Tag Archives: Evasive

Global Time Attack’s Super Lap Battle 2016

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This week is the Super Lap Battle Time Attack event at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, hosted by Global Time Attack.

Damn, that’s a mouthful to say…

Anyhow, we’ve continued to attend the event for the past 6 consecutive years now. Our main purpose is to check out how the event goes, see how it has grown, and also to assist any teams/drivers that are using TEIN suspension.

For the most part, most teams/drivers are pretty experienced with their setup. So it’s not like we’re trying to rearrange everything they’ve setup and working for them. We just want to see how we can extract a bit more performance with a little bit of tuning. We bring one of our in-house engineers to speak with the driver and get feedback on how the car feels. From that, we are able to make an assessment on whether any changes to the suspension should be made, or if some other aspect should be altered. Funny enough, tire pressures tend to be overlooked.

The past few years has really just left us looking like spectators, however. Again, most of the teams have their race cars sorted out. So there isn’t much for us to do except check out the progress of each session.

For this year, we really only know of two teams on TEIN-equipped cars competing. Evasive Motorsports is bringing their R35 GT-R to run in the Unlimited AWD class, and Sport Car Motion (SCM) has their DC2 Type R Integra in the Limited FWD class. Both teams using our Super Racing damper kits.

scm-itr

The SCM Type R has proven to be plenty fast, mainly because they know how to extract the most out of their Rotrex-charged K24 engine setup. [Not] oddly enough, their Super Racing dampers are completely off-the-shelf. No changes in valving, and spring rates are per our recommendation. We did a refresh on the dampers last year, but unfortunately the car couldn’t make the event. Considering this specific Super Racing kit was on the team’s previous EG Civic race car, and that it has just over 6 years of use, the dampers were due for a rebuild anyway. We look forward to seeing the Type R run again this week!

 

evs-gtr

Evasive Motorsports has only taken their GT-R, in its current iteration, to a couple of track days. Back when the car had the very basics (our Super Racing dampers, racing brake pads, upgraded wheels & tires), they were using our recommended setup. Now, with a slightly wider body and more aero additions, we’ve uprated their springs. Other than that, the Super Racing dampers have our 3-way units installed, but valving has been kept as out-of-the-box. Wheels are a bit larger now, and they’re using a much more sticky tire. On its maiden voyage in this setup at Buttonwillow, the car did something in the neighborhood of a 1:47.00 lap time. No time spent trying to fine tune anything, and that’s what they run……… Damn. We weren’t expecting something that quick for what is essentially a still very street-bound car with full interior, full amenities. While we would love to attribute this shockingly fast time to our dampers, the fact is that Evasive Motorsports aren’t any slouches when it comes to building a proper car for the track. We’ll see what else the team does to knock down a couple more seconds from the timer.

Other than those two cars, which would keep our engineer busy enough, we’ve yet to hear of anyone else that may need our assistance. But, as I mentioned, they probably don’t need our help……

 

……….. You know what,,,,, this is just starting to sound like an excuse for us to just go and watch some racing! Don’t tell my boss…

 

 

New Video of Evasive Motorsports’ Nissan GT-R!

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We never really get bored of the project vehicles that Evasive Motorsports works on every year, even if it’s a project we’re not directly involved with. GT Channel, in collaboration with Nitto Tire, put out a new video showcasing Evasive Motorsports’ Nissan GT-R, the very same car that was displayed at our SEMA booth last year.

Progress on this car is relatively slow. However, as you can see in everything Evasive Motorsports creates, these are all well-thought modifications. Rather than jumble a bunch of parts to create a race car, the team at Evasive tests each and every component in a long-winded effort to extract the absolute highest performance they can. It’s a balancing act, and an act they know very well.

For several years now we’ve been very fortunate to not only have Evasive Motorsports as one of our customers, but also as one of our largest promoters for our products. That’s not to say that they are necessarily brand exclusive. They also do builds using suspension components from various manufacturers. We were glad that they approached us when it came to their project GT-R.

There is already a plethora of suspension components available for the GT-R, none of them really being all that cheap. And if we’re being honest, neither are our coilover kits. The GT-R, from the factory, already comes with a great suspension setup. It takes time to R&D a kit that can really improve the vehicle’s performance. To date, we’ve released our MONO SPORT coilovers and our SUPER RACING coilovers. Evasive Motorsports chose the latter, opting for the SUPER RACING dampers’ separate compression & rebound adjustment, as well as aluminum bodied dampers. Available as an option through our Overhaul & Revalve service is our 3-way unit, giving our SUPER RACING Dampers both low and high-speed tuning abilities for compression.

We’re working closely with Evasive Motorsports as they dial in their suspension for the GT-R. Again, it’s a process, and any major changes to the vehicle, whether additional power, or additional aerodynamics, or even more grip, directly affects how the suspension reacts. We want to make sure they get the most out of our suspension. Also, they’re perfecting their suspension setup using our EDFC ACTIVE PRO system! That certainly makes for a very adaptive suspension package!

Anyway, we’ve delayed you long enough getting you to the video. Check it out below!

 

Super Lap Battle Finals 2010

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So SLB 2010 is over. TEIN engineer, R&D assistant and myself spent 2 days at Buttonwillow Raceway helping our sponsored vehicles. This year there was a smaller field but I think the level of competition and caliber of car was high.

Now on to the cars that we sponsor.

EVASIVE MOTORSPORTS

EVO 9 – Limited AWD
Driven by Mike C. co-owner of Evasive. Mike and the Evasive crew chased down minor gremlins throughout the event and never really got a chance to set a clean hot lap. Super Racing coilover with special 3-way rears. Best Time 1:51

Civic Si – Street FF
Also driven by Mike C. Testing out his newly modded engine and some aggressive suspension settings on his customized Mono FLEX dampers. Look for this next year after Evasive gets more testing done. We think it is capable of sub 2 min. lap times in the Street class. This year Best Lap 2:02

S2000 – Street FR (Evasive Sponsored)
Owned and driven by Tim Kuo. Very quick lap times considering the amount of modifications (almost stock NA motor) and no crazy body mods. Super Racing suspension and specifically chosen menu of mods. Best Time 2:02

CR-Z – Hybrid Class (Honda Tuning Magazine)
Also driven by Tim K. Very light mods since the car is so new to the US. Running our US spec. Mono FLEX coilovers and Falken 615K. Best Time 2:18.

Crawford Performance


2011 Scion tC – Limited FF
Driven by new up and comer, Michelle A. Quirt put this car together in just 2 weeks. Right now the car sports only a few light modifications. Running our proto-type Super Street coilovers. Best Time 2:14.

DC Sports


S2000 – Street FR
Owned by Mr. Will Law and driven by Tarzan. This project vehicle (see the build in Import Tuner magazine) needs more testing. This was the first time the car has seen the track since being modded. Modified Mono FLEX coilovers which Tarzan praised for making the car easy to control. Ran 2:02 – 2:03 in practice but had some gremlins come race day.

GMR Racing


S2000 – Unlimited FR (bumped from Limited due to mods)
Driven by Casey Dennis. GMR just recently installed the Super Racing coilovers. I am sure this car will go faster as they get it dialed in. Best Time 1:58

Have to mention that Sierra Sierra Enterprises broke the all time record with a 1:41.046. Watching the EVO carry speed and accelerate out of each corner was amazing.

Tim’s S2000 photo from Speedhunters.com

Carbing Special Order Goods

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Since the recent inquiry craze from Evasive Motorsports Blog about the special ordered Carbing Shift Knobs (link can be found here), we would like to introduce you to a few other items Carbing offers that can can be special ordered.

Okuyama T-Shirt

Color Navy, Available in Medium and Large

Part Numbers

CA 380 100 0 (Medium)

CA 380 100 1 (Large)

MSRP $33.00

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Okuyama Trainer

Color Navy, Available in Medium and Large

Part Numbers

CA 380 200 0 (Medium)

CA 380 200 1 (Large)

MSRP $55.00

If you are interested in ordering these rare goods, please contact your local dealer by visiting the following link: Dealer List.

Super Lap Battle Video w/ Janelle Ha

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Mr. Super Lap Battle just sent me this video from SLB – Las Vegas. This was an exhibition type event which was invitation only. The event featured a few of the top contenders in various classes plus new comer Zenkai Motorsports. TEIN was well represented as Crawford, Evasive, SportCar Motion and Zenkai are all using TEIN coilovers.

Check out the video which features Janelle Ha.

Made Specifically for TEIN USA

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TEIN products are developed, tested and produced exclusively for the region in which they are sold. Not every region has different specifications but North America does.

Not every model (BASIC, SS, Super Drift, Super Racing, etc…) has a region specific setup. Product models like Comfort Sport or Super Racing serve niche markets and are therefore universal for the world. A competition car using semi-slicks is similar in the US and in Japan., therefore the same product is sold.

Both Cyber EVO and Evasive use Super Racing coilovers.

HOWEVER, models such as BASIC, SS, SS-P, FLEX and Mono FLEX which are more for street use are made specifically for TEIN USA (North America). Meaning a Mono Flex coilover for a 2008+ Subaru STI sold in the US is different than the kit sold in Japan. Features, materials, basic design, assembly, etc… are all the same but mainly spring rate, valving, and ride height range are different.

TEIN USA Kit:  GSS84-FUSS1

Spring Rates Ft: 10kg, Rr: 8kg

Recommended Ride Height Ft: -1.4″, Rr: -1.2″

TEIN Japan Kit:GSS78-F1SS1

Spring Rates Ft: 7kg, Rr: 5kg

Recommended Ride Height Ft: -0.8″, Rr: -0.6″

The specific differences may include spring rate/length, damping force, piston stroke, shell case length and brackets for brake lines, ABS, etc… Products are setup differently because the cars are NOT the same and more importantly the customers are not the same. Admittedly US consumers follow most trends from Japan especially when it comes to performance. However in Japan, the majority of consumers want more compliant suspension systems (softer setups) and do not want the car to be too low. Additional, vehicle ride height laws differ from country to country and in the US state to state.

You can see the difference in ride height between the US Civic Si with JDM body work and real JDM Civic Type R.

In general, TEIN USA setup products with stiffer spring rates and more drop in comparison to TEIN Japan. This is true for both coilovers and lowering springs. For TEIN USA our coilovers setup has changed over the years to keep in tune with the ever changing consumer demand. Our more recent kits have become a little softer than the products which were developed 6-7 years ago but that information is for another blog entry.

On a side note – if any US or Canadian customer wants a TEIN Japan spec. kit we can special order those upon request.

Track Shakedown with Evasive Motorsports

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TEIN Engineer, R. Takizawa and I went to ButtonWillow raceway last Thursday, March 18th to test with the Evasive Motorsports CT9A. The EVO 9 will be running in this weekend’s Redline Time Attack at Buttonwillow Raceway in  Buttonwillow, CA. Normally the Evasive EVO runs in the Limited or Modified class which is on  R-Compound tires but for this event they will enter the Super-Modified Class wearing Yokohama slicks.

Mike of Evasive told us of his plans a few months ago so we revalved the dampers and suggested stiffer spring rates to match the grip of the slicks. Without having data on the tires our suggested spring rates and new valving were all calculated guesses. The actual track testing and driver feedback would let us know if the suspension needed minor or major adjustments (minor = damping force adjustments, major = revalving).

Pictured – Mike getting ready to go out for session 1.

In the first lap of the first session we witnessed Mike start a 25MPH parade lap and immediately knew something was wrong after the first few corners. Mike was getting a bad vibration  over 25MPH on acceleration.

His support team comprised of Kel, Brad and Hugh quickly went to work to diagnose and fix the problem. The culprit was worn axle tripod housings. Without having spares axles the crew went to work on a fix and the car was vibration free a couple hours later. R. Takizawa did a quick alignment adjustment and the car was back on track.

Pictured – R. Takizawa adjusting front toe while Brad and Kel take a much needed break after a scramble to get rid of the vibration.

After Mike got a feel for the car and a few semi-open laps we were able to gather some suspension feedback. At first there was slight understeer at corner exit so a front damping force adjustment was made. The change worked a little too well and resulted in a slight oversteer. So TEIN Engineer R. Takizawa made another slight change in damping force. Overall the stiffer spring rates, damper revalving and small adjustments resulted in a car that was predictable and easy to control. More suspension tuning is definitely needed but at this point the car is ready to compete for the first time in the 2010 season. During the next testing phase we may try stiffer sway bar or slightly stiffer springs, alignment changes, and of course more damping force adjustments.

Pictured – In the hot pits. Mike driving, R. Takizawa making damping force changes, Brad checking tire pressures, Kel taking tire temps. and Hugh recording data.

A look at the Voltex front aero which keeps this EVO planted.

We wish Evasive Motorsports the best of luck at the Redline Time Attack.