Really looking forward to this upcoming autocross on the double pad.

The Porsche Club always puts on a well organized, fun event. They welcome everyone, no matter what you drive.

Even if you've never attended an autocross previously, come on out with your Fiero. You'll have a great time!

http://forum.ubcscc.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4862#p41172 - another open invite to PCA autocross, July 8th (sunday)

http://forum.ubcscc.com/viewtopic.php?p=41172#p41172"> by http://forum.ubcscc.com/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=2408 - Rich Sandor » Wed Jun 20, 2012 7:33 pm

karnak wrote: Weather looks good.

Weather looks perfect for Sunday.

karnak wrote: i am registered.

I'm registered now as well.

Let's see some more Fieros out there this Sunday. Should be a great day for autocross!

karnak wrote: Finally! Sunblock weather!

Gary, perhaps on Sunday we should take our umbrellas again... for shade!  

Have fun...I'll be thinking of ya when at Boot Camp, then a 50+km bike ride...I will be enjoy that cold one after.

Kick ars and have fun...Patrick, welcome to the 888's:)

Did you giys get this email from Vic:

Just a reminder that the BC Corvette Club is hosting an Autocross at Pitt Meadows on July 14.  Registration at 8AM and the cost is $40 per driver.  We also need volunteers for timing, etc.  If you plan to come out please email me with your car make, model and color.  We will be using the Justice Institute course on the new pavement. 

Thanks, Vic

Cheers:)

Bassman wrote: Kick ars and have fun...Patrick, welcome to the 888's:)

Brian, PM sent!

Bassman wrote: Did you giys get this email from Vic...

Yes. I figured I'd wait 'til Monday before I started a thread about that event. There's an abundance of autocross opportunities in the next little while.

It's been brought to my attention that Colby will be out in his '88 Formula. Would be great to see a few more Fieros out on Sunday as well.

Double-pad event, perfect weather... come one, come all!

I should also mention that the deadline for registering for Sunday's autocross is 12 noon on Saturday ( http://www.karelo.com/enter_res.php?&BID=374#Ev12227 - Karelo.com ).

Don't procrastinate!

Had a nice visit with Brian and Kerstin today... and I installed Brian's http://www.1010tires.com/Tires/Toyo/Proxes+R888 - Toyo Proxes R888 tires/wheels onto the mighty duke.

Be afraid Colby, be very afraid...

D_sensitized wrote: I am registered and looking forward to finally getting back out there with the 5-speed.

It'll be great to see what your Fiero can do, now that you've gotten rid of the slushbox!

It's a glorious morning out there! I don't think I'll need my gumboots at the track today.

Patrick wrote: I installed Brian's http://www.1010tires.com/Tires/Toyo/Proxes+R888 - Toyo Proxes R888 tires/wheels onto the mighty duke. Be afraid Colby, be very afraid...

Wow, what a difference the tires make !!!!!

At the noon break (after four runs each), I had a faster time than Colby, Harrison, and even Gary (in his Porsche 914/6).  I was pretty stoked!

In the afternoon, we only got two runs (booooo!). Gary did an excellent run and beat me by a second, and Colby in his '88 Formula squeaked by me by two tenths of a second.  

I held off Harrison, but after a couple more autocross sessions under his belt, he'll be difficult to beat with the 3800sc/5-spd in his nice '88 GT.

Brian is being a great guy and he's letting me keep his tires/wheels on my car for the Corvette Club autocross this coming Saturday, July 14th. Thanks Brian!

We kid around about the "mighty duke" (right, Tristan?), but I think the ol' 90 HP duke did Fieros proud today.

karnak wrote: i am late to the computer since i did break down on the way home. go figure.

You too?

I didn't mention it earlier, but when I left the track I noticed my temperature gauge was right off the scale while sitting at the first stoplight.  I quickly pulled off to the side of the road and opened both the rear decklid and the front hood. Steaming hot coolant was erupting from my rad overflow bottle and I thought... great, I'm miles from my place without my toolbox and everyone else has gone home.

And then I noticed my alternator/waterpump belt looked kind of floppy.  Turns out the alternator adjustment bolt had somehow become loose enough for the alternator to slide to the end of its travel towards the engine. The belt was very loose.

I just happened to have an half inch spanner in the trunk, and a big screwdriver for prying, as well as a large container of premixed coolant up front.

I pryed the alternator belt taut, tightened the adjustment bolt, started the engine, added coolant to the overflow bottle (as the level dropped once the engine was running and the rad sucked coolant back) and I was on my way.

I've heard that the duke's head can crack from being overheated, but I caught it pretty quick, so I'm hoping everything's okay.

D_sensitized wrote: Here is a video of my fastest run...

I can see places where you could've got on the gas more, but yeah, I could also see/hear the problem your street tires were having trying retain their grip.

Motor sounds good though!

karnak wrote: Ya, Great day! i am late to the computer since i did break down on the way home. go figure.  i was putting thru a park zone really close to home and my outer CV joint unbolted itself from the hub and i had to have Colby push me home with the Formula. all fixed now. i will post a video soon.

Kinda funny, I am assuming that its the same as the VW's from the 70's, when I was much younger my sister and I were riding in my Dads VW Bus, the bolts came loose from the inner pot, I don't know if it was a screw driver or a pry bar, but he jammed something in the pot and braced it against the chassie essentially locking that side of the diff and we managed to drive the remaing mile or so home like that.  Fortunatly we were that close to home or I don't know what he would have done.  I think I was about 10 and my sister was 6. 

     Would have been a cool site to see a Fiero pushing a Porsche though.

Cheese wrote: Patrick, you did really well with those tires, I'm betting that you're pricing out some for yourself right now.

Colby, PM sent!

Capt Fiero wrote: Would have been a cool site to see a Fiero pushing a Porsche though.

I wanna see the video.

karnak wrote: i must have been reaching for something as my helmet can be seen blocking the cameras line.. cant remember what though

Dammit Gary, were you changing radio stations in the middle of a run again?

I'm anxiously awaiting the results to be posted by Rich...

How were the tires....are they dead now?...lol

Bassman wrote: How were the tires....?

Oh, I dunno... nothing special.

karnak wrote: ok..  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTUDRYYxqFY&feature=youtu.be - here is another video with Patrick as a passenger. my run was a little loose, but fun never the less. it will surely make you want to go to an event!

I couldn't believe it... There was Gary reaching for the dang radio again (immediately prior to losing control of the Porsche)... with me in the car no less!  What a guy!

Good recovery though, Gary.

Cheese wrote: http://members.shaw.ca/rsandor/autox4%20july8_2012fin.html - Results are up!

The table that Rich posted is a little difficult to read as the 6th and final run isn't on the same line as the earlier runs. I redid the table to try and rectify this. I wish I could've shrank it down a bit, but I don't know how.  

Gary, Colby, Harrison, and myself are indicated by the white background.

Cheese wrote: I think Patrick will be pleased with how he ranked, despite losing to me again.

Not bad for an old man driving a 28 year old car with (less than) 90 HP. Too bad Tristan couldn't have been out there to witness the power of the mighty duke.

[EDIT] It just dawned on me that I'm exactly twice the age of this old Fiero!

Yes, I am rather pleased. I've always felt so constrained by the limitations of driving on street tires on the track. You'd think it would be the lack of HP with the 4-banger '84 that would be the most frustrating (it doesn't help, believe me!), but not being able to corner at any kind of speed has been the biggest handicap up 'til now.

I'm looking forward to Saturday to see if I can continue do this well with Brian's R888's still on my car.

Brian will be relieved to know that I've actually ordered some tires, so I won't be wearing his out over the rest of the summer.

I've got some 225/50/16 http://www.kumhotire.ca/tires/details.php?line=1&cat=7&ptn=KU36 - Kumho Ecsta XS tires on the way. I'll catch Colby yet!

Nice tires, and nice times...Colby, he is only just a hair over 200ths of second slower on index, your going to have to push that V6 rebuilt beast of yours before this old fart beats you...toss that car into the corners and stay off the brakes:)!!!...

Nice times guys...

Patrick do you still have the original control arm setup on that 84 or have they been updated to the 85.  GM did find an issue in the front of the 84 Fiero, something that altered the turning radius they made an improvement in 85 which can be retrofitted to the 84.  

  Even though, you are doing one hell of a job with that duke, congrats.  Side note, you are running the Isuzu, so be careful with sticky tires and 2nd gear, the 2nd gear in the Isuzu might as well be made of glass.  Running a semi sticky street tire 225/50/16 on my V8 with the Isuzu I would get 6 months, I would guess with track use even on a duke, probably only good for a couple years assuming you are shifting hard into 2nd. (face it you must be driving the living hell out of that car, which is a huge feather in your cap, but just be careful)

Capt Fiero wrote: Patrick do you still have the original control arm setup on that 84 or have they been updated to the 85.

I was originally going to update the lower control arms to the later design when Clynt and I cut the front springs, but I didn't have the replacement arms when we did the work. I should've changed them when Gary, Colby and I took the front end apart to cut the metal bump stops down, but again, I hadn't yet acquired the later control arms.

I believe the only advantage to the later style is a tighter turning radius, but yes, I could very well still do it.

Capt Fiero wrote: Side note, you are running the Isuzu, so be careful with sticky tires and 2nd gear... assuming you are shifting hard into 2nd.

Oh believe me, I run the duke as hard as I can on the track.  Right from the starting line I floor it in first gear and then slam it into 2nd as soon as the power begins to drop off. Once into 2nd gear, I'm either continuing to floor the accelerator or I'm jumping on the brakes. There aren't many places on the track that the throttle isn't either fully on or fully off.

Bassman wrote: Na, drive it the chit out of it, if your not breaking something, your not driving hard enough:)...lol

Exactly. The duke has been very resilient, despite my best efforts.

I suspect one reason my times are as close to Colby's as they are is that Colby is reluctant to "break" his one vehicle. Therefore he doesn't push it as hard on the track as I do mine. I don't want to break my car either, but if I do I have other ones I can drive.

As Gary has commented at the track... I drive it like I stole it.