Prepare to get nerdy. A friend of mine recently got some TE37 RT's for his S2000 fresh from the factory and agreed to let me take a look.
So this is going to be a little different than a normal review because I used the industrial measuring machinery I use at work every day. The machine used is a Mitutoyo CMM, it rides on air bearings so it feels like an air hockey table, it also costs as much as a new car and uses an incredibly flat piece of granite as it's table surface. It uses a probe tipped with a small ruby and records its movement in the 3D environment of X, Y, and Z axes. Whenever the tip gets moved by bumping into an object it records the direction and distance of travel. It can reliably record down to the .0001" and reasonably measure down to .00001", as reference, the average human hair is .003" and the thin plastic that seals up cigarette packets is .001". I should also say that I can only get so accurate of a reading with the wheel having been painted, at these tolerances slightly thicker paint and clear coat in one area can dramatically affect the readings. Also, these aren't my wheels, so don't break in here expecting to find them.
Shockingly I forgot my camera this weekend, and sadly too, it was quite the weekend.
(You have to rely on this video on Kevin driving the course in his STi swapped wagon.)
Saturday was the SCCA Solo school, I was instructing this year, and jumping from car to car, person to person, I learned a lot about what I was doing as a driver based on what I was trying to tell these people. As the day went on and the student's lines improved I started playing the role of the bad instructor. As the students gave into my repeated pleas to not shuffle steer and keep their hands at the nine and three positions on the wheel I realized they'd learn more by making mistakes.
By the afternoon my only comment was repeated shouting of, "Go faster! Spin the tires! Let me hear the tires squealing! Drive faster than you feel comfortable!" I wanted people to learn this was a place to cut loose, you don't need to drive like your grandmother is in the car. If we see you sliding sideways we aren't going to be angry, we're going to be clapping and ecstatic, so make us proud.
A few of the students progressed quite a bit over the course of the day. By the afternoon, full course, session, I was able to take a few students for rides. It was a lot of fun to have a kid driving a Civic laughing in the passenger seat as he learns how much fun rear wheel drive can be; or my favorite experience of the day was a fairly competent Corvette driver repeatedly yelling, "holy shit, holy shit!" as I maneuvered my little Miata though the cones. I'll take their shouts as confirmation the new Advans are doing their job.
Sunday brought the first official event. To my surprise complaints were made about my car. Technically I'm breaking the rules, but my car is actually fairly under built for the STR class, so to have another driver complain that I had an aftermarket steering wheel, that will not help in a performance manner in any way, was quite the shock. Cooler heads prevailed and a vote among the other drivers of my class allowed me to compete with my illegal setup. Auto racing is still a gentlemen's sport I guess.
As the day went on I was leading the pack in my class and fairly high up the over all results. My foolish morals and views of auto racing as a gentleman's sport made me share one of my secrets of tire pressure with a competitor in a far superior S2000. He instantly took .9 seconds off his time to pass me, and on the last run of the day a new NC Miata was able to squeak by as well. This season promises to be exciting. I'll make sure to have more photos and fewer words for the next season update. Our friend Josh, who helped with my motorcycle adventure was also close on our heels with solid driving.
Today I bought a motorcycle. Foolishly I thought the best way to do so would be to ride it home. I should mention that the last time I rode a motorcycle was almost ten years ago, and I couldn't change gears, and I just got push starts to get going on a friends dirt bike. But I convinced myself the only proper way to start off this adventure was to get it home myself.
I have to give thanks to my friend Josh for taking me down and patiently following me home as I sorted out some issues with the bike.
The screw that controls the idle would alternate backing out so the bike wouldn't idle and turning in so that the motor couldn't slow down. And as I slowed to get off a highway the pedal for the rear brake came off. An auspicious start to say the least.
This is a blog about transportation and the people that are passionate about different forms of it, so I guess starting today the posts will be more varied. The experience of humming along on a motorcycle didn't disappoint, and was everything I expected it to be.
Time to re-read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig.
What started as a simple mess text this morning that read, "Let's get pizza, bring your rwd," turned into a long, looping drive through the countryside and hills, to a reservoir and back. Two S2000's, a Miata, a BMW 3 series and 200 miles.
