Can't you bring your friends to track day and do it legally ??
Believe it or not, they're all too chicken!! They'll happily race in a straight line on the streets, but in an actual competition setting? "Nah man, I gotta make more power first..." It's a shame that they don't trust their cars, man.
I got pulled on the bike doing 135 in a 35 a few months ago. I somehow didn't get a ticket or anything. needless to say, the rest of the way home I was doing one mile under the speed limit lol Virginia is ridiculous with speeding fines, especially when it becomes reckless (20 over the limit or anything 80+) Nice to see your little wagon beating some way more powered cars though lol
Are you serious? That's the most I've ever heard anyone speed, Christ! Seems like the cops in Virginia are omega chill, regardless of their speeding fines. But yeah, it felt nice being able to "beat" someone in the car, in a straight line, no less. But what'll really make my day is when I become much more competitive in my class at the time attack! Gotta work on those skills.
General Update
School's really ramping up hard, so I've little to no time to tinker with my vehicle. Everything's relatively nominal, with the odd old car clunk and whatnot. There are some things to note and touch upon:
Belts, Pulleys, Motor Mounts
I learned about this by pushing down on the throttle body actuator while it was running. Just a little bit, it rocks backwards and slightly counter-clockwise (planar to the ground). It's just a small amount, and the video couldn't demonstrate it due to my holding it with one handing and pushing the actuator. Guess my mounts are at the beginning stages of going out?
Also, I took another look at my pulleys, and it kind of looks like they all had a slight wobble to their spins. Again, couldn't pick it up on camera, but just something I noted. Also time for new pulleys and belts? Perhaps if I ever get back to a stable bank level, I can replace all the pulleys and belts, and swap out that CS pulley for a lightweight one.
Exhaust System
I need to take one more look at my exhaust ports at the block. Maybe I crunched the header's gasket, since there's still an extremely tiny amount of air slipping through the exhaust block -> header connection.
MP3 ECU + VTCS Removal/MP3 Intake
As usual, the MP3 ECU still rests in my room. I toy with the idea of just plugging it in without removing the VTCS, but I don't want them to be stuck closed or whatever. Just gotta keep saving money for a proper MP3 IM (would take far less time than gutting out the VTCS myself).
RacingBeat Swaybar
The swaybar still sits in my garage, and with it the hardware I purchased from AWR and the proper endlinks. While not a time consuming project at all, I fear shredding off the puny endlink tabs on the OEM struts.
Bushings/Hangers for Exhaust
Oh, and I recall posting about how my exhaust system would bang against the bumper. Well, the poly hangers are excellent, and really hold the catback in place, but it revealed to me that the problem also involved my bumper being loose. Those splash shields are broken and missing, so there's little to no structural assistance. My bumper is currently held on by two screws at the sides, and three (or four? can't remember) fasteners under the trunk. Sketchy...especially since it likes to bang around.
Heat Shield
Man this thing is annoying! It's looking like it's ready to break off, and it's banging around on my exhaust, so I really need to draw up plans for "building" one. Just get some sheet metal, rivnuts, and plug it in.
Suspension
I can hear my springs squeaking and moving, just like when I first got my car (which had blown struts almost all around). I gotta go inspect them to make sure I didn't blow them out...now that would suck! But, if they were done for, I would save up the cash for a proper sportier suspension system. Gotta send an email to RacingBeat if they truly still have Tokicos in stock; I really don't want to screw with coilovers at the moment.
I mused on the idea of getting either Megan or AWR's trailing/lateral links. It's probably a far more reasonable and obtainable upgrade to put before a whole new suspension system, but I dunno. Money's still tight, and I gotta put it in proper places.
Man, there's a cusco front tie bar I can buy four about 100 bucks...damn that's tempting.
Shifter
Still back to OEM, but with that weird shiny knob sent with the OBX adjustable shifter. Feels nice, really, but sometimes I find myself missing gears due to muscle memory claiming the throw is much shorter. I gotta get another short throw someday...
Sometime later, I'll update my maintenance/modifications list on the top page with this info. Until then, I'm just riding easy and studying :^)
