Road Atlanta "who's coming" and Smack Talk Thread

#101

Anyone got a old set of RA 1’s they would like to unload. While prepping the cars this evening, I noticed, the tires on my brothers car are about to cord. He is in HPDE 2, so anything you have that would just make it through the weekend.

TIA

Greg

#102

87isMan wrote:

[quote]Anyone got a old set of RA 1’s they would like to unload. While prepping the cars this evening, I noticed, the tires on my brothers car are about to cord. He is in HPDE 2, so anything you have that would just make it through the weekend.

TIA

Greg[/quote]

I don’t swap out my RA1 DE tires until they are cording pretty badly. A DE2 guy isn’t going to work his tires that hard. Put his worst tire at left rear and just watch it closely.

#103

TheRedBaron wrote:

yeah, i did notice my inbox wasn’t getting flooded with emails from him this week…figured he might actually be doing work. what was i thinking?

#104

Ranger wrote:
Put his worst tire at left rear and just watch it closely.[/quote]

Ranger -

I would argue right rear is the best place at RA for an iffy tire. Actually, I would argue that there’s no good place at RA for a corded tire. Not enough room for error.

Greg -

Come by the OPM trailer and look for me. I have a set of R888s that are pretty well worn, but not yet corded. If the shop hasn’t dismounted them already, they are all yours.

Steve D.

#105

Steve D wrote:

[quote]Ranger wrote:
Put his worst tire at left rear and just watch it closely.[/quote]

Ranger -

I would argue right rear is the best place at RA for an iffy tire. Actually, I would argue that there’s no good place at RA for a corded tire. Not enough room for error.

Greg -

Come by the OPM trailer and look for me. I have a set of R888s that are pretty well worn, but not yet corded. If the shop hasn’t dismounted them already, they are all yours.

Steve D.[/quote]

Thanks Steve will do.

#106

Steve D wrote:

[quote]Ranger wrote:
Put his worst tire at left rear and just watch it closely.[/quote]

Ranger -

I would argue right rear is the best place at RA for an iffy tire. Actually, I would argue that there’s no good place at RA for a corded tire. Not enough room for error.

Steve D.[/quote]

Ya you’re “right”. My fingers were faster then my brain. I agree RA is unforgiving. And, yes, the “run on it anyways” approach is not without risk. But I’ve run a couple pretty hard hours on rear tires that are starting to show cord and after it they only barely got worse. Traction starts to go away slowly and predictably as more cord shows. But once you see steel cord, the tire comes off.

Greg’s brother: Don’t follow my advice and then crash. I can make myself look like an asshole. I don’t need your help.

#107

Lows in the 20’s! Anyone running coolant?

#108

Ranger wrote:

[quote]Steve D wrote:

[quote]Ranger wrote:
Put his worst tire at left rear and just watch it closely.[/quote]

Ranger -

I would argue right rear is the best place at RA for an iffy tire. Actually, I would argue that there’s no good place at RA for a corded tire. Not enough room for error.

Steve D.[/quote]

Ya you’re “right”. My fingers were faster then my brain. I agree RA is unforgiving. And, yest, the “run on it anyways” approach is not without risk. But I’ve run a couple pretty hard hours on rear tires that are starting to show cord and after it they only barely got worse. Traction starts to go away slowly and predictably as more cord shows. But once you see steel cord, the tire comes off.

Greg’s brother: Don’t follow my advice and then crash. I can make myself look like an asshole. I don’t need your help.[/quote]

I think we have tires covered thanks to Steve, and the old rear tires off my car, but I can’t guarantee my brother won’t crash:unsure:

#109

As of 4:23 into the race:

Indy Jim - 135 laps
(Steve D in an Integra) - 129
Foushee - 126
C. Taylor - 125
Switzer - 120
Wilson - 117
Goldthwaite - 82 (Lost left rear wheel at T7, but back under way.)
McMennamy - 68 (Spun coming through T12 and impacted wall on driver’s right; he is OK from what I hear, but the car probably won’t see the track again today. Repairs to the car are under way.)

It was wet/icy this morning, but after a few pace laps they let us loonies out on track. Has turned into a beautiful day!

Steve D.

#110

McMennamy is back out there! He made a couple laps and go black flagged, I believe. Something under the car. On pit road now…

Good luck, guys.

Steve D.

#111

Steve D wrote:

[quote]As of 4:23 into the race:

Indy Jim - 135 laps
(Steve D in an Integra) - 129
Foushee - 126
C. Taylor - 125
Switzer - 120
Wilson - 117
Goldthwaite - 82 (Lost left rear wheel at T7, but back under way.)
McMennamy - 68 (Spun coming through T12 and impacted wall on driver’s right; he is OK from what I hear, but the car probably won’t see the track again today. Repairs to the car are under way.)

It was wet/icy this morning, but after a few pace laps they let us loonies out on track. Has turned into a beautiful day!

Steve D.[/quote]

Thanks for the report…Keep em coming

#112

Final enduro update.

The overall winner was a wicked looking and sounding Ford GT-R that runs ALMS. It was lapping in the 1:25s.:woohoo: But very courteous around us crapwagons.

Spec E30-ish results:
Indy Jim - 234 laps (2nd in E2)
Steve D in an Integra - 233 laps (first in E1)
C. Taylor - 219
Wilson - 219 (16 seconds behind CT)
Foushee - 167
Goldthwaite - 166 (and winner of the front straight save-the-tank-slapper award)
McMennamy - 148
Switzer - 124

The cold air is making some good power (just about everyone got down to the 45’s and 46’s)! Hope everyone gets everything ready for tomorrow’s sprints!!!

Steve D.

#113

One again I’m &*^%$##!!! home early from Road Atlanta. Last winter it was bearings and this time it’s my dandy new head.

I left for Atlanta Thur morning at 0500 to take my car to a shop to replace it’s 180k mi + 2 race seasons head. Once the new head went on the car wouldn’t start. The shop fought with it Friday and finally got it started Friday night.

But it ran like crap. The prevailing theory is that my old tired rings hate my dandy new head. Something like the rings were ok when my valves were all leaky but maybe they are being stressed by my new tight valves.

But I was going to hope for the best. Maybe it’s hp would be ok, I hoped. I haven’t raced since July. I’ve been looking forward to RA so damn much I couldn’t stand it. And when, during qual, everyone just walked away from me on the back stretch, the writing on the wall was clear. I was F**KED.

If I’d a kept my old head I’d a had a blast at RA. But I had to get greedy and go after a couple hp. And now I had nothing. I was so pissed off I couldn’t hardly put 2 words together. I packed my shit and went home.

Last Winter I replaced the bearings. Now I’ve replaced the head. Next week my new head goes on a low mileage junkyard motor. I’m sure I’ve found the most expensive possible way to refresh a motor.

Should, in the future, I make any possible suggestion about how to do anything, be sure to find another alternative.

On a side note. Fred and I did the Enduro. We didn’t plan to finish, we just wanted to get some laps in. I think we quit at around 5hrs. At least Friday was fun.

Goldwaite’s save was a thing of legends.

#114

Well, I broke a connecting rod at Rockingham and replaced the bearings, etc. 26 miles later, same problem popped up at the end of qualifying today. So I am at home early, too.

Hat’s off a huge thank you to Chuck, Jim Levy, Herrington, et. al. who helped me take everything apart and adjust the valves, etc. with the hopes that the problem really wasn’t in the bottom end.

:S

#115

Sorry to hear about your problems. Indy Jim also had a problem with his tranny and did not finish the race.

Just lot of E30s having problems today.

#116

Ranger, A new /refreshed cyl head on an old block shouldn’t keep the motor from running. What have you checked, have you done a compresson test, or leak down,?
and M3 bill what did they do to repair your block ?
Indy rock , we will get you a tranny, Haha

#117

bdigel wrote:

[quote]Ranger, A new /refreshed cyl head on an old block shouldn’t keep the motor from running. What have you checked, have you done a compresson test, or leak down,?
[/quote]

The shop apparently did a compression test when they were fighting with it on Friday. I’m told that cylinders should be at 150psi and I’ve a couple cylinders at 130psi.

It’s really hard to start, but the starter turns the motor faster then it did, which synchs with the compression issue.

At this point tho, I’m starting to not care too much about the details. I figure I’ll trek to Atlanta to go pick up the car in a couple weeks and take it to Balanced Performance. And if the motor doesn’t make 155hp, it can go back to the shop.

Precisely why the motor went to ratshit this weekend is conjecture. Not everything goes right the first time. Especially if I have a hand in it. But the shop knows what they are doing, they’ll get it right.

But I’ll say this to everyone…If you’ve drag raced other guys down straightaways and seemed to hold your own, let your motor be. Don’t weaken to temptation and throw money at it to gain another couple of hp. Don’t be an idiot.

But in the months and years that follow, some of you will weaken to temptation. And when you do, I’m going to look you in the eye and say “I was an idiot. But you saw me be an idiot and then you followed me down the same idiotic patch. You sir, are a special breed of idiot”.

#118

Ranger, Believe me I understand what you are saying about leaving well enough alone! But to say that people are idiots for trying to freshen up a motors is a bit strong! I have been working on BMW’s professionally for 20 years and puttting a rebuilt head on a worn out block should not end up the way yours did! that is if I am reading that your old head ran OK???I undeerstand your fustration and saying screw it , I am there with my own engine right now! But sometimes you need to figure out whats going wrong so you don’t make the same mistakes later.

#119

bdigel wrote:

It’s not universally dumb to freshen up a motor. But in this grassroots racing venue it’s a little dumb to a) Freshen up a likely 50 percentile motor just to gain a couple hp, and b) Do only the head and just “hope for the best” with the rings.

Especially when you just doing this for fun and really don’t care if you are 6th, 8th or 10th. Not that I’ve ever been 6th. Or 8th.

Or 10th. Lol.

#120

Ranger,

Sorry to hear about your trouble.

Is it possible that they goy the cam timing off by a tooth? I would think that would make it run like crap?

Don