Are you still running parts of the OEM harness? Sounds like its time for a full milspec rewire.

 

Yeah both OEM harnesses from the K and the miata are in the car. I wish it was as simple as just buying a full milspec harness/rewire. The problem is who is doing the wiring(me) and not really the wiring itself. Thus far the only wiring I've had go bad is some soldered wires to the TPS sensor. The wire that came out was just me over-looking it's connection when I put the relay back in.

 

Went to Road Atlanta last weekend and snagged the win both days in TT5. Saturday our morning session got black-flagged, so no quick laps. It was haaawwwwtt this event, not the hottest but still ~100* track temps in the afternoon. You can see my IATs spike near 150* and they were over 150* Saturday afternoon

Yeet!



Sunday morning I managed some 1:38s and 1:39s with mistakes on them. Ended up with a 1:38.716, which is 2/10ths from the TT5 record set back in March(cooler). I was asleep coming into T10, which probably lost some time, at the start of this lap since it was a cool-down lap in the middle of the session. NASA-SE swapped from 5 15min sessions on Saturday(warmup+4 normal) to 4 20min sessions. So this allows for better traffic management, do a cool-down after lap 3-4 and get another flyer in.


Went out in the 1:25 session, was more aggressive in T1 and managed a 1:38.9ish in that heat! My optimal for that day was 1:38.0, so I know the car has some low 37s in TT5 trim!


The competition was running RRs. I think they might move to R7s soon . I didn't get the chance to talk to them much either and I always prefer to, I think it adds more to the event when you know the people you're running against.



I also got a proper ballast system in the car. I picked up a ESR SM setup, got one plate, then had a buddy of mine plasma cut 1/2" steel plates to get my entire 250lbs of ballast.


I think the scales at Road Atlanta were running a tad heavy. During impound on Saturday I came in with my full ballast, that was supposed to put me at ~2585lbs with the gas I had. However, I read 2630lbs! So I ditched the top small plate(15lbs) and 1 big plate(31lbs) and then added some fuel. The next session and I could tell I dropped that ~50lbs in the car, particularly with transitions.


Overall a great weekend. I HAVE to get my intake box situated to drop my IATs. The delta between my morning session vmax and afternoon session vmax was around 4mph, mostly due to power loss from high IAT as the exit speeds were within 0.5mph.

I also need to get a working fan onto the radiator, my OEM one isn't working. Maybe I could just add a switch to toggle the OEM fan, either way I was getting 215* in impound and that's no fun.

I'd also like to get this TT5 tuned out so I can move my limiter back up to 8k+, it could come in handy not having to shift sometimes. Especially the case if I ever do ST5.


Also, 3.75" pinch weld on driver's front is toooo low for Road Atlanta! I had this corner really low to get the corner balance closer for NCM. Should have changed it for RA, ah well.





Next event for me will be GLTC at Mid Ohio, the first weekend of August!

 

congrats man, solid runs!

 

Rippin!

 

I need to come to SE, I wish we had that number of entries in both TT5 and TT6 in Mid-Atlantic. Looks like a good time though! Should definitely be able to improve in cooler weather.

 

Did another GLTC race this time at Mid Ohio and it was a blast! Since I've had a few events with the car I've gotten more use to it and more confident with it. My pace was much better this race vs NCM, with an 11th place finish and a few battles 9-11 of the ~40 cars there. This was my second time at Mid Ohio and I actually only had about a dozen laps there in TTE trim. So I had quite a bit of learning to do. Thankfully for me, Dan was there and I attached myself to him since it doesn't really get any better than him to learn Mid Ohio with a miata.

Practice on Friday morning I was getting up to pace, managed a 1:37.9, felt slow and knew there was a lot of time out there. Qualifying was next and I made sure to stay out EVERY lap and squeezed out a 1:36.985, good enough for 13th. Pole was Kutil with a 1:35.067 1st-11th were split by 9/10ths, then another Kmiata and myself were 8/10ths off 11th place.

Race 1 I wanted to make sure to stay clean but learned my lesson on starts so I did my best to STAY on the pack. Thankfully since I was further up the pack I was WAYYYYY more comfortable with all the guys around me. I need to work on putting down my fast laps in lap 1 and 2 because the front pack puts seconds on me in just those 2 laps. Upham ran.my.***.down during the first couple of laps because of this as well, I think he had traffic issues in qualifying. Then I missed a shift and the FD(v8) and Dan went right past as I was trying to figure out how to put a car into gear. Race ended in a full course caution, Dan and I didn't get a chance to get fast laps...... which sucked because Race 2 start was determined by Race 1 fastest lap. Nevertheless, my first race at Mid Ohio was a blast! Finished 11th!

Side-note, I was extremely distracted during race 1 as well. After the race I immediately got out of the car and proposed to my girlfriend




So that was fun!!


Race 2 I started 16th, I think..... Emile dropped out on the out-lap. Had a little battle with Gary in his 2.4(yes 2.4) NC, squeaked by him and chased the rabbit!(Dan). I learned the most during this race, following Dan's line and generally just getting more time on this track. I ran several low 36s, 100% prepared to bump Dan into china beach and do battle, but he waved me on! So I could barely see Andy(10th), but I knew I wasn't going to be catching that pack. Managed a 1:36.083 in this race in open-air, top guys were mid-low 35s so I was pleasantly surprised with the pace! Finished 11th this race too.


Race 3 missed the shoot-out to requalify for spots by 1 position!(top 10 did a 1 lap qualifying to determine race 3 starting position). Decent start, Upham is in an e46 now as I think his radiator went out in his e36. The FD was stuck on me, got my draft passed me into china beach. That car was fassstttt on-power during the race, but no so much at the start Track temps were much higher this race, my pace was off when I had open air, IATs at 160* and CLT at 219*. I thought my CLT alarm was set at 225, but it was really 215. My temps might have been a tad higher than normal because I was drafting quite a bit. I tried staying out of the draft a bit to see if it'd come down, but notta. Towards the end of the race Upham, myself, and Austin were having a fun little race. Austin pulls off soon after he passes me, he ran out of gas........ then I ran out of gas on the last lap and lost 5 more spots

 

Congratulations on the engagement and what looked like an overall fun weekend!

 

Update time!

Since Mid-Ohio I installed a little catch-can....


Ran the other side to the OEM PCV, which is right above the alternator.


It seemed to help keep the engine bay a tad less oily at the last event. So I'm pleased with it thus far.



I think I haven't mentioned this yet, but just before I was loading up for Mid Ohio I checked my intake manifold bolts and noticed all the top row were loose and all but 1 bottom row were MISSING. Some were sheered off right at the intake manifold(IM) flange and others were just gone entirely. So I put in some new bolts for the race to hold it over. This also turned out to be my vacuum leak I've been trying to track down

Took the IM off and saw a sad gasket.......


As it turns out, this cast component needs flat surfaces for the nut/bolt-flange to sit flush onto. Otherwise, it sits angled and the vibrations do work to sheer them off. At the recommendation from Winning Formula, I took a dremel tool to the IM flange to flatten it out, got some extra studs/nuts along with a nord-lock washer. The flattened surface is the majority of the fix, but the nord-lock washer helps with any other uneven spots. This pic isn't my IM, it's Emile's and is a much better job than what I did


Got that taken care of and whaddaknow, my idle isn't surging anymore! So that's a win.



Went to CMP last weekend and there were 11 cars in TT5, which is a pretty damn big turn-out for regional TT! Got a new PB of 1:42.5xx, lots more time out there.


On Saturday I ran into some electrical problems, oddly enough last time I was at CMP I had issues as well. No problems the last 3 events but CMP seems to be the unlucky one. When I came back after practice session I noticed the car was idling high, 2200rpm. Turned it off, then turned key over and tried to crank..... notta. Then I had 0 switched 12v at all. Checked the 40a ign fuse and saw it popped. I put in another 40a fuse and tried to crank again, heard it turn once then nothing. Checked that fuse and it also popped, ****. Did some other random trouble-shooting, missed two sessions, then put into a third 40a ignition fuse and tada it started just fine, normal 1100rpm idle as well. Made sure it would crank/start multiple times which it did just fine! Came back from that session, idling high again, turned the car off and then tried to crank again and notta..... popped another fuse. So I've got some short going on only while the vehicle is hot.

I ran the rest of the event only cranking it once while it was cool and managed to finish the weekend. It would go from a standard idle and then around 125-135* it would creep up to 2200rpm, so it wouldn't instantly pop to that rpm or anything. I've got some more testing to do on tracking down the short or what could potentially be causing the problem. The main difference between this event at CMP and the last 3 which had no problems was the added circuit for my new Spal fan. I'll likely start there and see what comes from it.

Anyways, backs to the fun ****. My good friend asked me to try out his RT660s, so I happily obliged on that offer! I somewhat wanted to just see how the car looked on the Konig Countergrams too, because deep down I'm just a ricer....... I like em!


A couple of laps on them, GoPro died on the fastest which was a 1:45.449.


Overall, they were pretty good and I liked them better than I thought I would. The most noticeable difference with them vs R7s was the braking, couldn't go nearly as deep with them. The way they would sit on slips was different as well, I feel like I can put the R7s on a slip for longer and not really scrub speed, whereas the 660s weren't quite as forgiving after a little slide. They were pretty manageable while doing this though, so they were still fun!

I only got one session with them, so I certainly had more time in them. But here's the data between the R7s and RT660s...... the session I was out on the 660s was roughly ~0.5sec slower than the session on the R7s.





Next event I'm doing a regular ole track day at Barber! I think I'll be running max power, 0 ballast for funz.

 

Did a track-day at Barber with jZilla before Thanksgiving. Got some RT660s myself and decided to play with them.


I finally installed a production 9LR splitter Been running prototype pieces up until this one. It was indeed a better fit. I actually prefer my 8mm alumacore "undertray" it's a lot lighter than the birch splitter.


Did the first tow with the new family mobile and back-up tow-rig. It's super nice for me and did surprisingly well. The back is squating quite a bit in this pic, I didn't have the hitch set at the correct height. Even when I moved the miata back on the trailer it was squated. Weight distribution hitch is on the way which will help out a lot. Even still..... it did great and was super comfy!


Here's a quick lap from the track-day. Unfortunate the day ended short(more below) and I wasn't able to get out on the set of R7s I brought. This is my favorite track and I know there was tons of time out there(1:39.3 optimal).



I noticed while downshifting it was pretty jarring or if I upshifted pretty aggressively. During my third session of the day I felt something with the tranmission let go and the shifter went down physically and then a "ssssccccccrrraaapppeeeee" on the track Parked it in the same turn my wheel flew off years ago since I didn't know what all was damaged. Got it back to the paddock and holy **** the PPF broke entirely!


My current theory is the engine mounts are pretty stiff, the diff mounts are OEM and pretty soft. Add in years of abuse and wear then you've got this part fatigued, cracked, and obviously broken entirely. I suppose those fasteners could have been over-torqued, but the last time they were torqued was about 8 events ago.

Already got a spare PPF that I'll install. Finally going to install my Sadfab delrin diff bushings, but need to get the diff pumpkin reinforced first.

 

I had it to the track this year! Went back to Barber for the "Friendsgiving" event with Jzilla. Car held together the whole day, started every time(crimped starter signal wire instead of solder), and had a lot of fun.

No changes to the car's setup or parts at all. I should have changed my ride-heights because my driver's front is pretty much slammed from my last corner balance. This led to a LOT of rubbing on the frame/wheel well at Barber since there are such high compression loads on that corner of the car.

Had fun lapping with my buddy James, who has made multiple appearances in this thread driving my car. We were both running GLTC-ish trims, him more than me..... I had to make sure I had enough power to inch by him



Here's a lap with RT660s, max power 205rwhp, 2450lbs.

And here's a lap on some old R7s..... lots of time out there on these. I was rusty for sure.

 

Looks fun. I regret not making it to Barber.

 

Long time no update. I've been busy with kids, moving, and life things.

I attempted a GLTC race last year in April at CMP. I did a test day with ASM and the car seemed ok aside from weird acceleration feelings that were intermittent. It seemed like the car had wayyyy less torque. So once this happened in GLTC practice on Friday morning it started to make sense:



Clutch disc came off, went through the bell housing, and hit the trans tunnel. I felt it hit the tunnel at my foot, but thankfully it didn't penetrate the tunnel. Ed at 949/SPM got me a replacement full-disc the Monday after and it was at my door(CA to NC) by Wednesday. **** breaks I get it, so Ed's prompt support was amazing.

With the help of Johnny's motivation at the track I swapped in another 6spd transmission that Alex at SNS hooked me up with really quickly. I got a random clutch disc, the only thing I could source at the time. Got it all finished up late Friday night BUT no clutch engagement . Talked to Emile and other Kmiata ppl and determined the clutch disc I had was too thin for the tolerances the Kpower hydraulic release bearing requires. So I threw in the towel and decided to hang out for the Gridlife weekend. It also rained and several guys had issues with fog on their windshield. So that was a solid reminder I need to get a blower or some system to help with that for rain races.

Had the realization that when anything went wrong with the 6spd it would be really difficult to source parts/replacement. So I decided to swap to a 5spd. KP didn't have release bearings in stock, so I grabbed a new in box 5spd from FB marketplace. Got a spare known good 5spd from a local buddy and put it all in. I'm fortunately getting decent at swapping transmissions on the ground now

I also washed the car, which is rare! Here's the new wrap that most hate, but some like. Yes, the wrap was paid for by 9LR.



After putting the 5spd in, it had quite a bit of bearing noise, at least more than before. I chalked it up to slight miss-alignment, which is likely still the case. However, after multiple cycles of the clutch it had a REAL hard time getting into reverse. Then on the first test drive it was sometimes crunchy getting into gears. It got a little better as I drove it and the only problem seemed to be reverse. So I figured it was a typical miata issue of not wanting to get into reverse and loaded up for CMP again back in Nov. Did the first session and on about lap 2 it didn't want to shift..... at all. Did the whole session in 4th gear, which was a neat exercise I suppose. In the paddock I was fiddling with the clutch, bleeding, cycling the clutch and it got worse and worse and worse. To the point that it wouldn't disengage unless you turned the engine off. Talked to the Kmiata brethren and determined I had a bad hydraulic release bearing, again

Talked to David at KP and figured out what went wrong and why. Working alongside a small company myself, I get the struggles when it comes to getting all items through production within tolerance. KP helped me out on the replacement, including solid moral support. This brings us up to date........


I've got this new 2024 hydraulic release bearing in the car now. I cycled thru the clutch while on jack-stands 120-140 times also rowing thru 1-4th gear and reverse. Reverse sometimes doesn't like to go, but thus far it has not gotten worse. The test drive was also solid, went thru all gears without any crunches and no downshift issues. The only problem I had is high rpm shifts, 5500+, from 2nd to 3rd. It was wanting to slot in between 3rd and 5th instead of 3rd. It did not do this on high rpm shifts 1-2 or 3-4. So potential synchro issue, maybe I'm overthinking it, OR slight miss alignment.

I still have some bearing noise, more than before. So I believe my next step will be to take out the dowel pins from the adapter plate, then while trans bolts are loose adjust the trans until the noise is gone or much better. This tip came from Emile at WF and I'd say he has the MOST experience with these swaps, especially in the conditions mine has seen(race).

Hoping to make CMP in just two weeks!

 

I found myself referring back to my old posts during my latest work to the car.

The reason for the latest work on the car......

KERSPLODE!

Crunchy

A lot came out this direction, the wrong direction!

Valves still holding oil, they're ok right?

I think that's a valve seat?


Oil pressure trace along with RPM on the lap it let go. You can see it was fine until it just wasn't.


Here's a video of it happening, pretty anti-climatic. Timestamp = 4:30 incase the link doesn't work.


My best guess is I picked up air in the oil pump while under braking in that last turn there. I also learned AFTER this engine failure that you are suppose to overfill these! The KP instructions say to take off the check plug at the top of the oil pan and fill it until it comes out, which comes out to about 7qts.

On the new engine I used Emile's dip-stick measurements, which are:
I have my dipstick trimmed to 21.25“ total length, which is as long as it can possibly be with the Z3 pickup tube arrangement.

My HIGH level mark is at 20.0”

My LOW level mark is at 20.5“

After modifying my dipstick to these measurements I filled the new engine, the low mark is about 8.25qt, the high mark is 9qt. This was after cycling my new oil cooler as well. So I was running TWO QUARTS (2) low for the entire race life of this engine, ******* **** amirite?