sponge bob

iTrader: (3)

>>>>And some thought on brake issues below

I did about 450 miles of wet dray track on Friday and Saturday, conditions were cold, track temps when wet was 45 degrees! When it was dry out but air temps were no more then 50 degrees.

My car: 2005 Evolution with Robispec basic kit and Carbo-tech XP-8 brake pads. Tires: Azeins RT615 245/45/17

Track: Spokane Raceway Park (SRP), Spokane, WA

One each day the track was wet and cold then dried by the end of the day. At the start of the first day I had the rear swaybar on the middle setting. My fist few laps in the wet and cold I was unimpressed with what I felt, the car really did not drive much different then with the stock suspension. Then it dawned on me, that’s a good thing since the car was fast with the stock suspension in the rain! But once I really got accustomed to its capabilities the car was responding much better to throttle steering. Two weeks ago I was fighting understeer constantly in the wet. Now the understeer is greatly reduced. By the end of the Friday I had the swaybar on its full firm setting, where it will stay for now on! Near the apex if I went to the throttle to soon the back would let loose first. That alone tells me the car was very close to a neutral balance. Many times I was fighting a back and forth understeer then oversteering characteristic. The last two observations I never made with the stock suspension.

On each day as the track dried out I began to appreciate more the improvements made by this kit. The car understeers much less, it in no way transformed it to a neutral handling state but it turns in much better. Before the kit, as in the wet, I was fighting understeer, I tended to turn in early since the car tended to push wide. Now I carry my braking really late and deeper into the turn. The car stays on line and I’m able to go to the throttle much sooner. I noticed that my rpms are higher as the car drifts to the outside of a turn. The car responds much better to throttle steering. When I needed to make an adjustment mid corner then just lift of the throttle and the nose tucks in, lift of abruptly and the back might step out but it basically stays planted.

Overall I am happy with this setup but it has left me wanting more! The car is still very easy to drive and does nothing weird or dangerous. The ride quality is better due to the progressive nature of the springs. And the car does not bottom out. I know this for sure since I took three passengers for a ride. BTW, the car felt amazingly controllable with an extra + 650 lbs of passengers, yeah my friends are fat

Robert says this kit is a building block to a good coilover package and that’s where I’m heading but first I need to work with the brakes.

I need to work on brake cooling next. Maybe some brake ducts and nozzles for the backing plates. After 5 to 6 laps the brake pedal gets soft, I’m not sure its brake fluid boil since its fresh ATE blue stuff but I’m not sure. But with the long pedal the pads don’t seem to fade.

I really like the XP-8 pads. They are funny though, in the wet when they don’t really get hot they squeal like mad! But once the pads get really hot they are quiet. The brake pedal is very smooth under braking, I feel zero kickback or vibration at all, its so smooth that they feel like I’m on ice with my brakes locked! All you guys who “warp” your rotors are doing something wrong. My rotors are worn thin; they are below service limit sporting a deep lip on the outer edge. Time to replace them for sure but they never warped or had any kind of uneven transfer material. Now I’m back to another dilemma; go with Stoptech, PFC two piece rotors or keep throwing stock rotors at it!


Well those are my thoughts as best I can remember, any question let me know and I’ll try and clarify my statements if they were not clear.

Later,
Bob G

robi

iTrader: (24)

Glad you had fun..the rotors being so thin will cause part of your braking problem..(smaller heat sink to throw the brake energy into)..also tyr PF 97's they tend to shield the rotor from excess heat imo ymmv also Motule 600....brake fluid expensive and worth it...
last the stock mitsu brake guides work well just cost an arm and a leg(and are easy to wipe off the car) Forge has a Brake duct kit that will solve your problem...also a impending lockup straight line brake event is easier on the system than trailing the brake in (and gives more time for cooling) now that your convinced the car is neutral and balanced you don't need the brakes to upset the car into an oversteer condition. As noted you can now do this with trailing throttle...try the heavy brake, off brake, on throttle(no not to the floor) THEN turn...with a balanced car you get to the HP sooner.

sponge bob

iTrader: (3)

I was trying that technique too, it did feel good but without a stopwatch its was hard to say which technique is quickest so I appreciate your input.

Bob

DaWorstPlaya

iTrader: (31)

Which kit did you get? KW? DMS 40? Esplir springs?

NDgsx

The basic kit with esplir springs.