Restrictor Plate Racing

[SoundGuyDave]

As some of you know, I FINALLY got my tune sorted out (THANK YOU ERIC BROOKS!!), and the maiden voyage with actual power is next weekend. In the meantime, though, I thought some of you might get a kick out of seeing how an S197 chassis fares on the road course when the computer thinks it's in reverse, and drops a torque limit of 185 lb-ft on the engine...



As you can see, the car just won't accelerate, effectively turning the Mustang into a 2-ton Miata. I will say, however, that anybody that really wants to learn how to drive should try this. There is NO power to cover your sins in the corners, and as long as you ignore the fact that a 70-year-old arthritic bag lady can kick your ass on the straights, it's actually a little bit of fun, seeing how much ground you can or can't make up in the twisties. Had a little fun playing with a Corvette, trying different lines to get around him, and based on the following distance, I'm pretty sure that he noticed I was there...

The track here is Blackhawk Farms, a seriously old-school track. Narrow, with some pretty technically challenging sections on the back side, and no real place to go "off" without doing damage. Turn 4, the first left-hander after the carousel is also, I believe, where Random Asshole tore off the swaybar tab on his Eibach strut.

LINK TO REALLY SLOW RACECAR VIDEO.

 

[marksti]

Looks like fun...even with less power.

Like you've said with that little power you get to fine tune your skills...With that said it is amazing how a well driven miata can go on a short track.

 

[SoundGuyDave]

You're absolutely right. That said, I REALLY missed being able to throttle-steer. Not too much of a challenge when you just mat it and turn the wheel...

Given the weight (3691 with full fuel) and street tires, I really didn't want to try to push the entry speeds up too much, there is NO runoff out there if you guess wrong...

 

[danbev07]

heh... that's what my car is like WITH my tunes

v6 power ftw!

looks like it is pretty instructive. I know a lot of good HPDE-er's that swear by starting out with low-hp, lightweight cars and working you're way up. Lots of miata-owners, and it's just crazy how much they are able to learn with those things.

 

[alloy6ix]

heh... that's what my car is like WITH my tunes

v6 power ftw!

I will say this, stock for stock, the v6 nose dives a lot less.. lol. too damn bad I'll be getting rid of that single benefit.. haha. Dave, enjoyed watching the video, it was kinda funny at first seeing everything moving pretty slow (like the lady driver from police academy), but still was beneficial to learn at those slower speeds.

 

[SoundGuyDave]

Well, I'm headed for Gingerman next weekend, so I'll post up a vid from there, which might be a wee little bit quicker. It'll still be on street tires, but at least I'll be able to throttle steer again...

It really was eye-opening. I went from killing everything in sight (when I wasn't screaming at the automatic trans to shift) to getting passed by a N/A Mini Cooper... That said, it forced me to improve my cornering technique pretty drastically. Granted, the Corvette in the video wasn't exactly "on pace," but I was able to eat him alive in the corners. Even down on power, I had to pedal the car to keep from running him over, and there are a couple places in the vid where you can see the difference between our lines having a pretty huge impact on the corner-entry speed. Next one I post up will be more fun, I promise!

 

[STEVE_POE]

Well, I'm headed for Gingerman next weekend

Dave, I will be at gingerman myself shaking down the new ai car will be there friday for the test and tune swing by say hello

Steve

 

[jlmounce]

Great stuff!

People seem to take offense when other suggest driving courses, or HPDE's in-lou of performance mods to their car, but this pretty much proves that point.

I still remember how cocky I was the very first time out on track, and how humbled I felt after the first 20 minute session was over.

As I said, great stuff!

 

[DusterRT]

What camera are you using to make your in-car videos? Quality and (no shocker here) audio seem really good compared to what I'm used to seeing..

 

[SoundGuyDave]

jlmounce: THAT is exactly why I posted the vid... I'm no Boris Said, but you can really see the difference between the lines that I take and the lines the 'vette takes, and how much ground I can make up in the corners, even with a heavier car with less power. I don't care how much power you make, and how much kit you throw at the suspension, if you don't know how to DRIVE the car, you'll be slow. Period. Seat time is the most worthwhile mod you can make, and best of all, you take it with you from car to car!

DusterRT: The cam is a JVC Everio piece (GZ-HM200BU), and I did nothing to work with the audio other than swing the rollbar mount further to the rear to get out of the airflow. No tape over the mics, or anything like that. HD cam, records straight to SD cards, and i have 16GB on board. We'll see how it holds up now that I have all the power back, and the speeds increase.

Steve: I will DEFINITELY look you up on Friday! That's one bad-ass machine, and i may want to steal some tech from you for my TT efforts...