Finally got the car on the track; had to wait until the power
steering and oil coolers were installed, and got the car aligned. I only had the
street tires for this day. They are stock sized z06 goodyear supercar F1's
runflats; not the best track tire at all. Their age is unknown because I got
them off craigslist. Damn, I don't even think I got them balanced yet
It rained earlier in the day so there was some standing water.
I shared the track with a few Ferraris;
click here for pics
of them.
There was a vibration at WOT from the shifter and floorboards;
not sure what it is yet. I'm thinking clutch/pressure plate/flywheel might be out of balance, or the driveshaft bushings/bearings are bad.
Oil got to 253 degrees which isn't bad. Water hit 228;
stock radiator must be in good condition. Was out there for 30 minutes. 35 psi
front Goodyears (265-40-17) and 30 psi's in the rear (295-40-18) were the cold
pressures.
The car felt great. It was very balanced and predictable. It
got loose a couple of times. Hey, what do you expect with a wet track, run-flat
tires of unknown age and a loose nut behind the wheel. I think my best time was 2:54 which is good considering that its my first
time out with it on street tires. I'll put on the sticky toyo r888's next time
and try to get some 2:4x's next time. Some of the Ferrari's here today
didn't go that quick but some did. A Radical SR5 went 2:25 today and a Radical
SR8 went 2:21.
How's it compare to
my old RX7? I'm not
sure which I ultimately like better, but this C5 is less twichy and easier to
drive due to its longer wheelbase and softer suspension. I like that (yes I'm
getting old).
This is the start/finish line area:
Looking down track from the Courasel:
The Mushroom on the South Side:
Matt - this is my favorite shot (he took the pics):
The rest of the pics are here:
http://www.ponycars.net/maidenvoyage.htm