[freakin_elrod]

Looking forward to your updates and progress with pepper in STH trim!

 

[freakin_elrod]

We post most of our auto-x vids in the auto-x forum Show off your autocrossing ST!

 

[freakin_elrod]

Rear spring swap & swaybar adjust completed. Tweaking alignment tomorrow.

I'm assuming you threw the 750 lbs spring in and switched to the softer setting on the rear bar?

 

[freakin_elrod]

VW GTI builders in STH are starting to wake up and realize their spring rates can be higher. One is at 650F/950R and another is about to install 750F/1000R.

Lugod has said this for years. " Quality performing shocks eat up 85% of ride quality. The rest is covered by ride frequency selection (nF) and flat ride ."

 

[freakin_elrod]

Vortech intercooler swap in progress. Currently wrestling with the hoses.

View attachment 389459

Hardest part for me was removing the AGS without destroying it.

 

[freakin_elrod]

Yeah, there was that... I didn't actually remove the AGS and worked around it, but cracked a corner on the passenger side while installing the Vortech. Noticed that in the CJ Pony Parts video they didn't put the intercooler on the lower mount, but bolted it in below. Easier, but weaker install. I chose the harder, but better install like the instructions show.

Next challenge was to pretend I had the fingers of a child while threading those two bolts with washers and nuts on top!

Will doublecheck my work, reassemble, and test tomorrow.

Dont forget to spray some hairspray on the intercooler couplers. I had a charge pipe blow during testing when I first installed the Vortech. It's been 2 years since I've installed it and god knows many autox's it been through and it hasnt blown off since then.

 

[freakin_elrod]

I'm at the rear motor mount replacement part of things now. The car has been in STH trim for so long that the wheel hop, while dialed out as much as possible from playing with the rebound, is much more pronounced that the LSD is installed (probably because power is now being distributed equally vs one wheel spinning off to Narnia when it was open diff).

 

[freakin_elrod]

After 2500 miles and a month of autocrosses, the nuts holding the fuse distribution block to the battery box backed off. Am going to tear things down and use blue locktite to hold them in place. Leaving for Las Vegas tomorrow morning.

Good luck out there and safe travels sir!

 

[freakin_elrod]

Did you take your rear seats out?

Street Touring and STH in particular is a class that takes fun turbo cars and allows people to install common/street legal-ish bolt on mods, while retaining somewhat of a factory appearance and driveability, like OEM+ ish. Not a Honda guys version of "street car" where it is gutted out, and the only thing that remains stock-ish is the body/chassis (I've seen some strange interpretations of what some folks classify as a "stock" car, or a "slightly" modded car in my years of autox lol)

 

[freakin_elrod]

What spring rate do you need for the front? I have a couple of 6 inch Eibach race springs sitting in the garage, I think I have 500 and 600 lbs ones.

 

[freakin_elrod]

Thanks for the offer, but it's more a matter of lack of time to install now. I'm using 10k springs and have some 6" 525 & 600 lb here now. Don't even know if you can seat 2.5"/65mm springs on the 60mm collars.

Am thinking, with the Eibach front swaybar I'll be wanting 15k or 16k rear springs instead of the 14k that are on there now, but will evaluate after this weekend while I get used to the new setup. Until I get a chance to settle down again, I will just swap rear swaybars if Pepper is too tight. Expect to do some tire testing (17" vs 18" and re-evaluate rear tire pressures) next weekend if the weather doesn't sour. And then it's off to 4 days of competition in Lincoln!

The 2.5 inch springs will work on the 60mm perches. I ran the eibach springs with no issues before so you should be able to throw your 525s on there if you really wanted to.

 

[freakin_elrod]

Looks like the fronts will be close. My +40 offset wheels with the 255/35's had similar clearance when I was running FA's lower locking collar (the one with the allen screw) because the overall diameter was almost, if not exactly the same as the spring perch. Hopefully the tires clear without issue, or with a very small spacer. The rears look like they have plenty of clearance.

 

[freakin_elrod]

Sounds like the Kumhos behave similar to the BFGs, except better in cooler weather, where the BFGs try to kill you if the temps aren't above 70 degrees.

 

[freakin_elrod]

Yokohama A052 Tire Wear @24 Runs

Front tire in top pic, rear tire in bottom. Outside edge is to the right, I believe, for both pics. Both tires (they've been rotated a couple times) are showing that a little more negative camber would be appreciated.

OPR (other people's rubber) on the front tire is primarily from rolling back to the paddock as it's pretty self-cleaning during higher speed driving. The rear tire gets some pickup and I didn't bother cleaning them. Probably should have rotated tires front-to-back after the first day at Nationals to help clean them. Next event they're used, I'll do so to equalize the wear.

View attachment 395955


View attachment 395956

That wear is drastically better than what we've seen on the DS/GS FoST and FoRS's. More camber would always be welcome, but you were right about the diff being the key upgrade in STH. Not only does it help pull the cars in and out of corners, it helps equalize the tire wear.

 

[freakin_elrod]

The two fastest STH built STs are right here on this forum lol

 

[freakin_elrod]

Since the latest suspension revision at the beginning of May, it seems I've cured lifting the inside rear wheel. Or at least greatly reduced the height of the lift. Sure didn't notice any wheel lift while Thomas was driving Pepper this weekend. Unfortunately no photographers have taken pics of Pepper while cornering hard and/or the weather has been too damp to get a meaningful pic. Still, I'm expecting Dani Lescalleet to dump photos from this weekend any day now; don't think Jennifer Keller was present, so not expecting pics from her.

The Kumhos are proving to be competitive enough at the local level; I still have my doubts about national level competition and will stick with Yokohama during the Packwood National Tour & ProSolo. Upcoming in August should be a back-to-back comparison between the Falkens & the Yoks. Plus I need to see if the Kumhos have more range and will work with the Strano bar one notch stiffer.

Great data points.
The Kumho's are probably just like you've stated somewhere on here, which is better suited for a more experienced auto-xer as the communicative responses of this tire at the limit are very different than the other top tier 200tw tires.

Not to say you can't be fast on them which they clearly are, but while they do have excellent lateral grip, and steering feedback, you won't be rewarded for making bone mistakes like the BFG Rival 1.5S's, and you may not be able to recover as quickly when they are about to let go like the Yoks or the Falkens.

 

[freakin_elrod]

Digging into the coolant temperature solutions...

The motor is expecting coolant to be in the range around 90C. Thermostat starts to open (STO) at 82C and is fully open at 97C. A thermostat with a lower STO is probably the wrong answer because the Adapt-X tune holds the grille shutters open, so that airflow restriction is removed for competition.

The current evidence shows that turning the motor off while in grid returns the coolant to proper temperature for the start of a run, so there's no point in confirming whether idling does the same. It is the ability to dissipate heat during a run that is required. That means removing the engine cover and improving the radiator/oil cooler are the correct things to examine.

The Mountune/CSF triple-pass radiator is currently out of stock. Like the Steeda front sway bar, it appears all the retailers ship from the manufacturer, so there is no stock tucked away on someone's shelf (unless somebody on here has one they saved for a project).

The Mishimoto radiator is only dual-pass and, apart from being all metal, is not a significant improvement over stock.

While an oil cooler will likely help, it also interrupts air flow to the radiator, so I'm reluctant to go that route at this time.

I know it might not be an option for you since you live in a colder climate than I do, but to help with cooler water temps, Ive been running water wetter and I higher water to coolant mix ratio. Even during the warmer AZ auto-x months, the coolant temps never exceeded 210 degrees.

 

[freakin_elrod]

Local clubs doesn't care about the AGS. They told me, "it doesn't give you any advantage, don't worry about it".

Most don't. Then you run into those guys that play the "wELL iT'S StOcK lOCaTioN TurBO" or "iT'S sTOck mOToR , jUsT fLaSh tuNED". There is a reason why myself and @gemery document our builds on here. Its not just to show the capability of this platform when the right parts are used, but so there is no question on what is "legal, and what isn't". Can't protest someone if they aren't hiding anything.

 

[freakin_elrod]

Are any of the TB Performance braces/traction bars legal under STH? If I am reading reading rules correctly. I don’t think they would based on the Subframe connectors section. looking at making some simple modifications this winter and starting my first full season of AutoX with my 2018. I am also in the Portland area! What club do you usually run with?

Front strut bar is legal. The single lower bar that they have that only ties one point is legal. The lower bar that ties in multiple points is not however (their gusseted bar).

 

[freakin_elrod]

Strut bars per Section 12 are permitted with all types of suspension,subject to the following constraints:
1. A 2-point strut bar may be added, removed, modified, or substituted, but only with another 2-point strut bar.
2. A triangulated (3-point) strut bar may be removed, modified, or substituted; substitution may be with either a triangulated or a 2-point strut bar. The connection to the chassis (e.g., fi rewall, bulkhead) must be in the standard location.
3. Lower suspension braces must be attached to the lower suspension pickup point locations on the chassis within 2” (50.8mm) in any direction of the actual suspension attachment to the chassis


This part specifically references multi point SFC's which that gusseted traction bar essentially is:


2. Each SFC must attach at no more than 3 points on the unibody (e.g., front, rear, and one point in between such as a seat mount brace or rocker box brace.

The gusseted TB bar ties in to four points.

5. No cross-car/lateral/triangulated connections directly between the driver’s side and passenger’s side SFCs are permitted. Connections to OE components such as tunnel braces or closure panels via bolts
are allowed and count as the third point of attachment. No alteration to the OE components is permitted.