R20 BTG - 200 Cup Track Car Blog

Map tweak today at RS Tuning after the Carbon R3 Airbox install. Same mapper, same rolling road, 4 degrees warmer today (18c) versus last time (14c).

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OEM Airbox with BMC panel filter - 196bhp
Carbon R3 Airbox with Green panel filter - 202.5bhp

+6.5bhp gain


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He did say the fuelling was pretty much spot on anyway, I’d already had it mapped by RS Tuning. You’d see a bigger jump from standard.
 
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That is interesting. I suppose the real test will be when you get it out on track again!

In regard fueling are the ecu's on these self learning?
 
RS Tuning mentioned whilst the car was on the rollers that, and I quote... "that gearbox sounds fucked."

Cheers for that. What a way to play into my already existing, massive paranoia about the TL4 gearbox considering what it's put me through. That said, he wasn't wrong, there's a definite gruff sounding noise when in-gear, that I can't remember noticing before. It goes away when the clutch is depressed and you can't hear it at idle. The intrusive thoughts began as I drove it home.

It could be a bearing.

Maybe it's always sounded like that and I just ignored it.

Maybe it was drowned out with another noise.

Maybe it isn't the gearbox, maybe it's just a consequence of having solid mounted everything.

Maybe it's fucked.

But I only changed the oil before I went to Germany in April.

Argh.

My finger hovered over the buy it now button. I'm annoyed, but equally, I have a track day next week so I needed to know. Ignorance is not bliss any more.

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Well, that seems ok. No bits of bearing. No lumps of anything. No shimmering. Just £50's worth of Redline MTL with a slight darkening after two full days on the Nurburgring. Sigh.

Fuchs Sintofluid 75w-80 back in. The noise is still there. Yay.

Not a great deal I can do now other than just drive it and see what happens. Donington on Wednesday.

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You can't do much other than change the oil and hope for the best.

There do not seem to be any options that are similar in price to replacing, or rebuilding the gearbox, to solve the issue of having a box that is considered to be a consumable car part. A fancy sequential box is just too expensive.
 
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Donington Park 31st July 2024.

It was hot. Bleurgh.

It was 30 degrees in the paddock with the sun beating down onto the black tarmac. I stupidly didn't pay for a garage either. Thankfully my mate James came in his VW Transporter and set us up a little shaded area which was a life saver. A cool bag with some frozen water bottles was the order of the day between sessions.

Track sessions were pretty short, as we were just turning into a sweaty mess inside the car!

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I ran old MRFs all day (bought June 2022), they've done 2 x ring trips and numerous UK track days, whilst there's still a bit of rubber left in them, I think they're on the way out.

At the Ring back in April I'd had to soften off the rear dampers as the car was bouncing a bit in certain parts of the track. I hadn't touched them since, and I was suffering from a lot of understeer through McLean's and Coppice in the morning. Mid morning put the rear dampers back to full hard setting, and knocked off the fronts by 4 clicks which helped a little bit. I think the tyres are past their best though.

Despite the intense heat I'm pleased to report that:

- The car ran faultlessly all day. Coolant levels didn't drop, didn't use any oil, and the oil temps were 105-110c maximum even after kicking its head in.
- Gearbox survived. I think it's just my paranoia.
- Matt's supercharged car also ran well all day, and I can't keep up with him. I'll let him write his own update. I've got some videos to process when I can be arsed. It's LOUD. Got a naughty boy flag for noise limit.
- The 3D printed hose clamps didn't melt or deform, this is probably the toughest test they'll get given how hot it must have been under the bonnet.

Had these pictures sent to me by a lad who was roaming with his camera:

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I think that MRFs are just hard to kill off. The tread depth will be deceptive and it is only when they fail to grip round corners that you really know that they are dead.

The Clio must have enjoyed the weather compared to big boost cars.
 
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