The good and bad of R comps at the track

critical

yeah idk why anyone here wants to run centerlocks?

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wstar

Single-nut hubs and airjacks start sounding appealing when you're trying to swap 4 wheels in the paddock and it's 95 outside and you're soaked in sweat and exhausted from a hard session But, yeah, not worth the cost and customization for the single-nut, and not worth the cost or weight for the airjack system for DEs.

This thread has really made me review my tools and methods for changing wheels at the track, though. Lots of little things, like:

1) Using my low-profile jack sucks. It's actually pretty huge, and heavy, and it lifts slow. It's one of the normal ones you find at parts stores, and I have to first reach under and fit a little adapter onto the pinch weld. I should look at spending on a proper racing jack, and maybe welding some little flat plates under the car along that pinch-weld area and marking them with arrows on the rocker panel so I can just shove the jack under and pump 3 times and be done.

2) I'm going to start using a cordless impact to reinstall lugs, too. I picked up a 65 ft-lb torque extension stick ( this: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sps-75520 ) just to keep me from being stupid while fatigued and ease my transition from being anal about these things, and then I'll finish with a quick hit with the real torque wrench for final tightening.

3) I've been using those little tuner-style open-ended nuts with the silly socket adapters which slows me down too, so I'm going to switch over to plain-jane bulge-cone-seat open nuts with 17mm hex on the end of them (this: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/gor-30027 ). I think I can fit a regular 17mm deep socket into the holes in my Forgestars.

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cdoxp800

I have been looking at the Fortune Auto 510's with custom spring rates of 14k/11k.
How do you like the Fortune's?
My current set up is Swift R 10/10 an Nismo shocks.

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ENT-Z

Is there anyway you could drive to the track with R6s on (assuming dry sunny weather of course)? My nearest track is about 15 miles away. They are technically DOT legal, correct?

Fizzer

I've seen people make longer trips than that on DOT slicks, but it may or may not be a great idea depending on your route, situation, and risk tolerance.

As you said, dry warm weather is of course a must. Also keep in mind though that Hoosiers are much less robust than street tires. Debris that a street tire would shrug off could cause a puncture on an R6. They're made that way on purpose to be as light as possible.

Other things to consider: need to run higher cold pressure than you would at the track. You'll pick up and spit out all kinds of dirt and rocks that street tires wouldn't. Lower traction on any kind of dirt / gravel patches.

Baisically, if you're super careful and the roads are in good condition with no threat of rain, you should be ok.

Here's Hoosier's take on it (cover their butts for liability): NOT FOR HIGHWAY USE: All Hoosier Racing Tires including DOT labeled Hoosier Racing Tires are designed for racing purposes only on specified racing surfaces and are not to be operated on public roadways. DOT labeled Hoosier Racing Tires meet Department Of Transportation requirements for marking and performance only and are NOT INTENDED FOR HIGHWAY USE. It is unsafe to operate any Hoosier Racing Tire including DOT tires on public roads. The prohibited use of Hoosier Racing Tires on public roadways may result in loss of traction, unexpected loss of vehicle control, or sudden loss of tire pressure, resulting in a vehicle crash and SERIOUS PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH. Exception-"PRO STREET"

Also read this: http://www.tirerack.com/images/pdf/warranty/HOOSIER.pdf

wstar

Anyways, this is the other half of the ez-mode solution: https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pr...asp?RecID=6208 . There are other vendors and options you could go with, but I'm sure the basic tradeoffs don't vary a ton:

Cons:
$3K down the drain
Adds 22.5 lbs to the car (mostly way down low)
Have to add a high pressure air tank to your track gear

Pros:
Connect hose, flip valve, car pops up off the ground enough to change all four wheels.

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osbornsm

Don't forget, more traction means more strain put thru the suspension too.

Look for increased wear on wheel bearings, susp bushings, and the like.

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sig11

How does it take you that long to change tires? I can swap wheels in 15 minutes or less with a decent floor jack and an electric impact.

cossie1600

I am slow, it takes me an hour. I hate the stupid aftermarket lug nuts.

This is a chart, roughly showing how much more grip the A6 has. I dont know if it is the gearing, but the car seems to be slightly slower down the straight with the slicks. It could be temp too

wstar

Could be that when you're headed down a straight at high speed (and thus don't really need any real grip for accel in any direction), the extra surface area and grip is just more "rolling resistance" of a sort.

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Shamu

The hub noses Brian made for my car are awesome. Then we used longer studs. Makes changing wheels very easy. Good electric impact wrench and wheels go on and off very quickly.

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Grant

Rusty

I'm jealous.

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BGTV8

Agreed, you only need air-jacks and single-nut fixings if you are into enduro's at a professional level OR you want the bling.

I have used lug-nuts and a quick-lift hydraulic jack (6 pumps to lift 450mm) for 40 years in state and national-level competition without any issues. In the old days, we used to carry a bottle of compressed air and use a rattle-gun, but the 18V electric rattle guns are brilliant these days.

The only time it takes more than 10-15 minutes to change wheels is if I need to change pads at the same time, and that is now extremely rare.

Shamu

Yep nice race jack and high quality electric impact wrench. Two pumps car is up and bam bam bam bam bam bam wheel is off. Did it for couple years before my trailer. I could change tires by myself in less than 10 minutes.

And I will comment that one is under driving a6 if mistakes are being covered up. They are quite forgiving under limit. Things get more interesting at limit and mistakes take on a new meaning as your moving much faster. Streets just allow you to recover from mistakes a little easier ...A6 not so much

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Grant

wstar

Those hubs do look pretty sweet!

Do you guys impact your lugs back on as well? I spend way more time putting wheels on than taking them off, and I suspect that's because I'm pointlessly wasting time on things that don't matter as much as I think they do. I sit there and hand-turn the lugs down to initial snug and ensure the wheel is flat and the cone seats are centered first. Then I do a star-pattern with a regular wrench and ballpark them to ~40-50 by hand, then go back over it again with a handheld torque wrench to 85.

Then again I've seen trackside shops toss a wheel on a car and use an electric impact. They put all 5 on straight to final torque one by one and they're done, and I guess they assume everything will seat itself given sufficient torque. I can hear clicks like an automatic torque limiter, but I don't know if that's in the gun or in some socket-adapter? When I try googling, I never turn up much except those solid torque-limiting extension sticks, which I'm guessing just flex when they reach their limit.

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