Early season testing, hiccups and the BFG failboat

It was time to put Bumblestook through her paces. The first big event was only a month or so away so I had to get the car dialed in ASAP. The earliest event I could go to was at Warminster with the Philly SCCA and so off I went.

On the road to Warminster - 3/17/2013

Bumblestook in full race trim for the first time - Warminster, PA - 3/17/2013

The temps were really cold that day. There was a bit of snow overnight and Warminster had a thin layer of ice on course that luckily melted before our first runs. I immediately ran into issues. I couldn't get any kind of temperature into the tires. I was skating everywhere, the front wouldn't grip and the car just wouldn't turn. The throttle body was sticking wide open at times and I was running several seconds behind STR on street tirees!

Philly SCCA TnT - Warminster, PA 

3/17/2013

The following week I messed with the throttle cable a bit and that somewhat helped the sticking throttle issue but it was 40 degrees at the meadowlands and the same story...she drove like crap. Cornering was impossible. I suspected it was my driving but I handed her over to Jeff Hurst and he noted it felt like crap too. In order to even get the car through the course, I had to just putts around and go on a slow cruise. Just to make sure it wasn't car setup, I slapped on the street tires and did two runs and the car was already over a second faster and much easier to drive. I was starting to think the BFGs were a bad choice and certainly at these temperatures! I was also struggling a lot getting used to the new way the car drove and I was constantly hitting cones. I got one clean run that day.

NNJR SCCA Autox - Meadowlands, NJ

3/23/2013

To try and fix the issue, I went to SJF Performance to adjust my ride height, soften my front sway bar and redo my alignment. Anything to make the front of the car work better!

Second alignment of the season - SJF Performance - 3/24/2013

To further fix the lack of rotation, I picked up Noel's Gendron rear bar and installed it on site on his trailer (previously had no rear bar). Only issue was that it was hitting the exhaust but for now it would have to do and I also borrowed his tire blankets to try to get heat in the BFGs.

Gendron Rear Sway Bar -  3/30/2013

Trying to keey the tires warm - NNJR SCCA Autox - 3/30/2013

It took a lot of fussing around with the shock settings and tire pressures but at least she was starting to turn. The grip was much better with the slightly higher ambient temps and I could finally focus a bit more on my driving than manhandling her through the corners.

NNJR SCCA Autox - Meadowlands, NJ

3/30/2013

The next day I wanted to do some more testing but ambient temps dropped below 50 (mid-40s) and windy and once again the BFGs were faltering. Data logger showed a 0.3G drop in peak lateral Gs and I could feel it. Not even 10 back to back runs did the tires get up to any decent grip. I was almost certain at this point the BFGs don't start working until above 50 degrees and sunshine.

MSNE Autox- Meadowlands, NJ

3/31/2013

Much less body roll thanks to the rear bar
MSNE Autox - Meadowlands, NJ - 3/31/2013