Colonel Red Racing 2005 STI Race Car

[Sgt.Gator]

What oil are you running for track now? I am wondering if rotella is foaming on me (10mm pump) and causing lower pressures above 5k rpm. I have to wire up the temp sensor to confirm but I have an air oil cooler in the front grille.

 

Valvoline VR1 Racing 20W50 Motor Oil, conventional. The short block builder (Rallispec) recommends 15W-50 for his blocks used in racing conditions. VR1 has anti foam properties that work well with the dry sump scavenge. And lots of Zinc. However it has no detergents so is not for a street car. That doesn't matter to me because I change it after every race weekend, that's why it's called Race oil.

 

I also have a heating pad on my dry sump tank so I can preheat the oil for 20 minutes before startup. An in-tank heater or external pad heater are pretty standard on race cars running the thick oils.

 

A oil temp gauge is a good idea. The correlation between coolant temp and oil temp is delayed. If you wait for the coolant temp to be at redline your oil may be super hot.

 

The Subaru diesels have a 170 amp alternator.

Interesting they almost doubled the amperage for the diesel.

 

I had no idea Subaru even made a diesel! If it is a direct bolt in to a Legacy or STI that would be a great upgrade, although since there are none in wrecking yards here a new one is probably the same cost as DC Power.

[xt2005bonbon]

Check this out:

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNA5iMyPUUI]Subiesport TV - Subaru 22B Pike's Peak Diesel Replica is Mixed-Up Madness - YouTube[/ame]

[ehsnils]

Interesting they almost doubled the amperage for the diesel.

 

I had no idea Subaru even made a diesel! If it is a direct bolt in to a Legacy or STI that would be a great upgrade, although since there are none in wrecking yards here a new one is probably the same cost as DC Power.

 

The torque is about the same as the H6 but at a lower rpm and it becomes anemic quite soon when going up in rpms. If you want such an engine then you should search euro junkyards, just avoid first year since they had some weaknesses.

 

Most subies with hood scoops here in Europe the last 5 years are diesels.

 

As for direct bolt on - I don't know the details, but I suspect that the electrical parts are the hardest to get right.

 

The reason they have more amps is that the battery is beefier to also handle glow plugs and the higher torque needed for a higher compression, but also to have a heating element in the defroster. However I never noticed any effect of that heating element - it took "forever" to get up to defrosting temps anyway.

[Sgt.Gator]

A diesel would be very interesting in a 25 hour race if we could eliminate 2/3 of the pits stops for fuel!

[boxkita]

Looks like your car is very high compared to others in your class. Are you going to lower it more?

Also why are you hitting curbs?

[Sgt.Gator]

Looks like your car is very high compared to others in your class. Are you going to lower it more?

Also why are you hitting curbs?

 

Probably not on the lowering. The dry sump lines are already close enough to the ground, they hang below the splitter floor. And getting a jack under the sides near the front is already hard enough. Unlike other cars in my class that have integrated onboard air jacks

 

Sometimes the straight line across the curb is way faster than going around it. For example Turn 10 at PIR. Watch the fastest cars there. They put the inside tire in the dirt on the other side of the curb!

 

 

Turn 7 at ORP has been one of my favorites to launch over for a couple of years. And now I've found Turn 5 is also a good one to go straight over (I said Turn 4 above, it's actually Turn 5).

[Sgt.Gator]

Chase Bays sent me a new reservoir and cap. They are both re-designed, the cap is vented and the reservoir has changed quite a bit too. Installed it tonight, we'll see how it goes in Spokane.

 

I also installed my Spokane Raceway anti-missile defense system, aka a rock guard on the FMIC/Radiator. Spokane is infamous for it's rocks on the track. A few years ago I lost two radiators and subsequently an Acura B18 engine to the dang rocks.

 

The first race is Friday. I will be in the two 1 hour Enduros and two ST races, then drive home Sunday. There are ST and SPM races on Sunday but I'm going to skip them. Two Enduros and two ST sprints is enough.

[Th3Franz]

http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/fd/fd9dc792295eafc7a9ccdf845dad9f011870a6943801abaa7cb2648a90866408.jpg

[boxkita]

so, what's the story from Spokane?

[Sgt.Gator]

so, what's the story from Spokane?

 

Dang, awfully pushy for a guy that still hasn't got a running Subaru even though he has 3 of them!

 

 

We had a great first race weekend at Spokane County Raceway. The STI ran very well.

We learned a lot about the car this weekend.

 

The modifications to increase the engine oil, transmission, and power steering cooling all worked great. No heat issues at all, which is a rarity in the Subaru track world. The new Chase Bays reservoir & cap worked fine, no P/S steering issues, and now I have the new replacement P/S pump in my track parts box just in case.

 

Even though it was pretty hot, 90+ in the enduro, I don't think I even need the trunk fans. When the Derale cooler is on the oil never goes over 200 or so. If I forget to turn it on it gets to 240. But the moment I turn it on the temp starts dropping fast! I need one more day where I can run it in really hot 100 degrees without the trunk fans before I pull them out. And the coolant temp stays in the middle of the gauge or less.

 

The Tranny cooler also worked great. It never got over 180.

 

Here's another STI in our ST class. Even though he has a V mount setup he was having cooling issues. He could barely keep his oil under 245.

 

 

The Video VBOX data system was a big help. I cut at least a second off my times just by seeing two places where I needed to go deeper and faster before braking. I'm looking forward to using the system in the future. I'll post up my fastest lap in You Tube later and link it here.

 

The biggest disappointment came in the two enduro 1 hour races. On Friday I was in 2nd place overall and 2nd in class when with 7 minutes to go I started running out of gas. I knew that a 1 hour race was on the edge of the stock tank capacity. After a few coughs and sputters I pulled into the pits and off the track rather than chance an ultra lean condition destroying the new engine. I ended up 3rd in class because I'd already gone so far.

 

On Saturday we de-tuned the turbo from SPM class to ST class and filled the tank to the very brim. I really needed to know if it was possible to run for a full hour without more drastic mods to the fuel capacity. It's not.

 

I asked the ST class champion to co-drive with me for the enduro on Saturday and he helped us sort the suspension tuning quite a bit when he ran the qualifying session. We made changes to the rear sway bar, rear wing, and tire pressures. Once those were done the car turned much better. He started the race and put us in a solid third place overall and in class going into the driver change at 30 minutes.

 

Then the class leader, the BMW #167 in the pic, couldn't re-start their car after the driver change! We were able to get a 3-4 lap lead on them before they got the car to start again. That's racing!

 

 

I was still in second place when I could see the white Porsche GT3 Cup car (#156 in the pic) catching up. The driver they put in for the second half of the race was significantly faster than the first driver. I knew if I tried to conserve my dwindling gas supply he would catch me so I went full bore. I hoped the gas would last long enough to hold him off. 5 mins to go it coughed. Then coughed again. I gingerly drove the car for a lap which gave the 3rd place Porsche GT3 Cup car a chance to pass going into the last lap. Dang! Later in looking at our lap times his fastest lap was 1/2 second faster than my fastest lap, which means I'm pretty sure I could have held him off from a pass for 2nd. Dang !

 

The really good news is that at the end of the racing I could drive the car into the trailer. Usually at Spokane I have to winch it in!

 

There's a few small things to work on. I'm going to try a bit more toe out in the front and toe in at the back. I learned from the class champion that all the Corvettes and BMWs in our class are running 1/4" toe out in front and 1/4" in in the back, which seems like a lot but he should know.

 

Also there's some exhaust smell in the cockpit, I''m guessing from the EWG terminating straight down by the front axle. At SCR we run about 60-65% of the time under WOT, so the EWG is open a LOT.

 

Next up is the SCCA sponsored Rose Cup Races in Portland July 7-8-9. This is the premier amatuer race event in the NW and I expect to be there representing Subaru of Bend! http://rosecup.com/

[Sgt.Gator]

I'm wondering if switching to Non Ethanol premium will be just enough to get me over the finish line...that and a surge tank might do it. (I already have a Holley transfer pump between the saddlebag tanks. It helps but does not solve the problem.)

[Chris GTO TT]

Is it high G load fuel starvation, or actually running out of fuel?

[Sgt.Gator]

Is it high G load fuel starvation, or actually running out of fuel?

 

Both. The fuel transfer pump has eliminated a lot of the slosh problem, but not all of it. But even driving at a very reduced speed, like 30 mph, the car was still dying going around turns.

 

After the Friday enduro it took 12.5 gals. After the Saturday enduro it took 13.5, filled to the very brim of the fill pipe.

 

In other words I'm getting about 4 Minutes per gallon of gas. So I need at least 15 gallons for 60 minutes.

 

I'm looking at a 3 gallon fuel cell that would work as a surge tank too. That should do the job. Especially if I bring non-ethanol premium just for the enduros. I can run 92 E10 for the sprint races. It shouldn't change the tune ???

[boxkita]

My plan for the Silver Bullet is to run Turbo Blue Unleaded - http://www.turboblue.com/products_4 . It's about $8-9/gal so race only. It's what I used in the streetcar when running track days. The streetcar was tuned for ~96oct (50/50 mix of turbo blue unleaded and ethanol-free 92oct). At 100 or 110 when I could get it, it ran really well. Track mileage varied from 7-10mpg depending on quality.

 

When adding a 3 gallon surge tank, be sure you get it as a fuel cell, not just raw fuel tank.

[boxkita]

if you are not tuning for the fuel you are using, you're missing alot. 92 e10 is vastly different than 100 or 110. With the access port, you can put on different tunes based on the fuel you are running. No need to re-dyno until you have a front runner :-)

[Sgt.Gator]

if you are not tuning for the fuel you are using, you're missing alot. 92 e10 is vastly different than 100 or 110. With the access port, you can put on different tunes based on the fuel you are running. No need to re-dyno until you have a front runner :-)

 

I always run Torco Accelerator.

With the Torco + Premium 92 E10 octane I'm running about 103 - 105 Octane race gas equivalent.

 

I'll ask Surgeline if I have to re-tune to run Torco + 92 Ethanol Free. I don't think so, but I might be wrong.

 

Next 5 gal pail I'm switching to Boostane. No worries about the additive settling to the bottom like it does with Torco.

 

According to the Imprezza FSM the oem tank is supposed to hold 15.9 US Gallons, but at 12.5 -13 I can't keep the car running safely even with the transfer pump. Possibly with a surge tank alone I can make that last 2.5 - 3.0 gallons available to race on.

 

The problem there is when the surge tank is gone, it is 100% gone! I may have to mount an aux fuel sender in it to a gauge on the dash.

[Sgt.Gator]

My plan for the Silver Bullet is to run Turbo Blue Unleaded - http://www.turboblue.com/products_4 . It's about $8-9/gal so race only. It's what I used in the streetcar when running track days. The streetcar was tuned for ~96oct (50/50 mix of turbo blue unleaded and ethanol-free 92oct). At 100 or 110 when I could get it, it ran really well. Track mileage varied from 7-10mpg depending on quality.

 

When adding a 3 gallon surge tank, be sure you get it as a fuel cell, not just raw fuel tank.

 

And since we have gotten a little sidetracked on Octane there is a very interesting series on Octane coming out now on Engine Labs:

 

Engine Labs Octane Testing Series

Part 1 and II are out.

 

http://www.enginelabs.com/engine-tech/dyno-testing/introducing-the-race-fuels-octane-additives-and-injections-showdown/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=introducing-the-race-fuels-octane-additives-and-injections-showdown

 

 

http://www.enginelabs.com/engine-tech/dyno-testing/the-big-fuel-test-boostane-adds-24-rwhp/

[derp]

Sounds like a good weekend

[ehsnils]

I found this when searching:

https://www.aeromotiveinc.com/fuel-tanks-and-cells/

 

 

Seems like this is a common problem and could be caused by the internal tank design.

 

 

Anyone that has cut open a tank? Maybe getting a tank from a junkyard and modify it internally is the answer?

[Sgt.Gator]

I found this when searching:

https://www.aeromotiveinc.com/fuel-tanks-and-cells/

 

Seems like this is a common problem and could be caused by the internal tank design.

 

Anyone that has cut open a tank? Maybe getting a tank from a junkyard and modify it internally is the answer?

 

I already have an old TurboXS surge tank that came with the STI but was never installed, so I will install it now.

 

Surgeline says the Non-Ethanol fuel would require it's own map, the knock and fuel trims are too far off and need their own map. So I'm nixing that idea for now.

[Sgt.Gator]

The Video Vbox makes it easy to export any particular lap for sharing. Here's my fastest lap of the weekend, during the Enduro race:

 

 

I'm working on a better format. The new one will have the PIP in the upper part of the screen so it's easier to see where the car is on the left side and the units will be MPH, not KPH.

[boxkita]

Video looks good. Practice with the class champion paid off.

 

When you make the next video, can you put the RPM in too?

 

For your own viewing, putting in the clutch activation, brake pedal, and throttle percentage might help. I used them on screen to match up what I thought I was doing vs reality.

 

For mounting the camera, if you use an IO port camera mount (http://www.ioportracing.com/i/o-port-products/camera-mount-for-medium-to-large-cameras-i/o-port/) you don't get the vibrations so much in the video.

 

For the SD card, get the fastest card you can find. Extreme Plus/Pro - https://www.sandisk.com/home/memory-cards/microsd-cards/extremepro-microsd . It smooths the writes and makes the video more stable. So easier to sort out where the car is bouncing and where the video is off. Or ask the manufacturer what's the highest write speed they can use, then match that.

 

BTW, do you have front LSD?

[GTEASER]

I/O Port Racing is just down the road from me, 20 minutes away, if you need me to go look at anything for you.

[shralp]

Nice Gator looks good. The effect you're seeing in the video isn't really vibrations as much as its the "rolling shutter" effect that is typical in any modern CCD camera that doesn't have a global shutter. Pretty much any POV camera will do it high speed situations, especially under high G loads. We see that to a varying degree on all our shoots when we use POV. The SD card you're using is probably fine, if it wasn't fast enough, it wouldn't write to it at all. We routinely see glitches here and there on location under high G load shots as again the cameras do a pretty good job 90% of the time but can still throw an error once in awhile.

[Sgt.Gator]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.

 

The front facing camera is on the VBOX "rubber" cage mount, but it's not bolted to the cage. I adapted it to a suction cup mount so I could position it in the exact middle of the windshield. That adds a bit of lever length that is possibly producing some of the shake, you can see in the PIP camera less shake; it's using the rubber cage mount actually attached to the cage behind me.

 

If I use the forward camera mounted to the cage behind me there is a letter box effect because of the wide angle lens. If I mount it on the A pillar it might work ok, that's the way the Vbox videos generally have it set up.

 

I use ultra fast USB sticks on a remote USB connector mounted close to the passenger window. That makes it easy for a crew person to switch out USBs during pit stops/driver changes. It's just flat easier to use the remote USB than the builtin SD card slot on the recorder.

 

Right now it's recording in Medium HD. There is a High HD option, I'm not sure it will do anything other than make bigger files. The Medium is the Default.

 

RPM may be possible. It's one of the few channels I can get off the OBD. However for some reason I'm having a hell of a time disconnecting my Cobb AP from the OBD port. It seems to be stuck or I'm not pushing on the correct release.

 

Unfortunately almost all the modern data loggers are setup to use CAN, which the 2005 Subaru doesn't have. So the RPM is about it for data channels once I get it plugged in.

 

And yes, the STI comes with a front LSD. Helical. And I leave the DCCD in Auto, the 2005 model uses a 35/65 front rear TQ split that the DCCD controls from there.

Edited June 28, 2017 by Sgt.Gator