Todds '03 evo 8 NASA TTC build!
Mar 15, 2012, 06:02 PM
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If you are really serious, you should stop by Evolution Dynamics sometime. We have an Evo 8 shell that is perfect (I mean perfect) for turning into a track car. KevinD and I worked it out last night and it would actually be cheaper to use a shell to duplicate my car vs having a running vehicle. Granted, you could save a ton of money by cutting out some big stuff. Like drop-in-pistons vs a Buschur motor or not putting a cage in the car.
Mar 17, 2012, 11:50 AM
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Yeah, they are pretty hard to find. I was happy that mine was mostly stock (ebay intercooler and crappy intake). It took me about 3 weeks of constant searching to find one in my price range.
If you are really serious, you should stop by Evolution Dynamics sometime. We have an Evo 8 shell that is perfect (I mean perfect) for turning into a track car. KevinD and I worked it out last night and it would actually be cheaper to use a shell to duplicate my car vs having a running vehicle. Granted, you could save a ton of money by cutting out some big stuff. Like drop-in-pistons vs a Buschur motor or not putting a cage in the car.
If you are really serious, you should stop by Evolution Dynamics sometime. We have an Evo 8 shell that is perfect (I mean perfect) for turning into a track car. KevinD and I worked it out last night and it would actually be cheaper to use a shell to duplicate my car vs having a running vehicle. Granted, you could save a ton of money by cutting out some big stuff. Like drop-in-pistons vs a Buschur motor or not putting a cage in the car.
Wes
Mar 19, 2012, 01:17 PM
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Mar 19, 2012, 01:26 PM
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This is probably a good idea. Grinder31, KevinD probably didn't answer because he was busy tuning cars for TX2K12 until 9am 
He should be more available this week.
We were also getting all the cars prepared for the NASA race at Motorsport Ranch in Cresson TX this past weekend. My car ran flawlessly again, but I wasn't quick enough to be competitive. To be fair, the TTC winner was Eric Foss, a professional race car driver, in a well prepped Mazdaspeed 3. Norm Wilhelm took 2nd in his 2002 WRX. And I finished 3rd. I'll get a complete write-up done when I get a chance.
Here are a couple of pics I took when we dropped off 2 cars on Friday.
He should be more available this week.We were also getting all the cars prepared for the NASA race at Motorsport Ranch in Cresson TX this past weekend. My car ran flawlessly again, but I wasn't quick enough to be competitive. To be fair, the TTC winner was Eric Foss, a professional race car driver, in a well prepped Mazdaspeed 3. Norm Wilhelm took 2nd in his 2002 WRX. And I finished 3rd. I'll get a complete write-up done when I get a chance.
Here are a couple of pics I took when we dropped off 2 cars on Friday.
Mar 19, 2012, 06:28 PM
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oh and the evo 8 shell is this:
full intact frame
doors, roof, front fenders, rear fenders, rear bumper and trunk and wing are all there.
interior is mostly there, missing the seats and the radio i took out for my last daily driver.
front of the car needs a hood, and front bumper
suspension needs front control arm and hubs, steering rack, as well as shocks (although i have shocks i can put on it)
needs front brakes
needs engine, tranny, TC, and rear diff.
it will definately be a ground up build exactly to your specs. cost is far less to get project rolling and the cost comes in the back end building the car, but if your looking to do something like this, IMO it is by far the best (cost effective) way to go.
Last edited by KevinD; Mar 19, 2012 at 06:35 PM.
Mar 19, 2012, 08:17 PM
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sorry, i have been hard to get ahold of the past few days. spent 23 hours straight finishing two cars for TX2k in houston, saturday was at the track all day and sunday was at the track as well.
oh and the evo 8 shell is this:
full intact frame
doors, roof, front fenders, rear fenders, rear bumper and trunk and wing are all there.
interior is mostly there, missing the seats and the radio i took out for my last daily driver.
front of the car needs a hood, and front bumper
suspension needs front control arm and hubs, steering rack, as well as shocks (although i have shocks i can put on it)
needs front brakes
needs engine, tranny, TC, and rear diff.
it will definately be a ground up build exactly to your specs. cost is far less to get project rolling and the cost comes in the back end building the car, but if your looking to do something like this, IMO it is by far the best (cost effective) way to go.
oh and the evo 8 shell is this:
full intact frame
doors, roof, front fenders, rear fenders, rear bumper and trunk and wing are all there.
interior is mostly there, missing the seats and the radio i took out for my last daily driver.
front of the car needs a hood, and front bumper
suspension needs front control arm and hubs, steering rack, as well as shocks (although i have shocks i can put on it)
needs front brakes
needs engine, tranny, TC, and rear diff.
it will definately be a ground up build exactly to your specs. cost is far less to get project rolling and the cost comes in the back end building the car, but if your looking to do something like this, IMO it is by far the best (cost effective) way to go.
I'll come by Friday and talk to you about it.
Thanks,
Wes
Sorry for hijacking your thread Todd. You have an awesome setup. Hope to come in a class behind you once you move up.
Last edited by Grinder31; Mar 20, 2012 at 02:27 PM. Reason: s
Mar 22, 2012, 07:37 PM
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Here is a synopsis from the race last weekend. We were at Motorsport Ranch in Cresson Texas with NASA. The TT and HPDE4 group were running together on the 3.1 track. HPDE1-3 and racing were on the 1.7. Evolution Dynamics had 4 TTA cars, 1 TTC car (me), and 1 HPDE3 car this weekend. There were also 2 Evo X's out there in HPDE1.
Day 1
Session 1
The previous night was really humid and there were thunderstorms all around us. Luckily, the track didn’t get rained on. But, it was humid enough to leave a layer of moisture on the track. Everybody on slicks was having a tough time staying on track, but I ran fine with the Hankook RS3’s. I just tried to make sure everything was tight and worked fine. My time put me in 2nd out of 4 TTC cars. I would have been 1st if it wasn’t for Eric Foss (who happens to be a professional driver) in a Mazdaspeed 3.
Session 2
The weather was much better for the 2nd Session. There was a strong wind but it blew most of the clouds away and left us with some clear skies. Sadly, I didn’t get into my grid position early enough and had to wait until the end of the line. I spent the entire session passing slower cars. The track was much better and allowed me to improve my time by 2 seconds. The car ran perfectly through the entire session. I was really able to take advantage of the rear diff in turns 8 and 14 to get the back end rotated around. This really helps when I only have 247hp to work with.
Session 3
After a lunch that was way too big, I squeezed into my seat and got ready to go. I gridded up ahead of my arch nemesis, Norman Wilhelm (2002 WRX with coilovers, AccessPort, and Hoosiers), and was determined to improve my time. Everything was going to plan until I missed a shift.
Norman pounced on the opportunity and made a pass. Since my lap time was shot, I took it easy to let the tires and brakes cool down. After I had sufficient open track in front of me, I got on it again. Sadly, I missed another shift and ruined that lap, too. 
I spent the rest of the session cussing at myself. Kevin and I have decided to bend and rotate the shifter rod to push it farther forward in an attempt to remedy the problem. My elbow hits the seat when I shift into 4th and I’m blaming my problems on that.
Session 4
The last session of the day was awesome! Jeff Tan (formerly in TTA) was back on his street tires because he corded his Hoosier's and our times were very close. We spent most of the session battling back and forth. There were several occasions where we were side by side through the corners. Then I would mess up and he would pass. Then he would mess up and I would pass. We went back and forth like that for 3 laps. It definitely hurt our lap times, but it was totally worth it.
Day 2
Session 1
I had a good run in the first session once I got started. I forgot that we had loaded stuff up in my car when we left it at the track. I didn’t remember it until it clunked around as I left the paddock. Since I had to stop and get out, I went on the track last. This meant that I would spend the entire session working my way through traffic, again. I never got a clean lap, but I enjoyed just playing around and passing.
Session 2
We set up my car with 4 cameras to get some TTC action. But in the grid as I was about to start moving, the inside camera fell off the windshield. I had to unbuckle and get it back into position. This caused me to get out on track last, again, again. My grid problems were becoming comical at this point. I wasted another session weaving through traffic. I didn’t set a fast lap time, but we got some great video.
http://youtu.be/oataxiShxfk
Session 3
By now, my Hankook RS3’s were pretty much done. The rears were down into the wear bars and the fronts had taken a beating all day long. I was content with my 3rd place behind Eric Foss (pro racing driver) and Norm Wilhelm (my arch nemesis) and decided to just go out to have fun and practice my lines. Everything went smoothly and I had an uneventful session.
Session 4
For the last session, I decided to take Sam (bluedub1) along for a ride. He was running his X MR in HPDE 1 and wanted to see what a stock Evo could do. We had a blast zooming around the track. He really got a kick out of the very fast and very blind turn 9 on the 3.1 track. The elevation change in this area is amazing. Since the HPDE and racing groups were on the 1.7 track, I got to show him some more parts on the new section. After this session, my rear tires were completely shot and the fronts were pretty much trash.
Final thoughts
All-in-all, I had a great weekend. No major mechanical issues or concerns. I’ll have to get a new set of tires before the next race, for sure. The Hankook RS3’s are on backorder until May so I’ll probably have to go with something different. It is possible for me to go even smaller to run the Advan A048 tires in a 215/17/45. This size gives me more points back to run the stickier tire. The bad part is they are about $250 more per set. 
I’ll be getting a Traqmate installed in the car and KevinD also wants to hook up an oil pressure sensor and g-meter so we can test if the baffled oil pan is working. And we will be installing a Zeitronix to measure boost and A/F ratios.
Day 1
Session 1
The previous night was really humid and there were thunderstorms all around us. Luckily, the track didn’t get rained on. But, it was humid enough to leave a layer of moisture on the track. Everybody on slicks was having a tough time staying on track, but I ran fine with the Hankook RS3’s. I just tried to make sure everything was tight and worked fine. My time put me in 2nd out of 4 TTC cars. I would have been 1st if it wasn’t for Eric Foss (who happens to be a professional driver) in a Mazdaspeed 3.
Session 2
The weather was much better for the 2nd Session. There was a strong wind but it blew most of the clouds away and left us with some clear skies. Sadly, I didn’t get into my grid position early enough and had to wait until the end of the line. I spent the entire session passing slower cars. The track was much better and allowed me to improve my time by 2 seconds. The car ran perfectly through the entire session. I was really able to take advantage of the rear diff in turns 8 and 14 to get the back end rotated around. This really helps when I only have 247hp to work with.
Session 3
After a lunch that was way too big, I squeezed into my seat and got ready to go. I gridded up ahead of my arch nemesis, Norman Wilhelm (2002 WRX with coilovers, AccessPort, and Hoosiers), and was determined to improve my time. Everything was going to plan until I missed a shift.
Norman pounced on the opportunity and made a pass. Since my lap time was shot, I took it easy to let the tires and brakes cool down. After I had sufficient open track in front of me, I got on it again. Sadly, I missed another shift and ruined that lap, too. I spent the rest of the session cussing at myself. Kevin and I have decided to bend and rotate the shifter rod to push it farther forward in an attempt to remedy the problem. My elbow hits the seat when I shift into 4th and I’m blaming my problems on that.Session 4
The last session of the day was awesome! Jeff Tan (formerly in TTA) was back on his street tires because he corded his Hoosier's and our times were very close. We spent most of the session battling back and forth. There were several occasions where we were side by side through the corners. Then I would mess up and he would pass. Then he would mess up and I would pass. We went back and forth like that for 3 laps. It definitely hurt our lap times, but it was totally worth it.
Day 2
Session 1
I had a good run in the first session once I got started. I forgot that we had loaded stuff up in my car when we left it at the track.
I didn’t remember it until it clunked around as I left the paddock. Since I had to stop and get out, I went on the track last. This meant that I would spend the entire session working my way through traffic, again. I never got a clean lap, but I enjoyed just playing around and passing.Session 2
We set up my car with 4 cameras to get some TTC action. But in the grid as I was about to start moving, the inside camera fell off the windshield. I had to unbuckle and get it back into position. This caused me to get out on track last, again, again.
My grid problems were becoming comical at this point. I wasted another session weaving through traffic. I didn’t set a fast lap time, but we got some great video.http://youtu.be/oataxiShxfk
Session 3
By now, my Hankook RS3’s were pretty much done. The rears were down into the wear bars and the fronts had taken a beating all day long. I was content with my 3rd place behind Eric Foss (pro racing driver) and Norm Wilhelm (my arch nemesis) and decided to just go out to have fun and practice my lines. Everything went smoothly and I had an uneventful session.
Session 4
For the last session, I decided to take Sam (bluedub1) along for a ride. He was running his X MR in HPDE 1 and wanted to see what a stock Evo could do. We had a blast zooming around the track. He really got a kick out of the very fast and very blind turn 9 on the 3.1 track. The elevation change in this area is amazing. Since the HPDE and racing groups were on the 1.7 track, I got to show him some more parts on the new section. After this session, my rear tires were completely shot and the fronts were pretty much trash.
Final thoughts
All-in-all, I had a great weekend. No major mechanical issues or concerns. I’ll have to get a new set of tires before the next race, for sure. The Hankook RS3’s are on backorder until May so I’ll probably have to go with something different. It is possible for me to go even smaller to run the Advan A048 tires in a 215/17/45.
This size gives me more points back to run the stickier tire. The bad part is they are about $250 more per set. I’ll be getting a Traqmate installed in the car and KevinD also wants to hook up an oil pressure sensor and g-meter so we can test if the baffled oil pan is working. And we will be installing a Zeitronix to measure boost and A/F ratios.
Apr 11, 2012, 02:59 PM
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So after the last NASA track day, most of my expendable equipment was on its last leg. But I wanted to see just how far I could push my Hankook RS-3's, Hawk HP Blue pads, and Racing Brake drilled slot rotors. Well, I accomplished my mission! Tires are shot and edges are blue. Pads are worn completely down to the metal. And the slots on the rotors are starting to fade.
I think I got my moneys worth. Tires lasted 10 track days (with multiple flips and rotations) along with about 400 street miles. This was my second set of pads in as many days. And the rotors made it through 3 years of track abuse.
Now on to the new stuff. I picked up a set of Kumha Ecsta XS tires in 235/45/17 size to stay within my TTC class. I decided on these for a couple of reasons: 1) the RS-3's are on backorder until middle of May and 2) I wanted to try something different. They may not be the best tire, but I figured I would give them a try.
I also purchased KevinD's (of Evolution Dynamics) used Performance Friction 2 piece front rotors. He was selling them for a very reasonable price since he bought the new AP Racing kit for the Pikes Peak car.
I think I got my moneys worth. Tires lasted 10 track days (with multiple flips and rotations) along with about 400 street miles. This was my second set of pads in as many days. And the rotors made it through 3 years of track abuse.
Now on to the new stuff. I picked up a set of Kumha Ecsta XS tires in 235/45/17 size to stay within my TTC class. I decided on these for a couple of reasons: 1) the RS-3's are on backorder until middle of May and 2) I wanted to try something different. They may not be the best tire, but I figured I would give them a try.
I also purchased KevinD's (of Evolution Dynamics) used Performance Friction 2 piece front rotors. He was selling them for a very reasonable price since he bought the new AP Racing kit for the Pikes Peak car.
