Sam's build thread

[metalhead]

Tamworth is the next round, 19th August. There's another club round at Ringwood on the 29th of July too, A2A layout.

Yeh, I've read the R888Rs are significantly quicker than the R888s, but don't last as well.

Liam did make some changes to get some extra horsepower before Kempsey, his car isn't totally unchanged. I think our class has been quicker than Improved Prod at most rounds this year. Geoff was observing that changing his car from a road car to a race car (Improved Production) resulted in him having more weight, less tyre, and less downforce...

[metalhead]

Oh I was thinking on the way home too... If you want to camp out at my place and/or change the wheels and tyres on my hoist next time you're heading to Ringwood then just give us a yell. You probably wont want to drive 15 minutes past Ringwood to my place if you're driving up on the morning of an event, but it might make things a bit easier when you're worn out before heading home.

[Sydneykid]

FWIW, my view is that tyres are the single most important ingredient in going faster. It takes a lot of horsepower (and $'s) to go a second faster at Easter Creek, which can be achieved by simply bolting on a set of new tyres. Compared to ones that have been through a few heat cycles, not worn out tyres, just those that have lost their new tyre "goodness". Yes, getting the right wheel and tyre package takes time, money and effort but the rewards are substantial.

I spent a lot of years chasing used tyres which was much easier when I had the wheel size to take the common tyre sizes. By far the most popular tyre size in the semi slick area is the 225/50/15, so my suggestion would be to look for wheels that take that size tyre, being 15 x 7, 15 x 7.5 and 15 x 8. There are few that use the 215/50/15, which will fit that same sized wheel. The next most common is the 225/45/16 so again 16 x 7, 16 x 7.5 or 16 x 8. The problem with 17"s is the tyre gets a bit too big (width and diameter) to fit on a Polo.

Obviously wheels are just flywheels except there are 4 of them and they are unsprung weight, a triple whammy. So it pays off to spend a little extra effort to find the lightest in the desired sizes, provided they fit the budget. But a slightly heavier wheel in the right size is better than lighter one in the wrong size.

Once you have a tyre size (or a couple of sizes) locked in then I'd suggest getting along to State Championship & MRA rounds at Eastern Creek and Wakefield Park and get to know all of the guys that run those sizes. They often don't hold on to them as long when they have a ready buyer waiting.

That's my 20 cents worth

Cheers
Gary

[sambb]

Thanks Andrew. Yeah Liam and I were the very last ones out of there because of changing tyres and having to pack the cars up. Will definitely do stud conversion to help that along. Thx

[sambb]

Yeah you're dead right Gary. I think I'm going to stick with the 15x7's as I already have them and they are pretty light and run 215/50/15 mediums. It might have to be a staged process though. If no second hand ones turn up what I can do is bite the bullet and buy a front pair and keep the best of my existing 205/50/15 mediums for the back when on a circuit, working towards a full set obviously as I get the bucks. I guess on 15x7's I'll have the option for hillclimbs of putting 205/50/15 softs (commonish cheap size) on the back if it turns out that mediums won't grip.

[metalhead]

Yeh, good points Gary, makes a lot of sense.

A lot of that is why I bought the 18"s - wide 18" semis seemed more easily available and cheaper than wide 17" semis. My wheels are pretty heavy, but they were cheap, and secondhand wheels are non-existent in my size/offset/bolt pattern. Lighter wheels are an order of magnitude more expensive. And then the Nankangs are very heavy too.

[sambb]

"Geoff was observing that changing his car from a road car to a race car (Improved Production) resulted in him having more weight, less tyre, and less downforce... "

Ha! That guy terrorised me for 2/1/2 years.... I'm not crying a river for him. Nah just kidding he's a good guy and he is a hell of a lot safer sitting in that thing now than we are. If I could have a track dedicated car I'd do the same in a heart beat.


I'll have a look at R888R prices but I just cant see them holding candle to A050's. Also I don't know what the go is with their single direction and assymetrical tread cuts. They don't do lefts and rights, the tyres only come with one tread cut so on one side of the car they'll channel water to the inside of the tyre. Still 367 bucks from the rubber tzar for A050's iin 215/50/15 s eye watering money (for me at least) so i'll be sleeping on it.

I wonder if NT01's are the same compound now as R888R? The interwebs used to say that the earlier R888 and NT01 was the same compound, just different tread cuts. Don't know what it all means now that the R888R is around - if the Nitto has changed or if its the same.

[sambb]

actually Clio Pete bought a set of 205/50/15 mediums brand new and heat treated from Levens that he thought slowed him down (weight) and his times did say as much at SMSP south circuit as he took them back off and put his 195's back on. They were the top gear table at Bathurst so I have a feeling the problem was that they were just coated in BBQ fat and that they are actually ok. Maybe he'll part with them.

[sambb]

Alright on the timing belt job where I'll be converting to manul tensioning from hydraulic, I think I've found the bits I need. I spoke to Matt at Camden Gti who was literally doing the same thing when I spoke to him and he advised me that the 1.8L 8V tensioner roller that you can get from Dayco is not the right one. It only works with narrower timing belts. Because I'm using the OE BJX belt which is wider than the 8V one he said I definitely have to use the tensioner roller from a KR series (16V 1.8L) or ABF series (16V 2.0L).

I sourced one here: NEW FEBI BILSTEIN TIMING BELT TENSIONER PULLEY 03600 P OE REPLACEMENT | eBay for not an arm and a leg.

Matt said that he gets rid of the hydraulic tensioner and puts no other idler rollers in its place but you then need a shorter timing belt. I mentioned the Integrated Engineering replacement bracket/roller that bolts where the hydraulic tensioner had been. He said he hadn't done it that way before but from the sounds of it with that part in place (its idler roller is in the same place as the OE hydraulic tensioners one) that might explain why I've been told I can achieve it with the stock BJX belt.
Apparently I'll be able to use my existing 8mm stud which is good. So i'll wait on that part from the UK, hope its the correct one, and ill report back with the ins and outs of a BJX conversion to manual tensioning when I'm done.

[simon k]

I was having a bit of a dig around about others doing the same as you and found this thread: VWVortex.com - pic request: manual tensioner conversion kit from a 16v....

and LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THIS TURBO!!