xcarguy

At around the same time (1:15-1:16), you can actually hear one of the officers yell bean bag a couple of times and then fire. First rounds were definitely not bean bag rounds. You can see the spent casings eject from the cameraman's weapon as he fires.

Mike, Thanks for chiming in. An Accusump is one of my considerations. Back in the early days of my Stalker madness, I installed an Accusump on #85, but sold the car to Sharkey and never got a chance to test/use it. I have to wonder if I've crossed the 'baffle' barrier with my current setup. :rofl:

Z, Unfortunately, yes. It's the 20 psi low oil press light. FORTUNATELY, no engine damage. Keep in mind the light is illuminating at 20psi, not zero and is illuminated for brief periods. The only bottom end mod the engine received between my last session (last year) and Saturday's session was an Improved Racing crank scraper. For the track (road course), the crank scraper could possibly be more of a hindrance than a help; I truly don't know yet. The scraper is designed to literally 'scrape' the oil off of the crank as it rotates, thus helping to move the oil quicker to the pan to lessen oil starvation issues and, at the same time, reduce rotational mass (less oil on the crank equals less parasitic drag) resulting in a 'supposedly' additional 2-4rwhp. Now, everything I just said about the crank scraper may very well be a moot point. I also have to take into account the tire change. The car definitely has more grip than did the smaller Avons I was running last year. And there's no disputing the car is now quicker and is pulling more g-force in the turns. If I can figure out how, I'll try and post a friction circle image from those two laps and post it here for criticism . . . ah . . . . . I mean analysis. Manshoon11 mentioned my coming into the turns too hot and getting pushed wide a fair bit. Driving the car smoother and finding a different approach to negotiating turns (especially left-handers) might help. There are other possibilities I'm considering. This is simply something else to work out . . . . But I'm trying real hard not to mention the words 'dry sump' . . . . . $$$. :jester:

Stay the course. The wheels and TM were a one year wait for me. Getting my car on the track for the first time was a six year wait. Get the M-spec finished and then . . . . :cheers:

I've got the mic I need (Replay lavalier); just gotta get the unwanted noise issues worked out. The mic/camera combo works great (relatively speaking) when the camera and the TM aren't holding hands. I'll work on coming in too hot, but you know how pilots are. :jester:

No weights yet. I'll get them, but it probably won't be till next week . . . . . :lurk: :jester:

To borrow some of my own info from another thread, I've finally managed to finish butchering my first two (maybe the only two) short videos from Saturday’s HPDE at MSR Cresson using Traqmate ™ data overlay. This was my first time using the TM/Replay system and several issues were confronted (some, overcome) in creating the videos. I’ll list these in bullet points: • To begin with, when the TM is powering the Replay cameras (I was using two cameras), and external mics are being used, there is unbearable noise interference picked up by the mics :bigear: ; this has been an ongoing issue with the Replay cables (TM is thinking bad batch) and is not a TM problem. TM is currently working on upgraded components (different cables and such) that will 'hopefully' resolve the problem. However, and FWIW, once the car is started, the noise actually decreases a bit. • Secondly, Saturday morning started out with the TraqDash generating a blank screen when turned on (generating data, just no visual); turns out it was a temp-related calibration issue and has sense been resolved. Mist and rain didn’t help matters much. • The Replay camera cables stopped working (inconveniently, that very morning :cuss: ) and would NOT power up the camera (new cable on the way). This issue left me with manually turning on the camera before each session which, in turn, tossed out the window any hope of TM video/overlay sync for that camera. • Because of the external mic issue, I resorted to using the internal mics on both cameras (bad idea). I installed Replay wind breakers (what a joke) and a modified muff on each camera . . . . . both, a worthless pursuit at best; wind noise is horrible in the videos; my apologies. In hind sight, I should’ve gone with the lesser of two evils and used the external mics and endured the unwanted noise; I think the engine sound (under load) would have been enough to drown out most of the unwanted mic interference, or would have at least made it tolerable. • As a result of spending the majority of Saturday morning trouble shooting the bad Relay camera cable issue, I left (inadvertently . . . honest) the wrong tire size programmed in the TraqDash, so, during the videos, the TM is constantly guessing as to which gear I’m actually in at X-rpm. The good news is that lap times and speeds are unaffected as the GPS doesn't give a rat's rear about what tire size I’m running. • Finally, video editing was a bit of a challenge because of the lack of sync on my forward facing camera (yep, the one with the bad cable). One video is pretty close (watch the G meters) while the other video (Slow Tour) is slightly off (frankly, I was tired of messing with it and published as is :rant: ). Hopefully, once I learn the basics of using the the TM, I'll start applying it for what it was actually designed for, to increase my driving skill. Anyway. :cheers:

LOL!!! Gee, Croc, thanks! Now I'm gonna' end up hijacking my own thread. :smilielol5:

RUN, MARAL!!! RUN!!! :smilielol5: Okay, just kidding. Maral, welcome to one of the most informative and most fun forums on the web. Great group, here. :seeya:

Mike, I've wondered the same thing. I'll admit, after experiencing how different my car felt in the turns, if the mods I did were laid out in front of me and I could only choose one, it would definitely be the wheel/tire combo followed by the wings and then power. I guess I did it bass-ackwards; pulled the engine first thing when the season ended for me last year, then slapped on the wings, and finally, the rolling stock. I like your data acquisition system; comes complete with a high-powered sense of humor. :jester:

So far, it seems all I've done is just sit here and sniff it and admire its uselessness. :toetap05: However, I've had both my hands in it this pile of muck this morning trying to shape into something productive. Spent the morning on the phone with Glen at TM, trying to work out a few issues with video writing, data overlay, vid/data sync, MY IGNORANCE, etc. . . . . . you know, just 'crap' like that. Saturday at Cresson was TM test-n-tune, along with a host of other trial and error stuff like new tires and wheels, engine mods, CF wings. Oh, and did I mention the weather du jour was mist and rain for most of the day? I'll have to say that running on a semi-wet track was interesting (first time for me . . . . yes, ran on slicks). What fun! Saturday morning started out with the TraqDash generating a blank screen when turned on (generating data, just no visual); turns out it was a temp-related calibration issue which I found out about . . . oh . . . 'today'. :banghead: Secondly, one of the Replay camera cables stopped working (conveniently, that very morning) and would NOT power up the camera (Glen at TM has a new one on the way). This issue left me with manually turning on the camera before each session which, in turn, tossed any hope of vid/sync out the window for that camera. (Sorry, there is no emoticon on this forum that relays exactly my emotional state at that particular point in time). Lastly, when the TM is powering the Replay camera/s, and an external mic is being used, there is unbearable noise interference picked up by the mic; this has been an ongoing issue with the Replay cables and is not a TM problem. TM is currently working on upgraded components (different cables) that will 'hopefully' resolve the problem and allow external mics to be used with the Replay camera while being powered by the TM. Glen at TM told me these components are 4-6 weeks out from being available and that he will simply swap components with me when ready. Because of the external mic issue, I resorted to using the internal mics of both cameras. I installed the wind breaker (and a modified muff) on both cameras . . . . . a worthless pursuit at best; wind noise is horrible. In hind sight, I wish I'd went with the lesser of two evils and used the external mics; I think the engine noise (under load) would have been enough to drown out most of the unwanted mic interference. Having said all of that, I have managed to 'just-now' finish butchering my first (maybe only) short video from Saturday and will post it later on boob-tube and link it on this thread. If there is any good to be said about Saturday, regardless of my ranting and ignorance, I had a blast as usual; even the Porsche owners where nice and friendly (might be a Texas thing). And while I'm not particularly an ET chaser, at the end of the day, I managed my quickest lap time (at least according to the TM data). Last year, my best guess-timated lap time was in the neighborhood of 1:23ish for the 1.7ccw course. I finished up Saturday (same track and direction) with a GPS generated 1:16.8. I suppose the changes to the car, weight loss for the idiot behind the wheel and the Gregorian chants while studying others drivers lines via video worked to some extent. Croc, I even thought about you Saturday; twice as a matter of fact . . . . both times I was sitting in the grass watching cars roll by that I had just passed. :smilielol5: I'll be sure and make a video of that also. I'll call it How to Run Cresson in 2:00 or greater. It wouldn't have been so bad, but the track was dry both times. :iamwithstupid:

Earlier last week, Storker :jester: #85 got a Traqmate system install. :smash: Here’s a link to the file in the Stalker Gallery: http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=25221 . . . . . . . :ack:

:ack: . . . . . . :svengo:

I can't find a pot of gold anywhere . . . . . Okay, I'm waiting . . . . . opened hand. :smilielol5: Buy the fleabay helmet. When bigdog gives you flak, I'll protect your head as you go sliding gracefully under the bus. :jester: . . . . :cheers:

On fleabay: 2003 Birkin. Anybody know this car? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lotus-Super-Seven-2003-BIRKIN-S3-LOTUS-SUPER-7-CA-CAR-SB100-2-0-5-SPEED-/221396770438?forcerrptr=true&hash=item338c469e86&item=221396770438&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

:smilielol5:!!! . . . Too funny!

Blokko, Welcome aboard! :seeya: . . . . . :cheers:

Yessir!

My two cents if it helps; running WCM Ultralite fenders on my Stalker (thanks, WestTex). . . . Stick with 8's up front (keep the tire under the fender). FWIW, I'm running 9.5" wide wheels on the rear

Mario took the Stalker out for a ten mile test hop today! :cheers:

I heat shrink on EVERY connection and wrap exposed sections of the wiring harness with split braided sleeving (available from Summit Racing): http://www.summitracing.com/parts/aww-510156/overview/ I also use cold shrink tape on the ends of the sleeving: http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/CTI0/85274/N0226.oap?ck=Search_N0226_-1_-1&pt=N0226&ppt=C0335 Here is an example of the use of all three; heat shrink (far right in photo), split braid and cold shrink tape (center).

Mario has a winch mounted up high; uses it to hoist the trailer upright and out of the way. :cheers:

Good Lord, Russian Mig helmets with iPod upgrades and silicone putty ear plugs . . . . I wonder if Silly Putty would get the job done? And Klasik, there you go again with that Porsche . . . . Getting yourself thrown back under the bus. Dasvidaniya!

The Polar Bear Blat sounds like a real hoot, and definitely not for the timid. Any Stalkers in the mix for next year?

JohnK, time to dust off the skill and work your loom magic for Bill and Paul.