AnthraciteTypeS

WOW congrats man! Thats awesome that such subtle changes made such an improvement. Must have been nice to beat that m3..did anyone say anything to you/congratulate after or was everyone still sippin the haterade?

In the sharp turns you can really see the lsd digging in. Thinking of maybe getting into autox myself but I have a lot of upgrading to do suspension wise as i'm not even close to being set up for it. Looks like so much fun.

Going to a big drag rental this weekend though. Doubt I'll beat my best but et but will be fun to try. Always get attention with this car on the strip!

gnuts

iTrader: (1)

Congrats Brian!

Anthracite, what's your best time?

AnthraciteTypeS

13.69 @ 103.. quite a few times, can't seem to beat it

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

This event was with miata club, which is a great group of people. No hate here. Get lots of compliments. M3 driver congratulated me. Over the radio where they tell you your times, instead timer said"holy Acura" which was funny.

Negative comments are mainly from car shows and my first event with TSSCC.

They were probably just making fun of my seating position, which seems justified. I looked like a kid driving before. Now I atleast look normal driving it.

Now I just need to beat those 2 c7 vettes, which is definitely possible.

2 events next weekend at Lake County Fairgrounds with WCMC.

3 events with TSSCC at Lake County Fairgrounds. Can't wait to show them what CL can do.

Have not noticed clutch slip last 2 events, so maybe I am just an idiot.

You don't need to mod CL crazy like me to autocross. The main thing is getting the setup/balance right for proper rotation. I would suggest starting with oem front sway and progress rear and going from there.

It took me about 4 years to finally feel like I can push car and get the times the build deserves. Experience and seat time is everything.

What is your suspension setup now?

Smart thing to do would be start autocrossing on stock car, then make adjustments or mod as needed instead of building car first like me.

Good luck at track. I need to go someday just to see if I can get in the 12's.

AnthraciteTypeS

Right now my suspension is simple.. mugen ezstreets, ingalls rear camber arms. Car is quite low but not stanced, would def need to raise it up a bit as it rubs in rear under hard cornering, even with rolled/trimmed fenders. Also have rl bkk which will undoubtedly help. Have been looking into 3g tl-s or progress rsb. What do u recommend for front?

edit* just noticed you recommended oem for front. Easy enough.. lol

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

What are your spring rates? Would recommend a camber kit/arms in front and around -2 camber. You might want to raise car till the LCA are parallel to ground or get extended ball joints. With my ball joints, have arms perfectly parallel. Run 1/8" toe out both front and rear.

AnthraciteTypeS

Looks to be F: 12 kg/mm R: 5 kg/mm

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

12k front is good, but 5k rear is too soft. I'd recommend 8-14k rear. My rear is 8k, but all weight removed helps. Would want stiffer probably with stock weight.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

If anyone wants a Works Bell Quick Release PM me. It puts steering wheel too close to me with my seating position to be useable.

Also have Takata Shoulder Pads to sell since I never use them.

Saw on ebay they sell a NRG 1/2" steering wheel spacer for $20. Might buy that. Noticed in video my hand bumped the wiper stalk once. Good thing my car has no wipers or that would be distracting.

JarrettLauderdale

Your car makes it painfully evident how much the weight of the CL holds it back from being not only a decent performer, but a decently fast car.

I know this isn't really the spirit of what you were going for in modifying your car, but which weight modifications would you recommend to someone who wanted to have an otherwise stock-appearing car? Bumper beam diet? Pie-cut doors? What in your experience net you the most substantial improvements that could easily be hidden?

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Yea, the CL has great potential if only Acura built it as a Sports Coupe instead of an entry level luxury car.

There is a 7.5 lb boat hanger attached to front bumper beam that can be easily removed.

Swiss Cheesing bumper beams was huge pain in the butt, not sure I'd recommend that. Could get some custom ones made from tubing. I won't recommend removing them either, even though some people do.

Lighter battery is a good option. Don't have to go as light as me and be forced to use trickle charger.

Can gutt back of hood and trunk or get carbon fiber replacements.

There is lots of sound deadener that can be removed. It is behind the dash and on the floor under carpet. There is even a piece under windshield cowl.

Lightweight wheels

Lightweight BBK in front

Remove Spare Tire and Tools and carry can fix-a-flat instead.

Most of the wiring brackets are made of steel. Could remove them and use zip ties instead.

Cut out metal behind panels and put panels back on.

Could remove moonroof and have panel welded in, etc.

Aftermarket struts/coils are lighter.

XLR8 motor mounts are lighter.

Remove heavy oem torque dampers and replace with aftermarket.

Replace cast iron front engine mount bracket with the aluminum one and any other cast iron parts.

09 TL IM

Lighter exhaust and removing heat shields for lighter material like my DEI Tunnel Shield

Could replace the 25 lb carpet with lighter matetial.

Remove rear 6x9 speakers, or replace speakers with lighter ones.

That is all I can think of now off top of my head.

JarrettLauderdale

There is a 7.5 lb boat hanger attached to front bumper beam that can be easily removed. This is something I'll likely do.

Swiss Cheesing bumper beams was huge pain in the butt, not sure I'd recommend that. Could get some custom ones made from tubing. I won't recommend removing them either, even though some people do. I'll look into this as any improvement at the very front nose of the car is going to be felt more than most.

Lighter battery is a good option. Don't have to go as light as me and be forced to use trickle charger. With as much as drive on the weekends, I'll take the reliability. Batteries are heavy, though! Hopefully lithium-ion makes a spot for itself in this market eventually.

Can gut back of hood and trunk or get carbon fiber replacements. This will likely happen one day. I'd prefer to buy used in faded condition as I'll want to paint it to match the body anyway.

There is lots of sound deadener that can be removed. It is behind the dash and on the floor under carpet. There is even a piece under windshield cowl. I'd have to remove a lot in order to see gains with that. If you were to put it on a NVH to weight ratio scale, the weight saved vs. NVH lost would be skewed toward a much more harsh ride for what you gain from the removal.

Lightweight wheels I have 17x7.5 +45 Kosei K1s. They're super leightweight, but they're 17s, so the weight of the car still creates sidewall flex. These will eventually go on my CB7 and I'll get something similar to go back on this car. But, like brake rotors, this is unsprung, reciprocal mass, making it one of the best places to remove weight from the car.

Lightweight BBK in front I'm actually increasing the weight of front brakes. I'm installing 12.2" Acura TL rotors but have lighter Brembo calipers. I wouldn't mind buying 2-piece rotors, though. They're pretty spendy, and I'll end up wanting 4 of them because my CB has the same setup.

Remove Spare Tire and Tools and carry can fix-a-flat instead. I do too much highway driving. I drive about 400 miles round trip on the weekends. The risk/reward is too heavy here.

Most of the wiring brackets are made of steel. Could remove them and use zip ties instead. Maybe if I ever had my harness redone for some sort of engine management.

Cut out metal behind panels and put panels back on. I'm okay with this in areas. Combining it with selective sound deadening could drop mass without the negative NVF effects. The inner door panels would be a good start. Are there any other large sections you would recommend?

Could remove moonroof and have panel welded in, etc. Not happening.

Aftermarket struts/coils are lighter. I have Koni Sports with H&R Race springs. They might be a little lighter, but not by much.

XLR8 motor mounts are lighter. Maybe someday. I'd honestly prefer a beefed up urethane transmission mount.

Remove heavy oem torque dampers and replace with aftermarket. Are they really that heavy? I've never weighed one.

Replace cast iron front engine mount bracket with the aluminum one and any other cast iron parts. I'll have to go reread this post to determine which vehicle had the aluminum bracket that fit this one.

09 TL IM I have it.

Lighter exhaust and removing heat shields for lighter material like my DEI Tunnel Shield This could be doable. Even just to remove a muffler from one side to make it single exit.

Could replace the 25 lb carpet with lighter matetial. That padding is nice on those long road trips.

Remove rear 6x9 speakers, or replace speakers with lighter ones. Not much of a gain to be had there, but they're aftermarket Infinity speakers already. That's what's staying.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

You can still get lighter than stock battery. Lithium Ion probably too expensive but agm is not.

Yes oem torque dampers are very heavy. Cast Iron brackets are heavy also.

2nd Gen TL should have aluminum front engine mount bracket.

What makes my build unique is that I am willing to go further than anyone else and still drive on street because I just don't give a fuck.

Every event I have to drive on highway just lucky to not get a flat yet. If I do get a flat will call tow truck. Did this when my axle snapped and was no big deal.

Drove through 2 rain storms this year without windshield wipers and had no issue with sight. When it was really coming down hard just put rain-x on windshield.

Both events this weekend will be in the 90's. Glad I still have A/C.

AnthraciteTypeS

Think I'll pull my bumper tonight and remove the "boat hanger" to drop a few lbs for the track Saturday. lol thanks guys

Also Brian, off the top of your head do you know about how much the wiper motor weighs? Might pull that at least temporarily if its even worth it

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

You might be able to remove the boat anchor without removing bumper. Try removing radiator plastic cover and see if you can reach the bolts.

Wiper system weighs about 11 lbs. The wipers attach to the motor assembly so you'd have to remove everything. I don't recommend it.

Some items like tools, spare, jack, etc., you can remove at the event.

In my ST, I remove jack, tools, spare, and rear headrests. Also fold rear seats down and lower all 4 windows for lower center of gravity.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

If you want to improve drag times, I would suggest wider and/or stickier tires. Stiffer rear springs or blocking off rear springs would help reduce weight transfer to rear. That weight transfer reduces front traction.

That is more important than weight removal.

Weight removal from a fwd drag car isn't as beneficial as a track or autocross car. It can help though.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Can anyone send me an invite to azine Facebook group, even though think I have seen enough stanced never driven hard Acuras to last 1000 lifetimes.

AnthraciteTypeS

Im not part of the acurazine group, but am part of a few j series groups which are much more intuitive IMO. Anyway I just sent you a request (Pete) and will invite you to them

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Thanks. Someone already invited me to 2 j swap groups.
Anyone local should come out to the autocross events this weekend at Lake County fairgrounds. There will be open spots. Just show up before 9 am.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Didn't do so well at this last autocross. E46 M3 beat me by over 1/2 a sec. My car setup didn't seem to work as good on this different surface. I also don't do well with heat, so weather probably affected my performance.

Tried out some new camera locations, so will have videos to post later.

hitek9

Hey brian, got any pics of your interior? Putting mine back in and i want to leave most of it bare, just trying to get some of ideas. It's bare right now, wires everywhere....

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

WCMC Autocross LCF 7/23/16

Made the mistake of over-driving through tighter corners and not correcting my mistakes. Kept hitting cones also. Was hard to focus on anything but the heat.

Sad part is my fastest run would have been my 1st run of the 2nd session, but I hit a cone. Took that run as a practice run, not trying hard. That really proved that I was over-driving.

You can hear the grinding in the video that you want to avoid. Should have been faster.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Year is almost over. Only a handful of autocross events left. Yet to do a track day. Thinking of trying to do a track day at Blackhawk in August.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

You can look through my photobucket for pics. Will make folders public.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Not sure if I thanked you for posting this, but thanks.

Think CLS6 front mount bracket is cast iron, not steel but have not confirmed it.

If you want aluminum version, it seems the 1st Gen cl, 2nd Gen cl (besides manual), 2nd Gen TL, and MDX part should all fit.

Wonder why the 6 speed bracket is a different material (stronger and heavier)? There must be a reason for it? Is there extra stress on front engine mount when running a manual transmission? The 6 speed also has extra torque dampers and does not have front subframe vibration dampers like automatics do. Would love to hear engineering reasons for these differences.

Cheapest aluminum front engine mount bracket I saw on ebay was $23 shipped.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

If a mod ever sees this, you can close this thread. I am done posting on here.

teh CL

iTrader: (1)

...?

AnthraciteTypeS

coopcoop30

Why would you leave? I mean I assume not enough traffic.......but I'm not sure.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

I was just going to post updates on Facebook and maybe instagram. I can still post here if you like.

25 years ago today, was the passing of Soichiro Honda.

A few of my favorite quotes:

"Instead of being afraid of the challenge and failure, be afraid of avoiding the challenge and doing nothing".

"Success represents the 1% of your work which results from the 99% that is called failure".

"The day I stop dreaming is the day I die".

"If Honda does not race, there is no Honda".

"If you hire only those people you understand, the company will never get people better than you are. Always remember that you often find outstanding people among those you don't particularly like".

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Working on some more weight loss.

Swiss cheesing the headlight/bumper brackets, and also the rear seat/trunk gussets. Will post weights and pics when finished.

Looks like weight savings for each bumper bracket will be roughly 50 grams. Can you imagine drilling, grinding, and sanding metal in the summer heat for multiple hours just for a few grams. Then have to prep and paint. Only a crazy person would be willing to do this.

Picked up front engine mount bracket from 01 TL.

Want to swiss cheese seat brackets and Recaro side mounts. Might wait till winter for that.

zeta

iTrader: (1)

Did not know this mount was aluminum on the other models except the CL 6-speed. I remember it being a particular heavy pain in the butt to remove/replace when I change out that mount, though. When you change this out, please make sure to take some pics. If possible along side the OEM 6-speed mount. Very interesting find.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

03-6/6 is the one that figured this out. I just did little research to see what models have aluminum version. 03 CL-6 is only one I can find with the cast iron one.

coopcoop30

I don;t have facebook man so I only get your information here......which I check in on it as often as possible.

teh CL

iTrader: (1)

Yea that's dedication

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Had autocross today. Didn't do so well. Seems like every event I have some SCCA douche telling me to part out and sell my car. They just don't get modifying a car like mine that can't be classed and doesn't have parts for. They also don't seem to understand I want nothing to do with SCCA.

Will have videos to post sometime in next few days.

shmobby

what do you mean can't be classed? Aren't you in STU?

Haters gonna hate.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

If I run with SCCA I'll get classed in prepared which basically has no limit and gives me no chance. I run with Miata Club mostly and run in class U which is any non-miata over 2.5 liters and or forced induction. This is only group I can be competitive with class wise.

I can run with SCCA, but I just have to ignore classes and do it for fun.

Would maybe try to run my Focus ST in stock class, but I made mistake of buying 2014 instead of 13 or 15. 13 and 15 you can upgrade shocks and springs. The 14 has different shock perch so you have to run stock springs on 14 car. You can't use shocks and springs from 13 or 15 car because SCCA stupidity considers that illegal. So if I want to compete would have to sell my 14 ST and buy 13 or 15. Fuck that.

Would have to run my ST in stx class, but would need a lot more work done to be competitive.

These SCCA guys switch cars every few years based on what car is considered fastest in class. I am not type of person to do that.

I prefer a NASA style point system. My car would do well in their classing system.

It is all motivation to make car even faster.

shmobby

yeah SCCA autocross is funny with that is ok and not ok. it's easy to put yourself into a class that you don't want to be in. I had a 2005 350z with full exhaust and intake and they put me in ASP I believe, and I was racing against corvette ZR1s and stuff that was wayyyyy faster than me. I just did it for fun though.

either way, your ride looks fun to drive.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Thanks. I think they are actually trying to help me, but when someone says part out your car I take offense to it.
They just can't comprehend anyone thinking or doing something different than how they do it. You would think ppl would appreciate a unique build and variety of cars.

When they look at my car they don't think cool build, they just think waste of time and money.

Was trying to tell me to ditch fwd and buy an s2000. Got beat in his rwd by a fwd crx which I found amusing.