Finally got a chance to test out the new suspension setup and brakes at the NEPA SCCA autocross at Poconos Raceway. It took about 2 runs to get the new brakes fully bedded in but they feel exactly like what I've been looking for. The slightly more aggressive Cayman R front pads has great pedal feel and didn't over slow the car while feeling really well controlled and easy to modulate.
NEPA SCCA Autocross - Poconos Raceway - 6-15-2019
From the first run, I knew right away that the new spring setup was working quite well. The course included a section that pretty much forced you to get up on the curbing and onto the rumble strips and if I still had my old springs, that would've been a disaster. Instead, with the new setup, I was able to get right over it with no drama. The balance was off quite a bit though. Although I could tell the front was already working better, I felt it was pushy under power and I spent the rest of my runs trying to dial it out.
NEPA SCCA Autocross Poconos Raceway - 6-15-2019
Ultimately I settled with slightly softer settings up front and a click higher in the rear:
Front: compression: 6 rebound: 8
Rear: compression: 9 rebound: 9
Tire pressures I've kept at 30/32 hot. Speaking of tires, the Advans feel superb. I did get one rerun where I basically hot lapped and I discovered that while the Advans like the heat you can cook them. If they get too hot then you do start sliding around quite a bit. I didn't have to spray them though. Just letting them rest between runs was enough. This is perfect for a single driver car. I'm guessing two-driver cars may opt to spray a little bit. I think they do like a little bit of heat so trying to ice them down or something like that would be counter productive though. Overall the tires remained consistent and predictable through all my runs and I was able to have enough confidence to really push her hard in my final run (video at the end).
Although I was pretty much dirty for all my runs including my last run which was still good enough for the win even with the cone, I don't think she's at full national pace yet. We're much closer now for sure and it's a massive improvement from her old setup. I think with a few more tweaks she can put down proper times assuming the nut behind the wheel can stop hitting cones and drive more aggressively. I think the front bar needs to be softened up one hole and maybe a slight increase in rebound to keep the nose more planted after I load it up. The balance is better now but she's still a bit "too stable". I think if I dialed in a bit of power on oversteer she'd be much faster.
STU Results - NEPA SCCA - 6-15-2019
I've been really focused on trying to be really tight everywhere and making sure my head is moving around looking far enough ahead. I think the video shows it's been paying off. Sure I've been dirty but considering the number of corners and the number of times I seemed to be on top of the cones, I'm surprised I only hit one cone on that entire final run (see video). I think that's progress. I just need to keep it clean for the big events but I'm starting to figure out where the corners are of this car are and how early I have to turn in. A bit less braking, carrying more speed through the corners and more thought towards my game plan for car placement during course walks and then maybe I'll finally get back into some respectable pace in this car.
