Civic of Doom: Honda Challenge Recycling

[ScottyB]

Kaan, you're a beast. you're making progress every time, and whether you want to be or not, you're going to be a huge inspiration for a lot of guys wanting to make the jump into racing. this is the spirit of racing - press on regardless

[Kaan]

Kaan, you're a beast.  you're making progress every time, and whether you want to be or not, you're going to be a huge inspiration for a lot of guys wanting to make the jump into racing.  this is the spirit of racing - press on regardless

There are two types of setbacks that I see with the race car:

1. catastrophic broken stuff (or the threat of it, example: my heavily leaking transmission for sundays race)... this stuff I wont go out on. The risk to an expensive transmission, potential oil dry bill, potential of screwing someone else with wetting down the track... none of this is worth it.

2. set backs (hood/windshield/etc): this is stuff that isn't 100% and will impact your lap times... I'm going out if I'm allowed and I'm going to do my best.

This is the video from the Accord Wagon I was dueling with... parachute effect + his H22 made my life TOUGH but I learned several things... I'm very conservative still; I checked up too much when Bradfield was pulling his white ITR back on track and it allowed Hunter (Wagon slayer) to power around me; I needed better timing on my "pushes" to make him over drive areas I know I'm faster; I was able to catch back up to him several times when traffic got in the way... I need to keep that pace up all the time, I need to keep that fire in the belly to push.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke7Wvof_8lI&t=901s

[NTIman]

Kaan, you're a beast.  you're making progress every time, and whether you want to be or not, you're going to be a huge inspiration for a lot of guys wanting to make the jump into racing.  this is the spirit of racing - press on regardless

There are two types of setbacks that I see with the race car:

1. catastrophic broken stuff (or the threat of it, example: my heavily leaking transmission for sundays race)... this stuff I wont go out on. The risk to an expensive transmission, potential oil dry bill, potential of screwing someone else with wetting down the track... none of this is worth it.

2. set backs (hood/windshield/etc): this is stuff that isn't 100% and will impact your lap times... I'm going out if I'm allowed and I'm going to do my best.

This is the video from the Accord Wagon I was dueling with... parachute effect + his H22 made my life TOUGH but I learned several things... I'm very conservative still; I checked up too much when Bradfield was pulling his white ITR back on track and it allowed Hunter (Wagon slayer) to power around me; I needed better timing on my "pushes" to make him over drive areas I know I'm faster; I was able to catch back up to him several times when traffic got in the way... I need to keep that pace up all the time, I need to keep that fire in the belly to push.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke7Wvof_8lI&t=901s

At the very least, at least you have experience making chicken salad out of chicken shit.

You were filling Hunter's mirrors in the Twisties, but man does he horsepower you down the straights.

[Kaan]

some of the straight away issue is the lack of glass... some of it is I'm still on the GSR trans... some of it is the H22 has lots of pow pow. everyone was pulling on me.

Zach in the black Ek also drove around me and I couldn't stop it... in the short straight before the up hill esses. After the race he was like "man I thought we were going up there side by side." There was no need... I couldn't gap him enough to not lose on the back straight. it was better for me to get in behind him and try to run away from Hunter (I think).

[Kaan]

Summit Point was a BLAST… and then it ended tragically (for my transmission). There will be a great lack of pictures because no one was around shooting pics… not even Finish Line.
 
Back in April I was able to get down to 1:26.59 at summit… very inconsistently. I’d have a bunch of 1:28s, a 1:31 in the beginning of a session, and somehow squeak out a 1:26. Well that really doesn’t help you place well for Beast of the East or in your normal class.
 
This event was much warmer, track temps were up enough that I had to drop my cold tire pressures down 2 psi all the way around. I was struggling a little… I was consistent, but also slow. I had my data looked at, I also realized I was cheating toward center track in T3… and my consistent 1:28s on Saturday turned into consistent high 1:26/low 1:27s on Sunday.
 
Saturday I was a little defeated… I couldn’t see the main pack (I had yet to this season). Data showed me braking too much too early… and I was down +5mph in turn 3 and turn 10. I spent that day pushed braking zones and trying to make sure I keep the throttle down in the carousel. Chris Cobetto threw me in the car (directly after my race) and we took a spin in his E30… yes I’m a big sissy and I need to step it up.
 
Sunday morning is Beast of the East (out of class racing, regrouped by time) and I’m the lead car in the 1:28 group… the fast Miatas and the fastest ST6 car are in my group. The start got all messed up but its really a fun race, so as we come around T10 things are weird but we are just going to run it…
 
My first flying lap is lap 2… I break out to the 1:27s… and I’m in the middle of the “group” ahead of me. Outside of a lap where I jumped to up behind the two lead cars in the next group… I was ripping 1:27s… but traffic can be a bear (aka 1:31). I kept pressing trying to get around the two Spec3s that were in front of me… they were battling and I was looking for a hole. When the white flag flew I clipped a 1:26.6, best of the weekend and almost my best overall time.
 
The afternoon race we are all back in class order… its threatening to rain on us, the whole HC field is on RRs still… and being in the back I CANNOT see the green flag fly with all the wingz. I made up a little of the gap going into turn 1, but still a car length back of the pack…. But unlike any other race this season, I was able to keep with the main group pulling 126/127s. By lap 4 I was having shifting issues… sometimes it felt like it was in gear and it wasn’t and it wasn’t putting down power too well… but I pressed on, still pulling 126s  and slowly watching the field pull away. I was able to put down a 1:26.44 (personal best) even with the trans not shifting well...

Finally come through turn 5 and start laying on the power and the engine starts spinning but I’m not moving. I figured I smoked the clutch or something… so I limit around, shift a bunch, let out the clutch, get some power down and head in early.
 
It loaded on the trailer just like normal… the car had cooled down, nothing too crazy… easy going. We drive home and go to unload the car… I put the car in reverse to get it off the trailer and I get down on the concrete and it wont go into gear. It moves forward and backward, not side to side, and no matter where you put it, the car is in reverse.
 
We left the car out overnight… got some wheel dollies and then spent the next evening using 5 foot metal posts prying it up the “hill” into the garage. I’ll be pulling the trans this weekend and cleaning that side of the engine bay (that’s were all my axles have failed so its super dirty). I’ve got a line on a B16 trans, I’ll order my trans rebuild kit from ipgparts.com , Deren is going to swap over my diff/final drive and do the rebuild… I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with the trans anyway, when to upgrade, etc… this just forced my hand a little. I’ll be happy to have the same gearing as everyone else and not be giving up the 6-11% mechanical advantage (depending on that gear we are in).
 
 

[Jake]

Sucks about the transmission but hopefully the car can come out of it even stronger/more competitive! Sounds like your driving is taking form and that's great to hear.

For help on the race starts without a radio system... stuff your iPhone earbuds in under your helmet, have Sylvia do the same over by the start stand, and have a phone call. Signal at SP and VIR is good enough that it's entirely workable for $0 instead of the Motorola radio systems. Suddenly the wings are a non-issue on that start.

[Apoc]

Data logging? Radios? What is this sorcery you speak of?

[Kaan]

Sucks about the transmission but hopefully the car can come out of it even stronger/more competitive! Sounds like your driving is taking form and that's great to hear.

For help on the race starts without a radio system... stuff your iPhone earbuds in under your helmet, have Sylvia do the same over by the start stand, and have a phone call. Signal at SP and VIR is good enough that it's entirely workable for $0 instead of the Motorola radio systems. Suddenly the wings are a non-issue on that start.

lol well I think we are going to work on the radio stuff anyway... though she is trained pretty well now. During the last race she went to the bathroom the lap I had to pull in. she didn't see me come around, so her first stop is the paddock area to make sure I got it in, if its not there she worries (all the distributor issues and the hood)... I'd rather her feel like she can reach out.

[ScottyB]

uggggh sorry Kaan! this car hates you. sounds like a broken shift fork(s) or shift selector. seems to be a thing with honda trans...or at least with the K series guys.

[D_Eclipse9916]

Sucks about the transmission but hopefully the car can come out of it even stronger/more competitive! Sounds like your driving is taking form and that's great to hear.

For help on the race starts without a radio system... stuff your iPhone earbuds in under your helmet, have Sylvia do the same over by the start stand, and have a phone call. Signal at SP and VIR is good enough that it's entirely workable for $0 instead of the Motorola radio systems. Suddenly the wings are a non-issue on that start.

lol well I think we are going to work on the radio stuff anyway... though she is trained pretty well now. During the last race she went to the bathroom the lap I had to pull in. she didn't see me come around, so her first stop is the paddock area to make sure I got it in, if its not there she worries (all the distributor issues and the hood)... I'd rather her feel like she can reach out.

My wife requires the radio. Sure helped her feel better after a nasty wreck. She knew I was okay before the corner workers even did.

I typically play a little more strategy though. I have my wife call out qualifying laps, local yellows, gaps and white/checkered flags.

[Kaan]

ha! i'm not fast enough to care that much yet. i'm learning, progressing (i think), and having fun.

[Kaan]

*pics will be added later*

The goal is to always work on something… practice, qualifying, or race. Mission accomplished… but not with out some trial and tribulation.

Prior to the event, we had a new trans built with closer ratios, the diff was rebuilt because it wasn’t really working, and we dropped in a 5.1 FD. All those things were more betta. I do need to raise my redline 200rpm… but it’s a safe increase. I'll raise it before next event.

Saturday practice my starter power wire came lose (post was bad apparently), it shorted out, and killed all the power in the car… and locked up the starter eventually. So I spent the middle of the day tracing the issues down, replacing the starter, and rewiring the starter. I only had 3ish laps on the new trans, I didn’t qualify, and it was race time… rowing gears and trying to figure out where to stay in 4th and where to be in 3rd… I put down a lap time that matched last event… all while battling +225 water temps and +270 oil temps. I had to back it down and stop chasing the mid pack guys and manage the car/temps. I pulled my grill block off in hopes that more air will help.

Sunday morning I went back over the car and did some mental driving of the track, purposely concentrating on gear selection and where to put the car in gear. I decided on a pattern and decided to stick with it… and to work on carrying speed in nascar, southbend, and the entry to the roller coaster.

Outside of the crazy start during beast of the east… the car was fine and running well with no tire temp issues. I got into the 2:17s even with dealing with a ST5 BMW that was checking me up the esses, southbend, etc. I got around him and life was good…

I did get my personal best. 2:17.251 during the Sunday race… and I was in the 2:17s consistently with AIM… so something worked. BUT I’m still 4 seconds off the front runners and 1-1.5 seconds off the mid pack.

Sunday the midpack guys had issues and didn’t qualify… so they were coming from the back of the pack. They had to get around Hunter and the massive Accord Waggon that he manhandles… by lap 5 they were behind me and the battles were fun. We swapped spots several times between lap 6 and 9… but once they both got around me and I was in the back of the 3 car pack… my gauges were back up pretty high. I pushed a little and wasn’t gaining ground, so I backed it off again.

After the race I was in rough shape. Sylvia had caught the flu or something… shes napping in the truck, I’m cooked and have to load up… I’m soaking rags in ice water and trying to cool down. It took forever to load up the truck and stuff… 3 times longer than it did at home. I had to take a break every 5 minutes to cope with the heat. I took a 15 minute shower with cold VIR well water and it was just feeling better before towing home. Part of the reason I am in the gym is because of this… I need my body to take it.

SO… Monday I ordered a new CSF radiator… say good by to the $80 CX Racing radiator that has served me well. I already pulled the font end off to start prepping for ducting… and I spent the heat of the afternoon drilling and building my DIY cool suit (inside).

I’m still trying to figure out where to pick up all this time. I’m braking later than the mid pack guys, I’m running up the esses faster than they were, I went through southbend faster…

T4 through the flat esses are still temperamental… the car doesn’t hold T4 well if I’m slightly off (closing the door, etc) and that makes me work the flat esses hard. I was out braking them leaving the back straight, we all seem to jump into hog pen about the same speed… they go wider than I do in the front straight kink…. I watch everyones videos and I feel like I’m doing what all the fast guys (fast/faster… all the HC guys, Ryan, Edgar, etc) are doing… maybe its just a bunch of little things. I’ll get into the data tomorrow I guess.

[NTIman]

On the bright side, you left with an operating transmission and a windshield.

[Kaan]

On the bright side, you left with an operating transmission and a windshield.

and after all the heat (water and oil) the motor still felt fine. OH and I didn't bin it.

[JPolen01]

Why was that big piece of plastic blocking off the grill there in the first place?

[Kaan]

Why was that big piece of plastic blocking off the grill there in the first place?

its aluminum...  I had both the integra and the civic laying around I measured the radiator openings. the opennings are both pretty close in square inches... so why not close off the grill to reduce the drag? integras don't have a grill... they don't have the same drag. it was also WAY cheaper than buying one of these:
http://www.passwordjdm.com/PasswordJDM-D...P2870.aspx

it was an experiment that I'm not 100% done with. I will be making two ducts for the car... one with the grill blocked off and one without. I'll be doing some experiments.

just FYI... AIM says it was good for approximately +1.2mph on the back straight and +.9mph on the front straight (though my lap times with the grill blocked off were slower). So it was doing what it was supposed to do (getting me higher mph) and I wasn't driving as well (apparently).

---

ALSO... digging around on the internet (thast how I got the idea) shows that the west coast H1 guys run that bling carbon setup year round. Digging deeper into their photobucket/flickr/google accounts shows they are all ducted from the lower bumper opening to the radiator. they all run a variety of different hood vents.

[D_Eclipse9916]

*pics will be added later*

The goal is to always work on something… practice, qualifying, or race. Mission accomplished… but not with out some trial and tribulation.

Prior to the event, we had a new trans built with closer ratios, the diff was rebuilt because it wasn’t really working, and we dropped in a 5.1 FD. All those things were more betta. I do need to raise my redline 200rpm… but it’s a safe increase. I'll raise it before next event.

Saturday practice my starter power wire came lose (post was bad apparently), it shorted out, and killed all the power in the car… and locked up the starter eventually. So I spent the middle of the day tracing the issues down, replacing the starter, and rewiring the starter. I only had 3ish laps on the new trans, I didn’t qualify, and it was race time… rowing gears and trying to figure out where to stay in 4th and where to be in 3rd… I put down a lap time that matched last event… all while battling +225 water temps and +270 oil temps. I had to back it down and stop chasing the mid pack guys and manage the car/temps. I pulled my grill block off in hopes that more air will help.

Sunday morning I went back over the car and did some mental driving of the track, purposely concentrating on gear selection and where to put the car in gear. I decided on a pattern and decided to stick with it… and to work on carrying speed in nascar, southbend, and the entry to the roller coaster.

Outside of the crazy start during beast of the east… the car was fine and running well with no tire temp issues. I got into the 2:17s even with dealing with a ST5 BMW that was checking me up the esses, southbend, etc. I got around him and life was good…

I did get my personal best. 2:17.251 during the Sunday race… and I was in the 2:17s consistently with AIM… so something worked. BUT I’m still 4 seconds off the front runners and 1-1.5 seconds off the mid pack.

Sunday the midpack guys had issues and didn’t qualify… so they were coming from the back of the pack. They had to get around Hunter and the massive Accord Waggon that he manhandles… by lap 5 they were behind me and the battles were fun. We swapped spots several times between lap 6 and 9… but once they both got around me and I was in the back of the 3 car pack… my gauges were back up pretty high. I pushed a little and wasn’t gaining ground, so I backed it off again.

After the race I was in rough shape. Sylvia had caught the flu or something… shes napping in the truck, I’m cooked and have to load up… I’m soaking rags in ice water and trying to cool down. It took forever to load up the truck and stuff… 3 times longer than it did at home. I had to take a break every 5 minutes to cope with the heat. I took a 15 minute shower with cold VIR well water and it was just feeling better before towing home. Part of the reason I am in the gym is because of this… I need my body to take it.

SO… Monday I ordered a new CSF radiator… say good by to the $80 CX Racing radiator that has served me well. I already pulled the font end off to start prepping for ducting… and I spent the heat of the afternoon drilling and building my DIY cool suit (inside).

I’m still trying to figure out where to pick up all this time. I’m braking later than the mid pack guys, I’m running up the esses faster than they were, I went through southbend faster…

T4 through the flat esses are still temperamental… the car doesn’t hold T4 well if I’m slightly off (closing the door, etc) and that makes me work the flat esses hard. I was out braking them leaving the back straight, we all seem to jump into hog pen about the same speed… they go wider than I do in the front straight kink…. I watch everyones videos and I feel like I’m doing what all the fast guys (fast/faster… all the HC guys, Ryan, Edgar, etc) are doing… maybe its just a bunch of little things. I’ll get into the data tomorrow I guess.

If you can’t see it clearly; let’s do a lap.

[Kaan]

DJ... plan on it for the first event (friday) I have a little work to do to clean up the car to accept passengers. i have a slew of people trying to get me faster and they all want to ride along. I appreciate the help!

[Jake]

For the cooling system - do you have really quality ducting to the radiator? I battled water temp issues on the E36 until I made ducting that went from the lower grill area (below the kidneys, bumper level) to the radiator. Without it, air just goes everywhere else first.

Glad you made it through the weekend with the car in one piece and can focus on yourself and your driving now! It is good to see you in the gym - "self care" is really important even though this sport relies on us sitting down to compete. Having some cardio health and basic strength goes a long way in helping with breathing, endurance and exhaustion. Keep it up!

[Kaan]

I have zero ducting right now. that will change. i'll be busting out my spare aluminum and making some ducting "soon." my CSF that i ordered on monday will arrive today. though i'll be using the CX racing to mock up. I dont want to damage the bling CSF.