End of Season Oil Change for Scarlett

End of season means time to start to clear out old oil and any contaminants before the car sits for long periods.

Oil change time

Maintenance Update:

Mileage: 174,303

- 11.5 quarts Driven GP-1 20W-50
- Mahle OC54 oil filter

Suspension refresh for the 944

I haven't been doing any motorsports events in the 944 because it developed a bit of a clunk when stopping at slow speed and the alignment wasn't what I wanted. I decided to get a fresh set of Konis and I'm glad I did since it turned out the old Koni front inserts started to have play in it. We reused the ground control coilovers that were already there and obviously the Racer's Edge camber plate that was also installed earlier this year. 

New front Konis installed

Rear Konis installed

I was also not happy with the uneven ride height so I had SJF reindex the torsion bars in the rear which unfortunately is easiest to do by dropping the entire rear and also had the front lowered a little bit. 

Reindexing rear torsion bars

The result was much more even ride height

LF - 25 1/2

RF - 25 1/2

LR - 25 5/8

RR - 25 1/2

The alignment was then properly done with the front camber maxed out. The rear is set 1 degree less, 0 toe and dialed in a little toe out in front to get better turn in.

We also noticed an oil leak from the plugs in the valve cover so new seals were installed. We also replaced the completely destroyed exhaust gasket. We then discovered the source of the clunk. The bracket that sits above the exhaust in the transmission tunnel wasn't fully tight. As soon as that was tightened, the clunk disappeared. 

Maintenance Update:

Mileage: 98,728

- New valve cover gasket and plug set

- New exhaust donut

- New Koni yellow all around

- New bolts and hardware for struts

Oil change time for the Jeep

 Just the annual oil change for the Jeep

Oil change

Maintenance Update:

Mileage: 83,314

- New mopar oil filter

- 6qt Castrol Edge 5W-20

Season End Track Day - Watkins Glen - 25th Anniversary Honda S2000

For the final event of the S2K Takeover track season we ended it with a 2 day event at Watkins Glen. 2025 coincides with the 25th anniversary of the S2000 and we had a terrific turnout of 40+ S2000s. We also got blessed with incredible weather, sunny, dry and in the low 80s. Everything you could ask for, we got.

Watkins Glen International - 9-29-2025
Photo by: John Mascarinas

During lunch for the first day, we had had a parade lap so we could capture some epic photos that will be etched in our memories forever.

Watkins Glen International - 9-29-2025
Photo by: John Mascarinas

Watkins Glen International - 9-29-2025
Photo by: John Mascarinas

Watkins Glen International - 9-29-2025
Photo by: John Mascarinas

I set my PB on the first session of day 1 but in my biggest bonehead move of the season, I didn't replace my tires thinking I could get away with a full season of track on a set of RE71RS except I forgot I actually changed out these tires late 2024 so I had more track days than I remembered. The result was a pretty quick drop off in grip after that so I just kept losing more and more time as I had to back off for safety.

Tires completely worn

Overall though it was incredibly fun and I'm glad that's how the season ended and I'm looking forward to some really nice changes next season :D

Oil change for the Mini

Realized that despite running only about 5K miles since the last oil change I realized it's already been almost a year so that had to get done. 

Maintenance Update:

Mileage: 81,627

- 5L Liquimoly 0W-20
- New Mahle oil filter
- New oil drain copper washer
- New rubber oil drain gasket

Little End of Summer Autocross

Well we haven't  had many local NNJR SCCA Autocross events for a few months now since Metlife stadium has been busy getting ready for the FIFA World Cup. We finally got one today for the last one before the summer and our friends go off to Lincoln to duke it out at Nationals. 

NNJR SCCA Autocross - 8-24-2025

Weather really couldn't have been better, pretty much high 70s to low 80s all day with some cloud cover and a decent breeze. Course was fast and fun and the Cayman's feeling nice and spicy and dancing around just the way I like it. It's funny because I drive the S2000 a lot on track of course which is far more scary in terms of kicking out the rear so when the Cayman does it which feels very slow and controlled, I find it super easy to drive through. Kept the tires at 30psi all around hot and that felt pretty good so I think I'll stick with that. 

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NNJR SCCA Autocross - 1st place XSA - 57.692

Suspension maintenance and Alignment

I've been continuing to here some metal tapping/knocking sound from the back of the car when moving around at low speed. I know there aren't any loose bolts back there but wanted to get the shocks out just to make sure everything was ok. Visited SJF to get the car checked out. They were a bit dirty and the top Swift thrust sheets we installed last year had warped which I think contributes to the springs binding a bit so we removed and reassembled. The noise has been reduced but it's still there. I'm going to replace these shocks next year anyway so I'm not too worried. 

Rear shock cleaned and reassembled

We did notice that the threads on the lower shock mount bolt were not looking too healthy. I'm going to order new OEM replacements. 

These threads have seen better days

Finally I wanted to get the car realigned since the front steering wheel had to be turned left to drive straight. Turns out the rear toe slipped a bit so we put that back to what it should be (1/8" total toe in) and it's driving perfect again.

Alignment time

NSX-R Horn Button

I've had a Mugen steering wheel (basically a Momo competition wheel) in Bumblestook for over a decade now mostly because I'm such a Mugen whore going back to my RSX days. However, I've always loved the classy OEM NSX-R horn but have just always hesitated to pull the trigger. They're pretty expensive for what they are but I guess as time passes and in the large scheme of everything I've ever bought for my S2000 for the past 15 years, it's not really that crazy.

OEM NSX-R Horn

Also, as I own more and more older cars it makes me further appreciate the luxury of being able to buy new parts from the factory while you still can. The cars we drive are indeed a dying breed and while this is nothing but a superficial mod, it is a nod to a bygone ere of when Honda was making absolutely timeless classics.

Looks so at home in there

And yes, sadly it seems I have a scratch on my steering wheel but who cares. Driven not hardparked!!!

Post-track Maintenance

Well I finally got the car on the lift to do my usual post track maintenance of changing the oil. It's been a while since I sent a sample out for analysis so I think i'll do that this time. 

Fresh oil

I also replaced the bent endlink from the little sway bar debacle last weekend. Thankfully I always keep a fresh spare set so it was an easy swap. I also double checked the troque on the allen bolt for the sway bar arms to make sure they were at 85 ft/lb. 

Bent endlink bolt

Bags of backup end links

New endlink installed

I also rotated my wheels front to back so they'll be nice and fresh for The Glen next month.

Maintenance Update:

Mileage: 68,844

- 5.5 quarts Amsoil 10W-40 Signature Searies

- New Honda OEM oil filter

- New front passenger side swaybar endlink

- Rotated tires front to back

Open Track Day at NYST

I got the full season membership with S2K Takeover this year which included a private invite only open track day at NYST. It was for 2 days but I could only make the first day and it was still all worth it. It didn't start all rosy though as on my way to the hotel the night before, I felt something metallic drop from the car and drag on the highway. I was able to quickly pull over and realize my sway bar arm had wiggled its way loose from and disconnected. 

Sway bar arm came off

Thankfully I was convoying with Dhariel and he had his jack with him so we were able to quickly get it up off the ground and I was able to quickly detach the endlink from the arm to get it completely off and into the trunk so we could get on our way.

Roadside repairs

The next day I got the car up on jackstands to check underneath. There was thankfully no additional damage and I didn't lose any bolts or nuts so I was able to reattached the bar. The endlink had bent a bit but it was still enough to get it secured and working again.

Time for repairs

Re-attached sway bar arm

With the bar secured again, everything was driving back to normal. Weather was near perfect at high-70s to low-80s the whole day. I got some decent laps in the morning but as the temps started to go up, the tires started to get a bit greasy and the times started to go up so I packed it up a little early to get home at a decent time.

It was a good day

NYST Uptown - 1:40.60

New fuel cap for Bumblestook

For some time now I've been noticing a faint fuel smell coming out of the side of the car once it gets hot. I thought maybe it's just venting some fuel from the pressure but read online that maybe it's my fuel cap starting to fail. I have been noticing that it's not only harder to open my fuel cap but it also seemed like it took lots of turns to lock it. 

New fuel cap

I ordered a new fuel cap, part number 17670-S5A-A32. It looks a bit different from the original one but it did screw on and tighten just fine. I also noticed as I was replacing it that my old cap wasn't on tight. I'm 100% sure I tightened this when I fueled up at NJMP two weeks ago so something is definitely up. Hopefully this resolves my issue. 

Double header at NJMP

Midway through the season and we're back at NJMP with S2K Takeover and EMRA. We did NJMP Lightning on day 1 and NJMP Thunderbolt on day 2. Both days were pretty hot but we got hit with quite a bit of rain on day 1 making it a bit tough to put down any flyers. On top of that I was feeling under the weather with some pretty intense back pain so it was a struggle bus every session out.

NJMP Thunderbolt - 7-20-2025
Photo by: JRose Photography

NJMP Thunderbolt - 7-20-2025
Photo by: JRose Photography

Car felt pretty good out there though and I wasn't getting that weird claustrophobic feeling I was having in the car at NYST. I think I'm getting used to my new helmet and my lighter new HANS device feels like it's not there which is great.

NJMP Lightning - 7-19-2025
Photo by: JRose Photography
Wet track conditions

NJMP Lightning

NJMP Thunderbolt

Disinfecting the AC system in the Mini

Starting a few weeks ago the AC in the Mini started to have a bad wet dog / mildew kind of smell that was making us feel sick. To address this, I got a can of Klima Cleaner Pro, removed the air cabin filters that were still very new in the car then sprayed everything in there to disinfect the system. I let it soak up and drip out of the condensation drain for about 15 minutes, reinstalled the filters, then ran the air on high (no recirc) for 15 minutes to let it go through the system. Pretty simple 30 minute total job. 

It definitely smells better now though I may need to reapply one more time if it's not 100% gone. Seems to be a common BMW/Mini problem maybe in the way the condensation drain is set up. At least I know the drain itself isn't clogged since I saw all the fluid I was spraying in eventually go out the drain and drop onto the ground under the car. 

New Haltech ECU for Bumblestook

A few months ago I noticed that I could no longer connect my old laptop to my Haltech ECU. It wouldn't detect it and later it would actually shut my laptop off if I did. I setup a new laptop to see if the laptop was the issue but it gave a warning that whatever was plugged into the USB port was drawing too much power. I knew at this point the USB port on my Haltech Pro Plug-in must've shorted out since changing the cable didn't fix it either. 

Old ECU left vs New ECU right

I ordered a new Haltech Pro Plugin for the S2000 which looks pretty cool with the new black and yellow color scheme to match the car. The guts and the firmware haven't really changed since years ago so it was as simple was swapping everything over, reloading my tune and configuration and firing the car up. I did recalibrate the TPS voltage which has changed a bit over time just to make sure everything was good and everything ran just fine.

New ECU

New ECU talking to my new laptop just fine

Joe Engineering NACA duct

I've had the Achtungcraft air duct for the oil cooler on Scarlett for some time now and the screen has started to come off. I've also unfortunately hit it with my knee a few times when walking around the car. I saw the new NACA air duct from Joe Engineering and it looks much better. It's streamlined into the bumper so nothing is protruding and funnels air nicely to the oil cooler. I ordered the premium version which has a nicer finish and made of better material. 

Joe Engineering NACA duct

Joe Engineering vs Achtungcraft

Install was super easy and just took a few minutes since I had already removed the side marker before to install the Achtungcraft duct. I made some suggestions to Jose about how to improve on it a bit in the future but overall a nice piece.

NACA duct installed

New cabin filter for the Mini

The AC has started to smell a bit musty so it's probably time for the air cabin filter to be replaced on the Mini. I curse the engineer who designed this system. Not only is it all the way in the center console but the flap you open up to replace it, goes up to open so it's literally trying to close on you as you remove and install the new filter.

Old filter left - New filter right

Maintenance Update:

Mileage: 81,065

- New Hengst air cabin filter

First autocross in a year

It was May 11 of last year when I last autocrossed, which was in the 944. Obviously feeling super rusty so enlisted my equally rusty friend, Rad, to codrive with me in the Cayman. We had a fun little battle where he got me on his last run but I was able to find a bit more time to take the win on my last run. Good times, great weather, loads of fun. I definitely miss this.

NNJR SCCA Autocross - 5-18-2025

The Motocompacto also made an appearance
Photo by: Autox4u

Run comparison

Pre-autocross maintenance

Not only has it been over a year since my last autocross but it's been even more than that for the Cayman. I signed up for the NNJR SCCA autocross on Sunday but since it's been over 2 years since I changed the transaxle fluid and brake fluid, I wanted to get that sorted before any kind of actual performance driving. Went to see SJF Performance to get this all sorted. First was a full flush of the brake fluid with Motul RBF600.

Fresh Motul RBF600

Fresh Motul RBF600

Next was fresh Motul Gear Oil for the transaxle. The oil fluid actually came out super clean, still the same blue color this fluid comes in from the bottle so there's definitely no excessive wear on the OSGiken diff inside it.

Motul SAE 75W150 gear oil

I also wanted to see of my Honda Motcompacto could fit in the trunk and was pleased to see that it did so I can take it to events to get around.

Motocompacto in rear trunk of the Cayman

Maintenance Update:

Mileage: 54,100

- 1.5L Motul RBF600

- 3 quarts Motul SAE 75W150 gear oil

2025 Season Opener with S2K Takeover at NYST

Finally got my first track days in for the year. We had a great 2 days at NY Safety Track doing the uptown track on day 1 and the downtown track on day 2. Despite the one and off rain, we had a great time and the car was feeling really good. Looks like some of the late season suspension changes we did last year really sorted out the noise issues on the rear suspension and the lack of front caster.

NYST 5/5/2025

NYST 5/5/2025

The new Fire Link setup is making it super easy to not only gather real time telemetry but as a learning aide to understand where I can drive faster using Fire Laps. It consists of a GPS antenna and logger with LTE capabilities so it can transmit data directly to your firelaps account as you run. The analysis at the end of each session lets you hone in on each section and find out what you can do to extract some more pace.

 

NYST 5/5/2025

Firelaps data analysis

Overall it was a terrific 2-day event and I can't wait for our next event in July at NJ Motorsports Park.

Uptown - 1:40:02

Downtown - 1:43:9