Autocross- SCCA EV-X Class vs. SS

[SK360]

2022 Season kicked off yesterday and it was an.... interesting.... terrible.... course.

Had a great battle with a buddy in his LR AWD.

Both cars are on MPP Sport Coilovers, MPP compression rod inserts, MPP solid FLCA bearings and MPP FUCA's with no shims (He's on v2 and I'm on v1 so he's got roughly -0.5 degrees more camber)

He's also got the rear toe & camber arms, MPP brake rotors & stainless lines, brake pads from some other company and a MPP Partybox on the latest beta firmware.

I'm on 265/35/19 Falken RT660 on a 19x10 and hes on 265/35/18 RE71R on a 18x8.5.

I still had tire stickers on when I left my house and he was able to scrub in his tires at a test n tune the weekend before. It was also in the mid 30's when I left and for our first 3 runs it was overcast, windy and cold. I had 0 traction and pushed into cones on 2 of my 3 first runs. After working a heat we both got to take our final runs with the sun out and temps in the low 50's. Grip started to appear in my 660's and I started chipping away at time running a 35.280 to his 35.026. He went out for run 5 and put down a 34.958 and I thought I was done but then I answered back with a 34.930. It all came down for run 6 and I was 2 cars behind him in line. He went out and ran a 34.940 and I knew I had it wrapped up so I ended up pushing a bit too hard and doing a sweet drift for half of the course.

These are the kind of days I love! Looking at the logs I was at no point yesterday making peak power. I hit 395kW for a split second but nowhere near the 416 I've seen before, think the battery was just getting too cold.

Snow flurries at the supercharger (I dont need to charge but was trying to get some heat in the battery)

Staying warm working computer in the trailer (being VP of the club has its perks)

He was pulling out all the stops with the tire blankets

RAW times (Jays GT3 is a 2007 and Robert Killmer was driving Erics GT3)

His runs (he def had the consistency down)

My runs

Video from my 34.930

 

[3P TGV]

Some new parts for 2 local EV-X cars. Added MPP compression rod inserts and solid front lower control arm bushings. Also swapped stock brake fluid out for Motul 600. Some nastiness came out of my drivers rear caliper.

Had a buddy/fellow competitor over with his matte blue LR AWD for some new MPP parts as well. Always the best weekends, was looking like a Model 3 junkyard at times.

Off for alignment next Monday. New season starts 4/10

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Hi there - I am thinking about installing the MPP front lower control arm solid bushings. Have you experienced more NVH or is it about the same. I guess it might be difficult to answer since you also installed the rear shims on the rear control arms as well. I understand that in terms of steering feel, the front bushings make a huge difference- but just wanted to know of any downsides to this upgrade.
Thanks

 

[dsgerbc]

I'm a bit confused by MPP's product details. Do MPP compression rod inserts go in OEM bushings or what?

 

[SK360]

Hi there - I am thinking about installing the MPP front lower control arm solid bushings. Have you experienced more NVH or is it about the same. I guess it might be difficult to answer since you also installed the rear shims on the rear control arms as well. I understand that in terms of steering feel, the front bushings make a huge difference- but just wanted to know of any downsides to this upgrade.
Thanks

Even with both I can say there were no noticeable differences to NVH from where the car was last season. However steering feels so much better.

I'm a bit confused by MPP's product details. Do MPP compression rod inserts go in OEM bushings or what?

They do, they fill in some of the holes in the stock bushing to restrict movement under heavy braking.

 

[MountainPass]

I'm a bit confused by MPP's product details. Do MPP compression rod inserts go in OEM bushings or what?

@SK360 is right, the inserts will be inserted into your stock compression rod bushings to reduce their deflection under heavy braking. If you are interested in our caster adjustable compression rod bearings, please note that the two products can't be combined. If you order them at the same time I will email you to let you know, but just in case, here is that word of advice!

 

[dsgerbc]

@SK360 is right, the inserts will be inserted into your stock compression rod bushings to reduce their deflection under heavy braking. If you are interested in our caster adjustable compression rod bearings, please note that the two products can't be combined. If you order them at the same time I will email you to let you know, but just in case, here is that word of advice!

Thanks. The description says 'to be used with our Front Lower Control Arm Bushings.' What will happen if one doesn't have the latter? I'd guess the FLCA bushing would take more beating, but what dynamic alignment changes under load would that result in?

 

[MountainPass]

Thanks. The description says 'to be used with our Front Lower Control Arm Bushings.' What will happen if one doesn't have the latter? I'd guess the FLCA bushing would take more beating, but what dynamic alignment changes under load would that result in?

It is because the FLCAB is a way better "bang-for-the-buck" part to install, so we want to make sure people are doing things in an order that makes sense. Nothing bad would happen if you only installed the inserts, we just want to help guide people through the process of modifying their cars in the most efficient way we can!

 

[3P TGV]

Even with both I can say there were no noticeable differences to NVH from where the car was last season. However steering feels so much better.


They do, they fill in some of the holes in the stock bushing to restrict movement under heavy braking.

Thanks!

 

[superflyrolla]

I now have 4 events on the Kuhmo V730s so I thought I'd give a quick review since no one I know of has used them on a Tesla yet.

First they're inexpensive. At least $300 less than most of the other 200 treadwear options. I think they're half the price of A052s in 275/35R18s.

Besides cost, the reason I purchased is because one of the fastest guys in my region uses them. He claimed they have a stiff sidewall and you can run similar tire pressure to RE71Rs which is the only 200tw tire I've used before. I'm running a little more camber this year, but I can confirm they weren't rolling over at 34-36 psi which is the same I used to run on RE71Rs.

When I purchased, tread width wasn't specified but tire rack does show it now. They're around 0.2 inches narrower than most 275s. Looks a little stretched on a 10.5" wheel, but there's still a lip protecting the rim FWIW.

The biggest thing I notice is they don't make noise like RE71Rs did at the limit, you just start sliding. I hated the tires for the first two events, but it was also under 50F and perhaps they needed more runs to break in some. I was about ready to take the tires off and buy something else already, but my friend told me stickier tires don't make as much noise and that I should give em another shot. Finally at my 3rd and 4th event they started to get grippy. 65F on a concrete airport surface and I was back to one of the top times which is where I had been last year. So, perhaps not the best tire choice for newer, less experienced drivers. I also got a few wet runs in this weekend and I kept hearing comments that these tires are awful in the rain, but I thought they were actually fine for a 200tw. I didn't have any issues on the drive home in heavy rain either.

 

[SK360]

Event 2 was yesterday, it was a crappy rainy day and I didn't get any dry runs. I managed to take FTD on a wet run and then I had to sit and watch as the lot dried up and Jay in his 2007 GT3 on A7's got to make 3 of the driest runs of the event. He got within 0.059 of me and then the skies opened up again. Carlin and Drew both managed to find a 33.4xx on a soaked lot to move up into P3 and P4.

 

[jackmott]

Aha now I have made the reddit/teslamotorsclub connection!

 

[MountainPass]

Aha now I have made the reddit/teslamotorsclub connection!

I found him on Reddit too

 

[SK360]

I found him on Reddit too

Now y'all can see the post where my dog made the front page

 

[Fprodget]

Photo from my first AX in my Model 3 P. Definitely a blast to drive

 

[SK360]

Event 3 was yesterday. Carlin has certainly tightened the gap this year with his LR AWD, Updates to the party box have him really happy and me sweating.

Still trying to figure out these 660's and what pressures make them happy. I used to run 32 in my RE's and ran 33.5-34 yesterday but they still seem to be rolling over a bit.

 

[gearchruncher]

I'll do a little bragging myself. Ran yesterday in the rain at my local just-for-fun AutoX. BMW is a fully stripped race car on Hoosier H20's, and the Supra was driven by a national champ on A052s. I was on A052's also, but didn't notice any extra grip vs MPS4S's which have served me well in the rain in the past, and are way cheaper per run.

 

[dsgerbc]

Anyone considering RE-71RS? Tirerack promises to ship in about 3 weeks.

I think my RS4s have cycled out at least for autox, and I'm looking to go as wide as I can.
The A052s are on back order for months per tirerack. The RT660s cost as much as A052s somehow, and I'm seeing plenty of reports of thread cracks.

Specifically, thinking about the 285/35/19 size. Per tirerack, it seems about as wide as RT660 in 295/35/19 size in terms of tread width in, with 0.6" narrower section width and a hair lower diameter, which should help clearance. It also probably has a pretty stiff side-wall base on load ratings: 103W XL vs 100W SL.

Haven't seen any reviews yet. SCCA SEB said a week ago that it's eligible for solo this year.

They are also $200-$300 cheaper after a rebate.

Thoughts?

 

[gearchruncher]

Haven't seen any reviews yet. SCCA SEB said a week ago that it's eligible for solo this year.

I like that SCCA says they are eligible when their very rules say:

Tire availability: Tires are considered available when competitors can take possession through retail channels. Pre-orders are not considered available.

How is a tire eligible when it literally hasn't shipped to anyone in the USA via normal retail channels yet?

FYI, that's why you aren't seeing any reviews. Nobody has them, the shipment in a few weeks will be the first shipment of them. Hopefully they are a solid next generation of the RE-71. Some early reviews (they have been out in Japan for a while) seemed to indicate they were a bit more track focused and less AutoX focused.

 

[Fprodget]

I like that SCCA says they are eligible when their very rules say:


How is a tire eligible when it literally hasn't shipped to anyone in the USA via normal retail channels yet?

FYI, that's why you aren't seeing any reviews. Nobody has them, the shipment in a few weeks will be the first shipment of them. Hopefully they are a solid next generation of the RE-71. Some early reviews (they have been out in Japan for a while) seemed to indicate they were a bit more track focused and less AutoX focused.

The guys in the know here in my region....are saying the new RE71 is not as good as the Falken 660 for autocross.

 

[SK360]

I'm finally starting to jive with these 660's, I bumped pressures way up to 40F/38R yesterday and the car felt fantastic. Still getting slight rollover on the fronts, may go to 42 next event.

Anyways, took FTD for the second of 4 events this spring. We are on break until September now but I may hit up another clubs local events if I get bored.

Heres a video, including a clip of where I shat myself on run 1.