Road Racing Thread

[sketchman]

I've never officially road raced or raced at all, but I had a buddy who autox regularly. He had a mid 90s BMW sedan 3 series. FAT tires on 5 series 17s and a 5 speed. It was technically, supposedly superior to my old sohc Neon sedan with very much bargain quality 185/70/14s and just struts and lowering springs. 5 speed too. Strait line, cornering, anything we did on our winding mountain roads, I blew his over-priced hyped up doors off.

I just try to imagine the performance of my old Neon times 5 or 10, and I firmly believe whatever Charlie claims. Plus he has videos.

[Advancedynamix]

There are several advantages that a festiva has over a rwd car like the Miata. The biggest advantage is weight. Not just lack of weight, but also where it is needed and where it is placed. A miata needs to be strong throughout it's chassis because it is using all four corners of the car to navigate the track. The Festiva only needs to be stiff in the front, anything behind the front axle line is just following the front of the car and any weight behind the front axle line is a handicap during acceleration and cornering. This is why the Festiva is a gem of a car. It's extremely light ( while also being plenty rigid) behind the front axle line.
On my car I have taken this weight distribution a step further. I have moved the weight centerline of the engine more than 2" further in front of the front axle line, and I've added weight to the very front of the car, while removing weight from the rear. This allows the festiva chassis to efficiently put down nearly 200hp with an open differential (even mid corner depending on the line taken).
I have reinforced the front of my car where it's the most crucial, and left the rest of the chassis alone to absorb track imperfections. With a miata, if you double or triple the factory output, then you'll also need to reinforce the entire chassis/driveline. This means more weight where it's not satisfactory, meaning less corner speed, more braking and harder acceleration. Meanwhile, the Festiva improves with the added reinforcement. More weight on the front of a Festiva helps it hook up and helps it to turn in. It's really a point and shoot car.
Another advantage that an ultra lightweight and short wheelbase FWD car has over a RWD car with neutral weight distribution is found in the breaking zone of the corner. I can trail brake while early apexing a curve and literally steal any line I want from there on out. This makes it very hard to block a Festiva, especially in a RWD or AWD car. The track is full of opportunity with a light FWD car, and there really isn't a fast line, just a lot of different combinations. Many of the very experienced drivers at the track can't get enough of watching this car do it's thing, lines that seem impossible at such speeds are effortless. I even turn under many fast RWD street cars with my 2 inside wheels in the dirt and the other two in the "badlands" of the track where all the rubber goblins and debris live. With hardly any pendulum effect trying to spin the car around, corner entry speed is drastically higher than an evenly biased car. This is a huge advantage. I'll try to put together a video that shows what I'm talking about. This car turns horrible drivers like me into pros. Lol.

[BUSTIVA]

^Exactly what I try to explain to my friends and they don't get it.

[Advancedynamix]

People have been kinda trained to think one way about performance cars and driving styles ( especially here in the U.S.). FWD performance is often considered a joke, but there are plenty of FWD cars that have made an impact on the motorsports world. Chris Duplessis can take a non turbo Ford fiesta and drive it faster in the dirt than most people can drive a turbo awd car, and there are plenty of results to prove that. His fiesta has about the same power as my festiva, but it's carrying an extra 1000 lbs. If I could drive like Chris then this car would really come to life, but I do what I can. Lol.

[Dragonhealer]

Charlie, I'm sorry your veracity is in doubt, let's see a show of hands of Miata drivers who can lap Firebird Main in under 1'11"30.
Guys and Galls, I've run the stopwatch, he runs 1'12 's and 1'13 's IN TRAFFIC

[Ford Fester]

I've been in Charlie's Festiva when he passes and laps miatas. Also when he passes porches and corvettes. They can top out faster than him but it only take a corner or two for him to catch right back up. Just because the miata is a stiff chassis doesn't mean it's a better car for racing. Flex in the right spots helps control cornering speeds and that's what Charlie is tweaking!

[festyfreak39]

Just to clarify i never doubted charlies claim's or his driving or his logic, its completely sound. I just wanted to ask what kind of times/and what tracks he raced at so i could compare them with friends of mine who race in the states who i know have well prepped miata's, civics etc.

I know the festiva is awesome, and im a huge fan of them. Ive taken down many fast cars with mine that shouldn't have come close.

But after racing my miata for 4 years, and now racing and building my turbo one, It's hard to reconsider that its inferior to my festiva.

[Flyin4stroke]

Its almost like a game trying to loose traction in a front wheel drive car.. Its not funny when you start loosing traction in a rear wheel drive, unless you are trying to drift.. Basically you can push it until it pushes, its alot easier to drive faster maybe. Not that miatas aren't fast autocross and track cars..

[BUSTIVA]

My setup is very tail happy, but that's what I wanted. So much fun to throw around.

[Advancedynamix]

My setup is very tail happy, but that's what I wanted. So much fun to throw around.

Also, because the car is so short, it's super easy to control the slide. I swear that if I had an extended hydraulic e-brake I'd probably be in prison. Lol. So flickable!

[festyfreak39]

I used to be pro fwd, thats all i ever knew/wanted to know and i thought rwd was a waste of time, the miata changed my opinion of that.

Honestly, the day festiva roasts my miata, ill be ultra pissed. But there will be a grin on my face. hah. the whole weight infront of the front wheels thing didnt make sense at first, but the more i think about it, it does.

My main competition in my miata right now is a realtime-racing acura TSX, fully bulit, raced, and tuned by realtime racing. Some local guys bought it and pilot it. I know its a different car then the festiva but i usually just wait for the front tires to fall off, then outbrake and pass on the inside or wait till he understeers into the grass.

[festyfreak39]

This is my turbo miata road racer sorry for the ugly pics, I worked so hard to get it into race ready order, and then finally got it running right and forgot about documenting my build. haha Im only putting 7psi through it right now:





And a short video, excuse the horrendous driving, that was the first ever race i got it to run more then 1 lap HAH! The camera car is a friend of mine, its a greddy turbo miata. I pass him around 4:05. I later get the subaru, and the m3. The car still has bugs but ill get them sorted. Mainly lack of brakes and suspension. Im getting proper coilovers and bolting alcon calipers to her next year. Than maybe paint. Its so ugly and rusty i like it that way, it really upsets people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeckxPLNPo0

[sasquatch]

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Hydraulic-Vertical-Handbrake-with-locking-device-FREE-MASTER-CYLINDER-0-75-/350601610129?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item51a17c0391&vxp=mtr

charlie, you know you wanna....

[Advancedynamix]

Nice Miata!

Here is a funny video. Go to 6:50 and you'll see proof that I chased down a Porsche 911 Cabriolet with a bone stock carbureted Festiva. The only mod to this car is the o.z. wheels and 165/45/15 tires. It even has worn out shift bushings and 2 blown cv boots! If it weren't for that 1/2 mile straight I would have stayed in front of the M3 too! Lol.

[Advancedynamix]

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Hydraulic-Ver...7c0391&vxp=mtr

charlie, you know you wanna....

You know I do!