Sam's build thread

[sambb]

ok sweet. Linear 8kg/mm fronts from MCA it is then. thx

[seangti]

I think you've probably seen my vids of the Ringwood Hillclimb circuit which has corners as tight as yours. The main thing that helped there was as much rear roll stiffness as possible ie springs or bar. You could also run the rear a tad higher to get its roll centre up and pump up the rears so it'll rotate a bit more. Should help you in being able to get on the power earlier.

Thanks Sam. Yeah, my only choice from here is stiffer rear springs as the bar is hard and the rear is already quite lifted. In reality, it was rotating quite nicely on the most part. On reflection, probably a bit more pressure in the rear tyres wouldn't go astray (I had dropped them down to 30psi hot), but I otherwise had a driveable amount of oversteer/rotation.

I think I've still got the data you'd sent me re the H&R's, might have to look into rear springs.

[sambb]

I may have a pair of 150mm 6kg/mm springs soon, back off a friend. They have the standard coilover I.D of 60mm(??) so if that length works with your adjustent range I'll send them up for you to try if you want. They are 335lb in but with motion/leverage ratios of the beam factored in they are 220lb in at the rear wheel so a decent jump up.

[sambb]

DTM's 600+hp 4cyl turbo replacement of the V8. Warning... pornography within. Supercars' future?

YouTube

YouTube

[sambb]

Alright here's the vid of Dub Nats 2019 at SMSP south circuit. First go on an editor and didn't realsie till the end that it had a bloody watermark all over it. Hopefully you can see the wheel work - most fun bits are the way it was moving around under brakes at the end of the back straight. The car in front was a Golf Mk7 R, no idea what state of tune etc but we had a good little run together once we both got on with it:

here's the vid: YouTube you'll need to go 30 secs in before anything happens

and be gentle.... I know I drove really scruffy throughout

[Sydneykid]

Quick comments, small stuff, nothing major, no need for self deprecation, you were way better than most;

Later apexes on almost every corner, make the straights longer.
Steering wheel should be straightening on approaching the apex, not still turning.
Apply power as soon as you start straightening up the steering (more power as lock decreases), more power means less understeer.
You should be at full throttle at the apex for most corners.
Turn 1 you need to be much more hungry on the bread roll strip, over it, inside it, use it to hold the line, it will help with turn 2 which is currently being compromised and thus affecting speed up the hill. Same with ripple strips, if there is flat concrete inside of them use it.

I need to look at in some more on the big screen to see what is happening suspension wise.


Cheers
Gary

[sambb]

You're dead right. Having watched it back properly myself now I'm constantly thinking 'stop turning in so early'. The only place where it felt quicker to be turning in early was the left hander before heading down the hill towards the hairpin but I can see that overall I was doing what you said.
I cant find a circuit map for South circuit without the main circuit turn numbers on it. So based on the one above, you're saying early turn in at T15c was hurting T5. I was also a serial turn in early fiend at T6 which was hurting T7. Once I got off 11, the next part through to T14 felt good but the entry to T15a was troubling me and I think responsible for everything leading through to T5 - If I braked as late as I felt I should be the car was sliding around a lot, if I was more conservative under brakes I found because I had more time maybe that I was too eager and was turning in early. The track was very dirty down there from lots of off etc and it never really improved throughout the day and neither did my confidence to turn it in while it was stepping out too much. Bugger.
Maybe I'll hold off on springs and just drive it better next time. I measured my front cambers last night and the front right was 2'55'' so I should have had a bit more on that side too which would have hurt me a bit too.

[seangti]

Nice work Sam.

Don't know if my video from last year is much better/any help as for comparing lines.

Vbox Uk website has a great e-book "https://www.vboxmotorsport.co.uk/index.php/en/applications/free-ebook-race-drivers-tips" which I review before track events. Given SMSP South circuit is tight, there's corners to sacrifice on just to get a clean run at the next corner. I find S's post turn 1 to be all late apex, the hairpin to be late so you get straight on throttle, along with back up the hill, etc. It's a different matter as to whether I actually achieved that and landed anywhere near an apex You might enjoy the reading.

By way of video editing software, there's Davinci Video editing which is free. I don't think the water mark is anywhere near the size of the software you've used. I've not used Davinci myself, but have heard it's very powerful and free.

[Sydneykid]

Using that map, some things to try;
T6, get over the other side of the bread roll it will make T7, T8 and T9 much faster corners.

T10, hungry on the bread roll, straighten the corner out as much as possible.

T11 , late apex, slower in faster out, get on the throttle before the apex, don't run wide on the exit as it ruins T12 which is a more important corner.

T12, same, sacrifice the entry for the exit, lengthen the straight up the hill.

T15a is a slow corner so the best you can do is make the exit as fast as possible.

T15c even more so, as it influences the speed all the way to T6.


Cheers
Gary

[simon k]

interesting stuff... there's a sprint at my local track in a few weeks, I think I'll take a video of it and see if you guys can help me along. I have some videos from last year but the car has changed a lot so I doubt they're a lot of value

[sambb]

Thanks Sean, I'll check that out. Now that I'm harnessed in I simply cant reach the camera just before its time to go out so I'm new (obviously) to the editing thing. I'll give that Da vinci a go next time for sure. Its good seeing your footage as your camera is a lot more stable than mine so I was able to get a good look at the kerbs and I can see what Gary means eg Turn 6 the sausage kerb is the same length as the serrated part so if you really throw it over that I can see how you could get the inside tyres railing around that corner up on the sausage kerbs, and I think it looks possible to do the same at Turn 12 too.

Thanks Gary - all taken on board for sure. I think next time it'll be a case of feeling when the tyres are in the zone and then for a couple of laps really going for it over the kerbs (where I can) and changing a couple of lines and seeing what comes of it. Don't know if the daily will be up to kerb jumping for a full day. I got over the really deep serrations on Turn 5 a couple of times in the last session and had some pretty chunky sounds coming out of the front left by the time I got home. I thought I'd blown a CV but it turned out to be the base height and spring preload collars on that strut had rattled loose! I'd checked them 2 days before the event so it was definitely kerb rattle that did it. Really appreciate the input. It'll be funny the first time I ever do the Brabham circuit as I'll be really comfortable in one part of the track and ****ting myself on the other = Turn 1.

Yeah Simon get some vid action happening. Keen to see how it goes.

[Sydneykid]

We try and stay off the saw tooth ripple strips, but the bread rolls are OK, especially when they have a nice flat piece of concrete inside them. Try an early morning track walk next time out, then remember the features (I take notes or pictures) when driving.

Turn 5, late apex stay off the ripple strips;


Cheers
Gary

[sambb]

Yeah thats the one I accidentally got over, only a tad but jeez it was harsh. Just called MCA then - I'm looking to see if I can change the strut body for a better one eg 'Reds' with the inverted tube option (I assume they have 2 way damping adjustment?).....and/or also get an extra pair of collars so that a can run twin collars on the base adjustment too. Dont want them loosening again.

How's Justin been going in IPRA?

[Sydneykid]

How's Justin been going in IPRA?

OK at the first Round at SMP with 3 x 2nd places. Was leading Race 1 in Round 2 at Wakefield until the engine developed a miss that we couldn't fix.

Cheers
Gary

[Sydneykid]

Yeah thats the one I accidentally got over, only a tad but jeez it was harsh. Just called MCA then - I'm looking to see if I can change the strut body for a better one eg 'Reds' with the inverted tube option (I assume they have 2 way damping adjustment?).....and/or also get an extra pair of collars so that a can run twin collars on the base adjustment too. Dont want them loosening again.

I haven't seen anything from MCA with double adjusters other than the Gold Series (the bump adjustment is on the canister). I have done it with the new competition Bilsteins, they have a trick shaft which allows for 2 adjusters at the top, or bottom in the case of inverted. Not cheap though.



Jordan used them on the Civic.

Cheers
Gary