LiamP
Paid Member
R20 BTG - 200 Cup Track Car Blog
- Thread starter R20BTG
- Start date
R20BTG
Paid Member
Finally caught up on some post-Nurburgring maintenance.
- Replaced the horns as one wasn’t working and it sounded like an asthmatic granny.
- Took out the glove box and retrieved the GoPro power lead that had fallen behind the dash (hence no passenger cam footage from Germany). Tidied up the GPS data logger power cable at the same time.
- Engine oil and filter. Filter was on way too tight and my wrench didn’t fit it. Resorted to the classic ‘hammer a screwdriver through it and get warm engine oil all down my arm’ technique. Oil was pretty black considering it’s only done 2 track days (Croft & Nurburgring).
- Replaced all rear caliper bolts with some high tensile ones. This is because one came out and one was finger tight in Germany. I had to bodge it with a bolt from R4R and some washers. For anyone using the search function in future these bolts are M12 x 25mm with a 1.25 extra fine pitch. The 3 OEM ones are now in my spares box.
- Gave the tyres, brakes, wheel bearings and EE brackets a once over visually. Virtually no wear on the MRFs.
- Renwewd all wheel bolts with black ones, as they were looking a bit scabby. I’ll probably renew the studs another time.
- Washed all the dead flies off.
I was going to drop the gearbox oil but couldn’t quite locate the fill plug by eye. Might wait until I’ve got a second pair of hands available. Does anyone know if the battery and tray need to come out to get to the gearbox oil full plug or can you get hands to it in situ?
Also, put on the sticker…
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- Replaced the horns as one wasn’t working and it sounded like an asthmatic granny.
- Took out the glove box and retrieved the GoPro power lead that had fallen behind the dash (hence no passenger cam footage from Germany). Tidied up the GPS data logger power cable at the same time.
- Engine oil and filter. Filter was on way too tight and my wrench didn’t fit it. Resorted to the classic ‘hammer a screwdriver through it and get warm engine oil all down my arm’ technique. Oil was pretty black considering it’s only done 2 track days (Croft & Nurburgring).
- Replaced all rear caliper bolts with some high tensile ones. This is because one came out and one was finger tight in Germany. I had to bodge it with a bolt from R4R and some washers. For anyone using the search function in future these bolts are M12 x 25mm with a 1.25 extra fine pitch. The 3 OEM ones are now in my spares box.
- Gave the tyres, brakes, wheel bearings and EE brackets a once over visually. Virtually no wear on the MRFs.
- Renwewd all wheel bolts with black ones, as they were looking a bit scabby. I’ll probably renew the studs another time.
- Washed all the dead flies off.
I was going to drop the gearbox oil but couldn’t quite locate the fill plug by eye. Might wait until I’ve got a second pair of hands available. Does anyone know if the battery and tray need to come out to get to the gearbox oil full plug or can you get hands to it in situ?
Also, put on the sticker…
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
RSRowe
Paid Member
Decent engine oil should be black when it comes out - it's the detergents doing their job (according to my Fuchs Engineer friend)
Gearbox fill is best accessed through the passenger arch (it's a white plug just behind the driveshaft):
I've got a garden hose and funnel type contraption to do mine. Pumps just seem to get more oil over your arms and floor, than in the box itself.
Gearbox fill is best accessed through the passenger arch (it's a white plug just behind the driveshaft):
I've got a garden hose and funnel type contraption to do mine. Pumps just seem to get more oil over your arms and floor, than in the box itself.
R20BTG
Paid Member
Ah perfect cheers Nathe, I was looking on top of the box, explains why I couldn’t see it. I’ll have another crack, I ordered a metre of clear silicone hose and a funnel so prob get a glamorous assistant to do the pouring whist I hold the tube in place.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
R20BTG
Paid Member
Quick update, I met up with [mention]Beany [/mention] and he kindly gave me his OEM airbox setup with BMC filter. The KTR has a nice deep induction noise but the location towards the back of the engine bay means that it’s going to be sucking in warm air. The metal shielding might protect it from radiant heat but it’s not enclosed meaning that hot air will get in there.
I put all the plastic bits in the dishwasher and gave the filter a good clean in hot soapy water. The red KTR hose is a nice touch.
I’ve already got a buyer for the KTR, sorry folks.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I put all the plastic bits in the dishwasher and gave the filter a good clean in hot soapy water. The red KTR hose is a nice touch.
I’ve already got a buyer for the KTR, sorry folks.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
burrellbloke
Paid Member
I went from a stock air intake to a K-Tec intake and then to a V6 box.
I did not really notice much of a power change with any of the intakes. I liked the noise of the K-Tec system but it was also nice to be able to hear my exhaust when I put the V6 box in.
I did not really notice much of a power change with any of the intakes. I liked the noise of the K-Tec system but it was also nice to be able to hear my exhaust when I put the V6 box in.
RSRowe
Paid Member
Mine felt real different going from standard to V6 - but I did also port the manifolds at the same time, so likely that had an affect too.
R20BTG
Paid Member
I wanted to change the gearbox oil after it was rebuilt by Ben, and then some hard mileage put on it at the Nurburgring.
Made myself a little contraption out of 1m of clear silicone hose and a funnel and roped in some help from a mate.
Oil was a little dirty, I sent it to a couple of pals for a second opinion. No metallic glittery bits so I think we’re good.
This is the crucial bit afterwards… putting the oil back in.
After hearing some recommendations I’ve gone for Redline MTL 75w80
Ready for Croft on 23rd September.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Made myself a little contraption out of 1m of clear silicone hose and a funnel and roped in some help from a mate.
Oil was a little dirty, I sent it to a couple of pals for a second opinion. No metallic glittery bits so I think we’re good.
This is the crucial bit afterwards… putting the oil back in.
After hearing some recommendations I’ve gone for Redline MTL 75w80
Ready for Croft on 23rd September.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Helpimonfire
Paid Member
Be good to see this back up to full health at Croft! Not long now! 
R20BTG
Paid Member
Right, who's ready to geek out with some data and far too much video footage? Pull up a chair and pretend to be interested.
I'll spare you the trailer and journey story, and fast forward to arriving at Croft on a chilly but sunny and slightly damp Friday morning. The Baguettes had already set up in their garages, so had the other guys. In fact I must have been a cheapskate at the point of booking and decided I didn't need a garage as I didn't have one, so I parked out back like a pleb.
Gearbox was sweet after the recent rebuild and oil change. First time in my new birthday present helmet from the wife, Bell GP3 Sport with Hans device. Feels a bit weird wearing a Hans on a track day but I'd rather look like a bit of a full-kit wanker than ruin my neck in the event of a shunt. I also treated myself to some new grippy gloves (not FIA rated or anything, just some Sparco gamer gloves to stop the sweat and grease from my hands from ruining my nice alcantara wheel (tart!), plus it makes me look a bit more pro, obviously.
Session 1 was damp, watch the footage here if you're interested:
Still damp and greasy, car felt OK on the MRF tyres and got up to temp quite quickly. Probably the only time I'll be overtaking the Baguettes on track, they must have gone for another warm-up lap. Didn't quite feel confident enough taking Barcroft flat like I was last time, dunno why. Maybe just need to grow a bigger pair., or maybe it's just self (and wallet) preservation kicking in.
Baguettes Simmo and Ben make an appearance at 15:44 and I try and run with them for a bit, only really catching back up in traffic. I lose them at 18:45 when the 1 series didn't really lift to let us all past and I didn't want to get squeezed between him and the cones on pit exit so thought better of shoving one up the outside.
Session 2 was a bit drier:
Didn't start well as some numpty in an MX5 rolled into the back of me in the pit lane while we were waiting (not on camera) and cracked the paint on my rear bumper with his towing eye. Started the session off slow hoping that some of the other Clio boys would catch up and have a play, but nobody seemed to be on the same cycle as me so just got on with it. Caught the Burrell clan at 5:40, must have been @burrellbloke driving as he gave in far too easy, and @EthanMenace is now in the FastBoi club. Pretty uneventful session, posted what turned out to be my fastest lap during this session a 1.42.2.
16:30 showed why you shouldn't waste your money on a French FWD hatch, instead you should buy a real sports car, like a Lotus.
17:25 is where the weirdness started which felt like the fuel starvation I mentioned on the other thread so I decided to come in. Looking back at the footage I don't think it's fuel related, but something was definitely wrong, lack of power and an odd noise. Seemed to clear itself though.
Session 3 was after lunch and my starter motor decided it didn't want to work any more, so the rest of the day was spent bump starting. The odd noise seemed to clear itself eventually but something does sounds amiss on the early footage of this session.
In this session I took @jimmybell out for a ride. Must have been an odd sensation jumping from a standard car to mine back-to-back! Again this session showed why Clios are shit and you should get a Lotus.
At 12:15 I tried telling Jimmy that we had company behind us in the form of @Lawton438 - then I got buzzed by the Radical at 12:50, they just come out of nowhere! Prob equal on the brakes but just no match for aero round the corners. Given that I had Ben behind me, at 13:20 I took Barcroft flat for the first time that day and it was a bit of a handful under braking so I decided not to do it again. I let him past and just can't keep up. At 14:50 I spot @RSRowe so decide to let him past for a chase.
Bit sad I didn't get to have a tussle with @Helpimonfire or @Big Ben but we just seemed to be on different sessions for whatever reason.
Session 4 is interesting because it isn't me. I let Ben have a go as a bit of an experiment, I know he's quicker than me but I wanted to put some of the data capturing to use and see how and where. Plus I knew if he broke something there's a good chance he could fix it
I also pulled the data from Ben's fastest lap (1:40.8) and mine that I mentioned earlier and overlaid them back-to-back. I'm the white dot/white trace, and Ben is the blue dot/blue trace. Some observations that I can make watching the footage and the data (I hope this doesn't breach any of Nick's rules on timing on track days, as the data is being captured on the phone which is safely stowed in the glove box and is only used during post-processing when I review the footage):
- The speed trace shows that Ben is just that little bit quicker than me pretty much across the whole lap. His average speed is 72.6mph to my 71.5mph.
- Ben carries more apex speed at Hawthorne (55.0mph vs my 51.7mph), you can see this on the graph.
- I have a slightly higher top speed at the end of the straight 106.23mph vs Ben's 105.1mph. I think this is because I carry 3rd gear through the chicane whereas Ben tends to shift up to 4th much earlier and grab 5th, whereas I stay in 4th.
- We both decelerate at pretty much the same rate but Ben's entry speed at Tower Bend is a touch higher (54.27mph vs my 51.49mph).
- We are evenly matched for speed through the Jim Clarke Esses, I have a higher peak speed of 101.84mph vs Ben's 99.74mph but I have the aforementioned security lift through Barcroft and lose the most time of the lap, whereas you can see what happens when Ben keeps it flat.
- The white and blue lines then start to separate on the graph, showing the time I've lost because if the lift through Barcroft.
- Ben's apex speed at Sunny In is 56.1mph to my 53.16mph, he's quicker through Sunny Out (71.51mph vs 69.27mph).
- We're pretty much neck and neck through the complex and the hairpin and onto the finish straight.
Reasons I've come up with:
- My session was earlier in the day (10.57am) compared to Ben's (1.33pm). It might have still been a bit damp (honest guv).
- I probably weigh at last 20kg more than Ben
- He's just quicker than me, and there's no shame in that (yeah there is).
Still, a cracking day and I really enjoy Croft. Suits the Clio well!
I'll spare you the trailer and journey story, and fast forward to arriving at Croft on a chilly but sunny and slightly damp Friday morning. The Baguettes had already set up in their garages, so had the other guys. In fact I must have been a cheapskate at the point of booking and decided I didn't need a garage as I didn't have one, so I parked out back like a pleb.
Gearbox was sweet after the recent rebuild and oil change. First time in my new birthday present helmet from the wife, Bell GP3 Sport with Hans device. Feels a bit weird wearing a Hans on a track day but I'd rather look like a bit of a full-kit wanker than ruin my neck in the event of a shunt. I also treated myself to some new grippy gloves (not FIA rated or anything, just some Sparco gamer gloves to stop the sweat and grease from my hands from ruining my nice alcantara wheel (tart!), plus it makes me look a bit more pro, obviously.
Session 1 was damp, watch the footage here if you're interested:
Still damp and greasy, car felt OK on the MRF tyres and got up to temp quite quickly. Probably the only time I'll be overtaking the Baguettes on track, they must have gone for another warm-up lap. Didn't quite feel confident enough taking Barcroft flat like I was last time, dunno why. Maybe just need to grow a bigger pair., or maybe it's just self (and wallet) preservation kicking in.
Baguettes Simmo and Ben make an appearance at 15:44 and I try and run with them for a bit, only really catching back up in traffic. I lose them at 18:45 when the 1 series didn't really lift to let us all past and I didn't want to get squeezed between him and the cones on pit exit so thought better of shoving one up the outside.
Session 2 was a bit drier:
Didn't start well as some numpty in an MX5 rolled into the back of me in the pit lane while we were waiting (not on camera) and cracked the paint on my rear bumper with his towing eye. Started the session off slow hoping that some of the other Clio boys would catch up and have a play, but nobody seemed to be on the same cycle as me so just got on with it. Caught the Burrell clan at 5:40, must have been @burrellbloke driving as he gave in far too easy, and @EthanMenace is now in the FastBoi club. Pretty uneventful session, posted what turned out to be my fastest lap during this session a 1.42.2.
16:30 showed why you shouldn't waste your money on a French FWD hatch, instead you should buy a real sports car, like a Lotus.
17:25 is where the weirdness started which felt like the fuel starvation I mentioned on the other thread so I decided to come in. Looking back at the footage I don't think it's fuel related, but something was definitely wrong, lack of power and an odd noise. Seemed to clear itself though.
Session 3 was after lunch and my starter motor decided it didn't want to work any more, so the rest of the day was spent bump starting. The odd noise seemed to clear itself eventually but something does sounds amiss on the early footage of this session.
In this session I took @jimmybell out for a ride. Must have been an odd sensation jumping from a standard car to mine back-to-back! Again this session showed why Clios are shit and you should get a Lotus.
At 12:15 I tried telling Jimmy that we had company behind us in the form of @Lawton438 - then I got buzzed by the Radical at 12:50, they just come out of nowhere! Prob equal on the brakes but just no match for aero round the corners. Given that I had Ben behind me, at 13:20 I took Barcroft flat for the first time that day and it was a bit of a handful under braking so I decided not to do it again. I let him past and just can't keep up. At 14:50 I spot @RSRowe so decide to let him past for a chase.
Bit sad I didn't get to have a tussle with @Helpimonfire or @Big Ben but we just seemed to be on different sessions for whatever reason.
Session 4 is interesting because it isn't me. I let Ben have a go as a bit of an experiment, I know he's quicker than me but I wanted to put some of the data capturing to use and see how and where. Plus I knew if he broke something there's a good chance he could fix it
I also pulled the data from Ben's fastest lap (1:40.8) and mine that I mentioned earlier and overlaid them back-to-back. I'm the white dot/white trace, and Ben is the blue dot/blue trace. Some observations that I can make watching the footage and the data (I hope this doesn't breach any of Nick's rules on timing on track days, as the data is being captured on the phone which is safely stowed in the glove box and is only used during post-processing when I review the footage):
- The speed trace shows that Ben is just that little bit quicker than me pretty much across the whole lap. His average speed is 72.6mph to my 71.5mph.
- Ben carries more apex speed at Hawthorne (55.0mph vs my 51.7mph), you can see this on the graph.
- I have a slightly higher top speed at the end of the straight 106.23mph vs Ben's 105.1mph. I think this is because I carry 3rd gear through the chicane whereas Ben tends to shift up to 4th much earlier and grab 5th, whereas I stay in 4th.
- We both decelerate at pretty much the same rate but Ben's entry speed at Tower Bend is a touch higher (54.27mph vs my 51.49mph).
- We are evenly matched for speed through the Jim Clarke Esses, I have a higher peak speed of 101.84mph vs Ben's 99.74mph but I have the aforementioned security lift through Barcroft and lose the most time of the lap, whereas you can see what happens when Ben keeps it flat.
- The white and blue lines then start to separate on the graph, showing the time I've lost because if the lift through Barcroft.
- Ben's apex speed at Sunny In is 56.1mph to my 53.16mph, he's quicker through Sunny Out (71.51mph vs 69.27mph).
- We're pretty much neck and neck through the complex and the hairpin and onto the finish straight.
Reasons I've come up with:
- My session was earlier in the day (10.57am) compared to Ben's (1.33pm). It might have still been a bit damp (honest guv).
- I probably weigh at last 20kg more than Ben
- He's just quicker than me, and there's no shame in that (yeah there is).
Still, a cracking day and I really enjoy Croft. Suits the Clio well!
RSRowe
Paid Member
Good day. Great post.
Looking forward to the next! Think next time we should tie Jimmy in Ben’s car for ballast
Looking forward to the next! Think next time we should tie Jimmy in Ben’s car for ballast
Helpimonfire
Paid Member
Similar Thread Suggestions
| Thread starter | Similar threads | Forum | Replies | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
200T: R200 CHJ | Spotted | 0 | |
|
200: White 200 with R200 plate New Lubbersthorpe, Leicester | Spotted | 0 | |
|
Car reg for sale R200 TBM | Car Parts For Sale | 2 | |
|
Old timer making a return.... UR200! | New Members | 43 | |
|
197: Red, Iveson Drive Leeds 16 R200 T*T | Spotted | 0 |