Tuesday, June 7, 2016

[6/3/2016] HANSON School (DDT)

Event: HANSON International Driving School
Track: CTMP DDT
Weather Conditions: 20°C, Sunny

So many Subies!

My second time at DDT this year and third time driving the new layout in my WRX. Very motivated to improve upon my poor results at CSCS Round 1, my focus for the day was on getting the proper line through T2 and committing to optimizing gearing for the track. No personal bests would be broken on four year old Direzza ZII's but I had a few upgrades to my car that I was eager to try out:

Front Suspension & Alignment
I replaced the front HotBits DT2 that were lent to me by Can-Jam with the proper RCE T2 coilovers to match the rears. I also had an alignment done. The last time I had an alignment was in 2013 and apparently my settings were way off. The front of the car felt much better with the RCE T2's. I'm sure some of that was due to having a proper alignment, but I also felt that the RCE T2's soaked up bumps a bit better than the HotBits and were a bit more compliant overall.

DIY fuel slosh box but improvements are needed

Fuel Slosh Box
I made a slosh box around my fuel pump using a 32oz Dubro model airplane fuel tank and some check valves. However me being an idiot I installed the check valves backwards and ended up having to remove one of them due to fitment issues inside the fuel tank. Overall the slosh box helped a little bit. I was able to get down to 1/4 tank before noticing fuel starvation vs. the 1/2 tank previously. There is obviously room for improvement with my design but the whole thing was a PITA to install so I'm not really looking forward to doing this again.

Neetronics DCCD Settings
Besides calibrating the throttle position sensor (TPS), I also changed the throttle override trigger (TTRG) and lock-up condition (TOVR) to better suit my driving style. This fixed the driveline lash during part-throttle conditions and I'm about 90% happy with where the settings are currently. I think some finer tuning could be done on corner exit throttle conditions - I'm looking for just a hint more power oversteer so maybe I'll try increasing TTRG or reducing TOVR by 5-10% for next time.

In-Car Footage

1st lapping session

2nd lapping session

3rd lapping session with Peter as co-driver

4th session cut short due to 1/4 tank fuel cut

Slower Shifting
One of my biggest leaks has to be the frequent miss shifts that I make. Peter thinks I should slow down my shifts and I agree 100%. Quality over quantity. The time I save by shifting quickly is lost tenfold when I miss one. I'll need stay calm by practicing meditative breathing while driving, even though at times it feels like I'm strapped to the back of a cruise missile. This is also my reasoning behind holding 4th on the back straight rather than having to do a double downshift from 5th to 3rd into T18.


My 3rd revision of pace notes for CTMP DDT
LFB denoted areas are theoretical at the moment and untested

Left Foot Braking
Due to my large turbo I'm getting quite a bit of turbo lag coming out of some of the slower turns. In theory, on the turns that don't require downshifting, I can use left foot braking to keep the turbo spooled for a quicker exit. I think the turns I can apply LFB to are T2, T5, T7, and T15. It will take a lot of practice on the street before being comfortable enough to use on the track but it's a skill I definitely need to learn.


My next time attack event will CSCS Round 2 at TMP on June 26th. I'll try to fit in one more practice day to dial in my settings and get comfortable with left foot braking before then.

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