First time back at the track...

[Gooberlog]

No doubt. Right now i have some 2" lowering springs (intrax i believe) that i want to scuff up and hit with some rattle can paint a black hammer tone finish. I'm looking for a pair of rear AGX shocks before i throw the springs on. I'd also like to pick up the ingals front and rear camber kit maybe before i put on the springs so i don't wear out my new BFGs. Then i'll get my alignment done and over time piece together some polly bushings.

 

[Gooberlog]

I ordered some goodies this morning for the suspension. I ordered rear AGX adjustable shocks, rear upper ingals camber arms and front ingals eccentric camber bolts. I ordered it all from summit after making 4 attempts to order the stuff from SBR with little to no feedback for my price requests. Parts should be here mid next week. I still have to scuff and paint the springs and then throw it all on and get the alignment done. This should really help the 60' times come back down to 1.7-1.6s or so helping me beat my old 14b time of 12.42. Still don't have any tunning, but I may be picking up a AEM wideband and then decide which route to go with the tuning. DSMlink LITE, V2 used, SAFC w/ logger, logger & MAF-T.....

 

[SBstar]

Sounds good! I'd go with the Link lite when it comes out if I were you. Or the full version if you could spring for it. I have V2 and if V3 lite comes out before the start of the season I'm really going to be kicking myself for spending the money when I could've gotten V3 lite for the same price.

Safc's and maf't's are old school, they work, but there are so many better tools out there now.

 

[Gooberlog]

Sounds good! I'd go with the Link lite when it comes out if I were you. Or the full version if you could spring for it. I have V2 and if V3 lite comes out before the start of the season I'm really going to be kicking myself for spending the money when I could've gotten V3 lite for the same price.

Safc's and maf't's are old school, they work, but there are so many better tools out there now.

Yeah I'm leaning towards the V3LITE or a used V2 package. The afc and logger would work great for me now as it did in the past, but once i get my suspension all dialed in and get my tunning picked out, i want to upgrade the turbo to a HX35 so i want to make sure that i won't need more or out grow what ever i choose. For the price of a logger (and I'm not too fond of the PDA loggers from my past experience) and an afc I'm not that far off of the V3lite or v2 used. Plus i really like all of the extra bonuses that dsmlink includes that will help at the trace ie: launch control, NLTS, anti-lag etc.

 

[Phil1320]

I ordered some goodies this morning for the suspension. I ordered rear AGX adjustable shocks, rear upper ingals camber arms and front ingals eccentric camber bolts. I ordered it all from summit after making 4 attempts to order the stuff from SBR with little to no feedback for my price requests. Parts should be here mid next week. I still have to scuff and paint the springs and then throw it all on and get the alignment done. This should really help the 60' times come back down to 1.7-1.6s or so helping me beat my old 14b time of 12.42. Still don't have any tunning, but I may be picking up a AEM wideband and then decide which route to go with the tuning. DSMlink LITE, V2 used, SAFC w/ logger, logger & MAF-T.....

Cool! Ordering goodies is fun. DSM link would definitely be cool. But, you can make good power with an AFC even though it is pretty entry level and has not much adjustment at all. I'd love to run the link. But, that's a ways off. I'm certain you'll run better than the 12.42, how much better will be reflected in how light you want to make the car and how well it launches with that new suspension. Be nice to see you in the 11's.

 

[Gooberlog]

To beat my 12.42 all i would have to do is drop 2 tenths off of my best run which was at a crappy track netting 1.9 60's so if the car is running just as good as before, yeah i think we got this. A little more weight has come out since then with the rack and what not and i'm pretty sure that the agx's and other components will net a much better 60' as long as the clutch keeps up. I think the clutch should hold fine though. The clutch was installed new a few months before i bought the car and i used to beat on my 2100 in my white talon nearly every weekend at the track. The laser hasn't seen quite the abuse that my old talon got yet. Not to mention the laser should be a bit lighter than the talon was by now.

If i were to run 11's with the 14b or even get close to my best 16g time of 12.00 i would be very happy. I'm thinking if my new suspension set up works well in favor for my 60' times then what ever tuning set up i get should net me some more power or just less knocking and maybe allow a couple more psi and that should put me deeper in to the low 12's area with the car. I think once i get the suspension done and tunning set up, i'll start looking for a holset and make this a low 11 sec car!

 

[Gooberlog]

So a little update. I got the intrax springs and agx on the car. PICS COMING SOON (camera is in my truck at work). Installed the front camber eccentric bolts in the front and Ingals rear camber arms in the rear. Got the ingals close as i could to stock and the car drives like the tires are straight but the alignment will tell the truth. Also got dsmlink v2 used for a killer deal and got that up and working today thanks to my friend Bob aka DSM Doctor, aka 311GSX. I've been working more lately which is good because money makes dsm's go faster. I will post up pics when i get the camera back and i'll post more info once i take the car for a test drive more than around the block or two.

Hear are a couple teaser pics of my latest goodies that got installed.

Initially we were scratching our heads while trying to hook up the dsmlink. In the end, i downloaded the latest version and tried 2 different usb ports on my laptop and it started to run V2. Then we made the necessary adjustments and tried to start the car. It kept running rough and stalling. Bob figured out, i forgot to save the injector size settings when i put in 550s into the program so it thought i had 450s with the 2g maf. All is good now. Did a boost leak test and found a couple leaks. One fixed and one more to go. I'll do another boost leak test after they are repaired and try to dial in the idle. If you're reading this, once again, THANK YOU BOB!

BTW, the purple springs turned out good after i scuffed them, acetone and hammer finish rattle can'd them black.

More pics to come as well as more details after my first ride with the suspension and some playing around with the link

 

[SBstar]

V2? That looks like V3 to me with the new cable and ecmlink disc. Perhaps the latest versions of V2 came that way?

Either way you're going to love using Link, you should be very impressed by the gains you'll make.

The car looks great, gotta love giving it a more appropriate stance. After having the AGX's I'll admit to having hated them on the street, but it's worth the sacrifice for the track times.

 

[RACESTAR4G63]

that my boy.see u at the track don't forget to do a dyno tune

 

[Gooberlog]

V2? That looks like V3 to me with the new cable and ecmlink disc. Perhaps the latest versions of V2 came that way?

Either way you're going to love using Link, you should be very impressed by the gains you'll make.

The car looks great, gotta love giving it a more appropriate stance. After having the AGX's I'll admit to having hated them on the street, but it's worth the sacrifice for the track times.

Good eye. He was a distributor of dsmlink and had this one used, so he offered me the new one piece cable for an extra $30. But the program on the disc wasn't compatible with the latest version of the cable. Bob and I scratched our heads for hours, ate dinner, had a few beers and then came back the next day...went online and downloaded the latest version off the site and it worked fine.

As for the AGXs, with this spring combo, the ride in the rear is very stiff. If the 60's are in the 1.6's or lower it will all be worth it to me. I don't drive this car too much anyway.

that my boy.see u at the track don't forget to do a dyno tune

Thanks Charles, I'm looking forward to capitol opening as well. My boss is planning on buying another 55gallon drum of C-16, would you be interested in going in on this. He stores it a the shop we work at in Dobbin Center Columbia, but you could obviously take your share of fuel with you if you had a way to store/pump it. I'm not sure what fuel you plan on running in your cars, let me know.

As for the dyno tune...at some point. I plan to get a wideband gauge and get the A/F close on the streets with the link. How's Ben's car looking so far?

 

[Phil1320]

Trav, car looks killer in the pic! the FD wheels in that color matching the effects is awesome. Laser AWD is a unique look. AGX's are great, would like some for the VR4. Awesome job!

 

[Gooberlog]

Trav, car looks killer in the pic! the FD wheels in that color matching the effects is awesome. Laser AWD is a unique look. AGX's are great, would like some for the VR4. Awesome job!

Thanks Phil,
I really like the look of the car lowered now, seems like a new car to me. Although it rides rough, i'm sure it will be worth it when Capitol opens. I love the look and style of the FD wheels and the fact that they are kinda light AND wider than stock just tops it off. I was super happy with how the gunmetal paint turned out as i wanted it to match my side skirts and give the car a stock appearing sleeper kinda wheel almost, while having a nice dark colored look.

I have always liked the AGX shocks since i ran them on my white talon. I guess it's due to the very low Intrax springs, but i have them set on 1 and the ride is very firm. Oh well, that's what we call compromise. At least the fender to tire gap is good now and the car isn't as low as i thought it may be on the under side.

I don't mind the "unique look" that the laser has as much as i used to (i'm sure you didn't mean it in that way though, but i still think they're kinda ugly compared to the Talons and Eclipses) and i like the look of the no spoiler out back as it looks more like a 1g race car to me, but a base model wanna be talon to all of the local competition. I got a great deal on my exhaust, but i hate the look of the ricey muffler and it really kills the look of the rear end. Especially since the laser's rear bumper doesn't raise where the muffler is, making it look very out of place. I would love to get a high flow muffler that has a stock appearance, or a black vibrant 3" muffler that just doesn't draw your attention to it and gives it more of a discrete sleeper look. I really want to paint my FMIC black at some point too. The car was supposed to be a full out sleeper when i got it, but i got carried away.

 

[Phil1320]

No prob...it's coming right along for sure!

I always liked the Laser, 90-91 and 92-94 AWD. The Laser is the best looking 1gb in my opinion. I do like it without the spoiler as well.

You're gonna smash your 12.42. Just get lots of seat time this year, it's all about odds. If you make 20 passes instead of 100 passes.....know what I mean? I can't wait to hear of your success this year!

 

[SBstar]

I hate the look of my fart can muffler hanging out the back of my car as well. I've thought about a magnaflow dual 2.5" or something like that, but overall there isn't any power gain so I guess I can live with the sound and look.

I agree your 1gb laser is a good looking car! I've always been a fan of the FD wheels as well and they look great color matched like you have them. Now it's time to go cut some 60fts and put that 12.40 to rest.

 

[Gooberlog]

Wow thanks guys. It feels really good to get compliments about something that i did myself. Well except for the sand blasting of the wheels, a friend did that for me. Then i painted the wheels about 3 coats each and 2-3 coasts of clear. Was a fun project that turned out really well, but i had a sore wrist after all of that painting.
I'm sure that 12.40 pass is in the bag. Just not sure how quick the car will take me with the low compression reading 100-110 psi across the board.

Thanks again!
Travis

 

[Phil1320]

Wow thanks guys. It feels really good to get compliments about something that i did myself. Well except for the sand blasting of the wheels, a friend did that for me. Then i painted the wheels about 3 coats each and 2-3 coasts of clear. Was a fun project that turned out really well, but i had a sore wrist after all of that painting.
I'm sure that 12.40 pass is in the bag. Just not sure how quick the car will take me with the low compression reading 100-110 psi across the board.

Thanks again!
Travis

Anytime!

What are you going to run for boost Trav?

 

[bluegs03]

Wow thanks guys. It feels really good to get compliments about something that i did myself. Well except for the sand blasting of the wheels, a friend did that for me. Then i painted the wheels about 3 coats each and 2-3 coasts of clear. Was a fun project that turned out really well, but i had a sore wrist after all of that painting.
I'm sure that 12.40 pass is in the bag. Just not sure how quick the car will take me with the low compression reading 100-110 psi across the board.

Thanks again!
Travis

For the compression did you make sure the car was warmed up 100% and throttle pegged open? That usually raises it, hopefully it wont be too much of an issue!

 

[Gooberlog]

For the compression did you make sure the car was warmed up 100% and throttle pegged open? That usually raises it, hopefully it wont be too much of an issue!

Yeah i did, car still runs great, but i think it would run even better.

Anytime!

What are you going to run for boost Trav?

The 12.69 liked 18psi. I know when i was using the pocket logger (only worked 3 time before it took a dump) i was seeing knock with any boost above 18psi even with C16. With the dsmlink, i should be able to log and adjust air fuel and if i start to knock on the race gas, maybe i could just pull a little timing up top. I was thinking around 22 if it didn't knock. We'll see how it goes though. Looks like i need to get a battery for the lap top though, as soon as i unplug the charger the lap top shuts off. Otherwise i'd probably be out there logging some passes right now, if the snow was gone.

 

[Gooberlog]

Well a few days ago i took the car out for a spin with my buddy to do some running around before all of the snow came. I had the launch control set at 4500 on the dsmlink. I told my buddy at one point i would try to launch off of it at a stop light. So eventually we were at a stop light with no one around, i bounced it off the 4500 rpm two step, spun for a second and then it took off. I grabbed second gear and as the boost spiked my stock boost gauge (which is set up to read knock through dsmlink now)went up and the check engine light came on (which is set up to once knock count goes above 5) so i back down and went in to third. My buddy and I both were laughing in surprise at how well it launched as we came to our next stop. I mainly wanted to take the car out since they were calling for 2-3 feet of snow in a couple days and then more snow the following week.

Well for once the weathermen were right and we got 31" of snow. The same friend offered me to bring the laser and keep it in his back yard by his garage so that i didn't have to keep it in harms way of the plow trucks on the curb where it normally sleeps. I slept much better knowing it was in my buddies fenced in yard rather than sitting in the cross-hairs of a tired plow truck driver's aim. So today i went over to his house to help him shovel out his drive way and take a peek at the laser. I should have brought my camera because it was totally buried. I could only see the mirrors peeking out. We got the snow off of the top of the car and it is now up to above the hood level and above the lower window trim. There is 2.5-3' of snow deep for about 100' or so of his driveway and snow surrounding my whole car keeping it from leaving anytime soon.

On the flip side, once the car finally makes it's way out to clear pavement, it should be loosing another 32-35 pounds up front. I found a local guy selling a CF hood for a good price and plan to pick it up tomorrow if permitting. I was planning on using this fundage on a AEM wide band but i've been looking for a cheap or used carbon fiber hood locally for quite some time. The only CF hoods i see in the classifieds are for 2gs and the occasional 1Ga hood. I rarely see a 1Gb CF hood for sale and if it is, it's usually far away and or expensive. Hopefully my truck can get to his house to pick it up with the crappy road conditions left now. Also there may be more to update in the week to come as well. Now all we have to do is wait a month or so for the track to open back up and watch this 31" of snow slowly turn in to water and run down the drain.

 

[habitatguy187]

Sucks you were getting so much knock. When're you going e85?

 

[Gooberlog]

I don't plan on E85. When i race at the track i run straight C-16. But was we all know that gets expensive. I'm thinking of running alcohol/meth injection. That way i can run 93oct pump gas, and when i get heavy in to the throttle, say about 18psi where I'm knocking, have the alky come on. I only know of one E-85 pump in my area and wouldn't be very convenient for me to use all the time. I still drive the car on the street a bit. So when i'm behaving it would just be pump. When i wanna get busy, a splash of alky. I haven't looked in to it yet thought. I think i will have to before the season starts though. Although my boss is trying to get me to go in 1/3s with him and another guy on a 55gal drum of C-16.

 

[habitatguy187]

When i wanna get busy, a splash of alky. I haven't looked in to it yet though.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...222053-suppressing-knock-water-injection.html

 

[Gooberlog]

Thanks that's a good read. Now i have to do more research pertaining to how to tune with meth injection. I would like to be able to run pump gas and still have my max tune on the car with no worries of knock.

 

[Calan]

Good stuff...wonder if Matt's ever gonna write that other article he mentioned about pure meth AFR's and the "different tuning strategy"? It's only been 4 YEARS.

 

[Gooberlog]

Ha, yeah i was hopping there would be a link at the end of that page going more in depth on it. A good write up on the basics of water and meth injection.