An STX RX-8?! Chiketkd's 2010 STX thread!!!

[Chiketkd]

Installed the pair of 7K Swift front springs today with the help of my friend Shawn:



In this pic you can see the stock 6K PSS9 front spring next to the 7K Swift spring. In the foreground is the stock 40mm PSS9 bumpstop.

To increase my bump travel, I decided to cut down the stock PSS9 bumpstops by 4mm, giving me a 36mm bumpstop (same length as the ones FCM offers for the MX-5/RX-8). 4mm ended up being just the tapered end of the bumpstop (I removed it from the stiffer end of each bumpstop).



The above pic shows the material that was removed.

Re-installed the front coilovers after lowering my spring perches by 5mm -- due to the Swift springs being stiffer they don't compress as much as the stock PSS9 springs under the weight of the car.

The installed coilovers are shown below-

Driver's Side


Passenger Side


General Thoughts - Drove home on shock settings of 5F/5R. The car still felt very composed -- no sensation of it being underdamped or "bouncy". I also noticed less front-end dive under braking. I'm really looking forward to testing out my "revised" set-up at my next autocross!

[Chiketkd]

I got to autocross the car both days this past weekend.

On Saturday, I instructed at my local BRR-SCCA's annual solo school. Instructors got to do some runs at the end of the day, where I was able to turn FTD. Ran pressures of 39F/37R and shock settings of 4F/5R. With the new front springs, the car felt very composed, even in the bumpy stuff, and the front-end dived less in braking and seemed more composed through fast transitions.

Sunday, was points event #2 with the DC region at Fedex Stadium. There were 13 drivers competing in STX -- including a trailered STX WRX from PA. I ran pressures of 39F/37R with shock settings of 3F/4R as the "B lot" we used today has medium-to-high grip asphalt. My best was a 42.8 which left me 3rd in class -- 0.1 seconds out of 2nd, 0.2 seconds out of 1st. Overall, I felt pretty happy with my final time as Ian Baker (pro solo national champion and has finished as high as 2nd at solo nats) won STS in his CRX SI with a best time 42.498. So running ~0.3 seconds off of Ian this early in the season is definitely encouraging.


Summary:
3rd out of 13 in class
29th out of 204 in PAX

Results
Street Touring X
Pos # Driver Car Run1 Run2 Run3 Run4 Total Diff
1T 7 Willemin, John 2003 Subaru Impreza Wrx World Rally Blue 43.741+1 43.341+DNF 42.853 42.644 42.644 0
2T 107 Finlay, Travis 2003 Subaru Wrx Blue 44.440 43.892 42.762 43.384 42.762 0.118
3T 90 Dellimore, Chike 2006 Mazda Rx-8 Grey 43.565 43.137+1 43.463 42.868 42.868 0.106
4 91 Koback, Adam 2004 Subaru Wrx Silver 43.595 43.919+1 42.957 43.097 42.957 0.089
5 29 Sciukas, Paul 2005 Subaru Wrx Blue 45.461 44.164 43.721 43.797 43.721 0.764
6 13 Hill, Barrett 2004 Subaru Wrx Silver 46.389+1 45.554 44.955 45.229 44.955 1.234
7 57 Mero, Matthew 1994 Bmw 325Is White 48.482 45.920 45.205 45.225 45.205 0.250
8 68 Ferrucci, Michael 2008 Blue Subaru WRX 46.003 45.514+1 45.464+DNF 45.407 45.407 0.202
9 39 Evans, Paul 2002 Mini Cooper S Blue/White 47.037+1 46.261+DNF 45.795 45.697+1 45.795 0.388
10 16 Vlcko, Derek 2005 Subaru Wrx Crystal Gray Metallic 48.329 47.001 46.693 46.512+2 46.693 0.898
11 1 Bernard, Charles 2002 Lexus Is300 Graphite Gray 55.796+1 49.138 49.220 47.681 47.681 0.988
12 11 Laor, Jonathan 2006 Infinity G35 White 51.073 48.987 48.284 48.313 48.284 0.603
13 21 Roberts, Andrew 2006 Vw Gti Black 53.274 52.787 51.226+DNF 50.729 50.729 2.445



Pics:

Willemin


Finlay


Dellimore (yours truly)


Koback


Sciukas

[benebob]

Originally Posted by Chiketkd

Who said I had a final 3?

My final choice was actually between the RE-11's and the RS-3's. The RE-11's are good in the dry & the wet, while the RS-3's are an exceptional dry tire and a little more "sketchy" in the wet. In the end, I wanted to have the absolute best dry tire and from my research the RS-3's were the ones for me...

I loved the rs-3s but the no longer make 'em in a real car tire size since the trend is bling not performance. Moved to the Kuhmo XS and it is an equal in the dry and not as scary in the wet (hydroplaned for 80 miles going 40mph. on the pa turnpike. They are horribly loud but that isn't an issue for me and seem to be lasting nicely. Have nearly 300 miles on 'em. Of course my tire pressures are a little lighter (20 front 18 rear) but they're worth a try especially for +-20% less than the Hankooks! I did have numerous BMW Mini owners chomping at the bit to by the Hankooks so they might be better on some heavier cars.

[Chiketkd]

Ben,

The Kumho XS's are definitley an exceptional dry weather tire like the RS-3's. They were definitely one of the tires I considered initially...

Next up for me will be an autocross with the Shenandoah PCA chapter on 5/15, followed by the North East Divisional on 5/30 - 5/31. Gary will be driving my car at the divisional, and I'm hoping we could both finish towards the pointy end of the well-subscribed class (11 currently registered).

[GreenMarine]

Hey Chike, I might have talked with you about this a few years ago (can't remember)... Anyway, if you want an OBX headder and stock spare wheel, let me know. I managed to salvage them from my friends RX-8 after a lady t-boned him when the car was only 10,000 miles old ...

Here's a link to the forsale thread on NASIOC if you are interested... Shoot me an email since I am never on here anymore

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=1667614

cjlindley "at" gmail "dot" com

Thanks man,

~ Chris

[Chiketkd]

Hey Chris,

Thanks for the heads-up. Not sure if I'll do a header on my car as the performance gains are minimal, while the noise level increases are substantial. However, if I decide to go this route, I'll let you know...

Been a while since I updated this thread. I haven't autocrossed since the last DC event #2, but I have a PCA event this Saturday. Gary and I will be co-driving the RX-8 as we both prepare for the NE Divisional at the end of this month! As my car still lacks any kind of ECU mods, I need to be sure my suspension set-up is dialed-in as much as possible.

[Chiketkd]

Here's a write-up that two of my other competitors have written about the May 2nd WDCR event. I'm including them as I feel they give a great perspective on how close the racing was that day...

Originally Posted by ButtDyno

Event #5: WDCR/SCCA @ Fedex, 5-2-2010

After the sealant-cross at the 4-18 event, we were moved to a smaller but not-freshly-sealed lot for the 5-2 event. Mixed blessing: less space, but thankfully back to normal Fedex levels of grip.

For this event, in addition to the normal WDCR folk, STX had visitors from PA: Adam (adamkob32 I think), Mike (aferruci83) and Paul (planetarygear), all with coilover'd and Dunlop'd WRXs at various levels of prep. Adam and Mike are on the same coilovers as Travis and I (Ground Control full coilovers w/ Konis) though all three cars are on slightly different springrates.

[watching the Flyers game. ****, ****, ****, **** ****. :sadbanana:]

The course was mostly straightforward with a couple of tricks. I lost the charger for the netbook that runs our MaxQData setup, so no video. Here's Adam's video, though:

YouTube- 5/2/2010 Adam Koback, WDCR FedEx Autocross 01

First run: decent, 43.7 + 1 somewhere. I was pleasantly surprised by how grippy it was. I spent most of this run being afraid to go remotely deep into any of the braking zones and figuring out where I could push harder.

2nd run: I got a little crossed up and zigged when I should have zagged... went on the inside of a pointer cone, O/C. I used the rest of the run to push a lot harder to see where the limits were. 43.3 but OC.

3rd run: OK, time to get a clean one... I knew Chike had a dirty 43.1 and Adam had a clean 43.5. I didn't really change strategies, it wasn't a "safety" run or anything like that, I just made a mental note to stay tight/patient after the first sweeper so that I could really power up the hill, and to stay on the correct side of all the pointer cones :unamused: 42.8 clean. Cool.

Then Travis came in with a 42.7. Damned codrivers!

Adam got a 42.9, and Chike had a clean 43.4, and Paul was sitting on a 43.7 - I knew any of them could get faster. Sometimes I have noticed in past events that if I get a decent time I'll get a little complacent and not go into my last run with the same mentality. And then someone rips off a great run and I kick myself. Sooo

4th run: No big strategy changes. I wanted to push a little deeper into the braking zone at the end of the really fast slalom, and clean up the downhill-to-uphill U-turn before the finish. I had overshot a little on my 3rd run and it took me a while before I could get back on the gas. I pushed a little harder in the last righthander to the finish and had to wait a little to get on the gas, may have been worth it since I carried more speed into it... 42.6. Travis ended up sitting on his 42.7, Chike dropped down to a 42.8, and Adam stayed with a 42.9. So, it ended up like this:

42.6
42.7
42.8
42.9
43.7

Close racing! I can't remember STX ever having a top 4/top 5 quite like this. It should be a cool year for sure.

Car setup notes

No changes coming in. We had to spray the fronts after the 1st set of runs, and the rears needed a light spray for the last couple runs. Tire pressures were only going up 1 psi in the front between runs, and less than that in the rear. Anecdotally it seems like a 2-3 psi gain was pretty normal when we were on the 27mm bar. (or maybe we're just driving smoother)

The car still hasn't been aligned... maybe for the divisional.

There should be a set of AD08s on the way soon, just working out the logistics with Radial Tire and Yokohama. The Z1s have been pretty amazing though, still fast even after all these miles/heat cycles/runs. It's like they haven't dropped off at all.

The only setup change planned is to get the Whiteline bushings installed in the rear lateral links/trailing arms. Just have to take the rear suspension off and do it...

Originally Posted by adamkob32

5/2/2010 WDCR SCCA Autocross #2

So after not being down to DC Region myself in over 2 years I figured it was definitely over due, especially since they have such a strong STX following down there at the moment. John and Travis always put on a good show in their 03 WRX, and now another competitor of the region Chike is putting together a serious RX-8 STX build as well. I also wanted to get an event or two in with the car setup before the big divisional at the end of May.

We all went out for our first runs, on a brand new lot mind you, and I think all of us were pretty stunned and happy just how great it was and how much grip we had out there. I came across with a 43.595 on my first run, which put me in 2nd position, Chike 1st, Travis 3rd, and John 4th carrying a cone. I was blown away with how well the car performed and knew it was going to be a good day with how close we were all running. The car rotated really great, power came on at the right times, it was just going well.

Second run I wanted to really push the car and see where I could make up some time. Unfortunately in doing so I carried a cone on the 2nd run and pushed a little slower. All our positions pretty much stayed the same after this run set.

Third runs really got the blood pumping. I myself wanted to calm down a bit and get a nice composed run in. John ran first and threw down a 42.853, which Travis then bested with a 42.762, RX-8 came across with a 43.463 and I came in at a sub 43, 42.957. Absolutely thrilled that we were all running so closely and knew something had to be done in the final run.

Fourth run John was up first and absolutely demolished us throwing down a 42.644 to take over the lead from Travis who can only muster a 43.3 on the final run. RX-8 came through with a flying pass of 42.868 to take away 3rd place from me by .089 seconds. I couldn't not do a better time on the 4th run with the current tire temperatures and only managed a 43.097.

So at the end of the day only .3 seconds separated 1st through 4th place.
1st John - 42.644
2nd Travis - 42.762
3rd Chike - 42.868
4th Adam - 42.957

Absolutely the closest battle I think I've had in a few years and well worth the trip down there. I'm really looking forward to running with those guys again at Divisional towards the end of May. If you guys are somewhat local I suggest checking this event out, it's going to be so much fun. I'll leave you guys with a video (incar and spectator).

YouTube- 5/2/2010 Adam Koback, WDCR FedEx Autocross 01

P.S. I'll add my write-up of the 5/15 PCA event tonight.

[Chiketkd]

I competed at the 5/15 PCA event #2 at Verona, VA. This was the first PCA autocross I've ever done and I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of course design...

The course ended up being an array of high and low speed elements mixed together. The first section flowed well, the later 2/3rds of the course just didn't imho.

One part of the course went dangerously close to the edge of the lot (by a grassy hill), and 2-3 cars ended up going off into the grass during the course of the event. See a pic of one off-course excursion by a miata below:



In terms of my driving (what I could control), I was just inconsistent. Gary was up first in the RX-8 and after three runs got down to a 60.039. I went next (in the following heat), and ran a best of 61.3 after two runs. We then checked my tires and realized they were overheating, and after a good spraying, I was able to turn a 59.726+1 on my 3rd run.

We then had a short break and Gary go two more runs in the afternoon. He ran a 59.3+1 and then a clean 59.858. I went next, and ran a clean 60.859 and then a dirty 60.6+1.

So Gary had the fastest Raw and clean time time. We were both at the top of the "Other" class, with the next fastest competitor back in the 61's. I'm pleased I was able to find some speed on the day and get into the 59's -- even if it ended up being dirty...

[Chiketkd]

Will be the 2010 NE Divisional @ Fedex Field this coming Memorial Day weekend. Gary is co-driving with me, and STX has a total of 12 people registered. Should be another great event with great competition!!!

[Chiketkd]

Quick Update: I did the practice session this afternoon with two WRX guys from the last DC event (Willemin and Koback). We each did 4 runs on the pratice course which included a fast slalom, long sweeper, two lower speed offsets, and a relatively fast off-camber finish! Willemin ran a best of 23.0, Koback got down to a 22.8 while I turned a 22.7. There were also two turbo Mini Cooper S STX drivers who were both back in the mid-to-upper 23's.

My suspension really feels dialed-in at the moment and there's not a single change I'd make to it. In terms of tire pressures, I ran cold pressures of 39F/36R which I then kept at 40F/37R when hot. This felt REALLY good. Back-end was very easy to control when it stepped out and grip felt exceptional F&R.

The car is definitely in good shape for this event. As long as the weather cooperates, I'm shooting for a top 3 finish...and I feel I have a solid shot at the top spot!

*fingers crossed*

[Chiketkd]

Day 1 is now over at Fedex and I'm very happy with how the car performed today. I lead the class with a 56.6 after 2nd runs, but fell to 2nd in the end when Gary pulled out a 56.4 on his 4th and final run (I ran a dirty 56.0 and 55.9 on my 3rd and 4th runs respectively).

So my car currently sits 1-2 in the class. 6th place in the class is a 57.0 - so there's literally 6 drivers all within 0.6 seconds of the lead!

Day 2 will be interesting...

[Chiketkd]

Day 2 of the 2010 NE Divisional went well and I came away as the STX class champion. Gary couldn't quite match my pace, and fell to 3rd. Adam Koback (won ST at last year's Finger Lakes NT), moved from 4th to 2nd.

My fastest time today of 52.2 was 0.4 seconds faster than anyone else in the class and 0.2 seconds faster than Ian Baker's winning time in STS. My cumulative time for the weekend was 0.1 seconds off of Ian's. All in all it was a great weekend, with great competition.

I'm still impressed by just how well my suspension is working right now. These coilovers kick ass!!!!

[Chiketkd]

The STX class had 14 drivers including a few past NT winners like Adam Koback and Andrew Weigel (won ST and STX respectively at last year's Finger Lakes NT). Adam is in a WRX for 2010 as are a number of fast WDCR WRX drivers like John Willemin and Travis Finlay, etc. Gary Krichbaum from my local SCCA region co-drove with me at this event.

After a tight battle on Day 1 which saw the top 6 separated by ~0.6 seconds, the class stood as follows:

Gary (RX8) - 56.4
Chike (RX8) - 56.6 (coned away a 55.9)
Kevin (WRX) - 56.7
Adam (WRX) - 56.8
Travis (WRX) - 56.8
John (WRX) - 57.0

On Day 2, only 3 drivers managed to get into the 52's on clean runs. John and Travis managed best runs of 53.3 and 53.8 respectively and finished 5th and 6th in the class. Kevin turned a clean 52.9 but fell to 4th, behind my co-driver Gary who's fastest run was a clean 53.1. Adam ran the fastest raw time of 52.0+1 but had to stand on a clean 52.6 and finished in 2nd overall. I lead the class with a clean 52.2 second run which moved me into the top spot.

A few thoughts- I'm extremely happy with my suspension settings/alignment/tire pressures at the moment. Both Gary and I found my car's handling at the limit to be very predictable and easy to control. A big thanks to Sam Strano for his set-up advice!

Summary:
1st out of 14 in class
44th out of 191 in PAX

Results: http://www.wdcr-scca.org/LinkClick.a...=1663&mid=3490

PAX: http://www.wdcr-scca.org/LinkClick.a...=1663&mid=3490


Pics:

Entering the showcase




Into the final turn before the finish

[SVXRide]

Chike,

Sam is setting up RX-8s now? Damn, but the man is good! Congrats on a great event!

-Bill

[Chiketkd]

Bill,

Absolutely. That guy is brilliant when it comes to making cars work. I bought my Bilstein coilovers and Swift springs from him. We discussed my target wheel rates and how to achieve them through changes/adjustments to my springs and swaybars.

At this point, I'm not touching my suspension again for the season!

P.S. I was planning on the NE Divisional being my only "big" event of this season. Based on my result against the talent that was present in the class, I'm serious toying with the idea of doing either the Finger Lakes NT or the Peru NT. If I do decide to do one of these, I'll need to get a co-driver to help keep my costs down (gas & hotel).