LIVE FROM JAPAN 4: Circuit Ready Stopping Power!
Posted: 07/13/2012 01:11PM
After the first encounter with the downhill braking at Sodegaura Forest Raceway it was clear that the stock brakes where getting a bit old – time for an upgrade.
After searching around online and struggling to understand the Japanese it was time to take a trip to a tuning shop. Naturally the first choice was Seeker.
After a 20 minute conversation about replacement disks and new pads the parts where on order and all that was left to do was wait for Dixcel to make the disk rotors…
While waiting and after some phone conversations with Seeker and Spoon it was determined to also add in rigid collars and an alignment.
Out with the old…
In with the new!
The rigid collars go between the subframe and chasis. With plenty of copper grease to keep things smooth.
Subframe gets supported and then the four bolts are loosened and removed one at a time:
Each rigid collar is slightly different, but most have a top part that goes between the subframe and chasis. Some also have a lower piece that goes between the subframe and the head of the bolt.
When it is all buttoned up its time for a good old fashioned alignment:
The concept of rigid collars seemed highly suspect at first, but having felt the results first hand I can say that there was an improvement in subtle steering response at freeway speeds. There also seems to be less rattling when going over bumps at speed. For what its worth, I would recommend these – if for nothing else than it means you can get away without an alignment each time you lower the subframe…
The parts installed this time where:
Now the proof will be in the lap times..
~5 second improvement (likely 4+ seconds can be attributed to more confidence in the car and better knowledge of the track)
As your resident guy on the ground in Japan I hope I can bring you some insight into the Honda scene, tuning and life in Japan. If there is something you really want to see in these posts let me know via the comments.
-Tim
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