White Rascal/Art Car v2 Testing 8/4-5/16

Last week we took our shop car to the track for some testing. We had a few things on the slate to test out:

1. Replacement caliper seals and titanium bolts
2. Our new prototype shifter
3. Larini valved muffler
4. Intake and tuning changes

We headed out to our favorite test track, Spring Mountain Motor Resort. After arriving late Thursday, we drove the car around the paddock and ran an autocross course that was setup just to give the car a little shake down and put some additional miles on it before we really got to it on Friday. 

Everything went smoothly Thursday evening so early Friday morning we were on the track when it went hot at 7am. After 150 total miles were run, the track went cold and we went home for some cold ones. 

Impressions:

Brakes

It is amazing what a good set of pads and some weight reduction does to the braking performance of this car. While braking at the end of a long straight, you appreciate the fact that the shoulder harnesses are keeping your face out of the steering wheel. There was no sign of leakage or degradation from the brakes all day. The replacement seals we have acquired come from a manufacture that is well versed in making similar products so we had no doubt they would function as advertised, but we felt that running them in 100F weather on the track was a good way to verify they were up to our standards. Shinoo had tested these seals in the car a couple of weeks ago at SMMR.  Additional heat/cold cycling stresses parts and after multiple days of track use you can see if a part will hold up.  We are happy with the results.  Expect to see these available soon. 

Shifter
The new shifter is very promising. The engagement and function feels much more positive compared to the standard setup. You know which gear you are selecting and it slides into place with a gentle push from your palm or pull of your finger tips. We definitely have some changes to make but the functionality of this first version is excellent. Track testing confirmed that the action was a true upgrade.  We've had several clients try out the shifter since we installed it and everyone agrees that it is an excellent improvement.

Valved Muffler
This new Group N muffler brings the same valve technology used in the Evora system to your Elise or Exige. When the valve is closed, the car is very quiet but when open, you are presented with a wicked sound. There are several ways to activate the valve. We tested the car with the valve closed, open, and connected to the stock actuator that opens the flap in the air box. 

Intake and Tuning

This car has our de-cat and cup airbox tune on it. We decided to play with some intake changes and log the results. We used an AiM Evo4 logger and a wideband in the de-cat pipe to log several parameters including Speed, RPM, AFR, TPS, MAF, IAT, ECT, ABC, 123... We gathered some good data and are continuing work on some new things.