PAdutch's misadventures in Miataland

[PAdutch]

Originally Posted by DocWalt

If the car reliably starts and idles that's a huge first step. VE smoothing helps a lot with idle. Try to make the cells in the idle area result in the exact same injector pulse width. Also, bump up ignition timing a bit below idle RPM or use the idle ignition advance feature to smooth it out. In my experience ignition timing doesn't help stabilize idle well when cold but when hot my idle valve's position barely moves and everything is corrected using the idle ignition advance.

Are you controlling an idle valve with the MS ECU?

Accel enrichment shouldn't be affected too much by the VE table once you get the VE table dialed in.

FYI the auto-tune stuff is great for getting the VE table pretty close, but it manages to screw up my idle royally every time so once you get the idle tuned lock those cells! Same for WOT, it gets it close but once you fine tune by hand lock the cells. It's really good at cruise and normal driving around stuff but some fine tuning may be needed.

Don't worry about EAE if you don't know what it is. It's Enhanced Acceleration Enrichment and factors in wall wetting and fuel puddling and blah blah blah.

Thanks for all of the advice.

I am using the stock Idle valve controlled by the MS. At this point my idle is pretty okay, especially when warm. My biggest headache right now is cold start. It doesn't always fire right up and when it does fire will struggle to find idle rpm. It will idle slow and want to stall. I messed with cranking pulses a little but it doesn't seem to change much. I also changed ASE a bit but it also didn't seem to change the problem much. I am little paranoid about flooding. I'll have to check pulse widths at startup. I have my idle timing around 18 right now.

I have already locked out idle from autotune. I will do the same when I feel good about the WOT VE, right now they are still not very close. Its just a matter of time until I get that stuff right.

EAE does sound like the way to go and doesn't sound overly complicated to tune. I may switch over and see if the stock setting are close.

Another element I have been ignoring is VVT. I hope to at least start using that as well. I have had it turned off just to get thins close.

I have decided to forgo any racing this weekend and focus on getting the car as close to 100% as possible. No reason to rush an unfinished car. I will probably be doing the NNJR TNT next weekend. Sounds like exactly what I need.

To Do list:

TUNE!!!
Suspension set-up
- Finish FUCA bushings
- Alignment
- Wheel/tire clearence
Get tires on at least 2 of the 15x12s
Rework splitter from last years damage
Make radio hole cover to mount gauges
Cover passenger seat in a CSP legal way
Install the various things that are missing and technically not CSP Legal
- Rear Bumper
- Undertray
- Driver window motor

[PAdutch]

Spent all morning tuning this thing. I have it pretty well sorted out except for one strange problem. I can apply throttle normally up to about 90% throttle and then it cuts fuel on me. I have no idea why this is. It doesn't just go lean, there is no pulse width. The other weird part about it is the MAP sensor measures basically full vaccum at this level. maybe I should change my vaccum port location.

[PAdutch]

Originally Posted by PAdutch

Spent all morning tuning this thing. I have it pretty well sorted out except for one strange problem. I can apply throttle normally up to about 90% throttle and then it cuts fuel on me. I have no idea why this is. It doesn't just go lean, there is no pulse width. The other weird part about it is the MAP sensor measures basically full vaccum at this level. maybe I should change my vaccum port location.

Turns out this was me being dumb. I had the rev limit set to allow it to ignore the coolant temp rev limit and just use a preset setting if I was over 90% throttle. Well the over 90% rev limit was set to 0 rpm. That's why it was cutting out at 90% throttle.

That was the last thing before I felt comfortable racing. I have signed up for NNJRs TNT this weekend. Hopefully nothing breaks.

[PAdutch]

Originally Posted by PAdutch

To Do list:

TUNE!!!
Suspension set-up
- Finish FUCA bushings
- Alignment
- Wheel/tire clearence
Get tires on at least 2 of the 15x12s
Rework splitter from last years damage
Make radio hole cover to mount gauges
Cover passenger seat in a CSP legal way
Install the various things that are missing and technically not CSP Legal
- Rear Bumper
- Undertray
- Driver window motor

Bolded the thing I actually completed haha.

[DocWalt]

Get to work!

FYI the NNJR TnT hit the waitlist limit last night but I saw at least one or two people say they couldn't make on facebook. I was going to sign up but I figure I'll just save the cash and try things down the road. Means I can sleep in too, lol

[PAdutch]

Originally Posted by DocWalt

Get to work!

FYI the NNJR TnT hit the waitlist limit last night but I saw at least one or two people say they couldn't make on facebook. I was going to sign up but I figure I'll just save the cash and try things down the road. Means I can sleep in too, lol

I must have just made it then. I signed up 5 minutes after I had a good WOT pull haha. Me and my codriver are both in. At least he wont be going to pittsburg with zero experience.

[PAdutch]

I got the 275 tires mounted on two of the 15x12 and did some test fitting on the fronts to add some clearance. 295s will be very close, im guessing they will need steering limiters.

Stretched tires are still the cool thing to do right?

[15psi88]

Love me some tire!

[PAdutch]

I to like wide tires

Originally Posted by PAdutch

Thanks for all of the advice.
To Do list:

TUNE!!!
Suspension set-up
- Finish FUCA bushings
- Alignment
- Wheel/tire clearence
Get tires on at least 2 of the 15x12s
Rework splitter from last years damage
Make radio hole cover to mount gauges
Cover passenger seat in a CSP legal way
Install the various things that are missing and technically not CSP Legal
- Rear Bumper
- Undertray
- Driver window motor

Other things were accomplished last night.

[PAdutch]

Originally Posted by PAdutch

Thanks for all of the advice.

To Do list:

TUNE!!!
Suspension set-up
- Finish FUCA bushings
- Alignment
- Wheel/tire clearence
Get tires on at least 2 of the 15x12s
Rework splitter from last years damage
Make radio hole cover to mount gauges
Cover passenger seat in a CSP legal way
Install the various things that are missing and technically not CSP Legal
- Rear Bumper
- Undertray
- Driver window motor

Last night a friend brought over his alignment tools, Tenhulzen Two-Wheel Alignment Systems 3300. First time we've ever used anything like it but they actually work pretty well. This would be the first I get to check my custom bushing to see where castor/camber ended up.

Results:
Toe = zero
Camber:
FD = 4.4 FP = 4.4
RD = 3.9 RP = 3.9
Caster
FD = 7 FP = 8

I didn't bother trying to chase caster measurements. The way the plates work I believe 1deg is in the noise.

I am happy with those numbers, I wouldn't mind a little less caster. Good thing is I can change that but requires reworking my bushing in the FUCA. When I do rework them it will move the wheel further forward, increasing tire clearance in the rear of the wheel well.

For now this is good enough.

[DocWalt]

So much camber, damn!

[PAdutch]

Radio cover

[PAdutch]

Went to the NNJR test N tune saturday and I am glad I did. Went with my codriver for pittsburg match tour this weekend and we learned a ton. We each ran like 11 times.

Early morning was cold with wind and we could not get/keep any heat in the rear. Any heat that was there was only on the inside edge. THe rear was also very loose, so we decide to change alignment. We ended up with ~1,5 deg camber and 1/16 of toe in. Seemed to even tire temp out and calm down the rear.

Toe
F =zero
Rear = 1/16 in
Camber:
FD = 4.4 FP = 4.4
RD = 1.5 RP = 1.5
Caster
FD = 7 FP = 8

Once the car was settled we got faster but were still slow compared to other class cars. Some STR guys were running 39.xxx. Best we ran was a low 40 but kept getting quicker all day long. We were just not driving very well. It definitely takes a while to get used to the amount of speed you can carry.

Good news was the car was 100% reliable. Its not perfectly tuned but good enough to race. For next weekend I will be making tire warmers and probably reducing camber in the front like in the rear. I don't expect to finish high in the ranks but that is not a priority right now.

[blue91lx]

That thing looks mean on those 6ULs. I still have a 15x8 set from my iX lying around in PA.

[mckpat03]

Agreed. Looks mean as hell!

[PAdutch]

Thanks. Tires are only going to get wider!

[15psi88]

Mmmmhumm, yeah boyyy.

[mckpat03]

Originally Posted by PAdutch

Thanks. Tires are only going to get wider!

Sick!

[DocWalt]

Good luck in Pittsburgh! I'll be watching sololive

[PAdutch]

Originally Posted by DocWalt

Good luck in Pittsburgh! I'll be watching sololive

Before Pittsburgh the wife and I made some tire insulators:




My first national autocross went about as poorly as you could expect.

We left friday morning on time to make TNT and have plenty of time. 45 minutes into the drive I realize I forgot my helmet. So we turned around and added 1.5hrs onto the 5hr drive. The tow went fine. Got there with 15 minutes to sign up for TNT yet but managed to get a few runs in. Hetic but things seem okay (got stickered up).

Saturday morning:

Whether is freezing and damp and I am debating switching to the wifes miata's street tires. It clears up so we stick to the hoosiers. My codriver makes a successful first run and the car seems okay. I am nearly ready to make my first run and the car just shuts off. After some manic diagnosis, my nearly new cam postion sensor has crapped out (I have two in my garage but forgot to bring them). Luckily an advanced auto 30 minutes away has one, my gracious wife runs and gets it. Meanwhile I get no morning runs, so I am out of the competition. My co-drivers first, and only, run was good enough for first place .

Saturday afternoon:

Plug the CPS in, car starts right up . Co driver makes a run, is 4 seconds faster than the morning . Car seems good, I get to take a shot at my first run. I spin in the second corner, no biggy, finish my lap, go back to grid. As Im pulling in someone yells "your smoking!". I look under the car and it is pouring oil out... I shut it off immediately. Turns out my oil plug fell out (not sure how that is possible) half way through my run and oiled down the whole course. It takes a long time to clean up and they take a run from everyone in order to complete the competition before its dark.

Meanwhile, I plug my oil plug back in dump in the oil I had with. The car starts and runs like normal, no bad sounds. I contemplate running again but given the circumstances cant with good moral conscious. Later the chief came over and said we could not run on sunday because there was no way of knowing whether the engine has internal damage and is about to pop a rod through the block and spew oil everywhere again. Understandable. During all this it is freezing and getting colder, my wife is stuck in the car because its so cold, we are hated because we stole a run from everyone, and I just want to crawl into a hole .

The odd part to all this is my codrivers 2 runs were fast enough to win the class. SO given all the crap that went down, he still is a winner at a nation event and the car showed its potential to be fast.

Sunday:
Woke up, drove home.



TL:DR
Friday: Forgot helmet, making the schedule crazy
Saturday Morning: CPS takes a crap, codriver gets one run but is fastest in class.
Saturday Afternoon: Codriver and I get one run. Oil plug comes out on my run and oils course. We are done racing but codrivers 2 times are fast enough to win.