What makes one 1st Gen RX7 perform better than the next???

ishod

ishod

New member
I'm a new owner of a 1st gen, and new to SCCA racing (1st driver's school will be the weekend of 7/19 in Topeka). I chose an RX7 because of everything I read about how they were a great car to learn with and fairly inexpensive (in the big picture) to operate. I found what I believe to be a great car with a newly rebuilt motor and all the standard racing mods, (thank you Chris - I love the ride). The car was raced in Florida for a couple of years. Now it will be raced in SCCA MIDIV out of Springfield, MO. My question is this... What, taking the driver skill out of the equation, typically makes one RX7 perform better than the next. BTW, I'll be racing in ITA unless MIDIV steps-up to the plate and starts an IT7 group. As you all know the GCR allows only so many mods for ITA. I am assuming that most ITA-RX7's have tweaked their cars to the limit of ITA. Other than those allowed mods, and taking the driver out of the equation, what is left? What makes one RX7 finish in the hunt, and another finish mid-pack or worse. I'm wondering about various things like best tires, best carb tuning, gears, brake ducting, brake pads (the car is presently equipped with Hawk Blues on all corners), header choices, etc...

Any shared info is greatly appreciated. Get to know me and I'll promise a free pass if we are ever on the track together.
 
One of the most important points is the one tht you want to leave out - the driver! The typical low-modification classes that 1st gen Rx-7's run in are often controlled more by driver skill and ability than soem magic set-up. These classes tend to develop good drivers because a Miata (for example) is fairly easy to drive close to the limit due to it's much more modern suspension arrangement and it's light weight. An Rx-7 on the other hand had a propensity to react with snap oversteer at the limit - in "stock" form. A revised rear suspension that replaces some of the binding links that cause the problem (like the G-Force tri-link setup) can make the car easier and more rewarding to drive near the ultimate limit.
 
Yep... your leaving the most important part out. It's 90% driver.

A classic example: Our car with its JY drivetrain, stock cut springs and shocks, stock wheels with Khumos. Mid pack when we drive it, 1/2 second off of the ITA track record at Topeka with a ringer like Club Racing Manager Bryan Cohn driving it. He also drove an ITA RX7 to low 1:15s at Gateway with stock exhaust manifold, tokikos/camber plates and bolt in cage, while we barely entered into the 1:17s. The same car with a different driver was consistantly 2-3 seconds per lap slower than ours at another race.

My suggestion to you is to get yourself consistant first. Until you can start producing the same times per lap, changing the car wont help much. If anything, it'll hurt you. Once you start getting consistant times, then start tuning/adjusting/changing. Sounds like you've got a pretty well prepped car to start with!

See you at Gateway in July?! There's another new RX7 driver from Springfield that just found this board last week or so. Red Dawg. Also, check out the forums at www.midiv.org

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Scott
It's not what you build...
it's how you build it

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Pixie dust, is all I can figure, I tuned my motor till it purred and ran fine then I gave it to 7's only racing for a day and when I got it back hit like a two stroke and they had extracted another 12 HP out of it. your not done when the timing is set, there ARE some tricks apparently.
 
ishod, economical choice on the car pick. Seat time, seat time & more seat time. & hopefuly during this seat time you will learn the feel of what the car is doing so that when you start (talking) making adjustments you will not only feel the difference but your times will show a difference. When you start adjusting all your times will not be faster but that's all part of the learning curve. If ya went backwards adjust the same thing back where it was or if ya make a second change on top of the first keep notes of where it was & where ya went so that ya can always get back to square one. Sit domw after a session, close your eyes & redo in your mind the laps you just ran. Pick out the good & the not so good. Some times I make big time change so that I will feel the difference be it a good feel or a bad feel that comes from the car.

Most of all welcome & Have Fun
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Have Fun ;)
David Dewhurst
CenDiv Milwaukee Region
Spec-7 #14
 
I race a Spec RX7 which has even fewer mods.On those occasions when I had to rent someone's car I have run within 1 second of the times I run in my own car. And the fast guys run fast in the rental cars. There is no horsepower or torque to pull you through a corner. Any speed lost due to pushing in a corner is lost forever (or until the next lap). The answer in these types of cars is finesse and smoothness. The cars accentuate the differences in the drivers, not mask them. That's why they are so much fun.
 
Driver is most of the difference. Look how fast the national SS guys drive. It's embarassing.
A local guy that drove an MR2 pretty competitively had a national driver with both run-offs (win in T-1) and speedvision/motorola experience split the ride with him one weekend. I had a faster laptime than he, but he was consistently faster than me lap after lap...and finished considerably higher than I and where the owner of the car typically finish.
So we spend all our time and $$$ installing "go fasts" when the go fast sits in the seat.
 
Ishod,

I know the car you bought. I have raced against Chris and found his car to be consistent and very fast.

My best advice I can give on any car, RX-7 or not, is work very hard on preparation.

Make sure the car is checked and dbl. checked before you load it on the trailer.

I spend about 25 hours in the garage 2 weeks before a race weekend. That way I can check and fix everything on the car without rushing.

The week before a race is strictly a "nut and bolt" party. Checking to make sure that everything is tight and aligned.

The final prep is to ask the wife for more money. Doesn't work most of the time but, Hey, it's worth a shot.

Make sure the car is bullet proof so when you get to the track you can concentrate on one thing. Driving !!!

If you need any help contact me here or call me at 813-927-9011 and I'll be glad to help.

Mike Cox
IT-7 # 37
Central Florida Region
2000 & 2002 CFR IT-7 Regional Champion
2001 & 2002 CFR IT-7 CES Champion
 
Everyone, Thank you for the input. Boy Howdee (as my beloved grandmother used to say), I do understand that seat time is the all important ideal here. I also understand a lot more today than I did a few days ago when I first posted this topic, cause in the last two days I've read what you all have had to say over the last few years of this message board. AND NOW I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS THAN EVER! Thanks to everyone for the advice, and thanks to you Mike for offering your contact info. If/when you see Chris, tell him I love the car, AND I am planning on driving the hell out of it. Here's what I have been doing since I got it home... Get up on the day-off and stare at the systems... everything seems to look pretty good there so I painted the rocker panels. NEXT day off, cleaned the old track gunk off the tires, looked awhile at the systems, sat in the seat, started the car and pissed off my neighbors for about a four block area, shut er down, and looked at it some more. Far as I can tell Chris did this car just right. Damn, will the July 19th driver's school ever get here... I'm thinking about a black stripe down the middle now. Maybe I'll bleed the brakes, don't think it needs it, but... is it July 19th yet...
 
***started the car and pissed off my neighbors for about a four block area, shut er down,***

ishod, for information only I have been told when I start the 1st gen to always let the motor warm up before shutting it off.

Have Fun
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David
 
Speaking of greeting the neighbors, did they ever say anything to your sister about the noise? Its funny, what you described reminds me of what i used to do with it some times, sit and look at the car. Glad your havin fun with it.

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Chris
PowerTrip Racing
http://www.geocities.com/ptripracing/
 
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