I ran another track weekend with NASA at Buttonwillow last weekend. This time we ran the #1CCW configuration. It's only the second weekend I've run this track CCW. Air temp was ~103*F on both days, with the track surface way, way hotter. I installed my
oil cooler but haven't ducted it yet so I don't think it's doing anything, especially with that hot air coming off the asphalt. Coolant temps were in the 220*F to 230*F range, maybe as high as 240*F. Lots of lifter tap so I'm sure the oil was still 280*F+..
I hooked up my rear swaybar again in an attempt to limit body roll and get some more traction in the rear since I think it was limited by geometry and not weight transfer. Sure enough, the car is hardly looser but I've gained some front grip and the rear feels more planted too. However, the car now wig-wags on slide recovery (see:
this part of my bloopers video). I know the 475# springs were already too much for the Koni reds, even at full stiff, but the rear swaybar makes it really obvious. I have a set of Bilstein struts waiting on the shelf for a revalve. I hope to get to those later this summer.
I pulled the carpet out for my interior color change and didn't put it back in before going to the track. I didn't expect to have any problems related to that, but it turns out the carpet is pretty important. The Fiero has a ridge that runs down the center of the footwell in the exact spot where my heel rests. With the carpet removed, it's just that semi-gloss chassis coating on the floor. It's super slippery. I literally could not drive the car on the track in the first session. I got some gaffer's tape from my friend and put a few layers down. Problem solved.
Pretty uneventful weekend overall; only a couple spins and no real offs. I was down on power later Saturday and most of Sunday. I thought it was my imagination until I heard a distinct misfire.. then I thought it was the heat. On the last session, I lost a significant amount of power. At the entrance to a turn where I would normally be going 100+ mph I was down to 85. The induction noise had changed too. I pulled into the pits and packed up to go home.. started the car to leave, drove 15 feet, and it stopped. We thought it was out of gas but after putting 4 gallons in it was doing nothing. The racers finished running so I tried to listen for the fuel pump. Nothing. The relay and fused checked out, but the pump doesn't run. The fuel rail was bone dry -- just gasoline vapor. Ugh. I could've made it to the parts store but not at 105*F at the end of a long day, so I used my AAA tow.
I put together a reel of bloopers and "heroics" for the weekend:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unbIIwKe-4M
If you watch my steering inputs that were necessary for correcting for the rear stepping out, do a quick mental calculation: the stock steering requires ~1.7 times more turning than my rack. Good luck with that.
There's also a short clip of me pulling flat out through a banked left-hander. Watch the oil pressure gauge. It's hard to tell but it looks like it jumps down ~4 or 5 psi once or twice. Might be sucking a bit of air :-/.
Also my AC is busted again.. totally my fault though. When I moved a heater hose to make room for the oil cooler lines I didn't realize that it was pushing the AC hose into the exhaust manifold. It eventually melted through and popped. I knew exactly what the sound was from when I heard it. Ugh. At least I didn't have to drive home in the heat since I got towed.
That's all for now. I am waiting for the photos I ordered to arrive. I also need to check my front right wheel bearing (Rodney Dickman) and see how it held up over the weekend.