Professional Awesome Parts Breakdown
Oct 22, 2012, 02:16 PM
#1
Professional Awesome Parts Breakdown
A few years back I went through and commented on our progress as a race team in Redline Time Attack and all the sponsors products we used giving as straight forward and honest feedback on all the parts used. I thought I would go back through and make an update for 2012. If you are interested in the old thread, see here...
In 2011 and 2012 we have competed solely in the Global Time Attack series, Street AWD class. We have won every event, we have set or reset the class record every time and we will be heading to Buttonwillow for the first time ever. We have a few new parts and they need to be addressed I think.
AEM Electronics- So we made the jump to speed density with a Series II AEM ECU and I have been blown away so far. Never has it been so easy to tune in comparison to our OEM ECU. The only issue I am having so far is cold start... but I haven't spent much time to fix the issue yet. Idle is awesome and the integration with our AIM Sport MXL Pista dash is a godsend. Recommendations are better integration of added external sensors such as pressures/temperatures/ect... that would make it near perfect.
Amsoil- We are using Dominator 15w-50 without any issue. We used to run standard Amsoil 10w-30 without issue as well... take that as you will. We have modified our oil pan with a kickout to improve oil pressure in sustained right-hand turns, but this added an issue of oil pressure drop in straight line braking... can't have it all I guess.
CL Brakes- Switched to straight RC-8 pads front and rear instead of RC-8 front and RC-6 rear... BIG IMPROVEMENT. Just sick nasty pads without ever having to worry about pad deposits or pedal pulsation. That being said, Jeff Westphal of GST fame brought up concerns about loss of bite at higher temperatures, we are revising our brake cooling to see if that assists. Will update with more testing.
Cool It Thermo-Tec- Adding a bunch of their heat management products, so far we haven't been on track with their product, but customer service and communication is excellent, will update as well.
DBA USA- Dear lord why do more people not use these rotors?! Best stock replacement in the business from personal experience hands down. Last time I made an update was November 2010. We have been using those SAME ROTORS at every event and track day since then. That is about 10 hard track WEEKENDS from the fastest street tire car in the USA. This is a testament to their quality and also the CL Brake pads. Hands down recommend their 2-piece 5000 series rotors for anyone running stock calipers and track days. We are finally replacing our first set for the next event after a solid and hard two years.
Enkei Wheels- Switched to PF01 18x10.5 wheels from 5Zigen FN01-RC 17x9s after 3 years of service. The reason for the switch, stock offset, great quality, great customer service. The 5Zigen's weighed 19.84 lbs and our Enkei's weigh 21.62 lbs on our handy dandy scale. Not bad for a huge size increase. Have not been on the track with these... hopefully they don't fall off. Will update again!
Extreme Turbo Systems- We are using a custom bar and plate intercooler. Designed exactly to our specs with custom inlets below the front lower crash bar/crossmember. We have added an extra inlet temperature sensor before the intercooler, so we will update with technical info after we have more data. Build quality is second to none and it survived a trip into the drink without a scratch. Don't believe me? See
Hankook Tire- Have always used their RS-3, there is no faster tire in the 140 treadwear category... have something up our sleeve and will update soon.
Kelford Cams- Using there 272's was a huge bump in top end power in comparison to BC 272's without a loss in torque. We are around 525whp at 28ish psi on a MAP EF4 turbo. Will update after a final numbers with the AEM ECU!
Kognition- What can I say... incredible product, top notch quality and great customer service. We switched from a trunk mount to a chassis mount design and the amount of confidence having the back end planted makes a world of difference in high speed kinks and sweepers. The ability to make angle changes easily helps us dial in the car quickly at each track. They are switching up their business model so it would be pertinent to talk to them if you are looking for a serious wing anytime soon.
KW Suspension- We've adjusted spring rates, adjusted aero, added power, changed braking, changed sway bars, ect.. ect.. and our double adjustable motorsports spec KW's have been so forgiving and usable. We barely adjust any settings and they are unflappable. The best coilover I've ever been on and they are 3 years old and never been serviced!
Manley Performance- We use their full rotating assembly with billet 2.4 crank plus valvetrain and all I can say is flawless. Zero issues with tons of power thrown at it. Also credit MA Performance for screwing everything together really, really well!
Modern Automotive Performance- What can I say that hasn't been said. Their EF4 turbo has been flawless, their engine build great, customer service with any issue that pops up is perfect, all their customer fabricated exhaust/fuel system/intake parts have been great. Everyone knows they rock, I'm just reminding them.
M Factory- We currently use their 4.00:1 final drive and it has been flawless as well. Some may question their build quality as they are rather unknown, but a full season in with zero transmission issues on our highest power setting ever has made me a believer. We also have their front clutch type 1.0 way LSD, but we have yet to install it. I will update more on that after we have a chance to get that in.
Robispec-R/T Ernie Offset Trailing Arms w/ spherical bushings- Purchased through Robispec, built by R/T Ernie so we could use the larger wheel/tire package. Quality seems good, the spherical bearings are awesome and kick the AMS delrin bushings we had square in the sack. Not that the AMS pieces were bad, but they were annoyingly loud regardless of how we tried to install them. The ball joints leave a lot to be desired though, the seal didn't seal and also we are having issues with the e-brake cables... We will update soon on that as we haven't been on track with them.
Seibon Carbon- We are using their CW Style carbon hood along with a carbon trunk. The front hood doesn't save much weight, but the trunk lid does for sure, probably 10lbs or so. The fitment is great, but the hood is starting to peel away from the structural area underneath. No big deal though as we were going to cut it away regardless and add hood pins. If we weren't going to cut it, we would just add adhesive and fix it ourselves.
Turbosmart- We use their Raceport BOV and internal wastegate. Their quality is second to none as well as their customer service. We've never had one issue with anything they've made and we've had direct track side support. Can't ask for more!
Zeitronix- Last but far from least. Zeitronix has been with us since the beginning and we used their Wide band, boost, EGT and Ethanol content system. Wideband, boost and EGT have been flawless. I have made an extra removable harness so I can tune cars using everything that we have in the race car and the integration with Evoscan is sweet. The Ethanol content system has saved probably two blown engines when we've gotten very bad batches of E85, think E30... could have been horrible and everything is right there for us to see. Also, they pick me up at the airport whenever I fly to California for races, B A!
I'll update this with more experience and track time. Thanks for reading!
Dan
In 2011 and 2012 we have competed solely in the Global Time Attack series, Street AWD class. We have won every event, we have set or reset the class record every time and we will be heading to Buttonwillow for the first time ever. We have a few new parts and they need to be addressed I think.
AEM Electronics- So we made the jump to speed density with a Series II AEM ECU and I have been blown away so far. Never has it been so easy to tune in comparison to our OEM ECU. The only issue I am having so far is cold start... but I haven't spent much time to fix the issue yet. Idle is awesome and the integration with our AIM Sport MXL Pista dash is a godsend. Recommendations are better integration of added external sensors such as pressures/temperatures/ect... that would make it near perfect.
Amsoil- We are using Dominator 15w-50 without any issue. We used to run standard Amsoil 10w-30 without issue as well... take that as you will. We have modified our oil pan with a kickout to improve oil pressure in sustained right-hand turns, but this added an issue of oil pressure drop in straight line braking... can't have it all I guess.
CL Brakes- Switched to straight RC-8 pads front and rear instead of RC-8 front and RC-6 rear... BIG IMPROVEMENT. Just sick nasty pads without ever having to worry about pad deposits or pedal pulsation. That being said, Jeff Westphal of GST fame brought up concerns about loss of bite at higher temperatures, we are revising our brake cooling to see if that assists. Will update with more testing.
Cool It Thermo-Tec- Adding a bunch of their heat management products, so far we haven't been on track with their product, but customer service and communication is excellent, will update as well.
DBA USA- Dear lord why do more people not use these rotors?! Best stock replacement in the business from personal experience hands down. Last time I made an update was November 2010. We have been using those SAME ROTORS at every event and track day since then. That is about 10 hard track WEEKENDS from the fastest street tire car in the USA. This is a testament to their quality and also the CL Brake pads. Hands down recommend their 2-piece 5000 series rotors for anyone running stock calipers and track days. We are finally replacing our first set for the next event after a solid and hard two years.
Enkei Wheels- Switched to PF01 18x10.5 wheels from 5Zigen FN01-RC 17x9s after 3 years of service. The reason for the switch, stock offset, great quality, great customer service. The 5Zigen's weighed 19.84 lbs and our Enkei's weigh 21.62 lbs on our handy dandy scale. Not bad for a huge size increase. Have not been on the track with these... hopefully they don't fall off. Will update again!
Extreme Turbo Systems- We are using a custom bar and plate intercooler. Designed exactly to our specs with custom inlets below the front lower crash bar/crossmember. We have added an extra inlet temperature sensor before the intercooler, so we will update with technical info after we have more data. Build quality is second to none and it survived a trip into the drink without a scratch. Don't believe me? See
Hankook Tire- Have always used their RS-3, there is no faster tire in the 140 treadwear category... have something up our sleeve and will update soon.
Kelford Cams- Using there 272's was a huge bump in top end power in comparison to BC 272's without a loss in torque. We are around 525whp at 28ish psi on a MAP EF4 turbo. Will update after a final numbers with the AEM ECU!
Kognition- What can I say... incredible product, top notch quality and great customer service. We switched from a trunk mount to a chassis mount design and the amount of confidence having the back end planted makes a world of difference in high speed kinks and sweepers. The ability to make angle changes easily helps us dial in the car quickly at each track. They are switching up their business model so it would be pertinent to talk to them if you are looking for a serious wing anytime soon.
KW Suspension- We've adjusted spring rates, adjusted aero, added power, changed braking, changed sway bars, ect.. ect.. and our double adjustable motorsports spec KW's have been so forgiving and usable. We barely adjust any settings and they are unflappable. The best coilover I've ever been on and they are 3 years old and never been serviced!
Manley Performance- We use their full rotating assembly with billet 2.4 crank plus valvetrain and all I can say is flawless. Zero issues with tons of power thrown at it. Also credit MA Performance for screwing everything together really, really well!
Modern Automotive Performance- What can I say that hasn't been said. Their EF4 turbo has been flawless, their engine build great, customer service with any issue that pops up is perfect, all their customer fabricated exhaust/fuel system/intake parts have been great. Everyone knows they rock, I'm just reminding them.
M Factory- We currently use their 4.00:1 final drive and it has been flawless as well. Some may question their build quality as they are rather unknown, but a full season in with zero transmission issues on our highest power setting ever has made me a believer. We also have their front clutch type 1.0 way LSD, but we have yet to install it. I will update more on that after we have a chance to get that in.
Robispec-R/T Ernie Offset Trailing Arms w/ spherical bushings- Purchased through Robispec, built by R/T Ernie so we could use the larger wheel/tire package. Quality seems good, the spherical bearings are awesome and kick the AMS delrin bushings we had square in the sack. Not that the AMS pieces were bad, but they were annoyingly loud regardless of how we tried to install them. The ball joints leave a lot to be desired though, the seal didn't seal and also we are having issues with the e-brake cables... We will update soon on that as we haven't been on track with them.
Seibon Carbon- We are using their CW Style carbon hood along with a carbon trunk. The front hood doesn't save much weight, but the trunk lid does for sure, probably 10lbs or so. The fitment is great, but the hood is starting to peel away from the structural area underneath. No big deal though as we were going to cut it away regardless and add hood pins. If we weren't going to cut it, we would just add adhesive and fix it ourselves.
Turbosmart- We use their Raceport BOV and internal wastegate. Their quality is second to none as well as their customer service. We've never had one issue with anything they've made and we've had direct track side support. Can't ask for more!
Zeitronix- Last but far from least. Zeitronix has been with us since the beginning and we used their Wide band, boost, EGT and Ethanol content system. Wideband, boost and EGT have been flawless. I have made an extra removable harness so I can tune cars using everything that we have in the race car and the integration with Evoscan is sweet. The Ethanol content system has saved probably two blown engines when we've gotten very bad batches of E85, think E30... could have been horrible and everything is right there for us to see. Also, they pick me up at the airport whenever I fly to California for races, B A!
I'll update this with more experience and track time. Thanks for reading!
Dan
