Got my fingers tossed for ya Nate… Mine failed right before the warranty was up 
(probably would have been sooner if I actually put miles on the car)
So i’m finishing installing the remaining urethane suspension bushings, and decided to bump up the spring rates (finally). I was running OTS GC rates. I’m cheap, so i’m moving the OTS front springs to the back and i purchased hyperco 8k springs for the front. So the setup is 8k/6k, which should feel a little tighter without making my 4 hour commutes to VIR intollerable.
All my brake heat shields are coming off in hopes that my brakes will run cooler. I’m gonna try to milk the Blues for two more days. My next setup to try is Hawk DTC-60 on front and HP+ on rear. I’m hoping that between the heat shield removal and newer pad compound the longevity will improve.
Most of the circuits i race are predominately right turns, so i was thinking of trying the bias the car to grip harder in that direction. My idea was to run the right side a tad lower than the left, which would transfer weight to right side, helping with right turns. Has anyone else played with ride height in this manner?
Are you having heat issues with your brakes? Do you know what the car weighs? Given it is lighter, but I have two EF friends who run blues on stock (integra) brakes without heat problems. I run them as well but have ITR sized brakes so that’s not a fair comparison either. When I had heat problems with my HP+ pads I removed the shields and it didn’t help (or maybe just didn’t help enough?). If you can, try to remove your heat shields without destroying them, they’re good to have in case you want to use em as a bracket to attach a brake duct too.
I haven’t setup a car like you’re talking about for primarily one direction of turn, but your car should already be lower on the right hand side anyway. I always set my rears equal side to side then set the passenger front lower than the driver front in an attempt to balance the car for my fat ass being on the driver dude. The goal is to get em even(ish) with me in the car. I’m going to get a corner balance next time though so it’ll be more than just a best guess.
So i’ve updated my original post to include alignment, brake, and spring changes.
Over the off-season, i will be installing a full NASA-CCR compliant roll cage with a friend who has excellent welding and cage building experience. I’ll be getting my raw materials from rollcagecomponents (they have a website). The goal is to get into NASA Performance Touring (PTE) door-to-door racing sometime next year. I will need a variety of safety-related items, such as full cage, window net, side impact net, fire extinguisher, kill switch, and all the driver gear i don’t currently have. Stay tuned!
[video=youtube_share;4coftGlPqjY]http://youtu.be/4coftGlPqjY[/video]
Fastest run from the autocross this past weekend. Good enough for the third class win in a row. Next weekend is a trackday at Summit Point Shenandoah. Anxious to see how much improvement has been made to the car, and the driving!
My lap times at Shenandoah were about 1 second or so slower than last time, and i suspect that my nearly bald Kumho XS are falling off on grip. However, with the spring and alignment changes the car was more neutral and engaging to drive. My Hawk Blues have been through two weekend events and have a good amount of material left.
MAJOR PLANS TO CLOSE OUT THE SEASON:
- My spring rates are still too soft at 8k/6k; even on street tires i am getting a ton of body roll. I’m upgrading to 10k/8k springs from hypercoil. If they STILL aren’t enough… perhaps coilovers with 12k/10k springs?
- I’m adding some additional front camber because my inner tire edges were about 10 degrees cooler than the outer ones.
- I’m adding VDO electrical oil pressure and temperature gauges using a blackworks racing adapter plate.
- I’m finally installing a U-weld 6 point roll bar sourced from Roll Cage Components (owner Jim has a website).
- My Kumhos are nearly bald, so i’m going to run Nitto NT-01 R-comp tires next season. After reading reviews and talking to folks at the track, these tires seem grippy right to the cords and don’t require shaving. They wear decently well and are affordable to boot. I’m REALLY looking forward to trying them out!
- I’m getting a NASA instructor check-ride so i can apply for my provisional Time Trials license!! The plan is to run TTE next season.
Stay tuned for roll bar pictures, spring change feedback, and video!
10k/8k is definitely not too aggressive if this car is a track car and not a street car. I’m running 700lb/600lb in my car and like it a lot but am thinking of switching front to back and trying 600/700. 12k/10k would be very close to my setup. It’s definitely stiff and not very comfortable, but not bad considering it’s basically twice the spring rate of the OTS GC’s.
What are your camber specs at right now? I haven’t taken temps, which I know is the correct way to determine camber changes needed, but my tire wear is pretty even and sidewall rollover seems to be where it should be. I’m running somewhere in the 3.5-4 degrees (negative) range in the front and a little over -2 in the rear. My front is probably a little too aggressive but I was stuck at -4deg due to my ride height and Vision UCA’s. I plan on adding a Progress front camber kit so that I have a better adjustment range and I’ll be getting the car aligned later this year so I’ll finally get to see how it works out.
All my track buddies run the NT01’s and LOVE them.
Very nice! I’m glad that more people are using DA’s for autox and track days. As far as I know I’m the only one here in the SCR, NCR, CCR, and Buccaneer regions that uses one competitively. I am also looking at getting into a road course class (STL maybe for the SCCA, haven’t researched what NASA class would work with my mods) right now I just do track days and Lemon’s races with a Mazda Mx-3.
I’m running stock brakes (Duralast blanks) with the Carbotech XP10’s in the front and the XP8’s in the rear and love them, no fade, great wear rates, not grabby at all. All I have aside from race pads is stainless lines and ATE 200 “super blue rip” brake fluid. Also got rid of the brake dust guards.
I agree that for the price the NT01 is great I’ve used them for awhile; but the Hoosier R6 is like crack if you’re feeling baller as hell haha.
[QUOTE=IslandTeg;2303567]Very nice! I’m glad that more people are using DA’s for autox and track days. As far as I know I’m the only one here in the SCR, NCR, CCR, and Buccaneer regions that uses one competitively. I am also looking at getting into a road course class (STL maybe for the SCCA, haven’t researched what NASA class would work with my mods) right now I just do track days and Lemon’s races with a Mazda Mx-3.
I’m running stock brakes (Duralast blanks) with the Carbotech XP10’s in the front and the XP8’s in the rear and love them, no fade, great wear rates, not grabby at all. All I have aside from race pads is stainless lines and ATE 200 “super blue rip” brake fluid. Also got rid of the brake dust guards.
I agree that for the price the NT01 is great I’ve used them for awhile; but the Hoosier R6 is like crack if you’re feeling baller as hell haha.[/QUOTE]
I am aiming to be running my 93 RS with the NASA Mid-Atlantic region next season, looking to hit VIR, CMP and Summit Point. Running a stock b20 with custom short geared trans. Looking at running OTS Koni Yellows and GC rates 550 Front and 600 Rear with ST rear sway.
[QUOTE=IslandTeg;2303567]Very nice! I’m glad that more people are using DA’s for autox and track days. As far as I know I’m the only one here in the SCR, NCR, CCR, and Buccaneer regions that uses one competitively. I am also looking at getting into a road course class (STL maybe for the SCCA, haven’t researched what NASA class would work with my mods) right now I just do track days and Lemon’s races with a Mazda Mx-3.
I’m running stock brakes (Duralast blanks) with the Carbotech XP10’s in the front and the XP8’s in the rear and love them, no fade, great wear rates, not grabby at all. All I have aside from race pads is stainless lines and ATE 200 “super blue rip” brake fluid. Also got rid of the brake dust guards.
I agree that for the price the NT01 is great I’ve used them for awhile; but the Hoosier R6 is like crack if you’re feeling baller as hell haha.[/QUOTE]
How are the duralast blanks working for you? My brembo blanks have been pretty decent, no warpage and good wear rate.
Unfortunately, i don’t feel baller enough to spend more and have my tires wear faster YET, so stepping up from street tires to NT01 is my first step! 
I also don’t want massively grippy tires to hide my mistakes or overwhelm my rather soft suspension or factory brakes.
Glad to have another DA in our region!! I’m just progressing from doing track days with TRACKDAZE, and i’m starting NASA time trials. I’ll be at Summit Main and VIR, but i don’t think i’ll make it to CMP. From what i’ve heard, CMP is VERY hard on brakes, so be sure to have fresh fluid and an extra set of pads!
Do you have any track experience? IMO, Trackdaze offers very good seat time and instruction for those starting out (and even those who are advanced). I stuck with them as long as i could because they seem to offer the best amount of seat time per dollar. At any rate, i hope to see you out there!!
[QUOTE=Colin;2303501]10k/8k is definitely not too aggressive if this car is a track car and not a street car. I’m running 700lb/600lb in my car and like it a lot but am thinking of switching front to back and trying 600/700. 12k/10k would be very close to my setup. It’s definitely stiff and not very comfortable, but not bad considering it’s basically twice the spring rate of the OTS GC’s.
What are your camber specs at right now? I haven’t taken temps, which I know is the correct way to determine camber changes needed, but my tire wear is pretty even and sidewall rollover seems to be where it should be. I’m running somewhere in the 3.5-4 degrees (negative) range in the front and a little over -2 in the rear. My front is probably a little too aggressive but I was stuck at -4deg due to my ride height and Vision UCA’s. I plan on adding a Progress front camber kit so that I have a better adjustment range and I’ll be getting the car aligned later this year so I’ll finally get to see how it works out.
All my track buddies run the NT01’s and LOVE them.[/QUOTE]
Colin, i need to measure my camber when i get home, because i may want to change alignment when installing the higher rate springs. Excessive front camber could reduce your braking a little, but those australian V8 super cars sure do run a lot of it!
[QUOTE=hufflepuff;2303637]Glad to have another DA in our region!! I’m just progressing from doing track days with TRACKDAZE, and i’m starting NASA time trials. I’ll be at Summit Main and VIR, but i don’t think i’ll make it to CMP. From what i’ve heard, CMP is VERY hard on brakes, so be sure to have fresh fluid and an extra set of pads!
Do you have any track experience? IMO, Trackdaze offers very good seat time and instruction for those starting out (and even those who are advanced). I stuck with them as long as i could because they seem to offer the best amount of seat time per dollar. At any rate, i hope to see you out there!![/QUOTE]
no seat time as of yet, never looked into Trackdze. Will check it out though.
FEEDBACK FROM THE SUMMIT MAIN 11/2-3 EVENT
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ALIGNMENT: Increased front camber to -3.0 degrees. Can run about 2psi less pressure, and i have a bit more front end grip without a noticable reduction in braking traction. I also gave the car a minor rake, maybe about 0.5" lower in the front than the rear. This was to help with rotating the car, and it seems to have worked.
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SUSPENSION: Running hypercoil springs 10k front 8k rear. Made a significanty difference. Car rides pretty choppy on the street. Handling is awesome at the track, with reduced body roll and tighter response. The car is also more neutral and actually gets some rotation. Very balanced, fast, and fun! (Thanks to Colin on that rate recommendation, it seems to work well with the Tokico Illuminas set @ 3F and 4R).
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SAFETY: RollCageComponents 6 point roll bar added, car is definitely stiffer/firmer, and a whole lot safer. Gives me extra confidence on the track! And now my shoulder harnesses are right where they should be. PICTURES WILL BE ADDED SOON.
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GAUGES: Added oil pressure and temperature gauges. Used VDO 2-gauge mount screwed to the dash right about the HVAC panel. Got VDO 80psi electrical pressure gauge (should have gone higher but was out of stock) and 300F electrical temperature gauge. I used a BWR oil filter sandwich plate. I had to use a 90* bend NPT male-to-female adapter from Home Depot to allow the large pressure sender to clear the block and filter and water neck. I used a little bit of teflon on about half of the threads (contrary to VDO instructions…) to ensure against leaks, and i seem to be getting good signals. Cruising 3000 rpms is around 200-210F and 60psi. Cold idle is way over 80psi. Anything above 4k rpms, even with hot oil, is over 80psi. I have a high 1200rpm idle, and when hot im 30-40psi. My oil temperature gets up to around 265-270F during my 30 minute wide open track sessions and cools quickly on the cool-down lap.
PERSONAL: I got a check ride from an experienced instructor and got the OK to apply for my time trial license. Gonna be an exciting 2014 season!
CURRENT ISSUES / ADVICE REQUESTED:
My right rear wheel locks up very frequently. I severely flat spotted the tire and it’s shot. It locks up even in perfectly straight line braking. I am running Hawk Blues up front and Hawk HP+ in the rear. The left rear doesn’t seem to lock up. At previous events, i could get some front end chirping before the rears locked up. Has anyone else experienced rear lock-up issues? I am planning on researching adjustable brake proportioning valves to dial out some right rear pressure, because i’m running NT01 next season and the added braking force will only make the rear lock-up worse as more weight will be transferred to the front end. Maybe switching to the less aggressive 40-30 proportioning valve would help over the stock 40-40 valve? But i’d still like to be able to fine tune to allow both rear brakes to function at the same potential.
My driver side halfshaft has a bunch of play where in feeds into the intermediate shaft bearing housing. The halfshaft itself is a replacement and is very tight, but when i wiggle the input it has a lot of radial play inside the intermediate shaft housing. Is this a sign of a bad intermediate bearing? I get some vibration on acceleration between 25-35 mph.
I still get some brake shudder from the Hawk blues. They lasted about 4 weekends which isn’t bad. My rear HP+ pads lasted about 6 weekends. Next season i’m running DTC-60/HP+ combo on factory rotors & calipers. THMotorsports has great pricing on Hawk pads.
Also my exhaust is pretty raspy and annoying for street driving so i may weld in a glasspack to mellow things out.
the 550F and 600R spring setup may be a tad faster than my setup at smooth tracks, but i would maybe recommend starting with a milder 550F/450R setup especially if you’re just starting out. My car is very neutral with the 550F/450R setup and is still somewhat comfortable and streetable. I’ve rode in cars with high rear spring rates and over bumps they can behave a bit erratically…
SUMMIT MAIN NOVEMBER 2013 EVENT PICS: http://s109.photobucket.com/user/mchuffman/library/DA%20Integra%20Events/Summit%20Main%20Nov%202013
ROLL BAR PICS: http://s109.photobucket.com/user/mchuffman/library/DA%20Integra%20Build
I lockup the right-rear like a mofo, but only when there’s some side loading. I’m running Cobalt XR-3s in the front and XR-5s in the rear, which is a terrible idea and I’m going to swap the rears to something crappier for next spring. In the past I’ve run Axxis Ultimates and Hawk HP+, neither of which are really up for track duty, and as long as I was running equal brakes front/rear I locked up the rears. Only time it went away was when I used parts store brake pads in the back. So that’s my recommendation, go to NAPA and buy some junk 
Not sure how much you’ve researched the prop valve, but my understanding is that a prop valve can only affect the initial bite. If you think about it as a bunch of holes, it can affect flow rate but not pressure. So you mash on the pedal, the rears get less flow and the pressure builds up slower, but it very quickly equalizes. OEMs use the prop valves to stabilize the car in panic stops. The only way to modulate pressure front to rear is with dual master cylinders, which is how real racecars do it.
The proportioning valve does nothing to rerar brake pressure up to a certain point, and after that it reduces the pressure by a predetermined ratio. Adjustable proportioning valves move the point at which the valve starts to limit rear pressure.
I want to keep HP+ in the rear because the friction and life and fade resistance are better than a street pad. My idea is to dial down the pressure and still run a track capable pad without lock-up. Then i get good friction stability and pad life and don’t end up with tons of flat spots!