Brake Rotor Paint Testing

We recently tested our Katana2 Elise with ULTRAdiscs and Hawk HT10 brake pads and ran some new Temperature Indicating Paint. We used 500, 750, 1000, and 1200 degree F paints for our first test. We painted the front and rear rotors.

REAR

FRONT


As you can see in the pictures, we only burned off the 500deg F paint in the rear. This means we are getting our rear brakes hotter than 500deg F but still less than 750deg F. .

REAR


We burned the 750deg F paint in the front. This means we burned past 750deg F on the front but not up to 1000deg F.

FRONT


For our next test we are going to narrow down our paint choices to get a better indication of actual temps we are running. This is a fairly simple and easy non-intrusive way to find out where you are in the heat range of your braking system. It is a smart approach before spending money on a BBK or venting. You might be amazed that the stock sized system with better pads, rotors and fluid might be enough to keep your brake temps in check.

My Monticello Motor Club Visit

I had the pleasure of visiting Ari Straus and his team at the Monticello Motor Club in Monticello, NY. This country club racetrack is relatively new and located about 90min outside of New York City. The location is truly beautiful with green rolling hills and natural terrain that offers excellent elevation changes.

They were running the full 3.5mile config during my visit. This track is very technical with some great long straights as well. It is an excellent track for the Lotus,Ariel,Solstice or Sky. In fact they had a track prepped Solstice GXP available for me to blast around in. This car was one of the Solstices used in the TV show, Set-up. I fully enjoyed running around the track and only wish I had my own car to really get comfortable. A new club house and hot pit garages were under construction and are expected to be complete in June. They also have plans for condos with garages.

I also spent a fair amount of time with Mike Reed, Monticello's Chief Engineer. Mike is a fellow Lotus owner with a Series 1 Exige in his garage. This Lotus is one of my favorites and remains on my short list. Mike has a team of techs who maintain and upgrade many different cars at the club. They have several Lotus that they manage including, Elises, Exiges, Cup cars and 211s. They also have an Atom, plenty of GXPs, Ferraris, Porsche, Radicals and much more. It really is a track rat's wet dream. Mike has been a Dealer of our products and is a guy you can trust to sort your machine. Plus he may just be faster than you as well around the track...

We discussed plans to hold a joint Monticello/Sector111 event late this year. We are going to try to have a track weekend in early Oct that will also include a time trial and possible race. We know that the Lotus enthusiasts in the surrounding area are itching for an event. We are going to do our level best to make it happen....

Balanced Approach - Safe. Reliable. Performance.

In the past 6 years, we have talked with literally thousands of Lotus owners & have tracked these cars our selves. We've used these experiences to develop an upgrade path that will ensure you avoid unnecessary lost track time and costly breakdowns. We believe taking a balanced approach to tuning your Lotus is the safe and reliable way to gain performance and lower your lap times.

Click on the image below to view the full-size "Balanced Approach" chart. Of course, give us a call if you have any questions. (951)296-6762.

Rules to Live By on Track

My good friend, Grand Am racer, classmate, and driving instructor, David Thilenius, has some rules he presents to all his students. I wanted to share them with all y'all.

Here are Dave's 10 governing principles for driving on track:

1. Don't die.
2. Don't die.
3. Don't die.
4. Don't die.
5. Don't die.
6. Cars break.
7. Driver's make mistakes.
8. Driving at the limit is not like riding a bike. If you don't do it regularly, you will forget.
9. Sooner or later, you will crash. Prepare like you are going to crash.
10. The driver is 100% responsible for everything that happens to the car he is driving.

Dave will be with us at the next Lotus Challenge race at Spring Mtn coaching a couple of drivers. Come out and meet this recent Daytona Grand Am winner. Did I mention Dave is also the Ride & Handling engineer for us and Secant?

Nirvana Built Engine Swap

The boys just finished removing Project Nirvana's Katana2 engine to make room for our new built n/a power plant. We are leaving the Katana2 engine untouched so its ready to go for our pending CARB test.

This new engine, built by renowned Toyota engine builder Bruce Nogrady, will feature our Sector111 Stage I built head and stronger internals. Our goal is to have Nirvana up and running by the end of the week. We'll break her in this weekend and run her on Buttonwillow next week to really see how she performs. Once the engine has proven itself, we will add a TVS blower and get Steve to calibrate her with a goal of 275hp.