GD Ashlyn - Mike's EFI Logics-built '04 STI...an autocross warrior.

BadlandsRacer

New member
Nope, sure can't. The AFRs look okay (lean as shit at idle but they richen out under throttle, pretty sure that's just because I'm running an open mid-pipe with no muffler), and the carseems to be running okay other than that...
 

BadlandsRacer

New member
Got a little package in the mail today. More pictures/video soon! :)

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BadlandsRacer

New member
Well, earlier this week I got a "congratulatons!" message from one of my friends that took me completely by surprise. Though I'm a Modified Magazine subscriber, I did not know about this, and his had already been delivered to him...so stopped down at good old Wally-world to pick up an issue. Anyway, the big news is...

The car and I made the Modified Readers Rides 2012 issue!

This was quite the surprise, and a big honor for me; I never expected my car was worth anything like this. It's a solid article that touches upon my induction into the world of SCCA autocross, my build at EFI Logics, and some of the other mods I did to wrap up 2011. Check it out below or pick up the May Modified Magazine, on stands today!


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I certainly couldn't be more pleased to see this in a quality rag like Modified, and as the 2012 year progresses, I'll be shooting for a full feature in a regular issue for sure!

In other news, the Tomei Expreme Ti exhaust is installed, and holy cow is it LIGHT! It also fits perfectly under the car, and with the INGS+1 rear bumper. I'll have pictures soon.
 

BadlandsRacer

New member
13 April 2012: Installed Tomei Expreme Ti full titanium catback exhaust!

Well, I went ahead on Friday and got my Tomei Expreme Ti exhaust installed! I purchased this exhaust because I had been using a B&B mid-pipe with a TurboXS RFL axleback, with the flanges clocked to make them compatible. This moved the fitment of the exhaust to the left slightly and although it only looked odd on the OEM rear bumper, it just did not fit on the INGS+1 rear bumper without rubbing the bumper. This, I could not have, so that exhaust system was sold to a local and the Tomei Expreme Ti catback was ordered through Apex Performance.

This exhaust is fully constructed of titanium, and the entire catback system weighs a grand total of 11 lbs!

The exhaust was packaged quite well to protect against shipping damage.

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The first thing I want to mention about the Tomei system is the high, high quality. Since it is a full titanium exhaust, there are no bends...every bend in the exhaust system consists of separately welded pieces. The quality of the welds is remarkable. With an engraved "UP", Tomei even lets you know what orientation the first pipe should be in when fitting to the downpipe flange.

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The muffler is, of course, also crafted of titanium, with a polished look, and a burnt/blued finish in two places. The muffler is enchanting, in my opinion...looks amazing! Tomei includes an optional silencer insert with this, which is also constructed of titanium.


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Tomei Powered includes ALL required hardware for installation, including new nuts and bolts to mount to the downpipe, springs and clamps, the silencer and its hardware, two downpipe-to-midpipe gaskets (in case you need a spare), and plenty of stickers!

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My friend Chris helped me with the install in my garage. His daughter Haley, who turned 11 on Sunday, decided to model the part for us!

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Now, on to the installation! First, we scraped all the hardened gasket junk off the flange on my Kakumei Motorsports downpipe. It left a mess!


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After that, the install took maybe five minutes. There is only one flange on the Tomei exhaust, on first pipe section, and it bolts directly to the downpipe flange. The rest of the exhaust is assembled by inserting one pipe into the next and using clamps and springs for tension. The elimination of flanges helps keep weight down.

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Now, because I like to be loud and obnoxious, I finished the install by leaving the muffler sitting on my workbench in the garage. I want to enjoy the ridiculously loud sound of the full titanium pipes with no resonator under my car. However, I did test-fit the muffler to ensure it would fit in the exhaust cut-out on the INGS+1 rear bumper, and it fits perfectly. I'll post some pictures of that when I finally decide to put it on.

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And of course, the obligatory exhaust sound video...with NO muffler. This is LOUD...probably exceeds decibel limitations in my town and would definitely not be street legal. However, it sounds orgasmic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e0eTrAFjXU


Also while fooling around, I decided to take a side-by-side shot of the 265/35/17 Dunlop Z1 StarSpec tires I have mounted on the Enkei wheels and ready to go on as soon as the roll and pull is completed...compared to my daily driver 225 Kumho all-seasons.


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That covers things for now! It's getting down to the wire. I ordered my extended wheel studs and 5mm spacers for the front today. I'll be rolling the fenders this week, then having a friend that I trust like no one else with body work do the pull...after that, the new vinyl layout for all the new sponsors, and we should be ready to race! More soon.
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IGOTASTi

System Operator
Staff member
Looks awesome. I love the video. Keep up the great work.
 

BadlandsRacer

New member
Well, this has been a productive week. The oil change, Kartboy exhaust hangers, tow hook plate, etc...plus, had a compression test done, and got my KSTech hoodscoop delete plate painted and installed.

Compression test yielded particularly favorable results and was just another testimony to EFI Logics. Dealership was quite impressed with how even the results were all the way around.

Cylinder #1: 132
Cylinder #2: 130
Cylinder #3: 130
Cylinder #4: 132


Alignment is tomorrow morning. Also, unfortunately, I've been through three different filters on this car and none of them will fit without rubbing on the front right tire...damn Dunlops and their 265/40s. Two choices left, and no time to get it done...cut the intake pipe after the bend into the fender so that the filter sits higher, or try some ridiculously complicated combination of elbows and pipes and connectors to extend the filter down in and away from the tire. If anyone has suggestions, that'd be cool, but I realize it's hard to give without seeing the car.


Time for pics!

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Also got my first creeper the other day...and two jacks! Because it takes an alternation of two separate jacks to get my car high enough to do any sort of work on it. Bah.

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AMSOIL Dominator 10w30 synthetic racing oil, an AMSOIL filter, and AMSOIL Dominator Coolant Boost.

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Fitment of the Tomei muffler:

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And the reason I needed a new filter...

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Tow hook no fit with INGS+1 rear bumper? No worries! A little time fabricating on my wife's parents' farm yields an awesome extension plate!

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Cusco trunk brace that I've got to figure out how to mount yet:

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And the painting and installation of the KSTech delete plate! My buddy Tyler did the actual painting (because I'm a noob), but I did get the etch primer and fill primer done (ooh, so hard :lol: ).

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Stay tuned as things come together, SOON!
 

Grinder34

Track Monkey
Rattle can paint job? It looks like it turned out well though! And your car looks extremely badass!
 

BadlandsRacer

New member
Rattle can paint job? It looks like it turned out well though! And your car looks extremely badass!

Rattlecan with GrimmSpeed's World Rally Blue. I've used it once before kn the OEM rear bumper when I did JDM-style rear aprons and it came out looking nice.

Also, thank you! :)

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2
 

BadlandsRacer

New member
Mike's SCCA Solo/track day '04 STi - 5x114, 265/40/17, INGS+1, APR, Tomei, & more!!

MOAR UPDATE PLZ!

30 May 2012: All is Revealed + 1st Autocross

Alright, well it's definitely been awhile since we had a solid update. The car is finished, ready for racing season (which has already begun) and looking great.

Where to even start with what has all been changed. The 5x114.3 hub conversion is complete, with new DBA 4000 T3-slotted brake rotors, EBC BlueStuff brake pads, StopTech SS lines, and Motul RBF600 fluid. My 17x9.5 Enkei RPF1s are powdercoated Joker green and mounted with 265/45/17 StarSpecs; the fenders are rolled to accommodate. As already pictured, the INGS+1 body kit is installed cleanly, but now we add to it carbon fiber B-pillar garnish, a KSTech hood scoop delete plate, and an APR GTC-300 carbon spoiler.

Additionally, after my first track session at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota (which I will post about soon), I realized the severe shortcomings of the factory STi seat. It wasn't easy trying to keep my focus on the apex when I was leaning halfway out the driver window. As soon as I got home from the track I ordered a Corbeau FX1 Pro fixed back seat and 5-point harness, and picked up a Sparco harness bar from a friend of mine. Everything was installed according to SCCA regulations to pass tech inspection; once I earn my time trial license, before I actually compete, I'll just need to use a support brace on the seat back as the FX1 is not an FIA approved seat. The seat and harness look great in the car and REALLY helped hold me better at SCCA Badlands Region's first autocross competition of the year on the 20th of May in Minot, ND, so I'm pretty happy with that decision.

Autocross on the 20th went very well for the car. The big StarSpecs provided some noticeably improved grip, although I was lazy all day and did not adjust tire pressure or even suspension damping (ran on the softest settings all day). Unfortunately, a double-schedule by the lot owner with SCCA and some local circle track racers led to us getting kicked out of the lot at 3pm....everyone only got 3 total timed runs, and I did not find this out until all 3 of my runs were complete, so when a C5 Corvette wearing Hoosiers placed a lower time than me, I had no chance at redemption. That said, I ended up 1 second behind the Corvette, 2nd place out of 37 entries in raw time and 5th place out of 37 in PAX. Not a bad day, but I really feel as though the top raw time would have been mine, as well as an improvement on the PAX side, if I had had the rest of our usual alotted runs.

After the autocross event had ended, Ross Perkins of AUTOmersion did a photoshoot of my car for a feature on the AUTOmersion blog, which can be found here: http://automersion.blogspot.com/2012/06/feature-apex-performances-2004-subaru.html. Be sure to check him out at http://www.rossmperkins.com/#!automersion and AUTOmersion. for lots of other epic automotive photography and articles. There is also a version of this article that was picked up by Autoholics.com, here: http://autoholics.com/2012/06/04/Bi...APEX-Performance-s-2004-Subaru-WRX-STi-640228.

The first pictures posted of my completed car will be those that Ross took on the 20th, but before we go into pictures, I want to go out of my way to mention my new sponsors and give them a special thank you for making this latest version of my car possible and helping me to advance my racing career:

2012 Racing Sponsors:

GrimmSpeed (www.grimmspeed.com)

We know them, we love them, they are the manufacturers of many fantastic aftermarket solutions for Subaru! GrimmSpeed has done me many solids over the past couple of years, providing strong support for my project. They are awesome to work with and the quality of the products they provide are absolutely second to none. GrimmSpeed products on my car include: port & polished exhaust manifold w/ high flow cross-pipe, ceramic coated black; port & polished up-pipe ceramic coated black, with coated dump tube for EWG; lightweight crankshaft pulley (3.5 lbs lighter than stock); 8mm phenolic spacers; 3-port electronic boost control solenoid; master cylinder brace; oil fill cap; WRB touch-up paint (on the KSTech hood scoop delete plate). I have also had the pleasure of reviewing the satin black license plate delete, and their license plate relocation kit...both are spectacular products. If you are in the market for a boost control solution or exhaust products for your car, look no further.


APR Performance (www.aprperformance.com)

APR Performance manufacturers quality aerodynamic components for a variety of vehicles. They special is aerodynamics and their website is chock full of technical data that can assist you in purchasing the proper equipment to increase downforce in your car. I spent many days e-mailing back and forth with APR techs before selecting their GTC-300 adjustable carbon spoiler for my car, ensuring that it would suit my application and power level well. With an efficiency range that begins at 40 mph, the spoiler is fully functional and compliments the INGS+1 body kit well, lending the car a solid GT look. I also run the APR carbon fiber radiator shroud, and plan to use their canards and front splitter in the very near future.


Enkei International (www.enkei.com)

I think everyone knows these guys, manufacturers of affordable, strong, lightweight aftermarket wheels. They were happy to jump on board when I told them about my plans for this year, and I selected 17x9.5 RPF1 wheels for my car, which arrived in silver but are now a nice, Joker-ish shade of green that really pops against World Rally Blue. According to Enkei, these wheels wigh 16.25 lbs each, some of the lightest race wheels available for our cars, and RPF1s (or any Enkei wheel) won't break the bank vs. some of the fully forged options out there. Utilizing a one-piece cast wheel with the spin-forming they refer to as MAT to form the rim, Enkei wheels are both light and strong, a great choice for your race application.


Octane Nation (www.octanenation.com)

I was approached by Octane Nation after their staff viewed my profile on CarDomain.com. Octane Nation is an up-and-coming automotive social network currently under development. The goal of Octane Nation is to offer enthusiasts a way to connect with each other, browse cars, ask questions, and sell parts. To that end, Octane Nation is being outfitted with a solid parts categorization platform that will allow users to define every part installed on their car according to purpose and manufacturer, and search for cars with a particular part installed. If you?re interested, stop by the site and register!


Kupper Subaru (www.kupper-subaru.com)

Widely regarded as the best Subaru dealership in the state of North Dakota, I have worked with Kupper since 2009. Their service department takes care of me very well, although my car is evolving to point (and I?m acquiring enough tools) that I don?t see them so often anymore, I will still happily promote them for others. The service department definitely takes care of their performance customers, and as for the sales part of the dealership, well, they are a best-price dealership; no haggling here! The friendly sales staff is about taking care of the customers, not pushing them into a more expensive car.


Signs & Wonders, Inc. (535 Airport Rd, Bismarck, ND)

I met Rick from Signs & Wonders during the ND500, and not only is he a great guy (and funny as hell), he does some excellent work. Whether you need vehicle graphics, racing numbers, a car show posterboard, or team t-shirts, these guys can get it done...and keep you laughing the entire time! Signs & Wonders is responsible for all of the vehicle graphics on my car. Give them a ring at 701-222-3848 if you're looking for a way to make your car stand out from the rest!


High Plains Powder Coating (701-223-8480)

These guys are definitely a trip off the beaten path, but they?re friendly and do good work. High Plains offers powdercoating services for just about anything from wheels and intake pipes to bike body parts and more. With a very reasonable turnaround time and fair prices, give Aaron a call to have some color added to your car!


Al?s Barber Shop (206 N. 8th St, Bismarck, ND)

The best barber shop in Bismarck, hands down. They?re just a tiny shop with two friendly barbers and a great atmosphere. I?ve been a customer here for years, and can tell you from personal experience that there is no one I would rather go to than Joe and Travis. The walls of the shop are decorated with awards and newspaper features about this awesome little place, and they?ve earned it. The service is great! Next time you need a haircut, give them a call at 701-223-1050, or stop in for a walk-in!


And now, ze pictures!
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20 May 2012: BRSCCA Autocross in Minot, ND + AUTOmersion photoshoot

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BadlandsRacer

New member
Please bear with me, as this got longer than I intended. I don't think that's a bad thing, and it does contain some awesome material, including pictures, links to magazine and online article features, videos, etc. I know some of this may have been posted in bits and pieces, but here it is all bundled together, and I'll probably do it again at the end of summer.

This summer has been absolutely and completely crazy, and I have not been able to update as often as I should. This summer I went full time at my job new, a Verizon indirect company called BeMobile, as a sales associate. I love it so far! I finished my bachelors degree, had some military training, and am preparing for grad school...so I've definitely been keeping busy.

I'll jump right into it. For those that don't know, this car was featured in the May 2012 Reader's Rides issue of Modified Magazine with the old wing, factory body, and older Enkei PF01 wheels, as well as the older race livery. The feature can be viewed here as a high-resolution scan from the article, so it can still be read: http://www.c3vr.com/member_uploads/6601_6700/6623/Modified_feature.jpg

The first thing I'll say about this year is that the car was finished on time back in April. With the help of some very, very good friends, magic happened and we got the INGS+1 body kit installed, wheel hub swap complete, Enkei wheels powdercoated and on, fenders rolled, APR spoiler mounted, and all of the sponsorship vinyls done through Signs & Wonders in Bismarck, ND, in time for a big local car club meet, show, and BBQ, which had over 200 people in attendance.

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We left the show a little early to prep the car for its first track outing ever, a visit to Brainerd International Raceway for the BIR-hosted performance driving school and practice sessions.

Brainerd International Raceway - School & Practice Sessions, 5-7-2012

The car performed fabulously. Between the improved aero (thanks APR) and the increased grip (thanks Enkei/Dunlop), and the existing suspension mods, the car was incredibly predictable around both BIR's 2.5-mile competition road course and the longer 3.1-mile course with the long, fast straight. The BIR instructors really pushed me outside of my comfort zone as a driver, and after lunch progressed me from their novice group to their intermediate group based on my progress. Unfortunately I was a little occupied with absorbing all of the new information to really have any good media from the trip...we wound up with three pretty good pictures and hardly any video.

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QUICK VIDEO CLIP: http://youtu.be/qla6IhpAO_A


Badlands Region SCCA Autocross - Minot, ND 5-20-2012 + AutoMersion Online Journal feature!

After what I felt was success at the track, I returned to North Dakota to apply what I'd learned to a local autocross event. Ross Perkins, a local photographer and automotive journalist, was present for the autocross event, and approached me after the event about doing a feature on my car. Ross has an excellent way with words and it really shows in this article, and boy does he know what he is doing behind a camera! Ross was kind enough to do the full official photoshoot for the car's new look, and captured it in a spectacular way! As for the event results, I worked my car to 2nd place out of 37 total entries, 1st in class.

Ross's article, along with his pictures, can be found here: http://automersion.blogspot.com/2012/06/feature-apex-performances-2004-subaru.html

Badlands Region SCCA Autocross - Devils Lake, ND 6-2-2012

The next BRSCCA Autocross took place in Devils Lake, ND, on a much smaller course. A good crowd was in attendance...this event coincides with Devils Lake's annual Devils Run Car Show so we generally have a lot of show-goers come to watch the spectacle. A difficult boost leak left the car running at less than peak performance, landing me solidly in 10th place out of 35 total entries, however, it was still a 1st in class for me. Also, I forgot my number magnets at home, so 911 was represented by painters tape on the rear windows. A couple pictures from another participant are here:

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Buggies & Blues Car Show 2012 - Mandan, ND, 6-9-2012

WARNING. MASSIVE PICTURE DUMP!!! The week after autocross, we opted to skip another autocross event in Fargo, ND to attend one of the biggest car shows in central North Dakota. Buggies and Blues is held in Mandan, ND, and half of Main St is shut down, along with some adjoining streets, to fit tons of classic cars, new muscle, modified imports, and more for the public to view as they walk down the streets and visit various food and clothing vendors, etc. A local shop was in attendance with a portable 2WD dyno as well. The car was looking quite clean lined up with some of our friends for the show, and the half-stripped interior, wide tires, and aggressive aero drew a consistent crowd throughout the day. Buggies & Blues is a non-judged car show, essentially an expose for people to enjoy, but there was plenty of great exposure there!

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After the show, we all went on a little cruise and took quite a few pictures of our cars together.

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At this point there was a long interim where the car didn't do a whole lot. My out of town military training, coupled with the fact that we (SCCA Badlands Region) lost all of our venues for local autocross events (one business sold their lot, the other two are under construction), forcing us to cancel all Bismarck-Mandan events this year, created a mid-summer dead spot where the most we did was attend some small local cruise nights. At the end of July, however, Sami and I jumped right back into it.

Brainerd International Raceway - School & Practice Sessions, 7-20-2012

Another visit to BIR for their road racing school and practice sessions. At this point, I am trying to log as much seat time as possible so that I can apply for a regional SCCA Time Trial competition license and progress into official competition next year. I was offered the opportunity to begin in the advanced group this time around based on my instructor evals from last time, but I declined and asked for another instructor this time around. I worked throughout the day to step outside my comfort zone again, focusing on improving my line and paying special attention to shift points and braking zones. By the end of the day, I could tell, and my instructor (and the wife) agreed, that I had gotten much faster; I was taking some of the BIR turns faster than I ever had.

Perhaps the highlight of my day was the opportunity to pass a brand new Nissan GT-R (yay driving skill), and my unofficial grudge match with a 2013 Shelby GT500 after the instructors moved us up into the next group for the late afternoon sessions, allowing us to run on our own. My very conservatively-tuned STi easily kept pace with the 662-horsepower GT500, and though he gained ground on me in the straights, he lost it all in the turns, and it was very obvious that I was faster than him through almost the entire infield of the 2.5-mile competition course. At the end of the day I shook hands with the owner, who was quite nice in addition to being an excellent driver, and he commented on how well my car handles.

The lead instructor said he would absolutely sign off on my being prepared for a competition license based on my years of autocross experience plus how quickly I advanced through the groups, so the full Time Trial comp license should be just around the corner!

I was much more diligent about my GoPro use this time around, and my wife was handy with both our DSLR and video camera, leading to the following pictures and music video:

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MUSIC VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fgXOGrCntM


Whew! That does bring us current. We are currently looking forward to Motor Magic weekend in Minot, ND, our SCCA region's biggest event of the year. However, after our latest outing to BIR, the car seems to be plagued by some rather odd tuning issues that could prevent it from running, and unfortunately, I am currently without a tuner. I am working with Cobb to attempt to get the issue isolated and sorted and get back in the saddle before Motor Magic, but it is a possibiity that the car will be on the bench for the rest of the season if it needs a complete retune.

On September 8th, Kupper Automotive will host their local Customer & Military Appreciation Day Car Show in at their dealership in Mandan, ND. This show has gotten bigger every year, raising thousands of dollars for charitable organizations that work with military families, and this year will be no different, with planned appearances by Dave Mirra's #40 rallycross car and Dale Earnhardt Jr's #88 NASCAR. This will be the 3rd year in a row for my car to attend. The previous two years we landed People's Choice awards, and last year we were shy just a couple votes of Best in Show...I think the final count was two or three votes off. This year that award will be ours! We are currently working with vinyl sponsor Signs & Wonders to prepare an awesome, up-to-date show board that really showcases my purpose in turning this car into a racecar, complete with pictures, and of course, a list of sponsor information, that will be displayed at the Kupper show.

This Saturday I am heading to small town Carson, ND for a car show with some cash prizes hanging in the balance, so wish me luck! People's Choice is a $250 prize, and Best in Show is a $1,000 cash prize, but the odds are generally weighed in favor of the classic muscle, just because of the local demographic. We'll have to see how we do and gauge any changes we can make to our presentation and marketing of the car prior to the Kupper show!
 
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Grinder34

Track Monkey
Wow you've been busy, but thanks for the update.

In that first video you posted, i'm impressed with that little elise appearing to keep up on the straight.

What AOA do you run on your wing for the track and auto-x?
 

BadlandsRacer

New member
I don't have the tool to measure. I set it where APR recommended and left it. I know this is the wrong answer but this first year I was more concerned with learning how to drive on a track period than setting the car up for the track.
 
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