JPR AutoSports

What an incredible display of weather. I don’t know about you but I am more then a little tired of the snow. Some big projects underway and so I needed to get the car down to Straightline in Matawan, NJ. A snowstorm loomed, one of many, and so I worried about the trek down. I got lucky though and the trip went fine. Robi from RobiSpec has the car now and is making some dramatic changes to the the suspension. If I’m lucky I will pick up the car on Saturday and will post up some pictures of the work. I’m excited about the project but worried about getting the car back in the snow.

I’ve been experimenting a bit with some different lug nuts for the race car as I wanted a nut that would be light, hold up well to quick changes and is finished nicely and consistently. I’m swapping wheels constantly at the track, multiple times in a day, and so expect to tear up aluminum nuts over time. I had tried some others and had problems with marring and finish inconsistency so they would sometimes get locked inside the socket. As importantly, I want them to be reasonably inexpensive so it didn’t hurt too much to replace them, if I needed to, during the season.

I found these from Yonaka in our size on their website, but they are available all over the internet:

These Yonaka nuts weigh nothing and, for my use, have held up easily as well as MUCH more expensive nuts. I was worried the metal might be softer or the fit wouldn’t be as consistent, given their lower price but I was wrong. They use a 19mm socket and the fit is tight and the manufacturing is very consistent from lug to lug. The shank is long and so these work great with normal or long track studs. (there are so many opportunities for inappropriate jokes in here I almost don’t know what to do with myself ).

I use both a torque wrench and then a drill to get them off and on fast which seems to be the right combination. You can’t/ shouldn’t use a impact drill with aluminum nuts, they can get torn up and stuck inside the socket – this will make you very sad when you are at the track (as me how I know). I did also buy, a while back, a thread chaser in M12 x 1.5, which I highly recommend as it’s a good tool to have if you ever cross a thread.

The Yonaka nuts are finished very well and, while they don’t come in yellow, red or blue, look pretty nice in Black and Silver (I think they have gold too). Ultimately, they fit the bill perfectly – they are light, finished well, hold up and are inexpensive. I can get part way through a season, mess a couple up and get a fresh set without mortgaging the house. I don’t see too many discussions on different lug nuts but if you are looking for a fresh set for the upcoming season, check these out. Let me know what you think.

I’m running them again this season (2011). Here’s a shot of a set on the car.

An update to those of you interested in some of the car projects. We are working hard to prepare for the 2011 season. Let’s get started:

Engine:

Oil cooling and management: we are working with a well known manufacturer that has developed custom racing pans for some of the biggest names in racing. The Evo X will have a bigger pan that will help keep oil temps low, as well as a system to protect the engine at start up and in the event that G forces are high enough to cause a loss in oil pressure. The car should be done this week. Once we have the car back and are authorized to do (yes it is secret) we’ll post pictures.

Cams and Springs:
EFI Logics will be tuning the car again for the upcoming season. Chris is an exceptionally gifted tuner and has done a great job at finding that balance between performance and reliability. In an effort to provide greater flexibility with different fuel octanes and tracks we are looking at GSC cams and their newly designed beehive springs. These are state of the art cams with a very aggressive profile for racing which should allow us to run lower octane and boost levels for the same power levels.

We are looking at different manifold solutions as well. The intention is not to make more power then in 2010 but produce the same power over a broader rpm range, at lower boost levels, on lower octane. All good and we are excited about getting the car to EFI Logics to start this work.

Radiator:
A flush as part of the season prep but also an opportunity to install a Mishimoto racing radiator and hoses. More efficient then the oem radiator, the Mishimoto radiator should help lower engine temps in race conditions.

All very exciting and a good start. Next up is Cage design and suspension work.

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!

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.