July 2020
31Jul
Aintree cancelled #sadface
The Liverpool Motor Club Aintree sprint on September 4th has just been cancelled. I have no more events left this year. So I might consider doing a few of the remaining Javelin sprints instead.27Jul
Anglesey cancelled #sadface
The season finale at Anglesey in October has just been cancelled by Longton. No reason given. Full refunds offered. Thats very sad, I was looking forward to going with the upgrades to see how much faster I could go :(The video below is of my quickest start at Combe, 0-135mph in 11s or so. The car definitely picks up pace once its in 2nd gear, so I'll plot some new figures for the LC to raise the rate of acceleration in 1st gear, which may lead to quicker 64ft times.
21Jul
Wheel speed adjustments
I've pulled the data out for the quickest 2.02 64ft launch and put it in to Excel to analyse and there's some improvements to be made.
First of all I need to set the sensors back to report the wheel speed per-pulse, instead of per revolution. I replaced the left front wheel speed sensor for this event and soldered it direct to the loom, and this has now 100% cured the noise, so I can now revert back to per-pulse measurement. I'll set this for the next outing. The rear wheel speeds are still problematic. I dont think the sensors I'm using are suited to the reluctance rings, so I'm going to try some GT101's that I last ran on the Fiesta. They have a much higher operating range (50KHz), but I need to test them on the rings first to make sure they work.
20Jul
Dick Mayo Sprint
The Bristol Motor Club Dick Mayo sprint was a very smooth running event, with Covid-19 changes evident, but not interfering with the enjoyment levels.Result:
1st in class
New class record by >3s
4th overall
3rd fastest car
Following testing at Blyton where I was trying the 250mm front and 300mm rear tyres, I didn't feel fully in control of the car, and decided for this event to run the 190mm front Ultrasofts that I bought at the start of 2019. However, having done a full season, compared to the new 300mm rears, i was always going to suffer from a little under steer, but I found it was quite hard to pedal the car around the corners. Being out of work since April, and with no sponsorship money, I couldn't justify the cost of a pair of new 190 fronts, and this was just a bit of fun, so i had to make do.
The first practice run was a disaster. The ECU decided to go in to Limp Mode on the start line, with a VVT Failure, and with no warning as I left the line, the car had no power, and I drove round flat out at a steady 45mph. I think the limp mode was caused by me almost stalling the engine as I pulled up to the line, which dropped the oil pressure, and the ECU panicked at this point. There is no warning light or indication that Limp Mode has come on. So from then on, I always tested launch control prior to starting, so if Limp Mode had come on again, I could turn the ignition off and on again to clear it.
The ECU log didnt tell me why Limp Mode was selected. Because the drive around the circuit took so long, and with the long trip around the paddock back to where I was parked, the ECU had overwritten the start of the file since it was set to record wheel speeds at 1000hz. So I ran the config tool and set the logging back to 50Hz, and this then allows more headroom to record data in the ECU memory.
My first timed run was a test of the new launch control, with reduced torque in 1st and 2nd gear to protect the gearbox, and the car just sat down and accelerated. One of the start line marshals remarked that the car looked slow off the line, but my 64ft times said otherwise. My fastest time was 2.02s.
I improved on my 2nd timed run, and recorded a 56.05 on my third, but I was >2s off the pace of the first three simply because of a lack of mechanical grip from the older ultrasofts. I had one more go, T4, which saw me brake lighter for quarry, but this just sent the car off towards the outside of the corner, so I knew at that point I'd lost time. Sure enough it was another 57s run.
I consistently had the highest top speed of all cars across the finish line, until I was equalled on the third timed run by the winning Dallara. Given I was slower in to the chicanes than the top 3, I was pleased with that as it at least shows the car has the performance to win.
Lets put it another way. Had I spent £1100 on new tyres and I was 3s off the pace I'd be very unhappy. As it is, on the 2018 fronts, to be within a few seconds of the top 3 I think, was a good performance.
64ft Finish speed Finish
T1 2.20 109.6mph 57.05s
T2 2.02 110.1mph 56.12s
T3 2.09 110.1mph 56.05s
T4 2.12 108.0mph 57.00s
The rear wheel speed sensors are still not working correctly, so I'm going to swap the sensors out for some GT101's and see if that fixes the issue. No issues with the engine, or the chassis. I just didn't have the fresh rubber needed to give me the confidence to push in the bends. Thanks to Bristol Motor Club and the officials for an excellent event.
15Jul
ECU updates
I've switched Launch Control back on for CAL1, as it was still switched off from the dyno session in March. I've reduced the torque for 1st and 2nd gear, to help protect the gearbox during the launch phase. To reduce the torque, there is reduction of 400mbar boost pressure in 1st gear and 200mbar in 2nd gear, which I can tweak on the day if the car bogs down too much. I had to replace the 2nd gear during the gearbox service, so it makes sense to try and protect it rather than launch with 405ft.lb going through the gearbox!
The start RPM is still adjustable, and I'll be aiming for 3000rpm off the line. I've also set the helmet bleeper to indicate a change at 6600rpm in all gears seeing as there is no benefit from revving the engine higher since the gear ratios drop the RPM back in to the huge torque curve that I've got this year. I can still rev it higher, the red line is 7350rpm, but lowering gear shift points will also help keep the noise down, we know Castle Combe is very strict on noise. I've also replaced the aluminium flat bar that was supporting the front edge of the floor, with wire rope, which looks tidier, reduces weight, and reduces drag.
13Jul
Battery checks out OK
I started and ran the engine sucessfully using the relocated lithium battery, there were no issues. I then spent a while tightening the seatbelts. I've lost 2 stone in weight since January, and the belts needed shortening by around 2 inches! And now the battery isnt in the way, I can actually sit lower in the car, so it was important I adjusted everything. I signed on yesterday to the Dick Mayo Sprint. Due to Covid-19 there are no signing-on facilities at the venue, so to sign on on-line I had to provide various British Standard / FIA numbers off my crash helmet, my Simpson FHR, the vehicle passport number etc. So on Saturday there is very little for the scrutineers to do, but they will still be performing spot checks. One thing it didnt ask was any details of the race suit or gloves, so I suspect we'll all be visited on Saturday morning by the officials any way.10Jul
Replacement battery has arrived
The MUK approved lithium battery is now sat on the diffuser floor, next to the compressed air bottle for the gear shift system.
08Jul
Mk2 brackets printed
I've had three new rear speed sensor brackets (for the XS608B sensors) 3D printed (Thanks Andy Laurence). I've fitted them on the gearbox and the sensors are now much more rigid. I was adjusting the sensor gap on the offside, when I found a dead spot on the reluctance ring. There is a tiny difference in the height of the teeth around the ring. I should have had them machined when they were fly-pressed on to the outputs cups. So a few more minutes spent reducing the gap to the teeth and I think the sensor is now working properly, detecting all 44 teeth as I rotate the rear wheels. No wonder I was losing the frequency from the X10 and the rear speeds were failing.
08Jul
Additional sensors
I've fitted another pair of thermocouples to the EGT-CAN box. One is measuring the temperature of the fuel in the large 10l Gemzoe tank, and the other is attached to the entry to the intercooler. I've set the ECU to log both channels, and I'll have some useful data I hope after the Combe event. I've also relocated the starter battery from inside the car, to the rear of the intercooler side-pod. The battery is now on yellow Anderson connectors, so I can isolate it from the chassis electronics to prevent the parasitic load from the Cartek isolator from draining it between events.
05Jul
Dick Mayo update
I am car number 8 at the Dick Mayo sprint, seeded number 1, so no pressure then LOL. I've added a gurney to the near side barge board so it matches the gurney thats built-in on the opposite side. This should again help the board deflect more air.
04Jul
Barge boards refitted
The barge boards are now modified and fitted back on the car. I've ordered the battery posts and ring terminals to allow me to relocate the Lithium Battery to the intercooler side pod. The parts should be with me next week so I can crack on with that piece of work. The battery will be connected to the loom using a small Anderson connector to allow it to be rapidly removed.The professional pictures from Blyton are below.
03Jul
Bulkhead panels complete
Spent the afternoon cutting out a set of new firewall panels to fit both the sides of the drivers seat. These should isolate me from the temperature buildup that I was experiencing on Tuesday. At speed my right side felt like it was burning from the heat travelling forward from the turbo in to the cockpit, which was most distracting. I've also removed both the Dallara barge boards and I've cut out some carbon and stuck it in to the gaps on the ends of the boards, to force all of the air outboard of the floor, which should help seal it even more effectively.
I've got some more K Type thermocouples on order, so I can monitor the gearbox oil temp, fuel temp, and the air temp before it travels through the intercooler. I'll get these wired up and the ECU configured to read them in the next few days.
Two weeks to go to the Dick Mayo sprint, and I'm practically ready.
02Jul
Blyton testing
Testing went well at Blyton on Tuesday. I had a very high speed spin in the morning, at 106MPH losing the rear end around Port Froid, which was caused by too much toe-out with the larger front wheels fitted on the car. Later I adjusted the steering arms three times, taking a 1/2 turn off between each drive in the afternoon, to reduce toe-out and it definitely helped remove the dead spot from the steering. But I still wasnt comfortable with pushing the car near the limit, so for Castle Combe I've reset the ride height etc, so I can use the 2019 tyres. I think with more testing the larger tyres can be made to work, but I dont want to be making changes at Combe, and I at least have a starting point when I go back to the larger tyres. If I get to drive at Aintree in September, I'll probably try them again. I reached 2.5G in the corners, and on the spin I reached 2.8G so there is definitely more grip from the chassis this year. The floor and barge boards are all contributing. The Yaw angle sensor also worked, and I now have lots of data to pour through.
Mechanically the car was perfect. No issues with the gearbox, engine, or the temperatures. The steering wheel electronics worked perfectly, with no missed shifts, and the traction control (when it worked) worked brilliantly. The front and rear wheel speed sensors were throwing up errors which compounded the TC testing. The printed brackets that hold the rear sensors were allowing the sensors to move, which caused them to fail, so a new pair of brackets with additional support for the sensor are being printed. The front left sensor continued to fail, and this is a problem I've lived with for some time in 2019, so I've replaced it with a new one, and wired it in directly to the loom, having removed the rubber sureseal connectors which I loathe. I'll see if its solved the problem on the 18th July.
The front left sensor deteriorates to the point where it stops altogether. Front right is working 100%. The two rear sensors exhibit issues under acceleration/deceleration.
