Project "Payback"

[tones2SS]

Awesome update Todd. Great car indeed. A real track warrior. Looks like a great time.

[89 RS]

Great write-up Todd, thanks for sharing your experience. Sounds like you guys had a good time even though the weather wasn't the best it could be.

[waynieZ]

Great pictures, looks like you needed a squeegee instead of a spoiler on the front.

[6D9]

Great pics! Glad to see the car ran hard and you guys had a good time. Hope to meet up with you guys one of these days....

[Bow Tie 67]

Todd it was nice to meet in person. The body roll looks bad, but honestly I watched closely and DSE's cars, Rupps and Finch all had roll going into the 180 on the autocross. ( at least the rear of the cars ) I have talked with Brian and he is running 450 lb springs up front. Personally I like the way stiffer springs feel and handle. I'm not to good at auto-cross and think seat time and shock adjustments will help. Does your front sway bar have adjustment? I run mine stiff as well as the rear. Your car looked great and you were pushing it hard.

[Vegas69]

Thanks guys!

My front bar isn't adjustable but I can buy a larger splined bar. I've changed it once already. My first step is sending the shocks in for the dyno time. I had the car 1 click from full stiff and it still road as good as any factory car I've ever drove. I have a feeling they need some work. If they don't, I may order a hollow sway bar or smaller diameter bar for the rear. I had to throw a bunch of compression in the rear shocks to make the car loose enough to get around the auto cross and road race. Car actually felt good except in the slow speed autocross corners and tight road course section at the end. The main thing is, I'm sneaking back up on my car. The R888's simply covered up a lack of chassis tuning. I really feel the car is faster in autocross and the road race now with street tires. That is the beauty of street tread, you are forced to make your car better instead of relying on rubber. This being my first event with the new springs, I'm happy with the results. There is no doubt my performance was better than the Optima Challenge.

[GregWeld]

It would be fun to have some of the top guys drive these cars around the X and the RC and see what kind of times they can do with the car "as is"... and then give the owner a "well... it's a bit this or that" kind of report. That way an owner would have a base time the car is capable of and can shoot for that. Most of this --- and I saw it all day long --- is seat time. As the guys learned the course the times started to fall -- same car -- same driver... and not much "tuning"... except the driver was getting tuned up.

Look what Nathan did with Bad Penny.... That now tells Steve, or anyone else in the seat, what the car can do.