Hey All,

I took the EL to phillip island on the weekend for a bit of a run around the track (actually 120Km on track)

I just thought I would post about my setup and how the car felt since there always seams to be little information about suspension results on here.

My car has:

Whiteline Control springs (LOW's)
Koni Red shock absorbers set to +25% extra rebound all around
A EL GT 28mm front swaybar.
A few nolothane bushes.
17" x 235 Goodyear Sava Tyres -Started off with 100% tread (only 2 weeks old)
DBA slotted disks, lucas pads -front
Standard disks, lucas pads - rear

Lukey headers and 2.5 inch exhaust + intake mods.

Overall handling was really good around the track. The car felt well damped and comfortable. Turn in was sharp but not nervous and once settled mid corner had slight understeer, this was easily adjusted to tighten the line on corner entry with throttle/brake.

The car became neutral on corner exit and most times (3rd gear and above) did not have enough power to step the rear out. One second gear corner would wheel spin on exit if I applied too much power but did not step the rear out, this is probabily because I don't have an LSD.

On tight 2nd and 3rd gear corners body roll became apparent but was not excessive and was well controlled by the shocks. There would probabily be gains in increasing overall stiffness but keep the same stiffness ratio front to rear.

Braking was even, strong and I experienced little fade on the track although a better driver braking later would have reached the limits. Eventually the rears glazed becasue the disks are not slotted and this affected stability under brakes. Very heavy braking towards the end made the car weave left and right although this could be due to slight play in the tie rod end. The brakes turned blue with heat but did not show any excess wear or pad wear (apart from alot of dust).

(interesting to note was that some people with EBC pads complained of fade - apparently they are more of a performance street pad rather than racing. Your supposed to use the red or black variety for racing).

The tyres were remarkable for the price. (I paid $160ea) Although nothing compared to the guys who were running racing semi-slicks. The tyres improved as they got some heat into them and gave good feedback as to what was happening. Wear was fairly even, they melted and 'marbled' across the face but held on well with 3/4 left after the day. Better tyres would have made the biggest difference.

Overall the car handled really well, the key was the confidence it gave me to drive it harder. I think another 20 - 30 Rwkw would give alot more speed since I could then get the drive out of corners. I also hit the speed limiter on the straight (5400 RPM @ 4th gear). Engine flexabilty is important and good throttle response is essential. You really use the range from about 2700 - 4800 RPM. This is where you need the power + a good top end for the straight. My car had no problems with cooling or anything overheating but I did need to let it idle for about 5min to cool down after the race.

A great day and I totally reccomend it to anyone.

Total cost was:
Club membership (all year) = $40
CAMS level 2HS licence (all year) = $85
This event entry= $130
3/4 tank of premium = $50

Aahh phillip island,i'll be there in a couple of weeks watching Rossi and co..hope it doesnt rain

It's interesting you mention about the EBC Greenstuff pads.
EBC, on there own website, state that the Greenstuffs are NOT for trackday use.
Has anyone stepped up to the Redstuff Ceramics?
I'd be interested to hear if you drive with them on the street.
I'm looking at upgrading to them, or a mate of mine has some N.O.S. Bendix Pads...
Mmmmm, asbestos....

Out of interest Spork, what club are you in, and what was involved in getting a CAMS license?

I joined Phillip Island Auto Racing Club P.I.A.R.C. They hold heaps of events througout the year and are generally a good bunch of ppl.

www.piarc.com.au

The CAMS licence is easy! Just rock up at an event - or some you have to register beforehand and you can fill out the nessiscary paperwork on the day. For a level 2 High Speed you don't need to pass any tests or anything. $85 and thats it.

However for most events your car has to be roadworthy (or at least safely modified -too low suspension for road is ok), If you have glass headlights you need contact over them, and a bonnet catch. Each event is different through so check the regs before it.

It's not always expensive too. Motorkahanas are heaps of fun and only $10 to enter. Don't even need a helmet.

hrmm... you lucky bastard!!

i would love to be a part of some circuit racing, but cant, as we dont have a track!! Am interested actually in inquiring into rumours i hear of a hill climbing club down in townsville, as i am going there for uni anyway.

*any townsville forum members know about this?*

Sounds like a fun day... cant beat a good track day!

What other cars were there? Keep up with any more pricey cars?

It was awsome.

An interesting moment occoured when a bit of rain started and I put on my wipers - and they didn't do anything! at 180 they had left the widscreen and so I was rushing towards turn 1 with no vision!

Heaps of different cars. We were divided into 5 groups. Group 1 was full on racing Porsche's -the guys that you would see on TV, then other racing cars, highly modified cars, lots of skyline GTR's, a Ferrari F50 (modified!). Then other groups down form there.
I was in the slowest/least experienced group. There were 2 S15 silvia's that were modified as per normal rice spec. I could keep with them on the turns but they had way more power and killed me on the corner exit. The cars that beat me all had a much greater power/weight ratio. Those little elfin racers are FAST.
I managed to pass a VK SS commodore which was good! Kept ahead of some modifed escorts (not to be underestimated they are very light). Some wierd specials.

Someone had a race-only EA with no interior, king springs, Crow Cam, Pacey comp's, aftermarket ECU, racing slicks. He was going pretty fast. - Faster than me.

Basically to really go fast you need to have a race only car where you can afford to pull everything out of it, but for having a great time I was pretty stoked with my street car. Like I said if I had another 20-30 RwKw it would be much more competative.

Yeah more power is definatly the only way, and an LSD for good grip on power out of the bends... its very easy to get carried away with cicuit mods... the next thing you know your car is only semi-slicks and the interior is now only a pair of sparco seats Happened to my last toy