So as per my previous post I was not the happiest little Vegemite yesterday, but the car goes well in a straight line & gets its power down well. I seems I have gained so much more speed, that in certain parts of the track, where I was used to having the throttle to the floor the whole way, I could no longer do this. As you can see in the video below, through the esses I "used" to be able to hold the throttle flat, now it seems I have so much speed, that I went in way too hot, and if I had attempted the right over the hill, I would have spun. I was also seeing how well the car actually 4 wheel drove
As I already knew, the brakes are now not enough & I was doubtful on how quickly they would pull me up a few times. Don't get me wrong, the combination of the WRX 4 & 2 pots, matched with Project MU pads, did really well with my old setup. But, with more power, comes more speed, more speed either needs larger braking distances, or bigger brakes to accommodate the extra power. I now need bigger brakes...
I will also need to get myself some good rubber as when I went out on practice, I could get all 4's to spin around any of the corners with ease. The lap in the video is with my mates R Comps on, I wish I did not have the fuel issue though, or I would have really pushed some more, got used to the car & could have had a much better opportunity at learning the car more & running a better time.
The fuel issue was basically:- I could get a slow warm up lap & 1 hot timed lap in before I would start to run lean. I could get the car back to the pits, but as soon as I tried to get onto boost, it would run lean (we did not have any issues on the dyno though). I now believe to be as simple as a filter on the suction of the in tank pump. Basically the 3.5 litres of fuel in the swirl pot, was used up in the warm up & hot lap & then the in tank pump could not get fuel quickly enough into the swirl pot to keep up with the fuel required on boost. The myth of Ethanol "cleaning" the tank internals is probably true & all the crap that was in the fuel tank from the last 16 years has eventually partially blocked / blocked the filter, restricting the flow. It may also be due to me changing from a sugar to corn based fuel & it is also possible that it may be related to the GD cars running a variable speed drive to the in tank pump?? I will find out for sure this arvo though.
It really is a whole new car, I have to learn everything again now, as to when to get on & off the power, when to brake & how to feather the throttle around corners again, as it can get quite lively if you just stomp it out of the corners.
I was really hoping for a quicker time than I got & I still believe the car has it in it, but it will require a couple of things to get it there, namely me getting used to the power & staying on the track, the new catch can setup & the fueling issue. The add the new rubber & brakes & I think I will be onto a winner.
I did get first in class though, which I'm happy about, I just wish my expectations were not as high for the car on its first outing. Hindsight tells me I should have at least gone to the RAC track for an hour prior to the event, to get acquainted to the car & its new power & old characteristics again, as its been over 6 months since I have driven it. But I didn't, who cares, the 2 laps I did get to do I had heaps of fun & put a huge smile on my dial. More to come though, a few tweaks here and there & its gonna be a monster.
Trophy
Video 65.4 sec - I will check the telemetry from the Performance box later today & see how much quicker I was going in places compared to the old engine. I need to lose 4 seconds somewhere....