carmudgeons.com - View Single Post - What the Mazda RX-8 should have been (new autocross car build)

John V · 06-03-2021, 11:54 AM

I took the car out to Lincoln for "Spring Nationals," typically a four-day event on the same site where Nationals and the Pro Finale take place. I'm very glad I did. It was much needed time away from work and time spent with family and friends. The car also performed flawlessly.

I haven't gotten around to sorting through my runs but Sam posted his on the youtubez. Sam finished 2nd in SSM at both events (obviously this is not an SSM car but Sam is Sam). I won SM in the first event and finished second, 0.3 out of first in the second event. I was fastest on the second day of the second event but didn't drive my best on day 1.

Here's his best from Friday (day one of the first Tour): https://youtu.be/Rf-c7QZtgs4

Here's his 2nd best from Saturday. Camera died for his final run which was a bit quicker: https://youtu.be/AKb4Qefa3nY

Here's his best from the second day of the second tour. First day was raining: https://youtu.be/YuwAzin6NtM

The car ran flawlessly the entire time and we beat the tar out of it. I think I'd be happier with a clutch diff (vs. the helical we have in there) but we were able to eventually make the helical work okay. We had pretty bad inside-rear wheelspin exiting corners the first couple days. Ended up changing a bunch of stuff on the chassis to make it work better and what helped the most was swapping to 85/140 conventional gear oil in the rear end. Not perfect but better.

I'm not sure the videos convey just how fast the car is. I don't know exactly how much power it's making. The last time it was on the dyno at 14psi of boost it made around 410whp but it was spinning the rear tires on the dyno (the drum is old and slick). I cranked the boost up to 17psi peak for this event and that should add around 40hp. A better diff will make it much easier to drive I think. But the way it exits corners is like nothing I've experienced. Fortunately the traction control is really good.

I'm not sure my driving is up to the task to contend for a Nationals win this year but I'm going to give it my all!

I have three more events (maybe four) to shake off rust before then.

06-03-2021, 11:54 AM	#366
John V No more BMWs Join Date: Apr 2005 Carmudgeonly Ride: Ram, MS3, CX-5, RX-8 Location: Glenwood, MD Posts: 14,753	I took the car out to Lincoln for "Spring Nationals," typically a four-day event on the same site where Nationals and the Pro Finale take place. I'm very glad I did. It was much needed time away from work and time spent with family and friends. The car also performed flawlessly. I haven't gotten around to sorting through my runs but Sam posted his on the youtubez. Sam finished 2nd in SSM at both events (obviously this is not an SSM car but Sam is Sam). I won SM in the first event and finished second, 0.3 out of first in the second event. I was fastest on the second day of the second event but didn't drive my best on day 1. Here's his best from Friday (day one of the first Tour): https://youtu.be/Rf-c7QZtgs4 Here's his 2nd best from Saturday. Camera died for his final run which was a bit quicker: https://youtu.be/AKb4Qefa3nY Here's his best from the second day of the second tour. First day was raining: https://youtu.be/YuwAzin6NtM The car ran flawlessly the entire time and we beat the tar out of it. I think I'd be happier with a clutch diff (vs. the helical we have in there) but we were able to eventually make the helical work okay. We had pretty bad inside-rear wheelspin exiting corners the first couple days. Ended up changing a bunch of stuff on the chassis to make it work better and what helped the most was swapping to 85/140 conventional gear oil in the rear end. Not perfect but better. I'm not sure the videos convey just how fast the car is. I don't know exactly how much power it's making. The last time it was on the dyno at 14psi of boost it made around 410whp but it was spinning the rear tires on the dyno (the drum is old and slick). I cranked the boost up to 17psi peak for this event and that should add around 40hp. A better diff will make it much easier to drive I think. But the way it exits corners is like nothing I've experienced. Fortunately the traction control is really good. I'm not sure my driving is up to the task to contend for a Nationals win this year but I'm going to give it my all! I have three more events (maybe four) to shake off rust before then.