JPR AutoSports

I’ve posted up some of the things we are doing to prep the car for next season.  It is a long project list that should impact the performance significantly.  One of the issues that we are thinking about, but haven’t mentioned, is the relay package on the Evo.  Mostly we take the oem electrical package on a car as stable and reliable, and ultimately – boring.  It’s all the other parts we think about improving and before this car, I’ve never even thought about replacing relays or other electrical parts (nor did it seem that I needed to).

However, there have been some problems with the relays on the Evo X; specifically, the fuel pump relay can fail and then the motor will run wildly lean until it dies.  So replacing that relay is critical for both your motor’s health and your peace of mind.  There are a couple of other relays that control other functions that have been identified as weak or faulty and need to be considered.  This is not something I wanted to mess with, and while not very sexy, part of our season prep is to swap all the critical relays for a better/ newer version.  The last thing I want to think about on the race track is whether my fuel regulator relay is functioning properly.

Mitsubishi has identified this problem and introduced better relays over time.  Depending on the dealer they may even exchange yours under warranty, though, we wanted a better answer, as it was important to exchange the right relay with the improved model and I have less then perfect faith in the local Mitsu dealerships.  South Side Performance has prepared a VERY elegant solution to solve this problem.  I’ve posted up before that this group really understands high performance and race cars and, just like with their other products, I felt confident their solution would be just the ticket.  SSP has prepared a simple kit with all the latest improved relays you need.  It couldn’t be easier to replace these under your hood and, while you won’t feel any performance gains, the fact that the motor won’t die from a bad relay is of considerable comfort.

www.ssperformance.com   It’s inexpensive and easy to install, and so if you haven’t swapped out your relays yet you need to talk to Kris or Jeremy at SSP now!

We are excited to post the NASA 2011 proposed TT Competition Schedule.  The 2011 campaign will include these events as well as track days through local clubs.  As those schedules are updated, we’ll update this post with additional information

Let us know at which of these events you’ll be joining us.  We are very much looking forward to the upcoming season and seeing you out at the track!

 April 2 – Sat. Lime Rock Park, CT

April 15 – 17 NJMP Lightning Course

May 2 & 3 Watkins Glen, NY

June 24 – Fri. Lime Rock Park, CT

July 15 – 17 Pocono Long Courses

Aug. 5 – 7 NJMP Lightning Course

Sept. 3 – 4 Pocono Long Courses

Sept. 8 – 11 Mid-Ohio NASA Natl. Championship

Sept. 30 Oct. 1 – 2 Watkins Glen, NY

Oct. 28 – 30 NJMP Thunderbol

I had reasonably expected things to be quiet and my mind at rest during the off season. It seemed a time to focus on the rest of my life, the holidays, work, family and I could put the car and racing on hold for a bit. I’m wrong and we are busy as hell. Like a gift list from a 5 year old, the car’s needs and wants are mounting up daily.

In process:

Oil management – a system to lower oil temps and protect the motor against starvation under heavy turning
Passenger seat – Sparco Corsa for anyone that gets a ride. It is light and narrow, so watch those calories if you want a ride!

Next up, Roll Cage – we are speaking with a few fabricators about viable options and will post up the selected shop and some pics of their work. This is a big project and so we want to get it just right.
Trailer – Ordered and will take delivery in January of a new 20ft V nose enclosed trailer. We’ll be working with different sponsors on graphics and finishing touches. It should make transport and the time at events much more pleasant. Here’s a pic.

I had a VERY good discussion with EFI Logics yesterday as we begin to consider next season. There is a surprising amount to do and, while I presumed I would have a sleepy off season, I’ll be scrambling to get everything in order for the first event. Chris and I had a long discussion about this past season, and what the car needed to remain competitive (not including the obvious, that my driving needs to continue to evolve!).

The primary focus for the car is on ensuring the engine remains bullet proof and competitive, and it is clear EFI Logics is wholly committed to making sure the power output is balanced with engine longevity. This spring will bring a variety of fresh tunes for different tracks and environments and we are looking at some important go fast bits that will support power to come on a bit earlier and more consistently throughout the entire rpm range. The result should give me more flexibility in gear selection and more headroom, while keeping me within the TTS limits. I’ll post up on these details, some of the parts and solutions we’re considering, but for now they are a secret.

There’s no replacement for experience, and despite my having studied up on some of these topics prior to our discussion, it was clear after about 10 minutes these guy’s are operating WELL beyond my knowledge limits. They are dealing with race and very high performance cars all day, every day and it really shows, as Chris was quite sage and pragmatic in his guidance, which is exactly what I need. You can have your hyperbole and gratuitous statements on how great one’s shop or tune is, but give me Chris’ frank advice, steeped in real world racing and on the road experience any day. EFI Logics has some big plans as well and are doing some very cool work with tuning, prep and fabrication. Their set up is very impressive, and if you haven’t checked them out, you’re missing out. Needless to say, I’m really excited about EFI Logics getting the car organized for next season, it’s going to be something.

One of the things I do, for better or worse, is read through forum posts for information regarding the Evo Xs general issues, technical bulletins, known problems, etc. Compared to my last car, there really aren’t too many (famous last words) but the ones that exist are significant and can be particularly problematic. Having your high beams not work, or maybe the AC isn’t cold enough is one thing. Having your fuel relay blow up and the motor run lean until you die, or having your master cylinder in your clutch fail is considerably more debilitating. For a race car these things are, for me anyway, all the more worrisome. Those of you that read my other posts know that I fret a fair amount and so this may not be too much of a surprise, but I’m trying to only stress over the things that will actually impact my ability to drive, and not, for example, so much on whether the touch up paint on my splitter is a good match… Right, I know, therapy.

That said, the Evo Xs clutch master cylinder is a known failure point, as it seems to be made from hard plastic and so, as I’ve read, will work great right until it cracks and bleeds fluid, and you are left without a working clutch, on the side of the road (or track). So, I’ve fretted about this happening to me. Making it all the way to the track only to have the clutch pop and I have to head in and then struggle to get the car back onto the trailer (I bought a winch to reduce this general stress too). As you can imagine, if for nothing more then to reduce my general stress, upgrading the clutch MC was important. There are only a few companies that have successfully addressed this problem and South Side Performance (www.sspperformance.com) has developed a solution that has received wild accolades.

Made of billet aluminum instead of the oem plastic, SSPs master cylinder won’t break. It just takes the issue off the table, once and for all. Further, the kit includes a stainless steel line that won’t flex as easily as the stock line.

It’s a nice kit with all the necessary pieces and while SSP provides good instructions, I let EFI Logics help with the install.

Truth is, while I was thrilled to have some peace of mind that the plastic MC wasn’t going to blow, I really wasn’t prepared for the difference in the shifting. I presumed that the MC swap was going to be unnoticeable and just offered that extra margin of safety (which was enough). With the ACT clutch though, I really noticed an improvement. I had much smoother clutch engagement and the pedal adjustment meant I could dial it in for my shifting style. I like it to engage late in the travel, so I can shift quickly without a fully engaging the pedal. The SSP MC was a big difference that helped me immediately.

A note on SSP, as I typically need extra help and this MC swap was no different. There’s nothing better then having a vendor/ manufacturer “get you”. Meaning only that having them understand your (my) application, the types of events I am running, the circumstances with the car, everything, can and does make a huge difference. I can’t count the number of times I’ve done my research only to think I’ve found the right deal and then later found the company totally unresponsive to issues or problems. We’ve all had enough experiences in which that type of support is needed and yet they really don’t understand so you’re screwed and left on your own to sort it out. South Side Performance is anything but this and my interactions were great. Jeremy is running a spectacular Evo X MR and so they understand the Evo as a race car and has been remarkably tolerant of my stupidity.

Both Jeremy and Kris of SSP were top notch to work with and really focused on advancing the Evo platform. They have developed a number of other pieces to address issues with the X for which I’ll be hoping to discuss soon. Suffice to say that SSPs MC upgrade is a rare opportunity to address a known failure point and improve the car’s performance at the same time. If you ever stress about having issues with your car, either on the street or track, or are using racing clutch, I suggest you need to make this change now.

At Watkins Glen I noticed my Oil Temp gauge was jacked, when the car was cold it read 220 degrees. Crazy high and obviously wrong. This concerned me greatly though on the track as I later saw the temp gauge buried at over 300 degrees. I think, at that moment, apoplectic shock is a better descriptor. Nonetheless, EFI Logics was at the track and Jack and I discussed. He confirmed that it was the sensor or harness itself.

I really like the Stri gauges. Well respected company, and the gauges look good, light and thin. This makes location and mounting much easier. I’m running AFR, Oil Temp, and Boost and find them easy to read quickly under racing and track conditions in shade or bright sun. Here’s a pic of the gauge type I’m using.

I contacted Marc at Auto-Tech Interiors, distributor for the Stri gauge line. This group is completely on top of their game, as Marc was both able to quickly diagnose my issue and help me identify what I needed to get the gauge operating properly. My setup includes a sensor that screws into the drain plug with a lead that routes through my firewall to and plugs to a harness for power and the gauge itself. Most helpful was ATI’s knowledge of the gauge application in my car and which specific version harness and sensor I needed as a replacement. The parts were reasonably priced and I had them in my hand in about 2 days. Installation was easy enough and, of course, the gauge worked properly again. Thanks Marc! All good.

Keep your gauge pack simple and thorough so that you can get the data you need quickly without fuss. Contact ATI here

The event went well, despite being pretty cold for the first two sessions. It’s a great track, fast with some interesting technical aspects. I took 2nd with a 1:31.07, which is an ok time for my first time to this track but a little disappointing overall. I’ pretty sure I can break 1:29 and maybe 1:28 with more seat time. They’ll be new opportunities at this track next year. More to come on the Goodyear vs Hankook comparison and I’ll post some video and the write up on the tires soon.