OKUSA Build

[okusa]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

electrical stuff blows, and thats why i don't attempt to do much myself. i accidentally left a plug off the fiber optic wiring once and the car went nuts and didn't stay on. i also had an early iteration of a lightweight battery that wasn't "intelligent" and the car would occasionally act like it didn't have a battery connected at all.
i'm sure there is something that can be done with coding or programming. i've heard the oem intelligent battery system can cause problems too.
i haven't dug too deep into it because its kinda heresay and i typically forget the info i find out by the time i get around to it.
makes me wonder if its almost more worth it to get a motec standalone ecu and just wire in what you need.

StripclubDJ has been through this on several E9X cars now, so this is not new to him. I like the "idea" of a motec, but that would require custom tuning for the supercharger and I'm not looking to go down that road.

[m3number86]

Saw this before all the recent updates when i went down there.

What are the fender to bumper latches called?

[okusa]

Originally Posted by m3number86

Saw this before all the recent updates when i went down there.

What are the fender to bumper latches called?

AeroCatch 320-2000 Locking Hood Pins

[StripclubDJ]

Originally Posted by omgzirra_exe

yeah i believe in Berto.

plus you are technically a guinea pig for this wiring job anyways right :P you're paving the way for the rest of us who inspire to do this.

Berto? Lmao
My best friend is berto with the twin car to mine, he copy’s everything I do

And no he’s not a ginnie pig bro lmao
This is like my 5th e9x
And like 40th full race car

[omgzirra_exe]

Originally Posted by stripclubdj

berto? Lmao
my best friend is berto with the twin car to mine, he copy’s everything i do

and no he’s not a ginnie pig bro lmao
this is like my 5th e9x
and like 40th full race car

i forget sorry

dont h*urt me

[okusa]

Finally made it to the track this weekend for the initial shakedown. Friday was with SDC and we stayed over for the Saturday morning Speed Ventures sessions.

Fortunately, I had two pros with me: StripclubDJ has consistently shown true dedication to this build and that continued all weekend. dogbone has been with me through this build from day 1 and this weekend would have not been possible without him.

It was my first day running with SDC and Charles runs fantastic track days. Very well organized, great format and nice people. I brought 3 sets of springs, but fortunately they were not needed as the springs felt good. After the first 3 sessions we added a few more degrees to the splitter and took out a couple of clicks in the rear. Then, in the next session I pushed a little harder in Riverside (97 min speed) and just before the apex the rear end started stepping out So, we added a couple of degrees to the wing (started at neutral) and that solved that issue. So, as far as setup, I think the car is in a great starting place.

However, I had two significant mechanical issues that could not be resolved a the track:

(i) the DCT would simply not downshift so I was entering most braking zones in 4th or 5th and exiting in 4th (and sometimes 3rd if it would eventually give it to me) with minimal RPMs. TJ believes it's related to the now removed traction control system and can hopefully be resolved by plugging in one of the modules (not sure which one). Unsure if I'm even describing the proposed fix since when TJ starts talking technical he immediately loses me.

(ii) I was basically putting out stock power which TJ ultimately traced to 3 faulty cam sensors. Fortunately for me, redpriest was there on Saturday and happened to have 2 spares handy. So, TJ threw them in and the power partially returned. So, TJ now has a plan to resolve that issue as well (I wouldn't let him explain it to me though because, again, I just get lost in the explanation). BTW, congratulations to Alex for his 2nd place finish!

Overall, the weekend was a success as my goals were to establish a suspension and aero base and push hard enough to reveal any mechanical issues. Lap times were never a consideration. That said, my fastest lap was only 1:54.3.

The car returns to EAS on Saturday so TJ can resolve the DCT and power issues and then I'll hopefully get back on track with SDC on 1/6 with a sub 1:50 goal.

[okusa]

I got the call on Friday that the DCT and power issues were resolved:

(i) the car requires a stock instrument cluster and yaw sensor to shift properly, so those went back in.
(ii) power came on once new cam sensors were installed (570 whp).

So, I jammed down to EAS, picked up the car and headed out to Buttonwillow on Saturday morning. Got there at 7:30, air temp was bout 35 and there was a fog delay. Finally got on track at about 8:30, but it was still too cold and it took about 5 laps before I had any heat in the tires or brakes. It wasn't particularly helpful that I was on the same crappy DHs as last time out (which are now about 18 month old), but the shifting and power made a huge difference as I was able to go 1:50.1 on my 8th and last lap.

After that, the tires were gone, so I switched over to the RE71 thinking they would be at least as fast. Nope! I don't know how anyone finds speed in those tires, but they don't work for me (could not do better than a 1:52). Also, at least compared to the DH, they are horrible under hard braking.

Overall it was a good day at the track, though traffic impacted probably 95% of all my laps.

[omgzirra_exe]

Originally Posted by okusa

I was able to go 1:50.1 on my 8th and last lap.

that's huge man! congrats on the build! and hopefully i'll run into you one of these days!

[berns]

Originally Posted by okusa

I got the call on Friday that the DCT and power issues were resolved:

(i) the car requires a stock instrument cluster and yaw sensor to shift properly, so those went back in.
(ii) power came on once new cam sensors were installed (570 whp).

So, I jammed down to EAS, picked up the car and headed out to Buttonwillow on Saturday morning. Got there at 7:30, air temp was bout 35 and there was a fog delay. Finally got on track at about 8:30, but it was still too cold and it took about 5 laps before I had any heat in the tires or brakes. It wasn't particularly helpful that I was on the same crappy DHs as last time out (which are now about 18 month old), but the shifting and power made a huge difference as I was able to go 1:50.1 on my 8th and last lap.

After that, the tires were gone, so I switched over to the RE71 thinking they would be at least as fast. Nope! I don't know how anyone finds speed in those tires, but they don't work for me (could not do better than a 1:52). Also, at least compared to the DH, they are horrible under hard braking.

Overall it was a good day at the track, though traffic impacted probably 95% of all my laps.

I have no experience on DH's, so I'm sure they are WILDLY different, but just here to say the RE71 is still hands down my favorite 200tw tire and I'm always happy running them. Stoked the car is on the right path now though and 1.50 without trying too hard sounds awesome!

[okusa]

Originally Posted by berns

I have no experience on DH's, so I'm sure they are WILDLY different, but just here to say the RE71 is still hands down my favorite 200tw tire and I'm always happy running them. Stoked the car is on the right path now though and 1.50 without trying too hard sounds awesome!

Thanks! I'm quite interested to see how it performs when I can push harder with better grip.

[spxxx]

Originally Posted by okusa

I got the call on Friday that the DCT and power issues were resolved:

(i) the car requires a stock instrument cluster and yaw sensor to shift properly, so those went back in.
(ii) power came on once new cam sensors were installed (570 whp).

So, I jammed down to EAS, picked up the car and headed out to Buttonwillow on Saturday morning. Got there at 7:30, air temp was bout 35 and there was a fog delay. Finally got on track at about 8:30, but it was still too cold and it took about 5 laps before I had any heat in the tires or brakes. It wasn't particularly helpful that I was on the same crappy DHs as last time out (which are now about 18 month old), but the shifting and power made a huge difference as I was able to go 1:50.1 on my 8th and last lap.

After that, the tires were gone, so I switched over to the RE71 thinking they would be at least as fast. Nope! I don't know how anyone finds speed in those tires, but they don't work for me (could not do better than a 1:52). Also, at least compared to the DH, they are horrible under hard braking.

Overall it was a good day at the track, though traffic impacted probably 95% of all my laps.

Pretty sure there's still at least a 2sec delta from fastest 200tw cheater tires to DH/Yoko/Hoosiers these days on a 2min lap. Assuming the DHs were stored in semi decent conditions (room temp range) they shouldn't have lost too much life.

This thing will be a monster I'm sure! Any heat issues with the S/C? What did the final weight land at?

[okusa]

Originally Posted by spxxx

Pretty sure there's still at least a 2sec delta from fastest 200tw cheater tires to DH/Yoko/Hoosiers these days on a 2min lap. Assuming the DHs were stored in semi decent conditions (room temp range) they shouldn't have lost too much life.

This thing will be a monster I'm sure! Any heat issues with the S/C? What did the final weight land at?

It’s not just that they were old but more that they started as scrubs and I already put about a dozen sessions on them.

No heat issues with anything considering the air was between 37 - 54 all day.

2,860 with almost no fuel

[reidetailing]

Incredible weigh-in, Owen! I can only imagine of course the weight without the cage and SC...you and the team really shed a ton of weight. This is HUGE inspiration for my build.

Great work to you, StripclubDJ, and the rest of your team.
~Alex

[Z33KLF]

omg, what a build!

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by okusa

Thanks! Here you go - exactly 1 gallon of gas in tank.

That's impressive! Especially since it is a DCT!

[redpriest]

Didn't get a chance to sync up with you at the last track day okusa but were you having some trouble with the car?

[okusa]

Originally Posted by redpriest

Didn't get a chance to sync up with you at the last track day okusa but were you having some trouble with the car?

Ya, was a bit of a mess. I had two significant issues to deal with.

(i) I damaged my splitter in December because my ride height was set too low. However, I underestimated the structural damage since it looked fine visually.

(ii) I tried fixing the ride height issue by going from a 900 to 1,000 lb front springs. However, it felt super stiff and a bit bouncy. So, I was messing with clicks and nitrogen to try and get some feeling back, but still hated the feeling and could not get any front end grip. Well, after the second session when I finally noticed the condition of the splitter, which made all of my tweaking meaningless, I packed it up and went home.

So, splitter goes back to Zebulon this week for repair. Unfortunately, it may take 4-6 weeks to get it back.

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by okusa

Ya, was a bit of a mess. I had two significant issues to deal with.

(i) I damaged my splitter in December because my ride height was set too low. However, I underestimated the structural damage since it looked fine visually.

(ii) I tried fixing the ride height issue by going from a 900 to 1,000 lb front springs. However, it felt super stiff and a bit bouncy. So, I was messing with clicks and nitrogen to try and get some feeling back, but still hated the feeling and could not get any front end grip. Well, after the second session when I finally noticed the condition of the splitter, which made all of my tweaking meaningless, I packed it up and went home.

So, splitter goes back to Zebulon this week for repair. Unfortunately, it may take 4-6 weeks to get it back.

Ouch. I'm glad I started out with Plywood. I broke 3 in about a year. One of them...I literally just put it on, pulled the car into a lift bay and then banged it on the lift.

Do you have any pics of how the Zebullon splitter is mounted?

[okusa]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

Do you have any pics of how the Zebullon splitter is mounted?

I don't, but surprise surprise dogbone does here: https://www.m3post.com/forums/showth...ebulon&page=59

[dogbone]

The Zebulon install I did starts here:

https://www.m3post.com/forums/showth...58445&page=107

[okusa]

Originally Posted by dogbone

The Zebulon install I did starts here:

https://www.m3post.com/forums/showth...58445&page=107

Actually, it doesn't. Your TOC is off as there are only 90 pages.

[Richbot]

Originally Posted by okusa

2,860 with almost no fuel

Holy shit