The Green Mile.

[Choccy]

1973 BMW 2002 Turbo.

[TopBoost]

Awesome shot of one of my favorite cars!

[Choccy]

2009 Pagani Zonda Cinque.

[Choccy]

2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR.

Ever ask yourself why indigenous and endangered species are prohibited items when traveling abroad? Here's the answer. 7:12.1.

http://bridgetogantry.com/2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=178:fastest-lap-of-the-ring&catid=57:laptimes-and-private-events&Itemid=300090

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=c4-e3uSYPpg

[Open2nd]

Smoke em if you got em Choc!

I just put down a 9:16 in a C class RX8..  I hadn't spent much time with the Green Hell since I got my wheel, and now I fully intend to amend that.

[Choccy]

Smoke em if you got em Choc!

I just put down a 9:16 in a C class RX8..  I hadn't spent much time with the Green Hell since I got my wheel, and now I fully intend to amend that.

I acknowledge this challenge. Hope you brought an extra pair of men's shorts cause those Underoos just ain't gonna help!

[Open2nd]

Idk, they've got Superman on them!

There's more time to be had by the little 8 for sure, I got kind of sloppy in a couple places.  It isn't a barn-burner by any means, but it is fairly fun to run the 'Ring.

[Choccy]

To add to my challenge, I selected the RX-8's forefather, the RX-7 FC Savanna.

RX-7 FC[C354]
Lap 1 - 09:49.431(invalid)
Lap 2 - 09:31.393
Lap 3 - 09:29.424(invalid) 
Lap 5 - 09:31.121

At this point, shaving more time is doable, but modifying the car will help stabilize it. The stock suspension oscillations are a a tad excessive.

RX-7 FC[C413]
Current Best - 09:13.668

[Open2nd]

Good stuff man..  I was all kinds of excited when I came home and knocked your time off, then I saw your PI and cursed your name a few times. 

I don't think my RX8 build has much more time in it as is, so I'll probably wind up either dropping tire compound out to streets or losing some width in search of a bit of power.  The stock motor/trans combo is peppy enough but it definitely loses out to you on the straights.

[Choccy]

Good stuff man..  I was all kinds of excited when I came home and knocked your time off, then I saw your PI and cursed your name a few times. 

I don't think my RX8 build has much more time in it as is, so I'll probably wind up either dropping tire compound out to streets or losing some width in search of a bit of power.  The stock motor/trans combo is peppy enough but it definitely loses out to you on the straights.

I was struggling with my RX-7 laps until I uprated the ARBs to Sport. Getting the car to take a set isn't difficult. But in transitional sequences the car experiences a bit too much roll upsetting my corner stability and fouling my corner exit speeds. I could still extract more performance by eliminating some minor mistakes.

That's what I enjoy about this game. Making the absolute most out of as little as possible. Then, when you do introduce power adders, you just go even faster.

I'll have a go at the RX-8 later this evening.

[Open2nd]

Sounds good, I look forward to seeing what you lay down with it.

I'm one that can't leave well enough alone and honestly I'm at a loss for what will work to get more time out of the 8 at this point.  The suspension setup I'm running feels pretty good but like most cars I'm driving at this point in time I'm struggling under braking, and this one is no different.  Very loose in heavy braking so I'm kind of afraid to lose compound and size, but she really needs some grunt..

[Choccy]

Sounds good, I look forward to seeing what you lay down with it.

I'm one that can't leave well enough alone and honestly I'm at a loss for what will work to get more time out of the 8 at this point.  The suspension setup I'm running feels pretty good but like most cars I'm driving at this point in time I'm struggling under braking, and this one is no different.  Very loose in heavy braking so I'm kind of afraid to lose compound and size, but she really needs some grunt..

RX-8[C388]
Lap 2 - 09:31.698

Give Turn10 credit. I drove the RX-8 in stock build for two laps. The differences between the RX-7 FC and this car are telling. Bodyroll is much more composed and overall body rigidity is apparent. In the later technical sections of the Ring, I simply kept the car in 4th gear and adjusted the car's attitude with throttle modulation. A light breathe on the brakes was all that was needed for some of the tighter turns.

The RX-7 in stock build would pitch and roll significantly. The RX-8 is much better tied down out-of-the-box.

Odds are, I should be able to improve upon the stock RX-7 time with a few more laps.

Following that, slight modifications should, again, yield big dividends.

RX-8[C388] - Still stock.
Lap 5 - 09:28.899

I reduced my tire pressure slightly(0.5 psi) and this improved on-limit handling just enough to allow me to push the car through turns where it was a bit skittish minutes earlier.

RX-8[C388] - Still stock.
Lap 6 - 09:28.842

One more tire pressure adjustment giving the car a slight oversteer bias in the first section(high speed) of the Ring which balances to near neutral by the midpoint(technical) and the final section(technical to high speed).

Now I'll look for modifications to improve performance.

[Choccy]

RX-8[C423]
09:06.034

Even with the springs uprated to Sport, the RX-8 has some distracting pogo-action when driven at the limit. There's always a trade-off with performance driving and car modifications. The softer, stock, Street springs absorb the undulations comfortably, but make the car a split-second slower to react to driver inputs and result in increased pitch and dive on acceleration and braking. A good driver can compensate for this, but it detracts from your confidence in the car. The best scenario would be to upgrade the springs to Race spec and have them carefully tuned to improve damping characteristics.

I uprated the brakes to Street pads. This car has very good brake bite in a straight line. Sport brakes on the car at current power levels would be overkill(for me anyways).

The addition of Sport ARBs ensured all four tires remained in contact with the road as often as possible during hard cornering. Compared to the stock RX-7, the RX-8 body rigidity and roll compliance is much tighter and it shows. Sport ARBs give the RX-8 a bit more of what it already has from the showroom floor.

The Renesis rotary engine has good power output to weight but available torque is quite low. This can work for and against the driver. At the Ring, you can keep the car in a higher gear and let the smooth power delivery carry you from turn entry to apex. This car can handle the technical sections comfortably in 4th gear. Power-on oversteer is almost a non-issue. Knowing the engine characteristics, you can then drive the car appropriately. Place the car into the turn, feed power, anticipate understeer as the rear tires grip the road but retain grip even as you apply more power. Unless you're determined to get the rear sideways by throwing the car into the turn, the front tires will break traction first. Lack of torque really becomes an issue when you're faced with uphill sections. That's when you must commit the car to a fast corner entry and carry momentum to the crest.

Overall, the RX-8 is a solid car. It has good handling and power out-of-the-box. The lack of torque can be an issue, but a prepared driver can adjust his or her driving style to extract the performance that lies beneath the sheet metal.





I can hear my driving instructor lament, "Cam, you could drive a truck through there!"

[Open2nd]

Very nicely done Choc!  That's pretty much inspired me to turn BF3 off and climb back into the cockpit.  I think I'll build up a new 8 all together now and keep the one already built for door to door duty.

The photos look great, too.

[GICheeze]

I agree!  Nicely done.