brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Need to remove wheel center caps to drive on track.

Front Left Center Cap Removed. Cleaned and waxed the wheel when it was off.



Wanted to clean up the area under the rear fender where the roll bar was welded.

Some of the fender liner was melted away from the heat of welding. I cut that section out and removed the bolt that held it down.

Fender Liner Scraps. 0.1 lbs removed.



Cleaned up underneath welded area.



Masked under fender.



Masked Fender & Hub.



Primer Sprayed.



Undercoating Sprayed.



While the rear of the car was jacked up and wheel was off, replaced rear strut nuts with Titanium Nuts. Made sure when tightening to get the Coilover in the center of the slot so it wasn't hitting edge.



Rear wheel removed and masked hub & fender to paint this cap.





Sanded & Primed.



Painted.







While Wheel was off, decided to modify the bumper tab & fender liner some in preparation of running lower offset wheels. Might not be necessary, but just in case.





Now just need to repeat on passenger side.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Was thinking do I need to remove that cap on rear hub that is painted black, or can I leave that on for the track? Is it even removable?

zeta

iTrader: (1)

Helms states that the 'hub cap' is removable to get at the spindle nut underneath. It also states to replace with a new one, probably because it will get trashed as part of the removal process.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

^^^ +1

a chisel is not easy on the hub cap

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

I will take a look in service manual. If it is removable that just means less rotational unsprung mass. Wish thought of this before painting, but better to figure out before arriving at track.

Not sure if by hub caps the track means the plastic wheel covers or that small cap I painted. If I try to research online the only results are for plastic hub caps.

Need Vill0169 to chime in.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Been thinking about tires again. Gonna stick with 200 UTQG rating.

For the front, since went with 9" wheel, thinking anything over 255/35 will be too big for wheel. Don't want the tire "loose" where the center cups and loses contact. Will stick with 255/35 in front.

No 9.5" ZE40 is really right size to fit anyway so not regretting wheel decision yet. 18x9.5 +30 would be best option to try and run 265/35 tires, but that would be a lot of fender work just to get an extra 10 MM. Buying stickier tires would be easier route.

Still need to decide on rear tire size for 8.5" wheel. Either 245/40, 235/40, or 225/40. Comes down to grip level, cost, weight.

The tire speed variance compared to stock for 255/35/18 Tire is 1.72% too fast. 245/40 is 0.99% too slow. 235/40 is 0.25% too fast. 225/40 is 1.48% too fast.

If I compare sizes for Star Spec 2 tire:

255/35 costs $263 weighs 26 lbs
245/40 costs $225 weighs 26 lbs
235/40 costs $223 weighs 25 lbs
225/40 costs $190 weighs 24 lbs

Any suggestions on tire size for rear?

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

how will a 40mm narrower tire affect handling? I think it all depends on that

CLassy02

Completely off topic of the CL but Brian how do you like your ST? Selling my Mercedes and thinking of getting something manual/4cyl/sporty.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Won't know until I try it. There are a lot of factors to consider, but I need to pick a starting point.

The ST is a great car. Drives better than the CL in stock form. The handling is amazing, gets pretty good mpg, interior is nicer than you'd expect, full torque at 2k rpm which is more than cl has. Has good storage/carrying capacity. Very practical. Like that it only comes in manual so you know other ST owners are rowing their own gears. The community is friendly. Much more so than the Acura community. Fellow ST owners wave and stop to talk to you all the time. If you buy one you can attend the national meet with me in TN. Car has great aftermarket support and is easy to tune, unlike the CL.

I do have a few small complaints though. Think my rear motor mount already needs replacing. Installed oil catch can at around 10k Miles and intake valves are already gummed up. Need to remove manifold and clean them. The pedal placement is really odd and impossible for me to heel toe. Added the accelerator Pedal Spacer which helps some. The accelerator Pedal arm is completely made of plastic, unlike cl arm being metal. If I try and heel toe now, my foot just pushes the entire Pedal sideways from all the plastic flex and I miss the blip. Not sure how I'd heel toe on track, good thing heel toe is easier in cl. ST can kind of be a rattle box in cold weather.

Would definitely buy Focus ST again. My main issue was deciding between Focus and Fiesta ST. The weight and smaller size of the Fiesta make it a blast to drive and easy to fit in tight spaces. Still think sometimes maybe should have got fiesta. Went with Focus for better interior, extra storage space, and bigger more powerful engine.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Skimmed through Vill0169's thread and he still has hub caps on rear. Called my local mechanic and he said I can leave them on also.

Need to finish work on passenger side, then install passenger seat and harness.

Need to get it aligned and ready for first event next Sunday.

fsttyms1

Hubcaps meaning rim/wheel covers, not the center cap you painted (which by the way pops off pretty easily with a small flat head screw driver to get it started?

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Haven't tried removing it. Is there any reason I should leave them on?

CLassy02

Thanks for the info! I've heard they are great cars. Need to set aside some time and go drive one for sure. I sat in one at the auto show, was a bit cramped for me since I'm a big guy, but all around seemed nice. Agree about the Fiesta though. Love that lil car but it's just that...little. Sat in one of those too, definitely couldn't drive that every day.

vill0169

iTrader: (4)

I'd leave them on man. Have to know when to sacrifice the diet for safety, reliability, and sometimes even just peace of mind. This falls under that for me.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Yea you might be too tall for it. The cloth seats seem to be preferred by bigger ppl.

I am definitely not trying to sacrifice safety or reliability. Just thought it is better to ask. Assume they are just dust caps to keep dust/debris out of the hub bearing. Guess the front doesn't need them? Didn't want to remove them unless required.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Center Caps Removed. 0.54 lbs removed.




When I was working in the front passenger fenderwell, noticed some rust peaking through the sealant in 1 specific area. Started pulling up sealant and digging deeper.



There was rust between the panels, so decided to cut some metal out to get at the rust better. Removed as much rust as possible and cleaned it up.



Masked for Primer.



Primer & Sealant Applied.



Same Spot from Engine Bay.



Undercoating Applied.



Engine Bay Touch Up Primer & Paint Applied.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

man, you are incredibly OCD...I love that...

I wish I had that level of perfection and dedication...you should come and work on my car

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

You are too far from me, otherwise I would help.

Ordered Carbotech xp8 Brake pads.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

shizzz....lets switch cars for 3 months and you can fix all the quirks LOL

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

I can't go 3 months without driving my car. I do seem to work on it more than drive it.

Extra eyebolt removed from passenger side. Gonna use the eyebolt mounted on the seat frame instead. 0.44 lbs removed.




When working on the rear driver side suspension area, noticed the wrong bolt was used for the lower shock bushing mount. Local shop must have lost or damaged my original bolt and just thrown this on instead.

If you look in the pic you will see the bolt I removed and a new OEM bolt. The threads are the same diameter on the bolts, but the shaft on the OEM bolt is thicker. The bolt removed had 9MM shaft diameter. The OEM bolt is 9.8MM.

Hopefully this helps remove some of the clunk from my rear suspension.

shift4fun

Subscribed...awesome thread...I'm buying my first 03 CL type-S 6 speed on May 16. I've got a 2010 STI that will get turned into a weekend/track toy. I'm buying the CL to DD and possibly have a little fun going to the Auto-X meets around here in Birmingham. I know that I will definitely not being going as far as you did with your car but I've looked through almost this entire thread (and a few others) searching for answers about performance parts. I do have a few questions for you Brian. What's the mileage like on your car? How's the engine holding up with the added performance parts? The car I'm buying is a bone stock, unmolested 6 speed. So far I'm considering xs-power header kit since its super cheap. The same AEM build your own intake kit like you have. A custom made single exit exhaust using Vibrant performance resonator, muffler, and possibly a tip. And a lightweight pulley set. I just want to do a little bit of performance to be able to get the best bang for the buck and still have a comfortable DD w/out harming the engine.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Nice cars, welcome to CL family.

My car gets around 25mpg in town and 30 on highway. These engines are rock solid. Bolt-ons won't hurt anything. 200k Miles easy. I am at 130k.

For the exhaust if you only go with single muffler, what will you do with extra cutout in bumper?

For this car, focus on intake and exhaust. Heads already flow well. 3.5 or 4" intake, bored TB or B series TB, ported IM or 09 TL AWD IM, Headers, 2.5 or 3" exhaust.

shift4fun

I was looking at the 4 cyl. Accords with single exit that have a "plug." I would either do something like that or cut the bumper like you did. The car I'm buying has 149,xxx miles but the previous owner doesn't get on it. Basically babies the car. I'm hoping to keep it for a long time as everything on the car is mint. He would not sell it any less than $6k which I still think is a good deal. Thanks for the info!

shift4fun

I work at Honda Manufacturing of Alabama. We have a race team here that is competing in the Pirelli World Challenge with a 2015 Honda Accord. I'm going to basically copy their custom made exhaust which is a single exit. It is super aggressive though so I'm going for a more toned down version...possibly 2 resonators haha.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Ah cool. I follow that racing series. Didn't know they were using an accord? Realtime uses TLX. Would be interested in seeing their mods and exhaust design.

shift4fun

I can snap some pictures...I think they use the RV6 jpipe but this won't work because of the single exhaust port on the new 3.5's. I want to copy from the collector back. In addition to the exhaust, they have solid engine mounts, injen CAI, lightweight pulleys, Hondata tuning by the owner himself, coilovers, some aero bits, and the car is completely gutted with a full cage. Google HMA race team. They have a facebook page they update regularly. They have an MDX that sounds like an indy car too haha

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Took car in to my alignment shop today.

Check out this nice ride getting an alignment. Shop workers said it is one of the first Huracans in the US.





Silly Honda blocking the view.

Scottyknows007

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

Steven Bell just jizzed all over the place

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

I can see that being a car he would like.


When I was working on the rear of the car, noticed if jack one side of the car even a few inches off the ground, the other side of the car jacks up also. The rear is that stiff with roll bar.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

WCMC Autocross 5/3/15

Had first autocross of the year yesterday.

Ran in class U which had 17 drivers(biggest class by far). Was the only fwd car competing against 16 rwd cars.

Ended up getting 1st Place in Class. Beat out all the rwd cars. Think I might be 1st fwd car to win U class.

Am a member this year so I can compete for the season championship. This is a good start. They use your best 7 results of the year.

This was the course layout.



Overall I liked the layout, besides for the 2 garage areas. They are really tight and hard for such a big car with long front and rear overhangs. It took me most of the day to figure out how to make it through both without hitting a cone.

For the first session of the day(5 runs), I had no clean runs. Kept hitting 1 cone in the 2 car garage.

One of my issues with autocross seems to be warming up and getting in a rhythm. You do 1 run then wait 10-15 minutes till the next run.

For the second session was having same trouble with 2 car garage.

Finally had a clean run and it felt really fast. Went to check my time to realize the timing had gotten messed up and no time was recorded. Was kind of angry at that point. Had a rerun, so 2 runs left to get a clean time. Tried to tell myself not to be angry and just focus on driving.

Last 2 runs were both clean and my fastest times of the day. On a similar course layout last year my car was about 2 seconds slower.

It seems like all my time, money, and dedication paid off. Feels good knowing how much effort I put in.

The car feels amazing now. The roll bar and corner balance made a huge difference. The car felt great on the entire course, even the tight stuff. The rear rotates easier and more predictably now. Just brake, lift off throttle, then apply steering. Use the throttle to straighten it out. Didn't need to left foot brake either.

The videos aren't the greatest. My mounting wasn't ideal. The diagonal bar on roll bar blocks were I normally mount camera, so need to get a new mount.

Enough babbling, here are the videos. Atleast it gives you an idea of the exhaust sound.

2nd Fastest Run


1st Place Run

gnuts

iTrader: (1)

Congrats! That was a tight turn!

What were the other cars? I saw a miata. I love how quick it accelerates from a stop.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

^^^ +1

the car takes offfffff....congrats dude!

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Thanks.

The miatas have their own classes. U is for unclassified cars. There is a honda 4 cylinder class. 2nd place in U was a gutted RX8 racecar that is really fast. First time I beat him(by 0.2 seconds). 3rd place was a bmw e36. There were a few corvettes, camaro, mustang, bmw 128, 350z, e92 M3, etc. There was a Focus ST in my class I believe so was wrong about only fwd car.

I can't remember the other cars.

The fast lotus was on racing slicks, so luckily he was in R(race ) class. Think he had a time of 47-48 seconds. My car on street tires was 51.5. I lose more time in the tight garage areas than the smaller cars do, but my car makes up for it in other areas.

Competing against cars with similar tire type helped.

Forgot to mention I was running hot tire Pressures of around 38-39 front & 37-38 rear.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Noticed FedEx tried to drop off 2 wheels yesterday, but left a note instead. Should receive my 2 wheels today. Really excited after waiting over 3 months.

Brake Pads shipped. Once I get everything can install bbk.

Decided to stay square for next set of tires to make life easier for now. Ordered 2 255/35/18 Star Spec 2 tires.

Ordered a Custom License Plate. My first few choices were taken so settled on "J SERIES"

fsttyms1

Congrats on the win.

Have you tried playing with the psi at all? I know with my car (at least before the 275s) with my suspension setup (Koni yellows with rebound and dampening adjusted, h&r sports, eibach roll bars) depending on the track layout or track temps i would adjust the rears up to 6-7 psi less than the fronts at times. I was able to really tune in/out oversteer/understeer just by changing the rear psi to suit the track/temps/speed.

I also want to get adjustable endlinks for the sways. That way i can tune in the suspension/sways better for the lowered stance along with adjust for tracks that favor turning more to one direction than the other

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Thanks. I have played with the tire pressures. The front was easier to dial in. For the rear you can either lower the tire Pressures to get rear to rotate, or you can raise Pressures to achieve same thing. I personally preferred the tires with more pressure than less. Really liked how it felt this past weekend.

I have adjustable endlinks for rear, but not front.

For my Zeal coils I ran front at setting of 3 out of 6, and the rear was at 5 out of 6. This felt better than running front at full 6 out of 6.

Will probably run lower rear Pressures on track versus autocross.

Need a tire pyrometer.

AnthraciteTypeS

Nice work Brian and congrats on winning your class

All your hard work is paying off!

cl82793

awsome run. should have bought a six speed.I'll be watching u on the 17th. my dad will run his mustang in the u class. a bunch of chicagoland mustang club members will run.

my money is on your car. good luck.

BTW bring the speaker covers and trunk net . thanks.
do u still have your old headlights?

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Thanks. Might be stiffer competition at the next event.

Does your dad drive the maroon mustang? Did I see you at Road America last year?

Will try and remember to bring those items.