ottocycle

I do not have anything new to add to the turbo debate. I am a great believer in forced induction. If bottom end grunt is your preference I would look into a supercharger. You will not have the heat management issues you will have with a turbo and it will probably be easier to tune. I think the real issue with boosted BEC's is engine management. Since I re engineered my rear axle following the breakdown at Carlisle this spring I put in different axle and a taller rear gear which gave me better top end but lost me the peppy acceleration I had with the lower gears. I have been gathering the bits I need to build another Hayabusa engine and am an intercooler away from having all the parts (I have a line on one from one of our members), and am hoping to do it over the winter. Something to consider is this: The manufacturers went to a lot of trouble and expense to map the ignition and injection for our motors. One can piggyback onto the original system with a Power Commander or similar to boost the fuel rate delivered by the stock ECU (sometimes using larger injectors), but depending on the boost you run you will need to adjust the ignition curve. This bit confuses me as I understand the PC will only adjust fuel (I have a PC3 USB that only deals with fuel). Finding good credible data on how much boost you can have before altering ignition is difficult (I have yet to find it). I have not found a piggyback system that adjusts both fuel and spark. The other option is to use a standalone system and map from the ground up. The bottom line is this: To me there are two things to stick to. (1) I think it is false economy not to put an intercooler in a boosted BEC. (2) Budget handsomely for dyno tuning. A properly tuned simple system will be better than a badly tuned complicated one. Keep us posted with your progress, Cheers- Dermot.

Sounds good. What is the street address? Hope to see you there. Cheers, Dermot.

Gary, I sent you an e mail and PM regarding the seats. I had computer issues and do not know if you got them. I would like them if they are still available. Plese call me tomorrow (Monday) at 301 758 3341 and we can talk. Mazda is organizing a local get together next week if you can make it. Thnks, Dermot-

Hello guys, I want to add my 2c worth to the kudos due to Al and Mazda. A great event, although the time devoted to the Fury precluded me from mixing with all of you that I would have liked. (All the more reason to make it to the next gathering). Mazda, thanks for the ride to find the part and a special thanks to Harold for picking a stranger up with his trailer. Also, Bruce, it was great to meet you and your understanding wife. Cheers- Dermot.

Thanks guys, Some great suggestions. I like the look of the Kuryakyn billet units. I too have the Pegasus center unit which I really like but I need side mirrors too. I just had an idea. It would be interesting to have an area where people could post info on whatever interesting, clever, well engineered or "cool" car stuff and accessories we come across. Keep it comming. Thanks, Dermot. Modified Hayabusa/Fury.

Hello all, I am looking for suggestions for motorcycle mirrors. I have the Pegasus formula car style mirrors at the moment and I cannot see S##T!! They have no stalks to extend them from the body and the lens is too small (my rear fenders are tailgating me!!). Mazda, I seem to remember you writing that you had motorcycle mirrors on your car. How do you rate them? Extra points for the suppliers phone number or e mail address. I hope to see everybody at Carlisle. Thanks, Dermot, Modified Hayabusa/Fury.

Hello all, I thought I would throw this out there for your input and amusement. Has anybody come across the ideal tool kit to carry in your car? A list of tools to have in a bag with you to cover unforeseen issues. I am of the opinion that any tool box that can be lifted by one man will never have the tool you need in it when you need it! Does anybody dare list the perfect tool kit to carry in your LSIS. Think about it....its not as easy as you might think. Or, failing that, what tools do you comsider to be "must have" that are not obvious. I like the idea of having an on board camera for track days to use as a learning tool. I know nothing about them and would like advice on getting one. How much does one need to budget to get a decent one? What do you need and what is fluff? Now that the weather is getting better would anybody in the Metro Washington, DC area be interested in getting together on a Sunday morning for coffee, show and tell and BS? Any takers? Thanks. Dermot.

Hello, I am interested in the Summit Point event but cannot get details off your website. Please let me know what track (there are 3), if there are still openings and how much for the day. Thanks, Dermot.

Thanks guys, Sean, my local track has a long straightway that I am maxed out on by the time I am 3/4 way down, hence my reluctance to loose top end. As far as tire pressures are concerned I have run from 18 psi down to 12 psi (this helped generate some heat but still no feel). My main concern is the lack of feedback. I thought it might have been me (I am new to trackdays) but I took an instructor with me and spun once and he agreed with me over the lack of feedback. I am not looking for the Nth degree of grip, I want a tire that will "talk to me", and to me the Falkens are mute! I know my suspension is not optimized yet but the it should have better feedback than it does. I am looking for some scales and hope to corner weigh the car before the season begins which will help but does not address the main issues. Do any of you autoX or track guys have any ideas? Thanks, Dermot.

Hello all, Following in the 15" tires post, what are the best trackday tires I can get for a 14X6 rim? I currently have Falken Azenes 195-60-14 on the car and I do not like them at all. I cannot get any feedback from them. The car just breaks away without any communication. The best way I can describe it is that it makes me think it is like an early Porsche 911, grip and then gone. I purposely went with a narrow tire thinking I could get some heat into it but I think my car is too light for them (1250lbs). I do not care about wet grip and longevity and would be prepared to get a set of track only tires. My problem is that if I change to 13" wheels my gearing will suffer and 15" wheels will interfere with my headlights. I will make that leap if I have to but i wanted to explore my options first. Any ideas???? Dermot Bethesda, MD. Modified Fury/Hayabusa.

Harold, I may be wrong but I think you have a mechanical oil pressure sensor gauge (hence the braided line). Look at the end of the line. It should look like a small diameter hose. It should have a nut and a compression ring on it or else an AN3 style nut. It will go into the block through any of the plug holes illustrated in your photo. Personally I prefer mechanical gauges to electric (though modern units are much better than the older units). If it is not a mechanical unit you can fit it at the "alternate" hole and plug the one near the oil filter. A word of advice, thread the sensor in directly to the block without any extra adaptors that will cause the unit to cantilever off the block. I am currently rebuilding a Lotus Europa engine that lost oil pressure and seized because the previous builder used a number of fittings to attach the sensor to the block for packaging reasons. The end result was that vibration and harmonics caused the unit (which has a bit of weight to it) to break off (during a hillclimb up a bumpy New England mountain road) and empty the sump with the expected result. You also may have another oil pressure sensor for your instrument panel (dashboard light). You should have your water temp sensor as close to the head as you can, probably on the intake manifold. I hope this helps, Dermot. Bethesda, Md. Modified Fury/Hayabusa.

Hello all, I would like to be there on Saturday. I will confirm closer to the date. It will be nice to meet everyone in person. Cheers, Dermot. Modified Fury/ Hayabusa.

Hello everybody, I have not posted in a while but was thinking about overdrive and reverse mechanism's for my BEC and the idea hit me of incorporating a Samurai 5 speed trans in my driveline to use reverse and 5th gear. From what I can find they are lightweight and if I can gut one (or a Datsun 210) to just use it as an overdrive and reverse it would kill 2 birds with one stone. I have been playing with an old Laycock and Normanville overdrive unit but a modified lightweight 5 speed might work better for similar or less effort. Anybody got any suggestions for lightweight 5 speed transmissions? I think a RWD trans would probably have better packaging than an FWD but I will consider everything. Thanks, Dermot, Hayabusa/Fury. Bethesda, MD.

Greetings all. I thought I would throw in my 2c worth. Since this forum has opened up I would love to see other designs that people like honoring the LSIS theme. I have a file I have collected over the years that includes photos and designs of all types of cars that I find interesting. The amazing thing is how difficult it is to find a "pretty" LSIS design that is front engined and does not come across as a "clone". As with most brilliant designs its simplicity is its hallmark. I would like to see some photos or drawings of cars that people like that follow the LSIS theme. Does anybody have any submissions or links? Thanks, Dermot. Hayabusa/Fury.

Steve, i have read both and particularly enjoyed "The Legend of the Lotus Seven". In fact Dr.Stu Baumgard's Hamblin 7 is one of the prettiest I have ever seen. Thanks for the input. Any other recommendations? Dermot.

Hello all, I am getting my reading list together and am interested in hearing from anybody who has any good books to sell. I want too fill gaps in my Automobile Quarterly collection. Also works by Miles Wilkins, Dennis Ortenburger (on Eleven, Elite and Costin), Staniforth's Race and Rally Car Sourcebook (latest edition), any GOOD marque specific books particularly on Lotus and Alfa Romeo and any good historical or technical reading. Also any good articles on vehicle dynamics and interesting lightweight cars/specials. I have wide tastes and if you liked it I may too. Let me know what you have. Thanks, Dermot. Hayabusa Fury

Jack, I agree with you. I think the tallest Toyota rear is about 3.30. The Toyota rear axle is used in the Legend and Dwarf race cars (also bike powered). I think the ring and pinion that give the taller rear is made by an after market company. I have seen 2.5's advertised! I am looking into adapting an overdrive from an old Jaguar Moss box. I do not know if it will work but before I commit to fabricating my own overdrive or changing to a completely different rear I would like to see if there is an easier path. I have no interest in reinventing the wheel. Thanks, Dermot.

Birkin 42, Thanks for the advice, it is good food for thought. I do not know if I will have the power to move the car that fast, but the ratio could be achieved with a Toyota rear and an after market ring and pinion. It could also make the ratios feel a little wider than they do right now. Bike transmissions are very closely spaced and I am finding I am climbing through the box quite quickly. If I could accelerate as fast as I am right now and take a little longer to wind out each gear it would be a good thing. It could also help with the power oversteer I am experiencing. Food for thought. Thanks again, Dermot. PS. Instead of changing rear ratios or axles has anyone ever come accross a "gear increaser" box (the opposite of a gear reduction box) that will handle 150+ HP?

Hello all, I will be dealing with this issue too, I want to run 13" rims on my car and would like to know what live rear axle has a 3.08 diff or taller. At the moment I have a 3.54 and 14" rims and I need taller gears. I had a conversation with Jeff a few months ago on the Toyota V's Mazda rear end options , and I think the Toyota came out on top but I cannot remember which model had what. It is hard to find tall gears for a lightweight rear end. To you mathematecians, what rear ratios would I need to hit 140 mph at 11,000 rpm using a Hayabusa engine with 22" dia. tires. I do not know what the primary reduction and final drive gears are in a stock Suzuki? Any takers? Thanks, Dermot.

Andrew, How did the change from 14 to 13 inch rims effect your performance. I am considering a change next year. I am too light to get any heat into my Falken Azenis 195 60 14's. Who gave you the best price on the Diamond wheels. Any complaints? I am interested in a set of 13"X6" 4 bolt 4 1/4 if anybody has any suggestions. Thanks, Dermot- Hayabusa/Fury.

Thanks guys for the feedback, keep it up. You are all partly right , I think. I was back on the track last Saturday driving solo with a few changes. Because of that I cannot definitively say what initiated the improvement. I backed off the shocks to full soft and dialed in more pre load on the front. I ran with tire pressures of 17R 16F. The car ran better but still needs work. I was able to get it to slide a little but it felt like it was on marbles. It was not a comfortable slide and I did not let it happen often. It had rained Friday night and the runoff was wet and muddy. I did not want to be the one who trashed the racing line! I changed my driving style in that I was very gentle with the gas pedal. I am thinking my tires are limiting me. I have Falken Azenis 195 60 14 on her at the moment and I cannot get any heat into them. I would put my hand on them after a 20 min, track session and they would feel barely warm, on a par with body temperature. Theh should have been a lot hotter. I think my choice of tire was bad. I believe the tire is great it is just not soft enough for a car as light as mine (about 1,350 lbs). I willl put them on my Alfa this spring and look for another. (Any suggestions). I think if I can find a soft 14" tire I will put a slightly wider one on the rear, perhaps 195 front 205 rear. I happen to have an Alfa rear axle and it has an LSD among my spares stash. I might re engineer things this winter and fit it. My rear bushings are good. Thanks all. Dermot. Fury/Hayabusa.

Hello all, I noticed that nobody had posted here for a while so here goes. See my little blurb in the wanted section. I think my car needs an LSD. She has snap oversteer when try to exit a corner under power. I have a Ford Escort live rear axle and would like to get a Quaife ATB LSD or find another axle that I can make work. I am thinking I might like taller gearing as I am running out of wind on the main straight at Summit Polnt (my local track). Does anybody have any suggestions as to what type of diff I should look for and what rear axle I should consider. Any suggestions as to what else could be inducing this condition would be appreciated. I had extra weight in the car (an instructor of about 180lbs.) and my shocks were set rather firm. I will be on the track again next Saturday and will set the shocks soft with zipties on their shafts to make sure I am not bottoming them out. What do you think? Cheers, Dermot. Fury/Hayabusa.

Hello all, Following my first trackday with my Fury/Hayabusa last weekend I think I am in the market for a Quaiffe ATB Limited Slip Diff. Things went great for her first outing (and mine after a 2 year absense) and I did not have to take out a wrench all day!! Things went well but she exhibited a sudden snap oversteer without warning when powering out of turn one at the beginning of the day and on turn 3 at the end of the day. There was no warning or feedback and I thought I was bottoming the springs but I checked and do not think I am. I will ziptie the shock shafts and confirm this weekend. I could not get the car to drift or control the rear as I would like. I had an instructor with me all day and he concourred with the absense of feedback. His 180 lbs. weight may have not helped buy giving me more rear weighr bias. Any ideas?? Does anybody know anything about English Ford rear axles? Mine is an Escort but I do not know where else it was used. I am trying o find out about interchangability of parts (I also need a taller rear, I am at full throttle by pit out). It might be more cost effective to look at a different rear axle (Alfa, RX7 or Toyota). Cheers, Dermot.

Bruce, Congrats. Nice job. I'm with "Boxologist" as far as the bumpers are concerned. Gravity prevails. Now you can run the asphalt dyno! Cheers, Dermot- PS: The package arrived at my friends shop last week and I got to see it this past weekend. Looks great. I agree with your observations. Thanks again, note en route. Good luck with the car. Dermot-

I need shocks, but I do not know the size of the Caterham units. Can you tell me the pertinent dimensions (diameter, bolt centers length etc.) spring dia. and length as well as the price. Thank you, Dermot.