DSM Forums - Blogs - GreenGSX http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/ DSM tech forums for performance enthusiasts. en Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:38:33 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg DSM Forums - Blogs - GreenGSX http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/ One Lap safety net http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1429-one-lap-safety-net.html Wed, 28 Apr 2010 20:23:57 GMT Guys, I leave tomorrow morning for the 2010 One Lap of America race. I am looking to build a list of go to guys along the route in case of emergency. If you are located near these tracks or somewhere along the route between them and think you might be in a position to help please PM your contact information. Here is the list of events. Here is the 2010 One Lap of America schedule as of 2/13/2010: (A) Friday, April 30th – Wet Skidpad - The Tire Rack in South Bend, IN (527 miles in... Guys,

I leave tomorrow morning for the 2010 One Lap of America race. I am looking to build a list of go to guys along the route in case of emergency. If you are located near these tracks or somewhere along the route between them and think you might be in a position to help please PM your contact information.

Here is the list of events.

Here is the 2010 One Lap of America schedule as of 2/13/2010:

(A) Friday, April 30th – Wet Skidpad - The Tire Rack in South Bend, IN (527 miles in 8:15 to and from event)

(B) Saturday, May 1st – Road Course - Road America (235 miles in 4:05)

(C) Sunday, May 2nd – Road Course - Mid America Motorplex (571 miles in 9:30)

(D) Monday AM, May 3rd – Road Course - Hallett Motor Racing Circuit (424 miles in 7:20)

(E) Monday PM, May 3rd – Dragstrip - Tulsa Raceway Park (46 miles in :52)

(F) Tuesday, May 4th - Oval Track/Road Course - Gateway International Raceway (393 miles in 6:12)

(G) Wednesday, May 5th – Road Course - Mid Ohio Sports Car Course (478 miles in 7:59)

(H) Thursday, May 6th – Road Course - Lightning Raceway NJ Motorsports Park (527 miles in 8:21)

(I) Friday, May 7th – Road Course - Nelson Ledges (438 miles in 7:02)

(J) Saturday, May 8th - Dry Skidpad - The Tire Rack in South Bend, IN (295 miles in 4:42)

You can find more information about the route on our website here.

www.onelap.rochesterdsm.org

Thanks,

Tim Harper ]]> GreenGSX http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1429-one-lap-safety-net.html One Lap VR-4 gets a custom wing http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1428-one-lap-vr-4-gets-custom-wing.html Wed, 28 Apr 2010 20:23:24 GMT The aerodynamic package on the One Lap VR-4 is complete with the addition of a custom rear wing. You can read all about it and check out the photos here on our website. http://wp.me/priSZ- The aerodynamic package on the One Lap VR-4 is complete with the addition of a custom rear wing. You can read all about it and check out the photos here on our website. http://wp.me/priSZ-
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]]> GreenGSX http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1428-one-lap-vr-4-gets-custom-wing.html <![CDATA[One Lap VR-4 hits STM's dyno!]]> http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1427-one-lap-vr-4-hits-stms-dyno.html Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:47:16 GMT Streettunedmotorsports.com has given me free reign of there dyno last Friday morning and afternoon. Last year we put down 355hp on a conservative tune while running 100% duty cycle on a set of Denso 660’s. This year things are a bit different. Handling the fueling this year is a brand new set of FIC 1050cc injectors which are big enough to be corn ready if need be. The car has also been running ECMlink speed density for a week now so we can finally put that GM MAF where it belongs. The... Streettunedmotorsports.com has given me free reign of there dyno last Friday morning and afternoon. Last year we put down 355hp on a conservative tune while running 100% duty cycle on a set of Denso 660’s. This year things are a bit different.

Handling the fueling this year is a brand new set of FIC 1050cc injectors which are big enough to be corn ready if need be. The car has also been running ECMlink speed density for a week now so we can finally put that GM MAF where it belongs. The trash!

The goal for was to get the car back to 355hp and then dial in the cams using the adjustable cam gears donated by Autobahntom. From there we want to play around with advancing both cams to see if we can’t push the power band lower while still holding onto the 355hp target. All while limiting ourselves to 25psi of boost. If there is time and the car is running right we might crank up the boost to see what she will do. Last year we had a boost controller error (I set it wrong) and we did a 30psi pull which netted 377hp at somewhere between 5-6k rpms. So we know there is lots of power left in her.

Friday morning starts a bit late and most of the time is spent dialing in the VE tables in the ECMlink software. Once I get those dialed in its time to start some real pulls with boost. Just as I am almost done I can hear one of the chains tapping on the side of the dyno. At first I didn’t really bother with it but then it go louder and louder. I hopped out of the car and had one the STM guys rev the car and it wasn’t the chain. It was comming from under the hood!

It seems to scale with rpm which is bad but it goes away when the clutch is depressed. That is good but not so hot for the transmission. Yep, something let go inside my tranny. Good thing I was local on the dyno and not half-way across the country.

Emery at STM did everything he could to help us out. He tossed me the keys to the F350 shop truck so I could run home and get my spare transmission and then cleared out a bay in his shop so I could have a space to work. He said “no worries, we’ll get this done..we have enough hands here.” So I spent most of Friday night pulling the old tranny out and installing the new one with a lot of help from Cory and Kevin at STM who helped me wrestle the tranny into place. I also found a loose spring in the ACT street disk and Emery got on the phone and had a low millage disk at the shop in a couple of hours for me. At Midnight it rolled out and I brought her home.

The RochesterDSM One Lap team owes Emery at StreettunedMotorsports.com a big, big Thank You! for basically opening up there shop to help us out.

The dyno time was rescheduled for Monday after work. We started out with more work dialing the VE tables in and getting that map to look right. Emery joined in and we started to make some pulls. A quick low boost run netted 275Hp and told us everything was running right. So we put the boost up to 25psi and make a quick pull. That got us 351Hp which is almost as much as we got last year on 27psi. A new set of plugs and a few more tweeks gets us into the 360’s. Another plug change and advancing the intake cam gear 2 degrees gets us to 368Hp with a much better torque curve. From there we adjusted timing and boost to get to the 370’s, 389Hp, and at 28psi of boost it made 401Hp @ 6400 rpms and 366 torque at 5200 rpms.

Knowing the One Lap EVO X put down 402Hp on the same dyno we decided to give the boost controller another twist to see what she had in her. This time we had a bit of knock up top which dipped the Hp/Tq numbers on the top end but still netted us 408Hp @ 6300 rpms and 386 ft/lbs of torque at 5100 rpms. The Hp curve was still climbing before the knock dipped it down a bit. If we were able to take some more timing out up top it would have made much more but 408Hp was good enough for us especially on a Mustang Dyno. The boost curve showed that we had 33psi at torque peak and it had dipped down to 31psi at Hp peak.

There’s no way we are running 33psi of boost for this race. Its just too much power for our spare tranny with its stock center diff. We’ll be around 25psi which should put us in the mid 360’s which is more then last year. We will also be on speed density so no more GM MAF hiccups.

Big thanks to Art Hoffman, Forced Performance and TeamNABR for helping us out and loaning us the FP3052 turbo. For some photos be sure to check out our website here. http://wp.me/priSZ-sk
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]]> GreenGSX http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1427-one-lap-vr-4-hits-stms-dyno.html How to build a front splitter for the One Lap VR-4 http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1425-how-build-front-splitter-one-lap-vr-4.html Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:26:28 GMT By now its no longer a secret that the VR-4 is getting a wing. Not just a “ricer” looking wing but a real-deal if you have to ask you can’t afford it type of wing. The deal was too good to pass up so we went for it. What does a rear wing do? In simplest terms it pushes down on the back of the car. The faster you go the harder it pushes. The angle of the wing can be adjusted to “dial” in the amount of down force. So why the wing? Having a rear wing helps keep the rear of the car planted... By now its no longer a secret that the VR-4 is getting a wing. Not just a “ricer” looking wing but a real-deal if you have to ask you can’t afford it type of wing. The deal was too good to pass up so we went for it. What does a rear wing do? In simplest terms it pushes down on the back of the car. The faster you go the harder it pushes. The angle of the wing can be adjusted to “dial” in the amount of down force. So why the wing? Having a rear wing helps keep the rear of the car planted and adds overall to the amount of grip the car has. It also lets you set the car up to over steer at low speeds when the wing has a smaller amount of down force and when you go faster the car becomes neutral so you can take transitions at higher speeds. The problem is that whenever you push on the back of the car you end up slightly lifting the front. That’s important because when you want the car to turn you need all the weight you can get on the front tires.

This is where the front splitter comes in. A splitter is noting more then a big flat piece of something attached to the area under the front bumper which directs air under the car. Since the air under the car has a shorter distance to travel then the air going over the car it moves faster.. Bernoullis’ principal says faster moving air has a lower pressure and that lower pressure is what causes front down force. It’s that down force that we are after to help balance out the added down force of the rear wing.

For a splitter to work it has to be flat, parallel to the ground, and be able to hold together at high speeds. The benefit of the splitter gets better the further back under the car it goes and in real race cars is part of an under tray that includes a flat middle and a diffuser at the rear. With very little time to build a splitter we are only going to bring ours as far back as the front of the front tires. To help the fact that we are not going very far back under the car we are going to extend the lip of the splitter almost 5 inches beyond the lower lip of the fascia.

To build the splitter I chose a product called alumalite which is a sandwich of aluminum-plastic honeycomb-aluminum. Its used for signs and the sides of tractor trailers. I was able to get a 4′ x 8′ sheet of 1/4″ alumalite for $90 locally.

Working with it is pretty easy. You can drill it, cut it in a table saw, use a grinder, or pretty much any other power tool you have. Lightweight and strong it’s a pretty versatile material for race cars.

A splitter has to be strong. It has to be able to withstand high loads without bending. If it bends you loose some of the benefit and some of the down force. So to make this as strong as I could I decided to build a frame for it out of 1″ aluminum tube. The frame would be then bolted to 1/2″ nuts that I will weld to the bottom of the. I used two on the engine cross member with a third on the radiator core support. I’ve jacked the car up on the engine cross member so I know its strong enough to handle the loads of the splitter.

I am using 1/2″ bolts to attach it to the car so I welded up some 1″ tube risers to the frame to set the height of the splitter. The lower the splitter the better it works but the lower you build it the better chance you have of having it rip off when you get a little to aggressive over a set of rumble strips. I decided to build it with 5″ of ground clearance which is just enough to get in and out of my driveway and low enough, I think, to work.

Once in place there is a large gap between the bottom of the fascia and the splitter that must be filled. After looking for materials to fill that gap I settled on the alumalite. By cutting relief cuts on the back side I was able to form it around a Map gas bottle so I knew it would conform to the larger curves of the fascia.

With the splitter and the air dam built it was now time to turn to a support system. I need to build a set of turnbuckles to support the leading edge of the splitter and to allow some up-down adjustment to fine tune the amount of down force. I found a set of turnbuckles at my local hardware store that along with some threaded rod and clevis pins would give me what I needed.

Here are some photos of the build. For the rest of the story and all the photo’s be sure to check out our website here Rochester DSM OneLap Blog Archive How to build a front splitter
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]]> GreenGSX http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1425-how-build-front-splitter-one-lap-vr-4.html Crankcase vent tank- update Installed! http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1392-crankcase-vent-tank-update-installed.html Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:23:33 GMT …as promised I have some updated photos which show the tank installed. I wanted it to fit tighter to the fuse box but the two wire looms would not move enough to let it fit. So it sits an inch or so closer to the valve cover then I wanted but I still think it fits well. For now, I’ve also decided to cap off the PCV system. I may or may not bring it back depending how the tank works without it. …as promised I have some updated photos which show the tank installed. I wanted it to fit tighter to the fuse box but the two wire looms would not move enough to let it fit. So it sits an inch or so closer to the valve cover then I wanted but I still think it fits well. For now, I’ve also decided to cap off the PCV system. I may or may not bring it back depending how the tank works without it.
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]]> GreenGSX http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1392-crankcase-vent-tank-update-installed.html TunersNation.com big brakes on One Lap VR4 http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1382-tunersnation-com-big-brakes-one-lap-vr4.html Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:40:27 GMT TunersNation has stepped up and sponsored the One Lap VR-4 with a new set of brakes. It’s no easy task matching the stopping power and economical maintenance cost of the Baer Track system it replaces. So when Garfield called with the news I was sceptical at first but when the parts started showing up and I could actually put them in my hands it became clear that these new brakes are up to the task. TunerNation has supplied us with one of there custom 3000GT VR4 kits for the Galant VR-4. ... TunersNation has stepped up and sponsored the One Lap VR-4 with a new set of brakes. It’s no easy task matching the stopping power and economical maintenance cost of the Baer Track system it replaces. So when Garfield called with the news I was sceptical at first but when the parts started showing up and I could actually put them in my hands it became clear that these new brakes are up to the task.

TunerNation has supplied us with one of there custom 3000GT VR4 kits for the Galant VR-4. The kit uses the 4-piston calliper from the 91-93 GT VR4 along with its 12.4” rotor. The callipers are big and beefy. Cast from only two pieces and with no bridging bolts they feature 0 calliper flex. This allows for an internal fluid passage between halves which is a more durable design then the Brembo/Wilwood external balance line.

The rotors are from DBA 4000 series which are DBA’s mid-series enhanced performance rotor features Thermal Stability Profiling for improved heat handling and Thermo-Graphicpaint markings for effective heat monitoring. This rotor incorporates the innovative Kangaroo Paw ventilation design, which runs cooler, stronger and outperforms traditional straight vane disc rotors by up to 20%.

Mounting the callipers are a set of TunerNation own mounting brackets water jet cut from ˝” steel. Hardened bolts hold everything in place and a new set of SS brake lines were included too.

To make sure the One Lap VR-4 was well prepared for battle TunersNation sent along two sets of rotors, callipers, and brackets!

Garfield, using one of his countless connections in the business, contacted the people at Project Mu. Project Mu is like the Hawk Brakes of Japan. Project Mu donated a set of there HPC+ which feature a high coefficient of friction with the ability to take a beating at the track.
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]]> GreenGSX http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1382-tunersnation-com-big-brakes-one-lap-vr4.html Crankcase vent tank http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1326-crankcase-vent-tank.html Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:53:46 GMT In 2009 the One Lap VR-4 struggled with crank case pressure and oil control. We were using the stock 3/8″ fitting off the valve cover feeding to a .75 quart catch can. The stock PCV system was retained with a new PCV valve. We found that after a 4 minute hot lapping session the catch can would fill and blow oil out of the filter all over the engine bay. That meant that we not only risked getting DQ’d for leaking oil but we were at serious risk of a fire. Hot oil has this uncanny way of bursting into flames when you least expect it.

At the top of our to do list for 2010 was to design and build a better system. We took a lot of advice from the NABR and Galant VR-4 guys and this is what we came up with. Its basically a welded aluminum tank with two 8 AN feed lines from the valve cover. It has a 12 AN port which will connect to the pre-turbo intake pipe to provide a source of vacuum to the tank. The really cool feature is a 6 AN drain port on the bottom which will allow the oil to flow back out of the tank and back into the block via the rear balance shaft inspection hole. We can do this because we have removed the balance shafts from the motor. Finally, the tank measures 3.75 quarts in volume so we should have lots of capacity and no hot oil flying around under the hood.

I started with section of 4″ extruded aluminum tube that I had left over from building intake manifolds. The plan is to mount the tank along side the fuse box that sits in front of the passenger side wheel well along the fender. That will give a strait shot from the valve cover and should be close enough to the intake to make connecting it a snap. To cut the stock I am using a table saw with carbide blade. Sounds dangerous but the blade is designed to cut metal and except for the flying bits of aluminum its no worse then cutting wood.

Instead of weld AN fittings I am using the cheapest hose ends I can find and then modifying them to fit. The real head scratcher for me was how to design the inside of the tank. What I did was to kind of box off the two 8 AN inlets so they would blow against a wall. That way the oil could just run off the wall into the sump. I also boxed off the 12 AN vacuum port so even if oil was flying around inside the tank there would be no way for it to get to it. Finally I decided to wedge some scotch-brite pads between the vacuum box and the tank. I am hoping that the surface area of the pads will allow oil vapor to condense and drain out before it gets to the intake pipe. Honestly, I just don’t know how its going to work until its on the car and we are half-way across the Nation.

On the valve cover I used the existing vent port. I knocked the stock steel tube by clamping it with a vice grip and then whacking the vice grips with a hammer until it came out. I then drilled out the hole to 5/8″ (8 AN) and welded it all up. The second port was mounted right next to it but I was forced to install it at a slight angle to allow it to clear the thermostat housing. To get the stock baffle out I drilled out the little nubs and pulled it out. I made an attempt to reinstall it but my welding skills aren’t that great and I just ended up blowing holes in the thin aluminum baffle. So I made my own out of some 1/8″ sheet. I traced the outline using the old baffle and then welded two tabs to keep oil form getting in from the top. Its not pretty but it covers to ports and thats all I needed it to do.

Its not totally finished yet. I still have to make the lines, install the tank under the hood, and make the connection to the BS inspection port. I will update this when its all in and tested.

For all of the photos check out our website here LINK
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]]> GreenGSX http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1326-crankcase-vent-tank.html RochesterDSM One Lap team in Gearbox Magazine http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1132-rochesterdsm-one-lap-team-gearbox-magazine.html Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:00:19 GMT There is a great article about the RochesterDSM One Lap team in this months Mitsubishi Gearbox Magazine. You can check it out here... click (http://mitsubishi.gearboxmagazine.com/2010/03/rochester-dsm-one-lap-team/) There is a great article about the RochesterDSM One Lap team in this months Mitsubishi Gearbox Magazine.

You can check it out here... click
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]]> GreenGSX http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1132-rochesterdsm-one-lap-team-gearbox-magazine.html ThreeSpeed sponsors One Lap Evo X! http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1119-threespeed-sponsors-one-lap-evo-x.html Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:06:52 GMT The Rochester DSM One Lap Team is proud to announce that we have a new sponsor for our 2010 trip. Three-Speed.com has signed up to be an official sponsor this year and will be displayed proudly on the One Lap Evo X.

ThreeSpeed started with roots deep in the Galant VR-4 community as Harry Blanchard built up one of the most pristine and iconic Galant VR-4 builds that the community had ever seen. The car was “number 3", representing the 3rd of only a 1000 that was sold in 1992. When it came time to put a scatter shield into that car, the after-market industry at the time fell short in producing a quality scatter shield that would actually hold up to the standards the car had come to represent. With the creation of that scatter shield, so started ThreeSpeed, a design and specialty manufacturing company dedicated to producing nothing but the highest quality products on the market for over a decade.

You can check out the full line of ThreeSpeed products here click

and read more about there sponsorship on our website here click
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]]> GreenGSX http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1119-threespeed-sponsors-one-lap-evo-x.html ECMtuning Sponsors One Lap VR-4 http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1108-ecmtuning-sponsors-one-lap-vr-4.html Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:21:03 GMT In 2009, before this entire adventure began, we knew that the VR4 wouldn’t run smoothly unless we could get a solid ECU management solution in place. When we asked around to see if somebody would let us borrow an ECMlink for the trip, ECM Tuning (http://ecmtuning.com) stepped up to the plate. They provided us with a new version 3 system of their amazing platform. The car wouldn’t have run half as good as it did without the ECMlink, and we would have never been ready in time. When we got done... In 2009, before this entire adventure began, we knew that the VR4 wouldn’t run smoothly unless we could get a solid ECU management solution in place. When we asked around to see if somebody would let us borrow an ECMlink for the trip, ECM Tuning stepped up to the plate. They provided us with a new version 3 system of their amazing platform. The car wouldn’t have run half as good as it did without the ECMlink, and we would have never been ready in time. When we got done with the trip, we sent ECM Tuning a nice letter explaining that we can’t send the system back, and that we would never want to drive or race the car again without that system on board.

For 2010 ECM Tuning has stepped up to the plate once again by becoming an official sponsor for the Galant VR-4 Team. While we wouldn’t have any other system in the car to keep it running, we are proud to be able to wear the badge of ECM Tuning on the side of the car to represent the best system available for making these cars go fast.

To say that ECM Tuning leads the way in engine management solutions for the DSM and Evo line of vehicles would be an understatement. So much has happened in one year with ECM Tuning Products. We had one of the early versions of Version 3 to use on One Lap. Since then they have announced a Lite version of the product, along with the development of platform allowing you to add this management solution to all versions of DSMs. All tuning solutions used to revolve around the exclusive ownership of one of the increasingly rare EPROM ECUs. ECM Tuning has solved this problem by creating a platform that will allow you to tune non-Eprom ECUs as well, soon to be available for the 2nd Generation of DSM vehicles.

Keep an eye on their announcement page for new releases of software and new products to bring tuning and innovation into the DSM and Evo community.
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]]> GreenGSX http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1108-ecmtuning-sponsors-one-lap-vr-4.html Pina Motorsports chromoly upper rear control arms http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1105-pina-motorsports-chromoly-upper-rear-control-arms.html Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:58:54 GMT Last summer Andre at Pina Motorsports (http://www.pinamotorsports.com/) introduced his chromoly rear upper control arms for the 1G AWD and VR-4 platforms. They feature fully tig welded ends, heim joints, and a grease able ball joint end. The fine members of the GalantVR4.org took up a collection and purchased a set for the RochesterDSM One Lap team. Installing them is simple. Just unbolt the ball joint and give the give the spindle where the joint passes through a couple of good whacks... Last summer Andre at Pina Motorsports introduced his chromoly rear upper control arms for the 1G AWD and VR-4 platforms. They feature fully tig welded ends, heim joints, and a grease able ball joint end. The fine members of the GalantVR4.org took up a collection and purchased a set for the RochesterDSM One Lap team.

Installing them is simple. Just unbolt the ball joint and give the give the spindle where the joint passes through a couple of good whacks with a hammer to pop them out. Then just unbolt the adjusters and the olds ones are out. I made sure to measure the old arms before I took them out of the car so I when I installed the new ones I would at least be in the ballpark with my alignment.

The first photo you can see the Curtis modified control arms these new ones will be replacing. These were “boxed in” for strength and they took everything we could throw at them last year. If the chromoly arms were not donated we would have used these again for sure. The shots after that are the new control arms.
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]]> GreenGSX http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1105-pina-motorsports-chromoly-upper-rear-control-arms.html Sub-frame bushings http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1077-sub-frame-bushings.html Sun, 21 Feb 2010 02:53:56 GMT Tuners Nation (http://tunersnation.com) was kind enough to donate a set of there 1G AWD/VR-4 rear sub-frame and mustache brace bushing sets. But why would you want to install these bushings? The job of a bushing in a passenger car is different then it is in a race car. A passenger car has to be smooth, handle well, and not do anything “twitchy” if the driver tosses it around. A race car doesn’t care if the ride is smooth, it too needs to handle well, and has to be “twitchy” to some degree... Tuners Nation was kind enough to donate a set of there 1G AWD/VR-4 rear sub-frame and mustache brace bushing sets. But why would you want to install these bushings?

The job of a bushing in a passenger car is different then it is in a race car. A passenger car has to be smooth, handle well, and not do anything “twitchy” if the driver tosses it around. A race car doesn’t care if the ride is smooth, it too needs to handle well, and has to be “twitchy” to some degree to get the car to rotate in a turn.

Looking at the entire rear suspension out of the car it becomes quite clear how important the front two sub-frame bushings are to the geometry of everything that attaches to it. Take note of how the diff bolts to the sub-frame where the upper and lower control arms tie in. That makes the mustache braces job important too. Not only does it have to keep the pinion angle in control under hard launches its also the rear two attachment points for the whole rear suspension.

Just like the VR-4 rear steering and the passive toe of the 1G AWD trailing arm side to side deflection of the suspension results in a change in the rear toe. The problem is that the toe of the outside rear wheel in a turn goes “toe-in” under load which, in a simple model, tries to point the rear of the car into the apex of the corner. Think of it this way, if you are trying to turn left and the rear of the car wants to go left too or even wants to keep going in a strait line the net result is the rear is going to push the front and cause the car to understeer. To combat this we align the rear of the car with some static “toe-out” to help get the rear of the car to “rotate” to the outside of a turn. Back to were we started, rear steering, passive toe, and sub-frame deflection all result in a dynamic change in the rear toe towards “toe-in”. Remove the rear steering, weld the trailing arms, and install sub-frame bushings and now no matter how hard you toss the car the rear toe stays where you want it to be. Now we don’t have to use as much rear “toe-out” to get the car to turn and that helps us because too much rear “toe-out” can make the car wiggle under hard braking and less predicable over ruff track surfaces.

Inspecting the stock 200k+ mile bushings shows that they’ve lived a hard life. The sub-frame bushings were coming apart and the mustache brace bushings weren’t that far behind. Replacing them with hard urethane will hold everything in place under hard cornering and let the suspension do its job and hold the alignment to what I set it to.

Today I got to work installing them. Here is how I did it.

1. remove the parking brake cables
2. remove the rear calipers and hang them on the rear springs.
3. unbolt the lower shock bolts and separate.
4. remove the rear section of the exhaust
5. disconnect the drive shaft from the diff.
6. put a jack under the diff and remove the 6 bolts holding the rear sub-frame/mustache brace and lower everything out of the car.

The One Lap car is in pretty good shape and seeing how I've had all the rear suspension out of the car just a year ago when I built it, everything came apart easily. I think I rolled the rear suspension in about an hour.

To get the bushings out I first drilled around the center pins and then I used a sawz-all to finish cutting them out. From there is was old school, get dirty, burn the snot out of everything. I set the pins outside on a cinder block and set them on fire. Then I flipped the whole suspension with the diff pointing down so I can get at the sub-frame bushings. These have a two-piece inner sleeve that has to come out. Once again I set them on fire, waited, and then knocked them out with a hammer. There was still a bunch of rubber left in the sub-frame so I set that on fire too. Once the rubber gets hot and gooey most of it can be scraped out. To get both the pins and the bushing cavities clean up I used a wire wheel in a hand drill. I greased up the bushings and pins and used a clamp to push them in.

Taking a cue from Curtis I spent some time bracing the mustache brace by fitting and welding some angle iron onto it. This will help keep the diff where it belongs under hard launches. I got as far as rolling the suspension back under the car before I called it quits for the day
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]]> GreenGSX http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1077-sub-frame-bushings.html One Lap Sponsorship http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1043-one-lap-sponsorship.html Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:14:51 GMT The Rochester DSM One Lap team is currently looking for additional sponsors to help us offset the cost of this trip. With a worldwide audience, the One Lap of America, offers a unique opportunity to get your company name or your brand spread across America. The race itself gains a lot of attention, both online and in media print. There are hundreds of printed media (Magazines, Newspapers, etc) who have run articles on One Lap of America in the past and continue to publish this historic... The Rochester DSM One Lap team is currently looking for additional sponsors to help us offset the cost of this trip. With a worldwide audience, the One Lap of America, offers a unique opportunity to get your company name or your brand spread across America. The race itself gains a lot of attention, both online and in media print. There are hundreds of printed media (Magazines, Newspapers, etc) who have run articles on One Lap of America in the past and continue to publish this historic race. This year Motor Trend is the premier magazine providing coverage for the event. Our experience with the event last year showed that we can generate and maintain a strong media presence for our sponsors and we look forward to the opportunity to work on creative marketing options to promote your brand.

For more information on how you can become a sponsor of the team, contact information, or to download our new sponsor brochure visit our web page.

Rochester DSM OneLap Sponsors

Thank you for all your support,

RochesterDSM One Lap team.
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]]> GreenGSX http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1043-one-lap-sponsorship.html Facebook fan page http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1007-facebook-fan-page.html Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:11:26 GMT We have created a Rochester DSM One Lap fan Page. I think when this all started, we didn’t appreciate the difference between a Facebook Group and a Facebook Page. Once we started on the trip itself, it became very difficult to maintain an Internet connection long enough to update everything and the Facebook group fell behind. Having a Facebook Page will allow us to post updates from emails and also give us a better visibility footprint to people who do want to keep up with us. While it... We have created a Rochester DSM One Lap fan Page. I think when this all started, we didn’t appreciate the difference between a Facebook Group and a Facebook Page.

Once we started on the trip itself, it became very difficult to maintain an Internet connection long enough to update everything and the Facebook group fell behind. Having a Facebook Page will allow us to post updates from emails and also give us a better visibility footprint to people who do want to keep up with us.

While it seems redundant in nature, I can see the Page being more useful to us than the Group. Take a minute to become a fan of us on the Page to keep up with the 2010 events through Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Roches...2633384?ref=ts

I actually wrote up a quick article on the advantage of the fan page, since we had a lot of questions ourselves.

http://www.stephenjburke.com/2010/02/facebook-pages/

Thanks for you support,

RochesterDSM One Lap team ]]> GreenGSX http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/1007-facebook-fan-page.html 2010 One Lap of America http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/944-2010-one-lap-america.html Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:41:18 GMT Last year Steve, Mike, and I piloted the One Lap VR4 to a very respectable rookie finish. Hell, even getting that car home was a win for us. But what really made the trip a success was all the people that were involved and specifically this online community.

For 2010 there have been some big changes to the RochesterDSM One Lap team. The big news this year is we are bringing two cars on the trip. Chris Wirth is signed on to drive his GT30 powered Evolution X. We've also made a minor driver change. Mike Hayes who co-piloted the VR4 last year has moved into the alternate driver spot due to conflicts with work. Last years alternate driver Sean Caron has stepped in and will co-pilot the Evo X with Chris. Steve Burke and I will continue to pilot the One Lap VR4.

We are doing more then just adding another car we are combining forces with things like the web site, marketing strategies, and some sponsorship opportunities. This year sponsors will have three options for there money. They can put it towards the VR4, the EVO X, or both. This gives us the flexibility to not only sell to traditional DSM sponsors but to the new emerging EVO X as well.

In the coming weeks we will be rolling out updates to the web site, marketing and sponsorship information, as well as updates to the preperation of the cars.

You can read more about this on our website here.

Rochester DSM OneLap
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]]> GreenGSX http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/blogs/greengsx/944-2010-one-lap-america.html