given how much lower and more aerodynamic his car is. Vettes are great track cars and to beat them easily is further proof that these cars can be special.

6th, I make all the mistakes of a weekend warrior. I turn in too early, I don't use the whole track, I miss the occasional apex, I am brave on slow turns and puss out on the fast turns. Despite all that, I had a hell of a time. I improved my driving and when I go back I am not braking for turn 8 and whatever happens . . . . happens.


Temp was perfect. Day was great, car held up great and if there is anybody else in Southern Cal that would like to rent Willow Springs with our group please PM me and we will get you in on it. It is not like we don't have room. Only requirement is don't be a douchebag.

 

[Mustang259]

Sure sounds like fun, good to hear about the Cortex system.

 

[neema]

gah, i want the torque arm.

 

[DRock]

Sounds like a tout settup...... were you on big Willow? what were your times?

 

[barbaro]

Sounds like a tout settup...... were you on big Willow? what were your times?

I don't know the lap timer wasn't working. Looking for a lap timer better than a phone app. Any suggestions?

 

[DRock]

I don't know the lap timer wasn't working. Looking for a lap timer better than a phone app. Any suggestions?

ahh that blows. So it was big Willow then? Curious to see what your times were. Street tires?

I was right about 1:48-1:49's consistently with a bone stock 3V and a few suspension/brake upgrades.

 

[barbaro]

ahh that blows. So it was big Willow then? Curious to see what your times were. Street tires?

I was right about 1:48-1:49's consistently with a bone stock 3V and a few suspension/brake upgrades.

There is a video of a guy doing it in 1:32 in a Boss. I was not going quite as fast as him because he was doing turn 8 at 120 which so far I have refused to do. I get up to a hundred and I chicken out. I do hit 130 down the front stretch, but if I hit turn 9 better I would be hitting 140. I honestly don't know what I was doing but I would guess it was around 1:40, I got a lot of engine and it makes up for some bad driving on my part no doubt. You should come out with us.

 

[neema]

we need to use buttonwillow/willow springs before summer really kicks in. triple digits are around the corner!

 

[foolio2k4]

thats awesome. id love to go sometime.

although summers are a bitch cuz its so hot up there.

 

[Roadracer350]

There is a video of a guy doing it in 1:32 in a Boss. I was not going quite as fast as him because he was doing turn 8 at 120 which so far I have refused to do. I get up to a hundred and I chicken out. I do hit 130 down the front stretch, but if I hit turn 9 better I would be hitting 140. I honestly don't know what I was doing but I would guess it was around 1:40, I got a lot of engine and it makes up for some bad driving on my part no doubt. You should come out with us.

Try going thru their at 140 with your knee on the deck! Now thats a ride!

 

[barbaro]

Try going thru their at 140 with your knee on the deck! Now thats a ride!

Forget that. There were some motorcycle racers that had rented the track before us and I saw a little of that. Crazy

 

[Roadracer350]

Forget that. There were some motorcycle racers that had rented the track before us and I saw a little of that. Crazy

I remember doing an endurance race their on a Yamaha R1 and you were 140-150 in 5th thru turn 8 then a slight upright then down to 3rd and fire it out on the streight while the rear tyre spins up coming out because the wind is always blowing sand n dirt on the track. Thats a fun place!

 

[DRock]

There is a video of a guy doing it in 1:32 in a Boss. I was not going quite as fast as him because he was doing turn 8 at 120 which so far I have refused to do. I get up to a hundred and I chicken out. I do hit 130 down the front stretch, but if I hit turn 9 better I would be hitting 140. I honestly don't know what I was doing but I would guess it was around 1:40, I got a lot of engine and it makes up for some bad driving on my part no doubt. You should come out with us.

turn 8 at 120 you gotta have a set of grapefruits on you........hot damn....a was doing a bit over 120 down the front so i feel you on that. Where do you guys plan these things at? Id be interested.

 

[tjm73]

Got any pics of the unit installed under the car?

 

[Chris borzi]

That's awesome! I just installed the cortex coilovers. Pick up the car from the alignment shop tomorrow. I can't wait to take it out! Just need the torque arm next.

 

[barbaro]

we need to use buttonwillow/willow springs before summer really kicks in. triple digits are around the corner!

That is true. Blew out an axle seal at 103 degrees. Heat is real tough.

That's awesome! I just installed the cortex coilovers. Pick up the car from the alignment shop tomorrow. I can't wait to take it out! Just need the torque arm next.

You live on the way to the track. Let me know how those coilovers work out. Are they custom valved? What spring rate if you know? Love to know how they ride on the street.

turn 8 at 120 you gotta have a set of grapefruits on you........hot damn....a was doing a bit over 120 down the front so i feel you on that. Where do you guys plan these things at? Id be interested.

It's an informal group out of B&D racing in Van Nuys CA. Willow is about an hour from my house. Summer is coming up though and not interested in doing laps in over 95 degree weather. It is just too hard on the cars. I might be convinced though if we could get a morning session.

 

[Darkside323]

Sounds like a great time. DO you have the Carbon Tiger Racing hood? I do and mine is cracking like a mofo!!!!!

 

[Ivan 5.0]

Are people running the torque arm without the watts link? Or do you (functionally) have to do both?

 

[Whiskey11]

Are people running the torque arm without the watts link? Or do you (functionally) have to do both?

You can do a Watts or PHB. The Watts link is going to be the better setup for keeping the axle under the car and making it much more free to articulate and removes the handling bias caused by a PHB.

EDIT: I'm very curious as to the reasoning behind going to a Torque Arm over the 3 link. Here I thought the commonly agreed upon convention was that a 3 link was a much better setup than the Torque Arm. I'm looking at a TA for my car, simply on the grounds of the increased antisquat since I can't change it within the class rules I'm currently in, but I can add a TA pretty easily on the S197 chassis. It would also remove a bushing from the suspension and allow complete articulation of the axle without much, if any, bind. My only concerns are using a TA with the stock LCA's since I can't change those.

 

[barbaro]

You can do a Watts or PHB. The Watts link is going to be the better setup for keeping the axle under the car and making it much more free to articulate and removes the handling bias caused by a PHB.

EDIT: I'm very curious as to the reasoning behind going to a Torque Arm over the 3 link. Here I thought the commonly agreed upon convention was that a 3 link was a much better setup than the Torque Arm. I'm looking at a TA for my car, simply on the grounds of the increased antisquat since I can't change it within the class rules I'm currently in, but I can add a TA pretty easily on the S197 chassis. It would also remove a bushing from the suspension and allow complete articulation of the axle without much, if any, bind. My only concerns are using a TA with the stock LCA's since I can't change those.

I don't know about the commonly agreed upon convention but I can tell you this. A torque arm is lightyears better than an upper control arm. It is not even close. Using the Watts link, TA and adjustable lower control arms gives the rear end a tremendous ability to articulate. You just have to drive it and you will see. Also you will have to change the lower control arms because the axle does move a tiny bit back and you need the adjustability to compensate.

Sounds like a great time. DO you have the Carbon Tiger Racing hood? I do and mine is cracking like a mofo!!!!!

Yeah I have one. It's flimsy. It does not fit right. I can see the fiberglass weave through the paint. Works like gangbusters though. I can drive this car hard and never overheats. Also don't feel the air welling up at the firewall.