Member Profile - 2008 tbSTI SWP Wagon + 2004 2.5i OBP Sedan

[Turbo Lag]

is it worth jamming a bunnings misting sprinkler fitting in that water hose exit onto the intercooler?

Was definitely considering it! The good thing is since there's airflow from the scoop it sprays the water absolutely everywhere anyway I gave it a whirl by absolutely soaking it and immediately stopping to check - basically the whole surface was covered in water.

[Yowie]

On my limited understanding, if you can get a really fine mist going (combined with good airflow) the cooling of a water spray is really good. Probably doesn't use water as rapidly either.

[Turbo Lag]

On my limited understanding, if you can get a really fine mist going (combined with good airflow) the cooling of a water spray is really good. Probably doesn't use water as rapidly either.

That's probably true. I definitely will look into it though. Ideally something cheap from bunno should do the job for it I'd imagine. I wonder if I can set up some 90deg angled nozzles to be affixed onto the scoop on the inside itself for this. The piping into it is very simple.

The main issue is trying to find a way to disable the auto wipers when you hit the spray button. Wonder if there's a fuse somewhere that will do that job, but probably not.

[Yowie]

(pic from a forester fuse panel)

You could always pull the wiper fuse and see if the water pump still works.

[Turbo Lag]

(pic from a forester fuse panel)

You could always pull the wiper fuse and see if the water pump still works.

Unfortunately on the Lib it's a shared fuse Oh well, not a big deal, it's super simple to kill the system thankfully. Was worth a shot though to test it out.

Yesterday I got my rear toe arms installed. The alignment can finally be sorted as the rear is fully adjustable. This means the 245s now fit with minimal rub and don't sit outside the guards at all.

https://godspeedproject.com/products-by ... -arms.html

[bigBADbenny]

I’ve heard the rear wiper washer is a popular manual waterspray switch.
Less intrusive as well, plus it possibly has a seperate circuit.

[Turbo Lag]

Next track day!

What an incredible day it was. Weather was quite warm but a light breeze helped the cause, with ambients in the mid 20s to low 30s. Much better than last time.

Since last time, I've had yet another alignment with the new arms to fit the 245s, which worked against me on track. Less front camber has definitely had a negative effect on how far you can push until terminal understeer is reached, and the higher ride height has led to excessive pitch under braking which feels rather unsettling. My advice to anyone reading would be not to go crazy on wider tyres as it limits alignment capabilities!! 235/45/17 or 235/40/18 tyre sizes are the realistic limit without changing a lot. You should be aiming for a very low ride height too to reduce the excessive roll. Otherwise, thrown the Winmax W7 pads back in, and got the sprayer working. From last time's learnings, it also seems like removing the front grill does *something* for cooling - so that also comes off instantly Additionally, brought along many sprayer bottles with just water in it to cool down the engine bay while in the garage. It may looks stupid but works incredibly well.

I broke last time's PB multiple times in a row as I was able to actually push the car and not have to worry about crazy oil temps or coolant issues. The tyres and brakes were a lot more effective too and weren't constantly overheating the whole time. I was very pleased (again) with the sway bar set up - but definitely need to up the spring rates on the coilovers instead.

I ended the day with a 1:41.6 PB which demolishes the old record. I believe that puts me at the third fastest Lib around Winton - I'm very happy about that considering I'm still running completely stock power levels!

I'm confident that the car has a low 1:40 in it at the moment, and with a few more changes should be able to hit the 1:30s. The aim is to get the Shockworks 350mm brake kit by next track day, along with an oil cooler as those are the 2 main constraints at the moment. Word is that the new Shockworks coilover valving will also help - along with potentially changing to around 10/8kg springs. The next step is to get some new 18" wheels to fit the brakes with another set of Nankang AR1s to match. AD08s will not cut it for track use.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdgETzb26C0

[Yowie]

Great photos. Go the wagon!

EDIT - looking forward to the post-track-day report. Eg how did your amended settings and (I assume) lower track day temps work out?

[Turbo Lag]

Great photos. Go the wagon!

EDIT - looking forward to the post-track-day report. Eg how did your amended settings and (I assume) lower track day temps work out?

Thank you!

The new alignment is a lot less aggressive than before to accomodate the larger wheels. Now running only -2/-1.8ish camber f/r, and toe of -0.5mm/+0.5mm per side f/r. The car was also raised 1cm from before at each corner. I can safely say that running over -4 camber up front helped immensely with these tyres as they really can make use of it. I would not recommend this for tyres at just 200tw though, it will be useless. You can see the sheer amount of body roll that leads to this in the pics above and below. I'd hazard a guess that with stiffer sway bars or springs you'd be after less camber since I'd assume the roll will be less. However the body roll is very controllable and doesn't feel unsettling - especially if the car is low enough. The pitching under braking is by far the worst part as you spend a significant amount of time under hard braking where the body takes time to shift forwards - this should be instant instead. Hopefully stiffer springs will do the job here without changing the sway bars as I do enjoy the current balance of how it handles while cornering.





The lower ambient and air temps made for a completely different experience. Oil temp did not rise past around 130c this time even under multiple hot laps, and it was much easier to cool off quickly especially combined with the IC spray (although I haven't tested this specifically with any control). However, I do now understand why some of the WRX STI had this from factory - I previously thought it was a bit gimmicky. Water temps were perfect all day and didn't reach any higher than 100c - meaning no movement on the gauge either. It is interesting that the car handles water temp without an issue, but oil is, whereas my friend's 3.0RB has the opposite issue (ie. oil temp stays low, but water becomes an issue). As per usual I overfill oil to be safe - however conclusion is that to track properly, an oil cooler is 100% recommended, probably best to be combined with an upgraded oil pickup and baffled sump. It will not be of any use off the track however. I've also had the advice to swap the coolant out for distilled + water wetter for an added bonus, which I'll likely get done as well.

After last time's nightmare temps, I decided to get an oil analysis done. This is the same oil that hit 150c+ multiple times and had a few thousand km on it. The numbers show a comparison between the same oil at 1100km (basically fresh) and current with some 3-4kkm more + the one track day. Since I was changing oil between every track day, I was curious to see how it held up. From what I can tell, it has done quite well and should be able to do multiple track days without an issue. I've been running Motul Sport 5w40 for a very long time now on both cars and will stick with it.

[bigBADbenny]

Outstanding report as per usual!
How about caster offset lca bushes for a smidge more dynamic camber?
I’m on AVO last 5+ years...

[Yowie]

Great write-up, data, pictures, video, etc.

The sump baffle mods seem to be a good idea of track days will become a regular thing. The oil cooler seems to be non-essential for the moment, but that issue is probably a hotter ambient track day away from being more critical.

Is any more experimentation on the cards Re the intercooler water spray? (eg de-powering the wipers, running an independent spray control/pump, misting nozzles).

Great tips Re the compromises that come into play with the larger tyres. Full credit once again for reporting the facts (incl. negatives) rather than just a "track hero" narrative.

[bigBADbenny]

He’s still my track hero
Leon: rough really all inclusive budget for one of these track days: door to door? (Your front door )

Whilst I’m here: your windscreen gasket needs reglueing!
Iirc I stuck mine back on with a bead of quality black sikaflex.

Reminds me I need a windscreen and seal

[Turbo Lag]

Outstanding report as per usual!
How about caster offset lca bushes for a smidge more dynamic camber?
I’m on AVO last 5+ years...

Depends - I only tend to look towards bushes if I've worn out the originals. I find them a bit of a pain to get aligned and it usually adds time + $$$ for labour which I'm not willing to pay for just yet. Basically a last resort thing, plus it might not help with the alignment specs I'm after (as currently the front wheel hits the front of the guards). But not completely off the cards just yet.

Great write-up, data, pictures, video, etc.

The sump baffle mods seem to be a good idea of track days will become a regular thing. The oil cooler seems to be non-essential for the moment, but that issue is probably a hotter ambient track day away from being more critical.

Is any more experimentation on the cards Re the intercooler water spray? (eg de-powering the wipers, running an independent spray control/pump, misting nozzles).

Great tips Re the compromises that come into play with the larger tyres. Full credit once again for reporting the facts (incl. negatives) rather than just a "track hero" narrative.

Yeah I think a sump + pickup is a safe option, even on street to be honest - I do doubt it's that much of an issue on track either as long as there's no long, high-G corners, but it's insurance. Definitely something I'll be looking into eventually if the car sees much more track time.

Yes will be looking towards a better or proper solution for the spray. Ideally as Ben has mentioned before I'd disconnect the rear wipers instead and have a reroute of the spray. I don't think a separate solution is that necessary for something that ultimately doesn't get that much use (plus $$$ better spent elsewhere IMO). Nozzles seem easy enough to attach and as long as there's enough water pressure should be fine. However if I do get an oil cooler in, in theory it shouldn't really be that necessary as it's currently a stop-gap solution for ultimately trying to reduce oil temps. So watch this space!

He’s still my track hero
Leon: rough really all inclusive budget for one of these track days: door to door? (Your front door )

The costs have a few components involved. Keep in mind the below is a minimal breakdown - there is obviously a lot more involved for preparation and risk(s). I budget $1k per day.

You have fixed costs that are a minimum per day entry, once off costs that are only incurred once upon entering to any amount of sessions, variables that depend on the sessions themselves.

"Fixed" costs include:
- Track day entry fee (anywhere from $250-300 per day)
- Licence fees (annualised or per session - I opt for $35~ per session).
- Fuel for transport to and back (generally 1 entire tank of fuel with return trip at around $100).

"Once off costs" include:
- Fire extinguisher + bracket (budget up to $100 for a full solution, pretty simple these days).
- Helmet (min $80 for an Aus standard one, or can be hired/use your mates one).
- Dashcam/fixed camera setup (wouldn't go on track without one, go as cheap as you like as long as it works).

"Variable" (expense/consumable) costs include:
- Tyres (I tend to use about 1/4 of a tyre set % per day, at around 1-1.5k per set of tyres).
- Brakes pads (anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 pads may be used, at anywhere from $180 to $300 per front set, rears are usually not worn much).
- Brake fluid (you will need a full flush per day, around $30 to $60).
- Fuel (I use a full tank per day, at around $100).

Whilst I’m here: your windscreen gasket needs reglueing!
Iirc I stuck mine back on with a bead of quality black sikaflex.

Reminds me I need a windscreen and seal

Yes it really does, wouldn't happen to have any lying around would you in case you could bring some along to the next meet???

It's annoying the hell out of me! It flies off at anything over 120

[bigBADbenny]

Yeah I have some 3bond which might work if you: clean out the old adhesive from its channel, tape it down with detailing or plain old masking tape.

Omg I’m scared to tally the inclusive costs for a track day
But thanks very much for your *thorough* breakdown indeed. Reality check!

I guess a spare set of rims might be another setup cost... and a dash cam!

Have helmet, extinguisher, seemingly reliable car with virtual gauges, warning alarms for over boost and coolant temp...
Radiator is due, 2nd one is 140k old already, pads n discs are on their last legs too.

Clutch is good, but I keep seeing the prospect of a track day being sayonara for my original stock engine at 290k, so factor in megabux for a tow home

Plus $$$$ for installing my spare rebuilt long motor

Waterspray? Just the hose from the 2nd pump on ya wagon.
Activate via rear wiper ring switch on stalk.

I have a spare Hobbs switch, various auto controllers in the stash...

[Turbo Lag]

Yeah I have some 3bond which might work if you: clean out the old adhesive from its channel, tape it down with detailing or plain old masking tape.

Omg I’m scared to tally the inclusive costs for a track day
But thanks very much for your *thorough* breakdown indeed. Reality check!

I guess a spare set of rims might be another setup cost... and a dash cam!

Have helmet, extinguisher, seemingly reliable car with virtual gauges, warning alarms for over boost and coolant temp...
Radiator is due, 2nd one is 140k old already, pads n discs are on their last legs too.

Clutch is good, but I keep seeing the prospect of a track day being sayonara for my original stock engine at 290k, so factor in megabux for a tow home

Plus $$$$ for installing my spare rebuilt long motor

Waterspray? Just the hose from the 2nd pump on ya wagon.
Activate via rear wiper ring switch on stalk.

I have a spare Hobbs switch, various auto controllers in the stash...

You'll be fine! As I said just need to take it easy on track to begin with. You won't be driving the nuts off your car anyway as it'll take a few tries to just learn the track let alone the car. Definitely going to nag you to come along in the future .

Few pics of the rear end post-toe arms for anyone's interest:





And next on the chopping block; time to get rid of those sht Brembos. Fingers crossed they fit.