April 24 - Dyno Day
Kermit visited the dyno to see what was the end result from the head work. After playing with the adjustable cam gear, we settled for 126whp and 129ft-lb. Not bad, specially taking into consideration that the baseline was 91whp and 110ft-lb.
May 2 & 3 with PCA at TWS
It took six months to go back to TWS, and nine months since the last time I drove the CW direction. This time was my first time with the Porsche Club of America (PCA) DE organization. It was a bit different for sure, specially because I was put in the blue group. They are more strict on safety than any other organization I have attended, with higher standards of instructing for advanced drivers.
First time out I got too excited because I finally used 5th gear on the main straght!!!! So excited that I forgot to brake for turn 15 and spun off track. It wasn't really bad, but my instructor got a bit scared for sure. The following sessions were much better and I was promoted to the yellow group by the end of Saturday. Sunday was pretty relaxed, it rained during the morning so I had to switch tires.
It was pretty interesting passing Porsches, specially that 997 Turbo in the blue group.
Kermit visited the dyno to see what was the end result from the head work. After playing with the adjustable cam gear, we settled for 126whp and 129ft-lb. Not bad, specially taking into consideration that the baseline was 91whp and 110ft-lb.
May 2 & 3 with PCA at TWS
It took six months to go back to TWS, and nine months since the last time I drove the CW direction. This time was my first time with the Porsche Club of America (PCA) DE organization. It was a bit different for sure, specially because I was put in the blue group. They are more strict on safety than any other organization I have attended, with higher standards of instructing for advanced drivers.
First time out I got too excited because I finally used 5th gear on the main straght!!!! So excited that I forgot to brake for turn 15 and spun off track. It wasn't really bad, but my instructor got a bit scared for sure. The following sessions were much better and I was promoted to the yellow group by the end of Saturday. Sunday was pretty relaxed, it rained during the morning so I had to switch tires.
It was pretty interesting passing Porsches, specially that 997 Turbo in the blue group.
http://vimeo.com/4564450 from Edison Rincon on Vimeo.
May 31 with PDS at TWS
Now back to the traditional CCW direction with PDS and one day only. I struggled the whole day with the Yokohama tires. They were done, there was still thread left on them, but I think they had too many heat cycles. They became very unpredictable: sometimes the car was pushing, sometimes it was oversteering.
I spent the third session of the day playing my friends Andy and AC and their Miatas. I was having soo much fun until the tranny decided not to downshift into third anymore (upshifting was OK). No grinding noises, just resistance. I packed up and headed home.
After removing the transmission I found a strap missing from the pressure plate. Now I know that this has been a common problem with the OEM Sach units since they went from double to single strap design. I tried selecting gear on the tranny and it seemed to be OK. I will be installing the original CHE because the AGB developed a very small leak from the passenger's side output flange. The new pressure plate is a Bildon Motorsport unit that is race rated and has reinforced straps.
In another note, I bought a Racepak G2X GPS Data Logger. Now I can verify that I suck at driving :)
Projects before I head back to TWS with NASA August 1 & 2:
- Replace water-to-oil cooler o-ring (preventive maintenance)
- Install VW Motorsport windage tray
- Replace rear main engine seal (preventive maintenance)
- Install new Bildon HD pressure plate and CHE tranny
- Install Racepak G2X logger
- Install Hawk HT-10 front pads
- Convince the wife to let me buy new r-comp tires
During the NASA event I will be applying for the Time Trial license, that's going to be my first step towards the racing license. I'm taking baby steps :)
