OLD CROW 3V Mustang: Autox event!

 So far I've put about 500 miles on OLD CROW since modifying every aspect of the car. I haven't really been able to explore the limits of the car until I took it to UMC (Utah Motorsports Campus) for an Autox event with the Utah SCCA.

Thanks to Josh Tenny and Madison Caldron who photographed the event and shared their photos on the Utah SCCA Facebook page! Thank you!!!

I think these first 2 pics are my favorite. The rear of the car just looks great with spoiler and blacked out rear panel and the wide wheels and tires. This corner here is a sharp, more than 90 degree turn after downshifting back into 1st. The car is very flat as you can see! What a compliment to all the suspension modifications that Maximum Motorsports, Kenny Brown Performance and Cortex Racing provide. 

I will say, the Continental ECF tire, while its a 200 treadwear track/street tire, is really not optimal for autox. It doesn't heat up as fast as the other tires like the Falken RT660 or the Bridgestone RE-71RS, which is what most people were running. The Conti ECF is more a track day tire that is consistent over many laps more than sticky in the short term.

The cone worker running back to his station probably means I hit a cone! haha I believe I only hit one cone all day between the 7 runs I got.

Here's some side shots. Yep, I put the #8 on the passenger side upside down. It was cold (like 40F) and windy in the morning when I was applying the decals and spaced it. I didn't know it wasn't symmetrical and just got lucky on the Driver's side haha

Here's a cool shot and evidence of why I DNF'd 3 of the 4 DNFs. I totally went outside the west gate, 3 times in a row! So frustrating. Need more Driver Mod! The front view of the S197 05-09 is one of the best and most Mustang-looking views!

There was a East Loop Track Day Event going on, you can see some of the cars out there, including a cool C2 (?) Vette with dual carbs sticking out of the hood.

There goes that cone worker tipping my cone back over and radio'ing in "CAM-C 8 +1" hahahaha

So, here's my takeaways from the first autox event. The car did great! It handles and brakes very well! It looks great! It's totally fast enough, no need for more power right now! Body roll is very controlled! And I need to learn how to push harder and learn how to memorize and lock in my brain the course. I DNF'd 4 out of the 7 runs. I ended up 13 out of 14 in CAM-C. One of my DNFs was a 41.xx second run which would have moved me up like 3 spots or so in the order. Thank you to Meredith, driver of a 2013 Civic Si in H Street class who noticed I was DNF'ing a lot and walked over and asked if I wanted her to ride passenger and help point out the course. She helped me run a clean run on my final run and also my fastest run! That really helped me drive home not SUPER frustrated, just mildly frustrated. 

When my friend Dean and I walked up to the top of the Grandstand that overlooks the Big Track to the south or out the back it overlooks the autox lot, we watched other cars during our break, and it looked so simple from up above. It's more difficult when you're on a flat course and all you see is a sea of cones! haha I know with more experience, I'd be able to learn the course quicker. I should have gone on more rides to observe other drivers. I did ride with Kyle who drives a 2023 Civic Type-R, totally stock but with a set of 275/30/19 Falken RT660 tires and wow, he ran a 37.xx second run with me, which was like 5 seconds faster than my best run. What I noticed was how hard he was able to push his car. It was very noticable. Kyle also has probably 10+ years of autox experience in a few different cars.

It was a fun time and I do want to go back. It also made me want to do a track day event where the complexity of learning to navigate a sea of cones is less an issue and there is more time to be smooth and flow with the track. Autox is just so much easier on the car and on the wallet. 

EK Hatch Wheels and Suspension Parts ordered: How I decided on what to buy

Major Update on the EK Hatch!!!
Wheels are ordered! errr....wheels have arrived!
Instead of Konig Hypergram or Dekagram I went with 949Racing 6UL 15x7 +36mm in Ti02 Titanium Oxide (aka white)!!! After I found this picture of a red EK Hatch DX just like mine with the stock black side molding and side skirt with white Rays Gram Light 57DRs in 15x8 I was hooked. I spent a couple days trying to figure out how I could make those wheels, which are $1200 for a set happen. I was in love with that look (the red with white and that wheel design). I knew I wanted to spend money on quality suspension (which I get into below) and so I needed to find a more affordable white wheel I loved. The Konig Dial In was the first one I looked at but I didn't like the spoke and wheel design. It's cool, just wasn't loving it. I had trouble finding 6UL wheels, 949Racing.com was basically almost sold out in any color.

949Racing 6UL wheels in 15x7 +36mm 10.6lbs have arrived at the Hechtspeed "shop"

I found FlyinMiata.com had 15x7 in white. I texted my wife right then a picture of the red and white EK hatch with the Gram Lights and then a picture of a blue EG hatch with white 15" 6UL and asked if she could photoshop the 6UL onto the red EK. She's so talented!!! Check it out!

Roma Red EK Hatch with white Gram Light 57DR

Blue EG Hatch with Ti02 Titanium white 949Racing 6UL 15"

949Racing 6UL Titanium white (Ti02) photoshop onto a Roma Red EK Hatch DX

I just ordered up suspension parts! I'll put the details below...
As I said in my previous post I have been doing a bunch of research on what coilovers to buy. I narrowed my final 3 down to Buddy Club Sport Spec, K-Tuned K1 and Ksport Kontrol Pro. These were all about $900 for the set. See below for my comparison spreadsheet I put together to help me in my decision:

The Hechtspeed EK Hatch coilover comparison

In my research I tried to boil down the descriptions on the many websites into a couple key metrics so I could compare my options. I wanted to know spring rates, dampening adjustment, twintube or monotube, price and any other key features. The Ksport Kontrol Pro was the cheapest. I found it for $740. But, it has the softest spring rates (not by ton mind you, they were 9.8k / 5k) and the most dampening adjustment (36-way). I don't necessarily consider more "clicks" better. Ksport is a decent company that has been around for probably 10 years. But, nothing stands out here except the price and I was not wanting to make my decision based purely on that.

The second option and the one I was leaning toward the most was the K-Tuned K1. The K1's have 10k/6k spring rates and probably the most YouTube video reviews out of the 3. K1's have 32-way adjustment. As I mentioned in my previous post, the Speed Academy guys did a nice series on the black EK coupe K swapped track/street project and they had good things to say about this one. They ended up swapping to K2's (20k/16k spring rates) I guess because the car ended up more a track car than a street car.

The third option was Buddy Club Sport Specs. Spring rates for the Buddy Clubs are 10k/7k and 20-20-way adjustment. The Buddy Clubs are "Made in Japan" and have the longest history as a company. Initially I found these for $925 on deftmotion.com. I had already chosen Skunk2 UCAs from jhpusa.com and asked jhpusa if they would price match. I was happy to get an email the next morning saying they would price them at $898 for me. If you look on their site now they are priced at $898 for everyone! Your welcome! Go check them out JHPUSA Buddy Club SPORT SPECS

All 3 systems use Monotube shock design. This was one of the final details I found a few days ago. I google searched "monotube vs twintube" after I started noticing some kits with the two different optioons and learned some helpful information. I learned that monotube shocks are better suited for performance driving while twin tube are better for ride quality. The reasons are responsiveness to bumps, fade of the performance of the shock as it performs over time and long term consistency of that performance.

strutmasters.com Monotube vs Twin tube shock article was super helpful

The Strutmasters.com article is short and sweet (unlike my blogs)! CLICK HERE The last comment on mono vs twin tube is it appears some of the cheaper coilovers utilize twin tube as a way to give very lowered cars a more comfortable ride and save on cost. Neither of which are what I'm looking for.

I found a really helpful article from the Speed Academy guys called "Track Alignment Specs: EG/EK Honda Civic & DC2 Integra". Not only does it give some good pointers on setup but helps explain what the Honda unequal length double wishbone suspension is doing when you're pushing your Honda hard in corners.

Speed Academy EG/EK/DC2 Track Alignment article

One of the helpful tidbits was that my hatch does not need a lot of initial static camber because as the unequal length double wishbone suspension compresses, it gains negative camber naturally. Give the article a look and CLICK HERE

So, what did I choose? I went with the Buddy Club Sport Specs from jhpusa.com!!! So excited!!!

Buddy Club Sport Spec coilover kit for 92-00 Civic and 92-97 Del Sol

I think the blue springs and red shock body color scheme is cool!

I went with Skunk2 Pro Series Plus UCAs (Upper Control Arms) for camber adjustability as well as the benefits of having more direct and solid mounts and bushings. I ended up getting the rears from jhpusa.com along with the Buddy Clubs. They were not offering (even though I asked and they said they couldn't) free shipping for the front arms so I ended up finding those on kseriesparts.com for the same price with free shipping. No biggy. The internet now allows me to drop $1271 in a matter of minutes with no hassle.

Skunk2 rear Pro Series Plus camber kit

The Skunk2's have a great racing heritage with the Honda/Acura crowd. The Skunk2 rear control arm is different than all the other 88-00 Civic choices. The difference is in the construction and design of the ends of the arm. All the other designs are a "butt-welded" bushing case to the adjustable middle section at a 90 deg angle. But, these Skunk2's have a beefier and smoother transition. The butt-welded variety just looked weaker and a potential crack point.

The Skunk2 fronts have camber adjustment from the bottom for easier access. Here is the blurb from Skunk2: Each Pro Series Plus Camber Kit includes three-piece, low-deflection, polyurethane bushings that eliminate the pre-load typically associated with rubber bushings, allowing the arms to pivot freely, dramatically improving handling performance. Pro Series Plus Camber Kits also feature Skunk2s all-new, one-piece, forged Pro Series Ball Joints, which feature low-profile top plates for additional clearance between themselves and the shock towers, higher clamping loads for no-slip performance, and a unique design that allows for maximum adjustability. 

So, there you have it. I'm super excited to get all this stuff installed! Can't wait for how the car is going to look and how its going to handle.

Bye bye Bimmer!

Soooo, I sold the bimmer lol!!! It was almost 3 years, almost! I bought it for $6500, sold it for $3900. I always like to evaluate how I came out on the financial side of things with my cars. I have a very tight budget and so I'm conscious of where my money goes. I have typically lost about $2000/year on all my cars. Let’s see how the bimmer fared.
I replaced the radiator fan for $200, control arms and poly bushings for like $350, Konig Hypergram wheels and Acellera (who?haha) tires for like $1200. I did sell the BMW wheels for $450 so that makes the wheels/tires about $750.

The bimmus 330ci at work with the "winter mode" wheel/tire setup. Doesn't look half bad but its much more sedate than the Konig Hypergrams

$6500 - $1300 (major maintenance and mods) + $3900 = $3900. Divide $3900 by 3 years and that's about $1300 cost of ownership per year. That's really good actually. Huh...All said I really enjoyed BMW ownership. The car was a ton of fun to drive and own. When washed up it was good lookin' fo sure.

I was originally going to write about the new car I bought (1999 Honda Civic DX Hatchback in Roma Red) but I have too many things to say to close out the ownership of the bimmer including why I sold it. So, the new car post will be a separate one.
So, after reading my December 2017 update, there isn't a whole lot to update on. :) 2 main things I did with the bimmer was take it to Bonneville Speedweek in August 2018. I drove out to the Salt Flats on the Friday night, camped out at Lands End and enjoyed checking out the hot rods and racecars on the Great White Dyno on Saturday.

BMW 330ci at the Bonneville Salt Flats next to the SCTA trailer!

Here are the pics I put up on my KSL.com classifieds ad. Didn't end up needing the ksl as Pantera Corey's brother/niece ended up buying it! Very happy its staying in the family! Hope to see it out autocrossing soon!

Konig Hypergram 18" wheels on Accelera PHI-R tires and H&R Cup Kit

Tan Leather Premium Package, it grew on me. I love the heated seats in the winder. 

UUC short shifter an knob. Loved this set up. Very direct and had a quality feel.

Tan leather was easy to keep clean an stayed much cooler in the summer heat than black

Then a couple months later I was invited by Pantera Corey to try AutoX with him and his brother/sis-n-law/niece/nephew here in Farmington at the Legacy Events Center.

Utah SCCA Legacy Events Center OktoberFast Event-330ci and my first AutoX. Pantera Corey's Mazda6 is in the background 

 The Utah SCCA makes it very affordable (was like $35 for your first time) and lets you borrow a helmet. Had to go with lucky #78!

Can't remember who took the photos and shared them on Facebook but thank you bro! Here's the 330ci dodging cones!

I've done multiple longer trips in the bimmer. I went to St. George twice this year for baseball tournaments plus last fall for an Electric R/C flyin with my dad and bro. Heading out to Bonneville is fairly quick and easy. Not much to see though.  I took a cool picture of the bimmer in front of the SCTA trailer. I love the flats!

The AutoX event was so much fun! It was super helpful to have a friend who knew what they were doing as well. I think I had 6 runs between 2 sessions. I got faster on each run as I learned the course and as I pushed the car harder. One of the most interesting things was I learned from an experience driver guiding me along that I as I went slower in I was able to go faster out. The bimmer and the Accelera tires performed great. It was late October in Utah so it was like 60 degrees, perfect for not stressing out my equipment.
I really enjoyed seeing a ton of cool cars go hard at the cones. I loved hearing the engines and screeching tires. There was a white EG civic sedan that was gutted with some 15" meats and it was FAST. The Miatas were also fun to watch. They were able to carry so much speed through the turns.

OK, so the bimmer was #goodtimes but I was itching to move on. It has been about 3 years anyway. :) The reason I sold it was to get into a car that I could afford to modify. Modifying is the part of this hobby that I enjoy the most. I hit the limit with the BMW. There was really nothing I could have done to the engine to really boost power significantly. Sure, I could have spent a $100+ on an intake kit and gotten another 5hp. There are no headers that are smog legal since the catalytic converter is in the exhaust manifold. I could have done coilovers but it already had H&R springs and shocks. Plus it had 157k miles with some minor things that were bugging me. The car is heavy per my specifications. It's 3300+ lbs and only 225hp stock. Its a great cruiser. I just wasn't inspired by it anymore.
Every time I start getting the itch to sell and buy something different, I always start looking at 90's Hondas and Mustangs. In my past I've already had 2 Civics and a Fit. I just enjoy the lightweight, nimble character of Hondas. I enjoy the practicality and affordability. I commute 72 miles per day (20k/year) so having a commuter that I can call my project is also the best use of my dollars, the best fun per dollar.
The problem with Honda is the only ones I like are from 1988-2000. These are the lightest best handling Civics with the biggest aftermarket. The 2000 and newer Civics are heavier, bigger and they lost their 4 wheel double-wishbone suspension design. :( Booooo! Progress is not always better.