Klasik-69

The mic I used is the cheap one that everyone was recommending and the one (Olympus ME-15) that Croc had mentioned in a prior thread. And yes, I get all my good information from Croc as to camera, datalogger, etc. In this case, the RaceChrono datalogger wouldn't work well because we were losing GPS signal at various parts of the mountain. I placed the microphone behind me under the canvas cover of the rear storage compartment. As you can hear, it didn't work well. In fact it was worse than just using the GoPro built-in mic. Next time I'll try as suggested, the engine compartment. On the run(s), this was my last and best run. On Saturday, we did a re-con run to see the layout then started running. My first run was a 1:48.37 and I admit I took it real easy. My butthole was so puckered up I would have been safe in any jail cell. 2nd run, 1:37... 3rd run, 1:32.... 4th run, 1:30... I was chasing a guy who runs in our SEDIV TT who drives a very well set up Camaro, and the driver is obviously much better than I. Well that motivated me to go harder and on the last run I hit the 1:26.848 which proved to be pretty good although just 1.5 seconds shy of catching McMannus in the Camaro. Since most of the cars were running times of 1:47 or slower, I felt good as this was my first hill climb race. Best part, I didn't crash.

Here is my first YouTube video of my recent race at the SCCA Chasing the Dragon event in Robbinsville, NC on June 22,23. I'm quite inexperienced with creating videos so bear with me on this, and if you have any suggestions or tips, please chime in. Mike

What is it with Porsche owners ? Are they all pricks or does it just seem like the ones who get on the course are. Ok, I have to give credit to the Ferrari guys too, they can be a bit over the top. A couple of years ago the Tennessee Porsche club came to a HPDE at Roebling with incredible toterhomes, dual stacker trailers and OMG cup cars. My buddy and I were driving our Z06 cars and tried to talk to them. Nothing doing, they wouldn't even acknowledge we existed. So we lapped every one of them on the track. They go so pissed off they left right after lunch. Good riddance. I figured at around 240 km/hr it equals around 150 mph. Not sure what kind of power he has but it has to be over 300 hp. He is one very quick and talented driver. Great video. Makes us all proud.

I think it depends on what level of racing you want to do. If it's a track event like a PDX or HPDE, you can drive to the track on your street tires, run around for a day or two, then drive home. I race in TT events and the car is set up for track use which includes Hoosier race tires. They are not legal on the open roads so I would have a liability issue. Also, I'd wear out a set of race tires just getting to and from the track. Additionally, my car is barely clearing the ground under the engine with about 3" of clearance. It's already a slight risk on the track but on the open road with all the crap out there like big truck tire caps, it would be suicide. When I'm at the track, I want to go as fast as possible. The weather top is not an option, neither are doors. Where would I put the gas cans ? Nope, too many things for a serious track day. Also, most of my track events are 600+ miles one way. I want my car fresh when I get there. I know some guys do drive their cars to the track, some put the race wheels on a small trailer and pull that, and some guys can live out of shoe box. Not me, I need my comfort and my space, and most of all, I need my tools. I have two trailers, one 24" enclosed and one 16" open. It depends on whether or not I have to trailer in the mountains as to which I choose. However, I'm likely a little more serious about tracking the car than most, and I have a relatively generous budget for getting it done.

Wow, neat site I wasn't aware of before. Also, their prices for the covers are very reasonable. Sorry if I'm hoarding in on this but thought it was a very good link. Good luck with the roll bar.

I sent you an email.

On the highway when you're trying to keep the revs down and max out the mpg, 5th may work out OK with the 15" wheels. However, on the track it seems to hamper the choices. When I went down to the 13" wheels, the unsprung weight went down and it seemed like the car was more settled. Also, like I mentioned before, I had 5 useable gears instead of just 4. Most noticeable was the acceleration out of turns. It took almost a full 5 seconds off my lap time at Talladega GPR and almost 8 seconds off Road Atlanta. Road Atlanta still intimidates me to some degree so I'm really pretty slow there but gained confidence with the better response of the car with the smaller wheels. One major drawback: road clearance under the engine is dangerously minimal. So much so that I put the 15" wheels back on the front to give me a little cushion over the rumble strips. Weird looking....13" on the back and 15" on the front. I still managed to post the 3rd fastest lap time of all that ran the TT event and was faster than every formula car there, but still way too slow considering what I should be running.

I definitely agree with that. It can make a world of difference. I found that by going back to the 13" wheels, I was able to use 5th gear to gain speed rather than lose speed as was the case with the 15" Spec Miata wheels/tires. These cars like very light small wheels, especially with the 3.62 rear end ratios. Others run the 3.92 rear end and likely have a better time of it. Changing wheels sizes is easier than changing rear axle ratios.

First and foremost, I am NOT a Zetec expert so please take what I have to say with that in mind. Many others here are, specifically 1TurboTom who has a shop near Charlotte and who has helped me a lot in getting mine dialed in. I race in TT events in the SEDIV SCCA and am in the SSP (Super Street Prepared) class. I race 4 or 5 times a year and also join in on 2 or 3 HPDE events during the year. I don't drive my 7 much on the streets although it is registered and insured so completely street legal. The 7 is set up for racing but does not have a complete roll cage. And yes, we pulled consistently 183.7 rwhp on a very reliable chassis dyno. We actually pulled 187.5 rwhp but did so with a dangerously lean condition, which is a very good way to blow it up. I remapped the ignition and fuel maps with my laptop while we were running on the dyno. almost 3 hours later, we got what we wanted. Apparently the big risk with the Zetec is the stock oil pump failing if run at rpm above 7200 rpm, according to some people who seem to know. There is opposing argument that the motor with stock oil pump can rev to 8000 rpm without issues. Being a chicken, I set my soft rpm cutoff at 7200 and hard cutoff at 7400 to keep me on the safe side. I usually don't need to run it hard up there except when going into a straight and I need to squeeze all I can get to keep the faster cars from walking away. I think the Zetec motor is a fantastic motor but apparently the Duratec is a better motor. I know of several people who have pushed a NA Zetec to beyond 250 crank HP safely. Tom says this motor can be turbocharged to a power level exceeding 350 hp or more, and I think he's quite correct. Making a motor last, either on the street or the track, largely depends on how you treat it. If you abuse it and fail to maintain it, it will likely crap out. If you treat it like it's directly attached to your wallet, it will last. It's a wonderful little motor that just keeps on giving. Good luck.

We get hazardous material shipped to us all the time. Paint spray cans from Eastwood, pesticides from various suppliers, and HM labeled products just to name a few that are shipped by either UPS or FEDEX. Is it the "Alaska" part that creates a problem since it would obviously require air shipment ? If so, it's a real bummer.

Also, claim that it's hard to get 200 reliable HP from a Zetec is wrong. I've raced mine for 2 years now in SCCA TT events & it has never even hiccuped. I watch my track friends work feverishly on their cars between runs while I lay back in my easy chair & relax. These cars w/ Zetecs are very fast & very reliable. 2012 SEDIV Championship, 2013 very likely too.

My 2004 Zetec was built by Jon @ Caterham & was claimed to have 205 HP at the crank. After some tuning (remapping fuel & installing correct high imp injectors) rwhp came out to 183. I would say Caterham is conservative in their ratings & understates HP.

You can go to autozone.com & order it, have it shipped. I'm not sure about Alaska but why not, UPS goes there as well as USPS

I believe CarMan got the EP lap record while the Miata would be in a different class. Typically, the Miatas will run SM (Spec Miata) but may be in IT (Improved Touring) class if they have modified the ECU or made some other tweaks not allowed in SM class. If this was a TT (Timed Trials) SCCA event, the Miata may likely be running in DSP class since then they take the Solo II event designations. AND, all this brings me to ask CarMan a question: If you're in EP class and running in club racing under the GCR of the SCCA, are you therefore running clam shell front wings and staying with 13 x 6 wheels ? And if you were running a TT event, wouldn't you be in the SPU class vs. EP ? I'm just wondering because it seems that the SCCA has various interpretations of their rules depending on which part of the country you're in. I see variations all over the place. Lastly, a very big CONGRATULATIONS on your fantastic run and setting the EP track record, making us all proud 7 owners. I bet that having a rabbit to chase (Charlie) made you even faster. It does for me too.

Hawk pads are notoriously noisy. Change pads & noise will likely disappear. If you want a very progressive but high performance pad, see if Carbo Tech pads have one for your calipers. Also, AP racing pads (UK) are very good. Good luck.

You could also remove the oil press gauge & crank the engine to see if oil squirts out the press port. If no oil, is that passage free & clear ???? You need to determine if you have an oil pressure or oil pressure indicator problem.

If this has an adjustable relief valve, check to see if it isn't cranked out & slipped out of spring pressure range. It could be dumping oil back in if it's designed to release pressure back to the intake, or in this case the sump. You said you had dialed back the pressure which leads me to believe it has an adjustable range.

If it's Time Trials with SCCA, the Caterham is thrown into the SSP (Super Street Prepared) class which also includes cars like Corvette Z06, Porsche 911TT (997), Dodge Viper, Ferrari 599 and any other monster car they can come up with. I think they figure the HP to weight puts them in good company. I've been running in that class for two years now in SEDIV TT. Luckily for me, not too many cars of the competition are running. They usually put me in the formula car groups since we will run similar times. I sure wish I could run the NJMP track. It looks like a great track and a lot of fun. Trailering a car 1100 miles one way isn't much fun however, especially for only one or two days of track. Even worse if you get there to find out it's rained out. For the guys who live in NJ or NY, not that big a deal to drive to. Lots of great tracks up north.

Fenders-N-More makes utility type fenders which can be used for the front wings. The rear wings on a Caterham are much more complicated and would likely be sourced from Caterham. The rear CF wings are around $650 each. I priced the left rear after I ripped mine off when I swalled a cone on a track. After getting the price, I decided to repair the damaged one. I don't know of any other source for the rear wings.

There were some posts a few years back that explained the need for using a special oil in the T9 gearboxes. I remember a number of people recommending a type of oil vs. a specific manufacturer, and if I remember correctly, the type of synchros in the T9 mandates that a certain oil additive not be in this gearbox. Mine was really hard shifting and almost impossible to get back into first gear after going up in the gears. I bought the redline MTL oil and instantly my problems went away. Engaging gears got silky smooth, and dropping down into first was equally smooth. I wouldn't have believed it could make a difference, oil is oil. In any case, I'm glad I listenned to the guys on this forum who made the recommendation. When it comes to Honda gearboxes, I would use what Honda recommends. Their stuff is usually bulletproof and doesn't need to be re-engineered. Their gearboxes are much better designed that the aging T9. However, in fairness to the Ford T9, it was never designed to be run with the kind of horsepower some of these engines will put out, and if you drive it roughly you will likely find the weakness. I race mine but I really try to be gentle in doing it.

I had emailed Burton Power about the kit and also about their advertised T9 tranny for 600 UK lb. I got a very quick reply advising me that they have the seals and gaskets individually in their e-catalogue and to order what I needed. They also advised that the T9 gearboxes are no longer available without an exchange/rebuild basis, and as such have a long waiting list for available cores that are re-buildable. Not good news if you have a T9 and it takes a dump. I ordered the seals this morning. I ordered duplicates of all the gaskets and only one of each input and output shaft seal. All together with shipping to Florida and taxes, cost was $68. I also heard very quickly back from Eurospeed in Australia. However, thru no fault of theirs, the kit and shipping would be over $110 USD but it would be here in 2 or 3 days with DHL. It isn't their fault that we're about 12,000 miles away. They appear to be very professional and well stocked.

Thanks, I'll contact them

I sent an email to Jeff W. at Taylor Race engineering to try to get a seal kit for the T9. I got a reply saying he was going to check to see what he could dig up (?????) I also saw a link for Quantum Mechanics in Connecticut. I sent an email there too to John to see what he had...........no reply. Maybe this is why people use the supplier in Australia. Extra for the freight for sure but service has a price.

When I bought my R300 from the previous owner, the tranny was hard shifting especially 2nd to 3rd. I didn't know what oil he had in there but after reading on this forum about the problems with detergent oils and the types of synchros used in the T9, I decided to use the Redline gear oil. Wow, what a difference it makes. Now, the transmission shifts with absolute ease, no grinding, no resistance. It's hard to believe what a difference an oil can make.

You listenned ? I just stared. Didn't know she could sing, didn't care.