I don't think that cryo of the transfer case housing would yield the level of improvement in strength that I'm after. I know cryo would make it stronger, but maybe only about 10-20% stronger whereas I'm hoping for something in the order of 100% or more stronger with the billet piece. Since it'll be a whole new piece, I'm left with the opportunity to add material in some critical places.
I've got a couple more videos from yesterday's autocross that I'll be posting links to later on. The car worked awesome yesterday. I got new front tires (Hoosiers) and I dialed in more negative camber. Now the things turns great. However, I now have so much stick in the front that I'm lifting/lightening the inside rear enough that the OBX LSD is unloading under power. I have to flatten the car out a bit more. I'll start with some slightly stiffer front springs. I already have a 24mm front sway bar. Of course now I'll be getting a more suitable diff over the winter. I'm thinking either a KAZZ or if Wavetrac are planning on releasing a D series application, I'll likely go that route.
I managed 5th fastest time out of 68 cars, and even more significant for me is that it was 5th fastest PAX as well. That gives me great confidence that once I get the thing sorted some more, it may very well be the SM killer that I hoped it would be!
I was wondering the other day if you had thought about the possibility of the transfer case cracking due to having one solid shaft, or more so that having two shafts would possibly prevent this from happening?
I was wondering the other day if you had thought about the possibility of the transfer case cracking due to having one solid shaft, or more so that having two shafts would possibly prevent this from happening?
What were you thinking? What forces/loads do you think are doing the damage? I had decided that the wheelhop shocks forced the gears apart with enough energy that the aluminum meant to hold them together failed/cracked.
The car is loud due to the intake noise/supercharger when it's coming towards you, and then the exhaust takes over as it goes past and away from you.
I've done 3 autocrosses since I put it back together. Not much street driving, and I've been somewhat gentle in 1st gear to avoid wheelhop. This past weekend I was in Packwood Wa by Mt. Rainier for the SCCA National Tour autocross. I did about 16 runs, and the car worked very well. The nut behind the wheel, not so much! Still have some things to sort out from a handling point of view, but it's all coming together.
Here's a couple videos from 2 weekends ago. 2010 Kumho Super Challenge. I'm still learning about what works for the camera I'm using. I'm also now chasing another ignition miss, so my focus is not on videos right now. The 1st one is from the camera attached to the window in the rear passenger door. I would have zoomed in if I'd know I was getting so much of the side of the car. Also, I don't have any video editing software, so you'll have to sit through all the crap at the start. Action starts at about 3:30.
2nd video is an edited compilation from the event organisers. I haven't been able to watch it on high quality yet, only on my phone. You get to see what happens when you autocross for 20 years in FWD, and your instincts kick in when you start to spin: no, you should not step on the gas to save the spin. That's at about 6:35.
Wow again. Thanks for posting. I assume your camera was mounted to a rolled up window type, uh, mount, similar to a car flag, yes yes? Is that the cause ot the occasional audible rattle?
I think BillBoard had a posting about a DIY headrest camera mount that may interest you... lemme search a minute here.... shitty - I didn't find it
Bumper mounted camera in the second vid is cool too.... something I may try (hell, it's only a 1/4-20 bolt).
I'd like to humbly request a 1/4 mile or longer, straight line vid. :oops:
Any ideas as to top speed? I recall you mentioned it'll do 95mph in 3rd, which is stunning, as "a" stock RT4WD only does 95 in 5th, and whipped right out :roll:
Sorry I missed an opportunity to see the car in action, in the flesh. Look forward to more great developments! :twisted:
Ugh. I posted a whole bunch and it erased due to time out.
Anyway, I hadn't taken apart my trans until last weekend so I didn't fully understand how forces would be applied.
I did think about a break plate (?) between the shaft and the transfer case so the tq would break that rather than other stuff. Not sure what would be involved.
I've had it up to 130mph without very much effort. Just the other morning on my way to work, I opened it up on the highway (99 at the south end going north from 8th Ave). Going up the hill towards 24th Ave, I was using about 2/3rds throttle, and I let up in 5th gear with the JDM speedo needle pointing straight down (well past the 180 kph). Once I slowed back down, I scrolled though the pages on my HR Tuning Tunerview display and found the peak speed (it stores peak values for some sensors). It showed 130mph.
Many years ago I had my EK Hatch with a built LS/Vtec wound right out on a straight stretch of 99, and it was a calculated speed of about 150mph (RPMs, gear ratios, tire diameters). The speedo was pegged. It took a little while to get there. I know the Wagon can get there much much more easily. I won't try it, but I think the Wagon would get to 160+ if I ignored the risks and the possible damage to the car (again, I won't).
The camera was mounted to the window with one of those Gecko suction cup mounts. the mount is actually quite stable. The camera is just not suited to this type of activity. It's a cheap no-name HD camera. I think the crackle on the video is just the camera not able to cope.
I intend on doing 2 more autocrosses this year, one on the 12th of September, and another on the 3rd of October. Then I might just go out to the drag strip for some passes. I myself want to know what she'll do. I'll be sure and take some video when the time comes.
Superhatch,
I understand what you're suggesting. Some sort of "fuse" for lack of a better name. The problem would be determining how strong to make this fuse. Without knowing exactly the yield strength of the material you're using, and how much torque you need it to give up at, as well as when the drivetrain is going to break, I think it would be almost impossible to make this work.
I'm certain that the billet tranfer case housing will do the trick for my purposes. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
I haven't made any progress on the billet transfer case housings yet. I've been really busy for the last couple months with racing, mountain biking and life in general. This weekend is kind of the culmination of my season. I'm riding the Cheakamus Challenge point to point mountain bike race (Squamish to Whistler, about 44 miles, about 8,000' of climbing). Once that's done, I have 1 more autocross on the 17 of October, and then the car gets to go under the knife for a bunch more work to get ready for next season.
Here's what happens when you're addicted to autocross and it rains all day and all night. You get wet, and you go splashing through huge puddles. It's fun and miserable at the same time. I discovered that my wet conditions driving kind of sucks right now. Hoosier wets helped a lot, but they can only do so much for weak driving. Oh, and that last gate before the finish was 3 cones. I went to turn in, had a bit too much speed and just went straight!
Here's another one. I carried too much speed into the big puddle and couldn't get turned around in time to stay on course. Got that last gate right though!
Comments
I've got a couple more videos from yesterday's autocross that I'll be posting links to later on. The car worked awesome yesterday. I got new front tires (Hoosiers) and I dialed in more negative camber. Now the things turns great. However, I now have so much stick in the front that I'm lifting/lightening the inside rear enough that the OBX LSD is unloading under power. I have to flatten the car out a bit more. I'll start with some slightly stiffer front springs. I already have a 24mm front sway bar. Of course now I'll be getting a more suitable diff over the winter. I'm thinking either a KAZZ or if Wavetrac are planning on releasing a D series application, I'll likely go that route.
I managed 5th fastest time out of 68 cars, and even more significant for me is that it was 5th fastest PAX as well. That gives me great confidence that once I get the thing sorted some more, it may very well be the SM killer that I hoped it would be!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nli_Gnqgo6w
http://www.youtube.com/user/thump911#p/ ... l9WBmoK0Go
What were you thinking? What forces/loads do you think are doing the damage? I had decided that the wheelhop shocks forced the gears apart with enough energy that the aluminum meant to hold them together failed/cracked.
The car is loud due to the intake noise/supercharger when it's coming towards you, and then the exhaust takes over as it goes past and away from you.
I've done 3 autocrosses since I put it back together. Not much street driving, and I've been somewhat gentle in 1st gear to avoid wheelhop. This past weekend I was in Packwood Wa by Mt. Rainier for the SCCA National Tour autocross. I did about 16 runs, and the car worked very well. The nut behind the wheel, not so much! Still have some things to sort out from a handling point of view, but it's all coming together.
http://s392.photobucket.com/albums/pp10 ... LE0007.mp4
2nd video is an edited compilation from the event organisers. I haven't been able to watch it on high quality yet, only on my phone. You get to see what happens when you autocross for 20 years in FWD, and your instincts kick in when you start to spin: no, you should not step on the gas to save the spin. That's at about 6:35.
Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61UlCYyD ... ata_player
I think BillBoard had a posting about a DIY headrest camera mount that may interest you... lemme search a minute here.... shitty - I didn't find it
Bumper mounted camera in the second vid is cool too.... something I may try (hell, it's only a 1/4-20 bolt).
I'd like to humbly request a 1/4 mile or longer, straight line vid. :oops:
Any ideas as to top speed? I recall you mentioned it'll do 95mph in 3rd, which is stunning, as "a" stock RT4WD only does 95 in 5th, and whipped right out
Sorry I missed an opportunity to see the car in action, in the flesh. Look forward to more great developments!
Anyway, I hadn't taken apart my trans until last weekend so I didn't fully understand how forces would be applied.
I did think about a break plate (?) between the shaft and the transfer case so the tq would break that rather than other stuff. Not sure what would be involved.
Many years ago I had my EK Hatch with a built LS/Vtec wound right out on a straight stretch of 99, and it was a calculated speed of about 150mph (RPMs, gear ratios, tire diameters). The speedo was pegged. It took a little while to get there. I know the Wagon can get there much much more easily. I won't try it, but I think the Wagon would get to 160+ if I ignored the risks and the possible damage to the car (again, I won't).
The camera was mounted to the window with one of those Gecko suction cup mounts. the mount is actually quite stable. The camera is just not suited to this type of activity. It's a cheap no-name HD camera. I think the crackle on the video is just the camera not able to cope.
I intend on doing 2 more autocrosses this year, one on the 12th of September, and another on the 3rd of October. Then I might just go out to the drag strip for some passes. I myself want to know what she'll do. I'll be sure and take some video when the time comes.
Superhatch,
I understand what you're suggesting. Some sort of "fuse" for lack of a better name. The problem would be determining how strong to make this fuse. Without knowing exactly the yield strength of the material you're using, and how much torque you need it to give up at, as well as when the drivetrain is going to break, I think it would be almost impossible to make this work.
I'm certain that the billet tranfer case housing will do the trick for my purposes. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Here's what happens when you're addicted to autocross and it rains all day and all night. You get wet, and you go splashing through huge puddles. It's fun and miserable at the same time. I discovered that my wet conditions driving kind of sucks right now. Hoosier wets helped a lot, but they can only do so much for weak driving. Oh, and that last gate before the finish was 3 cones. I went to turn in, had a bit too much speed and just went straight!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae5YkMQb ... r_embedded
Here's another one. I carried too much speed into the big puddle and couldn't get turned around in time to stay on course. Got that last gate right though!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMzI2tos ... re=related