build diary

June 4, 2007: On the course, I just couldn't get the Seven to hook up well.
Temperatures were nice and warm, but I either had the front end sliding or the rear spinning - sometimes both, of course. There was a real problem getting the front to grip on turn in. I was running on the Falkens instead of my usual Toyo RA-1s because I just plain ran out of time when loading up for the event. I didn't think it would be a major problem. But the car just didn't feel precise and it was smearing all over the pavement. On one part of the course this was a riot as I let the car swing around a series of four cones. But for most of the turns, it was a frustration.

We had a great race going on for the fastest time of the day. A turbo Miata, a well set up and unbelievably fast 1.6 Miata, an S2000 and the Seven all traded back and forth for the crown. The odd thing is that I've run with that turbo Miata before, and when I was driving a supercharged Miata we were very closely matched. The Seven is faster than that supercharged Miata, so why were we so close now? Heck, why was he ahead of me?

I spent a lot of time grumbling and grousing about my tires, and no matter what I did I just couldn't quite catch the others. I was running at the back of our little pack and had resigned myself to the fact that I just wasn't going to catch them. The fastest time of the day was a 1:19.185 for the turbo Miata while my best for the Seven was 1:19.881.

Just for fun, at the end of the day, I hopped in the Westfield for a run. Right out of the starting gate, I found what I'd been missing. The car leapt forward with that urge I'd been expecting from my car, and diving into the first gate was a revelation. Here was the front end grip and accuracy I'd been hoping for. The car didn't have enough horsepower to light up the rear tires so I couldn't steer from the rear at all. I didn't have the right shoes for its smaller footwell so I was a bit concerned about hitting the brake pedal which made me more hesitant. When I pulled into the pits after my run, I thought there was going to be a mutiny. I'd set a time of 1:17.435, about 1.7 seconds faster than anyone else. And it was all thanks to a good set of tires.

The RA-1 isn't usually viewed as a good autocross tire because it doesn't heat up fast enough, while the Falken Azenis is put up on a pedestal as the almighty champion of all. I'm not a big fan of the Falkens - too heavy and too stiff for my taste - and this proved why. Sure, the dedicated Hoosier race slicks will outrun the Toyos but you can't drive them up to the track. I don't think the Seven is ever going to leave the garage on Falkens again. Since the suspension is set up for the Toyos that might be part of the problem of course.

Nobody else got that Westfield around the track faster than 1:21.605. So it's not all tires!

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