Doing a 3 part series on the NC for MazdaSport Magazine:
1. Track test totally stock to establish a baseline. Did that today at streets of Willow Springs Raceway. Could not get it below a 1:40 lap time...which makes it slower than my 99 sport was when stock. When later fully developed and supercharged that same 99 Sport was 10 full seconds faster per lap than the NC was today. See the article for details but in sum the NC on track is the story of a great chasis (very stable and solid...a decade ahead of NB), great brakes, great motor....and the whole package compromised by marshmellow springs (much softer than NA/NB), underdamped Bilsteins, and poor tires. Fortunately, the problems are easily fixed. My opinion at this point is that the marketing department told the engineers we had to have 17 inch wheels and dual tip mufflers and the result is the engineers were forced to go soft on the springs to keep an acceptable ride with the 17s and we read all about "gram" strategy and saving ounces on the mirror only to weigh the duals today and find that wasteful item is alone over 26 pounds.
2. Street Mods and Retest. Same track but adding all the common yet relatively conservative mods including 1/2 inch wider but also lighter rims, better tires, sways, shocks, springs, etc.
3. Race mods retest...race tires, lower and more aggressive setup...perhaps boosted (a year from now?).
Brian Goodwin
Good-Win Racing
www.good-win-racing.com
NC on Track Today..
NC on Track Today..
Brian Goodwin
Good-Win Racing
www.good-win-racing.com
Good-Win Racing
www.good-win-racing.com
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- Posts: 47
- Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2005 3:56 pm
- Location: Austin, Tx.
As noted, the "streets" of Willow Springs....not the big track. Your question for top speed in turn eight suggests you are thinking about the big track. I think the new NC would have actually done much better on the big track where it's torque could have played better advantage. As noted, the idea was to test it totally stock and the brakes did great...changing the pads would be cheating, we changed nothing.
Brian Goodwin
Good-Win Racing
www.good-win-racing.com
Good-Win Racing
www.good-win-racing.com
lol... yeah, little brain fart there.
What track config then? Clockwise/Anti-clockwise?
Something I'm noticeing is an odd LSD thing. When you load the car up in a corner hard enough it's like the hand of God pulled your foot off the gas. I've always had 40/40 or 40/80 friction LSDs in my Porsches... is this a torsen thing? Did you notice this at the track?
What track config then? Clockwise/Anti-clockwise?
Something I'm noticeing is an odd LSD thing. When you load the car up in a corner hard enough it's like the hand of God pulled your foot off the gas. I've always had 40/40 or 40/80 friction LSDs in my Porsches... is this a torsen thing? Did you notice this at the track?