Brando's Newbie 818R Build Thread

[Brando]

Pic of post 471 picture 3. I got it from ace for $49. Not sure the brand...its nothing special but does the job.

[Frank818]

Darn, that's what I thought, I can't see it cuz all pix uploaded that way are somehow blocked here at work. Well now that I know I'll check tonight.

[D Clary]

Do you think 3 degrees is a lot on the front ? That may work ok for auto x but the track could be better with 2 to 2.5. It is possible that to much camber could make the nose slide if you trail brake. I will also heat the inside of the tire more. I used to run 3 degrees in my Mustang and reduced to 2.5. Did not notice any turning change at auto x but the braking was improved. I thought the referee just looked at smog and the chp looked at the other stuff. I may have to travel down there to register mine.

[Brando]

CHP already passed me and give me the VIN. Thanks for the insight on the camber, i will try 2 up front. 2 degrees on the rear looks like alot visually. Wondering if i should go 1.5

[wleehendrick]

It is my understanding the windshield will suffice but it will need some sort of windshield wipers, even manual ones will work. I was considering the old Mercedes headlight wipers! Comical, it will work and it's a backhand to the refs.

Good luck... I've heard that some refs are being picky about windsheilds not made of DOT safety glass.

The fronts however were not going to change without grinding some of the theads on the UCA down. Both sides of the UCA were bottomed out and touching one another inside the adjustment bolt (whatever its called). I still have to button the UCA's up but I have them at -3 degrees now, what a PITA I wish I had done that from the get go.

My front UCA's were the old style, requiring one of the studs to be cut. When I assembled them I noticed the long stud on the un-cut side would hit before the turn buckles could fully tighten. I though this might limit the amount of negative camber that could be dialed in, so I trimmed the other long stud at that point. Glad I did!

[C.Plavan]

I noticed that also on the UCA's bottoming out. I blew it off at the time, I was not ready to mess with that yet. Was it the front or rear arms on the UCA (or both) you cut? Aprox how much did you cut?

I'm jealous. Have fun at the Streets!

[C.Plavan]

CHP already passed me and give me the VIN. Thanks for the insight on the camber, i will try 2 up front. 2 degrees on the rear looks like alot visually. Wondering if i should go 1.5

Stick with -3 degree's at the start. Hoosiers love camber. Do not for any reason go lower than -2.5 degree's (On track). I have been racing on them for 10+ years.

Warm up the tires before you really start pushing it. Same with the brakes.... but check your rearview mirror before warming them up

You will find you will probably like the tire temps coming in after a session at 32-34 psi HOT. I personally like them closer to 32 hot.

[longislandwrx]

Brando, Id put at least one bolt in that spoiler if you plan on ever parking it anywhere. The ricers will be on that thing like white on rice?

[Brando]

If I need to get a full windshield Eric said I could borrow his, but that clock is running out because he is almost ready to install it himself. Worst case is I will sport for a windshield but hopefully it won't come to that. Is FFR windshield DOT rated glass?

On the UCA's I trimmed all 4 corners. Probably 1/2+" on the shorties and at LEAST 1" on the long guy. I will measure the discard and let you know exacts. I have them almost as tight as they will go to get -3 degrees, i don't think I could get much more out of them. In fact I only used 1 locknut on one side because with both locknuts on it could only get -2 out of it. I needed that extra space. I will keep -3 and play with it. With the hood off it's pretty easy to get to them and adjust.

I drive a full sized truck and am planning on storing the wing in my truck until its race time. I haven't verified it will even fit so probably wise i bring alternative hardware for mounting. Good food for thought I would be crushed if someone swiped that wing and will probably end up using a nut/bolt moving forward now that you spooked me to the idea of someone snagging it. White on rice? lol Jeff you're funny

I do have 1 major concern. I had a hole plugged today. I didn't notice the nail until last night so didn't have time to replace the tire. It's my front left and i'm racing CCW so hopefully it won't get hot enough to cause me any problems. Sketchy but gotta go for it

I think instead of replacing the tire i'm just going with a full set of A6's

[wleehendrick]

If he installs his first and it comes to that, you can borrow mine, but it's not mounted in the frame yet. Yes, it's an aftermarket piece for a GenIII MR2, I believe, so DOT legal glass.

I trimmed the same length off the other long UCA stud as Wayne recommended in his tip, 1.1".

[D Clary]

I wouldn't worry about the plug, the tire will probably melt right over it. How about all the R cars pitch in for a windshield and we just pass it around. My daughter is a great artist and could draw wipers with a sharpe.

[metros]

Looking forward to your track footage.

On another note, congrats on moving into 'real' food with your little one. You take very good care of your hands considering you spend so much time wrenching.

[Brando]

My daughter is a great artist and could draw wipers with a sharpe.

haha! Cost effective family building exercises. Count me in

You take very good care of your hands considering you spend so much time wrenching.

I really appreciate that. I soak my hands in Palmolive soap after working on my car. I really feel my color choice accents my skin tones.

I love waking up to a chuckle. Happy fathers day to all the daddies out there! I'm going to go ahead and include myself as this is my first fathers day and it's pretty neat. I'm home safe and besides a blown turbo have nothing but good things to report about my track day.

Willow Springs Raceway - Streets of Willow CCW







There was a professional photography service which will have pictures ready to download in the next 48 hours. Until then here are a few direct links.

All run groups so you can see the spread of cars. Some pretty nice cars out there

Blue = Beginners
Green = Intermediate
Gold = Advanced
Red = Expert/race

My images are split between gold & red because I raced once with each. Here are 2 of them. I will be able to download the entire lot of them on Tuesday, minus the watermark.

Watermarked profile image of my 818

Watermarked cornering image of my 818

[Brando]

This my first track time trial with my 818R. I started in the Green group. Not as exciting as the other 2 races but you gotta start somewhere

[Brando]

When I ran my 2nd race in gold group the only lap I was able to get in clean and without interference was my first. Tires were still not up to temp but it was still 4.5 seconds faster than the 2nd place driver.

[Brando]

This was my 3rd and final race. I raced in the expert/race class with full passing rights anywhere on the track.

There were 3 of us in contention for 3rd by a few 1/10ths. The only lap I was able to get in without being stuck behind another car was my 4th. I didn't hit all my turns very well this lap. I am certain if I had another run I would be in 2nd on this and after a day or two racing this direction I would be giving the #1 a run for his money. Keep in mind I have NEVER run the track this direction and these guys have been running here for years. I have several seconds i could easily shaved and you can see it when you watch the video.

I LOVE THIS CAR!
Oversteering is gone this car handles so perfectly now. I never felt out of control and when it did break loose it was very easy to bring back to center. Lap 4 I got the car a bit loose a few times and you can see how predictable it was. Nothing like last weekend...totally different car from then.

Unfortunately that POS turbo I used as a replacement didn't last too long. Not sure what happened to it but instead of spooling it just made a loud clunk.
So I was only able to race 2.5 races and already giving the top guys some competition. I would be in 2nd for the day for sure if I could have had another run or two. Oh well, next time!

The guy who ran the 1:22 was in a fully race prepped WRX STI with 550WHP. Full blown race car head to toe. He wins all the events with this club so I'm told. The guy made it a point to come up to me in the pits and was showering the 818 with compliments. He was tripping how hard it was to pull away from. He was shocked when I told him I only had 280WHP. I'm truly am glad I don't have more... for this type of track it doesn't need it. Honestly I think I will be beating this guy before the year is over. Mark my words...I have it in my sights.



Edit: Oops the video failed. Gimme a few minutes to re-upload

2nd edit: Video is still uploading to youtube -GTG will embed it this afternoon.

[Scargo]

Your excitement is palpable and I'm sure it was a real thrill. In the videos I hear a single cylinder kind of noise. Not like the turbo eating itself. Any thoughts?
What was it you changed to make the car more neutral and handle better? BTW, fast hands.

[C.Plavan]

Very cool. Congrats on the successful outing. Sucks about the turbo though. I'm sure it will be fixed ASAP.
How were the tire pressures? Did you leave the camber as is?

[D Clary]

Looks like a great time I cant wait. I wonder whats up with the turbo failures. has me a little concerned. I don't know to much about Subaru, I wonder if there is a weakness that we need to fix. Happy FD

[Brando]

Your excitement is palpable and I'm sure it was a real thrill. In the videos I hear a single cylinder kind of noise. Not like the turbo eating itself. Any thoughts?
What was it you changed to make the car more neutral and handle better? BTW, fast hands.

Your right i'm super pumped. You will be too when you drive this thing hard. The car handled much better at slower speeds, even with the tires cold so I think the camber change was pretty huge. I stuck with -3f and -2r. Pressure was 27lb cold and 32f/34r hot. Anything in 3rd or 4th was night and day difference. It had no tendency to oversteer and just felt super solid and stable.

Don't worry about the turbo failures it's me not the hardware. I went with this ebay special 16g "upgrade" for $250 when I was building this motor. Drews engine builder hit me up warning me the turbo i purchased was garbage and would grenade the first day out. He offered me one of his Blouch knockoffs and I went for it. His turbo performed but he didn't seat the housings together properly and the turbo failed due to the compressor rubbing the housing. It failed with less than 1 hour on it and normal driving. That was human error on the construction.

At the track the turbo failed because it was simply cheap. I don't know exactly what the point of failure was with the turbo and wont for a bit. I just want to make sure it wasn't due to oil/coolant flow issues. Next race is July 5th so I will have it back working by then and will have figured out what happened.

When you hear the car in person there is absolutely no audible noise that resembles what the gopro captures. I don't understand why the audio captures that knocking but in person it sounds nothing like it does in the video. Weird.

Here is the 3rd and final race. 4th lap was my only unobstructed but missed some lines. So much fun...I was just getting comfortable pushing the car. I wish I could have gotten in a couple more sessions!

[GUNS]

Awesome man! I can't wait to get mine to the track, let alone drive it. Hope you get it running and back to the track soon!

[Doowop]

That's really cool Brandon!! (except for the turbo!). It's weird to see somebody in shorts and short leave shirt on a track! I'm just used to full blown SCCA racing so I always wear my full race suit, gloves, shoes on even if it's hot as hell. I feel naked without it especially in an open car. Anyways, very happy for you.
Great on your little girl and first solid food. Now the diapers are really gonna stink!!
If I may, what did you have to pay for that wing mount? It's very cool. They should made a template and sell them for R owners. I guess I could make it if I buy a tube bender.
awesome car. Can't wait!!

[07FIREBLADE]

Excellent race and footage. Sad about the turbo. I Pmed you if you get a chance to see soon that would be great.

[C.Plavan]

I'm 99% sure you are using the Gopro attachment for your camera. Those can amplify the road noise/knocks to the camera. My suggestion is try a new mount. I have the IO port mount, and a http://www.svtek.com/VS_Billet_II.html mount (don't forget to add the tripod adapter like I did years ago). They work great.

[Wayne Presley]

I said this about the after the last days of driving the prototypes, this thing handles so well and easy to drive it very fast.

Congrats on the awesome day Brandon

[Brando]

Thankfully I managed to position myself in the relationship where my diaper duty is minimal.

It is glorious to dress light when it's 100 degrees and everyone else in in shorts. If you get the opportunity I highly recommend it. Some wear gloves, I think i even saw one set of racing shoes. Were you going to jump right into a SCCA event without running some autoX or TT? If you went to a fun day event like this and wore a racing suit you would be the only one and you get your picture taken frequently, for the wrong reasons hehe.

I am planning getting into SCCA next year. I have plenty of time to watch the pros do it on here and will follow their lead. I still plan on installing fire suppression, seat with halo, HANS device, race fuel cell, 15' trailer (fits in garage), fire-suit, gloves, shoes and many more hours behind the wheel. Goal is to have the car ready for the SCCA by 2015 but race the heck out it until then.


Chad I was using the roll bar gopro mount with the high wind back. It's so odd how crappy it made my car sound. Slappy valves. I will give the mount you linked a try, thanks.

This is probably overkill but here is some outside footage of the Red group. The first pass yields good perspective how hard the car pulls on the masses.



Got Turbo?
I am in the market for a good turbo. I'm not sure if its worth it to sport for a ball bearing unit over a journal bearing. They are so expensive. I don't need super high boost I just want a rock solid turbo with quick spooling. Blouch, MHI, godspeed? If you feel there is a turbo that is superior please do share

[Doowop]

sorry man, I'm all about safety, I feel naked without my race gear and you better get used to it as the real races will require it. It's not because it's an open track day that you can't get in a pretty bad crash. Actually, I would say you have more chances to get into a crash those days as most of the people don't know how to drive. Which actually brings up a point that we will be needing arm restraints for this car. I don't do autocross, I've done it once, and can't stand it. Too slow, too short, and too much sitting around in a parking lot, feels like what drag racing would feel like, where you get 10 minutes of seat time in a day and wait around the rest of the time. I've only done wtw scca racing, and open track days. I'll probably be doing wtw racing with nasa with this car.
Any over heating issues? What about brakes?

man, that track is in the desert!!

[apexanimal]

give blouch a call and discuss what you want out of the car and they'll give you a recommendation...

[C.Plavan]

I use the mount with the open back on the GoPro. (better sound). But I have a somewhat enclosed racer (No side windows however). I would experiment with the different backs. I think I used scotch tape over mic area at one point and that improved the wind noise.

Quick example of sound- GoPro Hero 3- I/O Port mount. I hope I can get the GoPro to sound close to this in the 818R.

[Brando]

Yup most tracks are in BFE. AutoX is 10 minutes from my house. I can just drive myself there in my 818 and home for lunch if I choose. Sure there is waiting and low time behind the wheel and I feel you about the pain points. But if i want to bring anyone my little heart desires for a ride along with me I can. I think there is merit to having a spot to comfortably push the car way beyond its limitations and see what happens without the risk of what you might hit off a track. No doubt track racing is more fun but I feel there is a spot for AutoX in my world.

I have been to a number of SCCA events and I see just as many people running their cars off the track because they all think they are Joe pro. People passing way more aggressively. People all trailer their cars in and don't have the need to drive them home at the end of the day.

I didn't have any notable issue with heat soak or overheating. Brakes didn't fade but I never ran more than 15 consecutive minutes. I was mashing the brakes pretty hard the last run and they were still biting.

Chad that footage sounds really good. You drive hard, can't wait to see what you do with the 818. Even more so I look forward to running a few events with you. I will be the guy under dressed. XD

[C.Plavan]

Sounds good. I'll be racing with NASA.

Just wait, you are just starting the "Slippery Slope"...... Just a matter of time and you will have all the goodies that come with racing.

[D Clary]

I am with you on the autox there is a lot more down time but the only risk if you go beyond the limits is embarrassment and I can deal with that. Track days are much more fun, but more travel and money. My closest track is Sonoma, which is no place to stretch the limit and Thunderhill about 3 hours towing. Last rack day at Sonoma was 350.00 plus 90.00 for fuel. Thunderhill maybe 100.00 more for fuel. Autox 30.00, Would still wear a hans even if I didn't suit up.

[Brando]

I took the first turbo I had fail which had a rubbing issue on the housing cold side. Turns out it just wasn't seated correctly from the get go which caused the compressor wheel nut to back out. In fact earlier in my thread I commented how I was able to push the compressor wheel into the housing and force it to rub before I ever ran it. I brought this up to the guy who sold it to me, and he “fixed it”....WITH A MALLET!
Apparently the blunt force hammer didn't pull through and that's why it ended up rubbing after a few hours of use. The good news is that 2 new journal bearing and a reseat fixed it right up. The compressor wheel passed the balancing machine test and the housing was ground smooth. Now I get the good turbo back in the car and the $250 POS turbo goes in the trash, after an assessment of the failure point. I still haven’t found out what happened to the cheap turbo as its still in the car.
I was dreading the price tag of a new turbo so this invoice made me smile. Thank you turbo city! $63 is in my budget.




I got the pictures back from the day of racing. Pretty good shots.





[

[metalmaker12]

Nice!!!

[Scargo]

When these shots were taken, how was the car handling? I hate to critique it from the pictures. What is your impression when you look at the pictures? What could be improved?

[Brando]

I felt the car was handling quite well, predictable and fast. The only things I see from the pictures is the front splitter is too high, splitter points up, there is high clearance and there was a bit of body roll. It didn't feel like it from in the car. What could be improved? Probably a LSD because I was getting a bit of wheel spin on the inside tire coming out of a few turns. Mastering the track would be a good move too, there was a ton of time I could still cut out of it still. 3 runs didn't get me there.
What do you notice that I should be aware of?

[Mechie3]

The fourth pic makes the car look tiny!

[Aero STI]

Brandon, are you using a front sway bar? I searched the thread and saw a mention of upgraded bushings, but I'm curious if you installed the bar and still saw too much body roll.

[Brando]

Yes I have the stock sway bar installed. I ended up using the stock bushings as well because the aftermarkets ones had some slop.
That pic with the body roll was a pretty aggressive turn ~70mph and my tires were sticky at that point. Not excusing it but isn't some roll expected?
From within the car i didn't feel body roll. Take pictures 3 for example. That was a 180 degree turn ~45mph and there is barely any body roll.

Here is another lap same turn. It's not nearly as bad




and for contrast

[Brando]

contrast

http://www.caliphotography.com/photo...71#page=thumbs