jimrankin

Wow! Thanks for all the responses so far. Croc, your post has the s--t worried out of me! The one thing we can't afford is to fly into Austin only to find that our cars are "lost in transit" somewhere and we are sitting in the stands instead of driving COTA. I'll start working the leads I have so far and hopefully some additional information or advice will come chiming in. Once again this Forum proves to be the best source of first hand information on the web. Love all you members, not just for todays information but for all the entertainment, banter and fun links that get posted. Happy Thanksgiving from "the Three"

I've had a lot of responses from the "Brokers" that seem to dominate the transport section of the web but they are just middlemen who admit they have fixed fee schedules and just put your request out to bid a bit before you need the transport and have no way to actually know just what your car is going onto other than "open" or "closed". I'd love to actually talk to the shipping company about our two 7's and the Elise we are shipping. The brokers say "minimum 5" ground clearance" for open shipping but they don't know why. With our short wheel base and the low sump point being close to the front wheels the 5" minimum might not be a problem. I can see a long lowered car being grounded on a "hump" on the trailers but can't see it as a big problem on a super short wheel base car. I know a lot of the members here have had their cars shipped to them and hope at least a few of you had direct contact with the shipper. Even if you got the shipper through a broker the actual transporters name might give me a lead to folow. I asked the brokers if we could contact the driver to discuss the height issues and thats when I found out they don't know who it will be till close to the ship date and even then what they have for a trailer. I've been told the different open trailers can carry from 6 all the way to 13 cars and I'm sure thats part of the 5" mandate for snaking through the maze of hydralics and tilted shipping angles on the big ones. Thanks for any help!

Might be nice if West Texas would provide some kind of list of what parts he still has for sale. I'm kind of thinking about making a windshield, side curtains and a top but original parts would be much easier. When it's too cold I just wear my helmet now but would rather some actual wind and maybe rain deflection as I really don't like driving with the helmet on the street, too sight restrictive and I already get enough people staring without adding a racing helmet to the "WTF" is that looks.

i'll give him a shout tomorrow and see if I can get some insider information on the track garages and his thoughts on different transporters. Thanks for the heads up.

Were hoping to find someone in the Austin area or close buy but will keep your kind offers open. We'll be flying into Austin unless plans change and I'm shipping my car with the track slicks on so a lot of street driving may be out. Mostly just worried about cutting delivery too close and then there being a delivery delay and were walking COTA instead of driving around it. Shipping back out isn't a problem as we don't care about the cars being delayed coming home so it's just loading them and "see ya' at home". In the infamous words of Sgt. Schultz "I know nothing" about COTA or Austin so I'll "just be following orders" from anyone in that area about what we should do about getting the cars received/stored or possibly renting a garage at COTA and unloading right there. OMG did I just date myself with that Sgt. Schultz reference LOL.

Three of us Northern Californa Lotus drivers will coming out to the COTA MVP track days in February. We know it's a bit of a crap shoot, weather wise, with Texas and California both having Febuary as about our height of "winter". What we want to avoid is the weather along the trip route of the transporter causing a delay that keeps us from receiving our cars on time. We would like to get the cars there at least a couple of days before we fly in and are hoping to find a kind soul who can help us with receiving the cars for us. We can work out the best drop off point for whoever responds on your end as things get closer. Thanks, The Three

Getting better as far as cost go!! We now have three SF Bay area guys signed up and are prompting a couple more to "get off the pot" and sign up before it's too late. Cost for transport of the cars is now down to about $650.00 each way and may still find it for a bit lower if we can get one or two more confirmed drivers. Come on SoCal, gonna let NorCal make you guys look like a bunch of slackers? If you don't represent we are going to have to make snide comments about your half of the state to all those bold mid-westerners' and east coasters about you! LOL How many more chances are you going to get to run this track with a bunch of California guys, and Lotus lovers to boot.

Two of us from the SF Bay Area have signed up so far and we were wondering if anyone would be interested in going if we get a decent deal on multiple car transport to and back from the event. This may be the last COTA track event put on by the current sponser so if your bucket list has an unchecked box on the "Drive an F1 track" spot it might be now or never. Anyone along the route from the bay area to San Diego and east is invited to contact either I or RNR on this site. The event is already half full and it just recently went on line so quick thinking on this one. Thanks Jim R.

Signed up:flag:Haven't stopped smiling since. Anyone else from the west coast going? Thinking about organizing one, or joining someone elses, car transport system. I'll do a standard car transport service if no one else from this coast is going but it would make more sense to get a group together if several people are going and not driving there.

My car has been telling me lies!!! It plainly states on the rear panel that it's "Ultralite" but when I had it corner weighted it weighed in at 1,505Lbs!! Probably should say "Notthatlite" but even so I still love her, same for the wife, LOL.

A old cowboy walks into a bar in Montana and orders three draft beers. He sits at a table in the back and sips out of each one in turn until all three are empty and goes back to the bar for a second "round" of three more. The bartender has been watching and tells him that as soon as he draws a brew it starts to go flat and he would enjoy the beer more if he just got one at a time. The cowboy explains that he has two brothers, one working a ranch in Texas and the other working a ranch in Nevada and that before they had to split up for work they made a pact to drink like they were all together as a way to stay close. The Cowboy becomes a regular at the bar and no one questions his habits. Then one day he walks in and everyone notices he only orders two beers and goes to his table and sips the two beers dry. When he comes up to the bar for the next round the bartender tells him he is really sorry about the loss of one of his brothers. The Cowboy looks puzzled for a moment and then gets what the bartender is talking about and smiles. The cowboy tells him thanks for the sympathy but both my brothers are alive and well but my Wife and I joined the Baptist Church and we had to stop drinking. Good thing it didn't affect my brothers though.

I used to drive my 7 to work as a "get more fun out of the day" alternative to my MINI. If your going to drive in any real traffic the cautions are correct about getting tired of commuting in the car pretty quickly. I got caught in a two hour traffic snarl (behind a major traffic accident with deaths) on a very hot sunny afternoon that had me rethink driving it. That said I did start using it again after the sunburn had faded and the short term memory of stopping and starting, crawling along in 1st gear with the clutch in and out constantly and sweating into the seat had faded. LOL. Of course the only difference if I had been in the MINI would have been AC and XM so purchase a big sun hat and an Ipod and go for it.

I just love statistics!! Can you figure the odds that my doctor will accidentally shoot my lawyer? Will it help the odds if I offer him some cash and promise to say I saw it and it was accidental? :cheers:

Those Honda engineers are always thinking on their feet!! Leaving off the side wall of the cockpit will make it easier to get out to push it backwards when you need to reverse, what with it being a "motorcycle" project. :smilielol5:

Ariel "Square four's" basically used two 2 cylinder engines running in opposite directions with a gear drive off each crank. Have never seen one apart so don't know how similar they might be but the square fours ran strong but had some hot rear cylinder issues being air cooled.

Once more and then it's time to start drinking..https://youtu.be/7_KbFdbFdM4

Think this is the link, missed the "underscore" as a "dash last time http://7_KbFdbFdM4

Couldn't find the Super 8 so here another digital disaster. Just wanted to show the "missing" turns that the West Track bypass cuts out. Also a short of chasing a supercharged Birkin around for a lap. http;//youtu.be/7-KbFdbFdM4

Did you suffer any hard starting problems with the ACM or loss of power if you go into higher altitudes? I hear they are the only issued and a lot of mid range power to be gained and a flat power curve instead of the VTec jump.

Some wheel shuffle note.

I'll give it a check to see. So much extraneous wiring in the S2000 stock harness's that I need to cut out so I can see what's really needed and what's just unused. Done the last three track days without VTec and I'm gaining sympathy for all the Miata and older low power 7's drivers out there. I hate watching cars walk away down the straights.

Thanks RNR for getting my video posted. And yes, I do have all the racers excuses down pat!!! I didn't even have to use the fact that I'm stone deaf, can't see what's past 200' in front of the car and have been around way past maximum benefit Social Security retirement age. LOL. As for the track configuration. The Lemons Racers were taking over the track the next day and with that many cars I guess they had some problems with the packed together turns last year. It had also been set up that way for a day I did last week with HOD as the "big car guys" don't like the tight twistys. I think that the west track is spoiled by removing the tightest section on it. The whole idea of the West Track is to be slower and more technical than the East Track. I'm also a bit shy of the Turn #5 bypass on the East track. I used to slam the skid plate on the track after landing over the "bump" before I raised the ride height of the car and still slow too much even though I have stiffer front springs now and another inch of ride height. As for the VTec, don't have a clue. It's controlled by the ECU and the input from the motor sensors. I was running a bit warm, about 230 Max though and that's within the range of OK, my oil pressure is good in VTec range and all the appropriate wires are all hooked up and working as far as I can tell. It was about 105 degrees (more according to some) in the paddock and hotter on track but I've driven in worse with the car and the VTec worked then. I have a spare good ECU I might try but its from an earlier S2000 so the rev limiter is 1K higher and I'm not sure I won't get all excited about it on track and blow the motor ;-(. Hopefully I answered the questions. I have some more video I might post since with rnr's help it seemed to work.

Told you I was all analogue, wrote a reply and lost it because it didn't post. Anyway... Yes, I did a lot of performance driving in older American "non rack and pinion" cars before "going English" with several MGA's and the Jag. That's not the reason though. My left wrist had major surgical repairs after a two story head first fall from a scaffold where my wrist/arm saved my head from the concrete, (probably not a great deal in retrospect) and is now so arthritic and loose that I don't do "hands over" unless forced to as it pops out and locks up and I can't move or use it till I get it popped back in. Not something I want on track. The MGB rack in the S2k is way too slow for the car. I'm thinking of spending the bucks for something faster and lighter. As for shorts and shirt. We were with the Golden Gate Lotus club so it was very relaxed. 30 minutes on and 30 minutes off all day and just don't be a fool and your OK to go. When I'm up there with other organizations I need long pants, long sleeved shirt and the arm restraints etc. depending on which group. The track seems to let the groups set a lot of the rules. I have a Hans device and a fire suit but it was WAY Hot, about 105 to 110 depending on who you talked with, and I had decided I was not going to push it at all and drive under my limit so was being probably a bit too casual on protection. Camera is a GoPro Hero2. It has a problem and turns itself on and off at will so I miss a lot of good track video. Always seems to be off when something exciting happens in front of me or I'm actually driving a good lap. I shot every session all day and only actually got about an hour of video. It does do good video when recording and since I added a set of cheap Shure microphones, one under the dash and one in the boot it gets decent sound. I'll post this before I lose it and answer more in my next post.

Tried to make a short video and post it on UTube but think I may have screwed it up. Anyway, it showed a link but I'm not sure how to put it on as that. So, here it what it showed to watch it. https:/youtu.be/WiJLZvmCwVk Any digital children out there who can help a hopeless analog man. Where the hell did I put that old super 8 camera?

I was up at Thunder Hill yesterday and another driver mentioned he had a V8 Miata coming soon. That should be a real eye opener for some of the Corvette and Porsche drivers LOL.