JohnMoody

The car is back to starting instantly and perfect running. Just in case there are others with this very out of date setup, here are the key issues that I needed to work through. The 5V rail was not failed, intermittent fails on the sensors made it look like it was. Any version of WinTec prior to 4 must have windows XP SP2 or earlier. XP SP3 breaks the comms channel. The TEC-II is very sensitive to grounds. Every sensor ground and shield needs to be clean and clamped, just torquing the terminal screw is not good enough. Power connections are also important but seem to be less so than the grounds. I pulled the TEC-II apart and reseated the internal connector, I don't know if that did anything or not since it was in combination with re-doing the ground connections. John Superlight #0039

After 20+ years of rock solid performance, my Electromotive TEC ECU has a failed 5V rail. It is an old unit, I think TEC-2. It has an aluminum case with 2 dual coils on top. Any chance you have any experience with this, or spare parts? I plan to pull it and see if I can find the 5V regulator and replace it, but am so busy that I'm not looking forward to it. John

Thanks all. After getting the wheels I found that a fair amount of additional grinding was required compared to the Mike Barnby R500 Mag8 wheels. I also marked keep out location for wheel weights and dropped them off for tire mounting. After a careful inspection of my De Dion tube, I discovered that it is the uprated 94 spec and looks perfect at all weld points.

Does anyone know if new (current stock) De Dion tubes need to be ground down to clear 13" wheels? I did have to grind down the one on my Superlight to clear the Apollo 13x8 wheel. If I order a new tube in the future I would like to avoid a major problem with things not working out. I would order the S3 Race tube because it is stronger, but don't want to end up regretting it.

I really liked the 13” CR500s for autocross. I drive to the event and drink good coffee while chatting with the guys jacking and wrenching their wheels on/off. Generally piss them off with my run times, and then drive home. Fun enough, and the guys that beat me are way better drivers anyway. If it happens to rain, I did not worry about driving home with the CR500s like I did with the Hoosiers. They held their grip pretty late in tread-life as well, unlike the A032s, which I don’t recommend at all for the Seven. Your current wheels and tires are very nice for autoX, why not use them? John

Have a great time, it looks to be perfect weather! I will be doing the yard work still left over from last fall. John