JohnCh

Interesting to hear you had to increase the tire pressures so much between the S03 and ES100. The lower pressure for the ACB10 for track use makes sense since the tires get pretty hot under those conditions and the tire pressure increases by a larger degree than you would see under general road use. I wonder if part of the difference you are seeing between the S03 and ES100 is that the nature of the sidewalls and tread compounds of each tire is such that the ES100 generates less friction at road speeds, hence needs higher starting (cold) pressures to achieve the same hot pressure?

-John

I find it difficult to fathom what it is like to drive a Westfield – or any se7en – at 154mph, let alone travelling at that speed a mere ¼ mile after engaging the clutch. Unbelievable…

-John

A couple of notes on feel. Tires can definitely play a role, but don’t discount chassis setup. I am not familiar with the Fisher, but Westfields are notoriously sensitive in this area. Get it wrong and they are pigs. Get it right and they handle very well. My car has been more at the pig end of the spectrum, but I recently discovered some major set up issues that were a combination of some miscommunication with my shop, and my decision to err on the conservative side when it came to camber settings. Having partially addressed the issues (added more negative camber F/R, increased the rear ride height by close to an inch, and softened the front shocks while stiffening the rear), the car is transformed and now handles very, very well. It is a lot more confidence inspiring, has much better turn in, and can take throttle much earlier exiting a corner. Have you synched with the Fisher boards/mailing lists in the UK to see what settings people recommend for the Fury?

-John

Martin, I'm surprised your car likes such high tire pressures. Usually 16-20psi is considered optimal. Have you experimented with lower pressures?

As for tires, Toyo is supposed to launch the R888 in 205/55-14 soon, and still offers the RA-1 in that size. Nitto also offers the NT01 in 205/55-14. Recommended rim width is 5.5"-7.5, so they will work with your 6" rims"

-John

If you’ve ever wanted to know what it is like to drive an F1 car, this three part video is it. Absolutely brilliant! (note: some spontaneous profanity in the second video while Chris is on track)

-John

As long as we’re sharing pictures of our recent musical acquisitions, I might as well post mine. As hard as it may be to believe, it sounds even better than it looks!

http://www.aues21.dsl.pipex.com/images/metalKazoo.jpg

-John

I'll send the Cosworth drawings to you PM so there's no copyright issues with posting them here. You can adjust your drawings to reflect what's shown for public consumption.

Thanks Bob.

Be aware that Cosworth intends that you use the original electric override thermostat installed in the water pump inlet housing (USA style) and not the Ford Mondeo style rear thermostat.

Did the later Mondeos move the thermostat to the back? I have a 2.0L Mondeo and it came with the thermostat fitted to the waterpump. BTW for those who don't want to use the electric thermostat, you can substitute the mechanical version Mazda (the car company, not the guy with the HP fetish ) used in their Duratec installation.

-John

Bob,

I'd love to see what Cosworth recommends. I did some research on WSCC and the following is apparently the way folks are plumbing an expansion tank in a pressurized system that employs the water rail. I took a look at pictures of my old crossflow-powered car, which used the same expansion tank and thermostat housing as the water rail, and it appears it was plumbed the same way.

http://home.comcast.net/~cobar/webphotos/duratec_cooling_layout_revised_3.jpg

To add a heater, tap into the side of the water rail and T in the return to either the lower radiator hose or the expansion tank return line.

-John

This is more of a change for change sake. The water rail has always seemed under engineered and given the price that just bugs the crap out of me.

- You need to modify the head with a cut-off wheel so it will actually fit

- The thermostat creates a dead end, so you need to drill a hole in the flange to allow some water to always pass through

- The location of the thermostat makes bleeding a pain (no bleed screw in the system and a lot of air gets trapped behind the thermostat when you fill it up)

- The use of an overflow bottle in lieu of a sealed system seems a step backward to me. The smell of coolant seeping out of the overflow bottle always triggers an “uh oh, something is wrong” reflex in me.

Although my temperatures get hot pretty quick at a stop light, the car never overheats. Even in the traffic jam during PNW2007, when I only moved about ½ mile in 45 minutes and the under bonnet air temps reached 65C, the engine never went above 102C. So do I need to make a change? Absolutely not. I just want to see if using a factory setup keeps the temps more stable and reduces maintenance hassles.

Your expansion tank sounds interesting. Where did you get it?

The SBD piece looks good, but where do you mount the coil pack? Do they offer another mounting location, or do you need to use that with a coil-on-plug setup?

Thanks,

John

Doh! When I looked at the original diagram (shamelessly liberated from your site) I thought the bypass line was hooked up to the over flow tank. I didn’t catch the line color changed and that the bypass wasn’t going directly through the little block at the rear of the engine. Thinking this through a little more, I know think I understand how the factory setup works. I’m just not sure it will be worth the effort to convert the water rail so that I can put the thermostat back in the water pump and go to a true sealed coolant system. Time to do more research – or just stick with what I have.

-John

This site details a Westfield Megabusa build, so it will give you an idea of what is involved if you start with a Westfield kit. The site is architected as a blog, so the link will take you to the last entry. Just use the navigation at the top to start at page 1 and work your way forward. Lot's of good information.

-John

I’m thinking of modifying the Raceline water rail set up on my Duratec to address some issues I have with the design. Specifically I would like to move the thermostat back to the stock location in the water pump, and swap out the catch tank for a sealed expansion tank.

Below is a Duratec cooling diagram with heater I found on the internet, followed by a mockup of what I am planning to do (no heater for me). Does this look like it will work, or am I missing something?

http://home.comcast.net/~cobar/webphotos/duratec_cooling_layout.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~cobar/webphotos/duratec_cooling_layout_revised_2.jpg

Thanks,

John

I’ve kind of owned two Westfields. The first was purchased used nearly 7 years ago and served to get my feet wet with se7ens. The second I built to my spec two years later based on everything I learned during round one of ownership.

The original car was very stock, and fitted with a mild crossflow. After a little altercation in a parking lot (long story) I stripped it down to the frame and replaced virtually every component until the only thing the “new” Westfield had in common with the old was the exterior color. It was now much lighter, much faster, and no longer felt vintage. I loved the first one, but the second car puts an even bigger smile on my face whenever I drive it – or even when I am just sitting in the garage making vroom vroom noises (hey, this has been a tough winter in the PNW!) It was a great way to go, and I wouldn’t do it any differently.

-John

This is a great thread on WSCC by someone detailing the restoration of his Lotus XI, including the fabrication of a new aluminum body. Well worth reading if you are a fan of the XI.

-John

Josh is too big to fit in the Westfield, but he does like to hang out in the garage. Unfortunately he also likes to drool on the cars, particularly after they have been washed :banghead:

http://home.comcast.net/~cobar/webphotos/joshmas%20009-1200.JPG

-John

I don't know much more about it, other than it is planned for a UK race series and there is a contest on to design the body. I'm not sure if they are planning to bring any to the States, but if they did it would certainly simplify part of the registration process

-John

As I believe someone mentioned on here before, Westfield plans to launch a one-make electric race series in the UK. They showed the chassis at the recent Autosport show in the UK (pics below were shamelessly stolen from a post on the WSCC boardroom.) Apparently the thick floor actually hides thin batteries. I’m not into electric cars myself (the sound of a proper engine screaming to redline is much of the fun) but I thought it was an interesting project worth mentioning.

http://www.westfield-world.com/pictures/leccy2.jpg

http://www.westfield-world.com/pictures/leccy3.jpg

http://www.westfield-world.com/pictures/leccy4.jpg

http://www.westfield-world.com/pictures/leccy1.jpg

-John

Here's a picture of my old crossflow-powered Westfield with the shortest ITG filter available. There isn't space in there for tradtional trumpets, but TWM makes 12mm shorties that did the job. As you noted, you can always get a blank backing plate and drill it to create an offset.

http://home.comcast.net/~cobar/images/itg.jpg

-John

The Ozarks puts the tour out of reach for me (over 2100 miles away), so I am not pulling for it to win, but I must admit that those roads in Gert's route do look like fun!

-John

Yep, Harrisburg. Lot's of options as well.

I just checked flights from Seattle. Only $340 round trip. Hmmm...

-John

:7rain: Certainly appropriate for the weather we've had for the last couple of months :banghead:

I never heard of a Boss Hoss before so I did a search and found this on their website. I just don't know what to say...

http://www.bosshoss.net/images/BIKES_TRIKES/BHC9ZZ4/BHC9ZZ4_13.jpg

http://www.bosshoss.net/images/BIKES_TRIKES/BHC9ZZ4/BHC9ZZ4_11.jpg

-John

There are several companies that make these now (usually marketed to the motorcycle industry). I’ve been using the SmartBlink from Cadent Technologies for over three years and am happy with it. It isn’t as adjustable as the unit you showed in that pressing the button for any length of time results in the same 15 second countdown clock, but it does have the same press to cancel and hazard functionality. The clock doesn’t start until you take your foot off the brake, and will reset itself every time you touch the pedal, but 15 seconds can be a little short in traffic at a slow moving intersection.

SmartFlash is an optional feature that flashes your brakes three times in rapid succession before going solid upon every application. I went with this option and hooked the flasher up to my roll bar mounted brake light. It really seems to get the attention of the car approaching from behind -- a good thing in a se7en

I went with this type of system because I wanted to simplify the dash (no more hazard switch needed) and I wanted pushbuttons on the steering wheel for the turn signals.

-John

Keep in mind that was posted on a Porsche 993 forum. A lot of weight in the back half of the car is pretty standard over there

-John