I rode in a friend’s Ferrari (1978 308) recently and while I love how it sounds… I often can not get enough of the turbocharged sound. So if you love the sound of turbochargers doing work here you go:
Link for you RSS peeps.
It may be an older video of ours, but I love it and cannot get enough.
Update: Apparently I decided to post this exactly two years after uploading it to YouTube. Odd.
It turns out that Petter will be racing in a Citroen Xsara in the upcoming Rally Norway. That’s some pretty exciting news, since it will be the first non Subaru he has competed in since the year 2000. Almost a decade ago.
Citroen Xsaras were fast a few years ago, and I wonder if Petter will be able to claw out a decent position in a non-factory supported car. However, for all we know he could be factory supported by Citroen, but I doubt it if he is running a Xsara.
I’m real excited to see Petter back for another year.
I came across some intruiging information earlier on the Nissan GT-R. While this may be old news to some of you, the gist of it is that Nissan is not honoring the warranty if the transmission fails after doing launches with the VDC off, and launch control on.
The GT-R has an interesting transmission, a computer controlled dual clutch sequential. So this means that Nissan has intentionally included a feature in their car that would void the warranty when used for anything other than getting the car unstuck from mud or snow. While this can be interpreted in a lot of different ways, it brings up an interesting, although blindingly obvious point to me.
Cars break.
The real question then is why do they break? For the average person, it’s likely due to improper maintainance, or simply normal wear and tear that takes out a component that may or may not be critical to the operation of the vehicle.
However, for people like Charles and I, and most likely you as well, we drive our cars hard. We expect the engineers who designed it to allow the car to be driven at full power and aggressively by including headroom in the strength and durability of critical components. But of course, even with that, there are things that you do that wear down parts, and will eventually break them.
Luckily, things are designed so that cheaper parts that are easy to replace take the brunt of the damage, protecting the more expensive components.
Aggressive turning will wear down suspension bushings, and tires a bunch. Hard shifting is hard on the clutch and engine mounts. Rough roads are also tough on the suspension bushings, and the dampers, and sometimes rattles the interior apart.
However, it’s not too hard to exceed the limits of some of these safety components and break something more important. For example, launching the car by dumping the clutch with the engine at a high rpm is very hard on the transmission, driveshafts, differentials, axles, and related bushings. It’s not uncommon for someone to break a differential gear or axle spindle when doing hard launches like so.
Something else transmission related that is hard to avoid is synchro wear. Synchros allow you to change between gears easily, and without rev-matching. In most modern manual gearboxes, the gears are always meshed together, but spin freely on a shaft. The gear is selected by engaging a ring, which then prevents the gear from rotating, and transfers the torque into the shaft. When engaging this ring, it needs to be spinning close to the same speed as the gear, or else there will be an awesome grinding noise and you won’t be able to select the gear. It is the synchro’s job to make sure everything is spinning at the right speed. However, the synchros wear out with use. Each gear shift puts a little more wear and heat into it. If you’re using the synchros a lot to make shifts that involve large RPM changes, they overheat and warp, creating a spot that rubs more than the rest, getting hotter and wearing faster, etc. So when downshifting, try to double-clutch whenever possible to reduce wear on those synchros! I know that was an awkward and cumbersome explaination, so I’m sorry, I’ll make a dedicated transmission post someday to explain it in more detail. However, we have made a video a while back on how to double-clutch if you’re not familiar with it:
In addition to that, there are plenty of other things. Keep the interior and exterior clean to avoid rust and damage to the finish. Don’t run into stationary solid objects. All those things that you generally can’t avoid when rallying, hahaha.
This is a series on how you should film your driving and show the world what you’re doing. We’ve been getting lots of questions regarding camera setups and mounting options so what better way to exlpain it than with a series. In this entry you’ll learn how to setup a camera and explore some mounting options.
Camera Settings
When I refer to the camera I’m talking about a video camera, whether it is a camcorder, helmet camera, point and shoot digital camera in video mode or even a high end film camera. Our videos have been shot with a Canon Elura100 (camcorder) and a VIO POV.1 (helmet camera). We have used point and shoot cameras for pedal shots before we had the helmet camera but we were always disappointed with the quality.
Most cameras will have options either buried in software menus or are controlled by physical things (buttons, dials, rings). The most important one for driving is focus, specifically auto-focus. Turn off auto-focus. Since most of the shots you setup in a car are going to be static shots (the camera stays still in relation to the car) you just have to setup the focus of the camera once before you drive. With auto-focus on you can get all sorts of annoying focal length changes that may distract/annoy viewers. This gives you a chance to learn how to set focus on your camera too, which you must do if you turn auto-focus off.
Zoom out as far as you can. Zooming in multiplies the visual effect vibration of the camera has on the video. Couple that with any camera that has digital zoom, in effect, lowers the quality/resolution of the video and you end up with some terrible looking video. You can always digitally zoom in later during editing.
Some cameras also have vibration compensation. Some do this really well, but most don’t. This is now in the realm of getting to know your camera, and the only way to know it is to use it. So here it is up to you, but try out both on and off and see which you prefer visually. For securely fastened cameras on stable mounts, vibration reduction usually does not help.
Mounting the Camera
Mounting the camera inside a car is a bit tricky. Most decent solutions will cost money. I forked over some dough for a Sticky Pod mounting system back when I bought the Elura. I am glad I did too, it has been more used than I thought it would be. I use the extra suction cup it came with to mount my helmet camera to the car. The full mounting system is still used for the Elura and has been used to make every single non-helmet cam video we’ve made (barring how to install vinyl stickers). There is a downside to the suction cup style mounts: you have to have smooth surfaces like glass in and around the car.
However there are DIY mounting solutions far from the simplicity of duct tape. Threads all over the internet have talked about how to make a DIY headrest mount (fits on your head rest poles and is secured by the headrest). These provide 1 or 2 shooting positions but provide a “Driver’s View” for your video. These are also usually more secure than a suction cup mount.
If you’re filming with a full on race car I’ll assume you can make a mount that fits on your rollcage. Tube frames provide great mounting points using zip ties/clamps. Helmet cameras (lipstick cams) work great for tube frame mounts. This will let you get great shots of everything in the car including pedals, driver+dash, inside looking out shots, faces of the driver(s), etc…
Sound Considerations
On camcorders or any tape based camera there are spring loaded heads in there. Cars have a tendency to vibrate and those vibrations are passed through the mount to the camera. The big problem happens when your microphone is in the same area as the heads (such as with the Elura). The microphone picks up the vibration of the heads and any loose items in the camera, so consider picking up an external mic (example at amazon). I have, but before I did driving videos sounded terrible. Here is an example of the rattling:
Placing the microphone in different spots also gets you different sounds. With an external mic you can put it inside engine bays, near exhausts, near a window crack (so you get a wind buffeting sound for “speed”), etc… I’ve done it as an experiment inside the WRX’s intake and it ended up sounding pretty sweet. Here is that example:
So go grab your video camera and start playing! Make sure to focus on driving while driving and not the camera. You dont want to record a silly accident (but if you’re in one hope you’re recording).
That’s it for this entry into How To Film Your Driving. Next time we’ll talk about angles and and their effects.
Last year I complained about how caked in snow my wheel wells got. My solution for the past year was to get out of the car and use an ice scraper to remove chunks of snow/ice. That worked, but there has to be a more elegant solution. Some people suggested non-stick cooking spray (also for camera lenses I hear). Others suggested wax compounds like Rain-X. So I figured I would try them out.
A few days ago I decided to spray my rear right wheel well with PAM (the oh so famous spray on oil). So far that wheel well has been accumulating much less snow than the other wheel wells (I also didn’t spray that well), so the initial trial seems promising. So over the next few weeks as it snows and I go and play in said snow I’ll be testing out various chemicals to prevent buildup.
Before I get started officially, I was wondering if you had any ideas as to what else would work? I’m looking for cheap/elegant solutions.
So far:
Or is it…?
I know many of you guys realize my love for all things Volvo at this point, but this is something pretty interesting to me, and is proof that you can turn almost anything into a race car if you want to. I happened to find out that a team, K-PAX/3R Racing, is entering into the SCCA World Championship with two Volvo S60s.
This news is pretty contrary to me, with major teams pulling out of racing left and right. For a while, the future of automotive racing was looking pretty bleak to me. But this reminded me of something that we said a while ago: Smaller teams stand a chance of doing really well, since it seems that many of the top competing teams are taking a leave of absense. This announcement is proof of that. Who would think the epitome of safety and (maybe undeserved from my perspective) sluggishness would find it’s way to the track in racing form?
So to all of you smaller teams out there: Pull through! The future of rally racing may rest on your shoulders at this point, and it is your time to show everyone what you are capable of.
Internal combustion engines are not cold (funny, since the acronym is ICE) and when cold they do not work very well. Oil is thicker and more viscous and that puts more strain on the engine. So while this is normal in every day operation (unless you’re a truck driver and never shuts the engine off), this is when the engine is most vulnerable so there are some things you can do to help.
Drive like a grandma - Full throttle isn’t a great idea for a few a reaons. First it should be avoided until the car’s oil and water is up to normal operating temperatures (it will get there) as wear is increased. Second, the colder the weather the worse the traction. Rubber gets brittle(r) and grips thing worse, not to mention ice and snow. That means stopping distances are increased and turns cannot be taken as fast. Bonus for driving like a grandma: better gas mileage. Because of my shenanigans in the snow my gas mileage for that week was about 13mpg (well below my 30mpg highway and 22 or so city).
Expect the worst - in traction at least. Just the other day I was turning left from a stop and WEEEEEEEEEEE, the car suddenly loses the back end. Ice was in the middle of an intersection. Sometimes you cannot see ice/sand/marbles/oil slicks from james bond/etc… so expect the worst for traction.
Remove Ice and Snow buildup - I cringe everytime i see people with huge sheets of snow on the roof of their car driving around. Not only have I been hit by chunks of snowice when driving behind someone (they suddenly go air born at 40-50mph), but if they slam on their brakes what is to stop all that from coming right down onto their windshield. My rule of thumb is just that, more than a thumb width on the top and I remove it. Brooms are really useful for the removal process, especially on a miniva… *ahem* tow vehicle.
So driving like a grandmother really does sum it up. Be nicer to your car while it warms up, it’ll repay you with many many more miles of like-new driving. Also be careful out there, statistically speaking if you’re between age 15 and 24 cars and other motor vehicles are the biggest risk of death.
Side note: if you’re between 25-44 AIDS, cancer and heart disease beat out car accidents (1996).
Side note2: watch out for your ‘friends’ and window strength.
Welcome back to the turbocharger series. Today’s lesson should be short and sweet; It is going to address some misconceptions I hear about size. And no, bigger isn’t better. I know I have covered turbo sizing to an extent in the second part, but I feel that there are some things that I have seen recently that I must comment on.
The first of those is about something called “Trim”. I have seen this used time and time again as a size descriptor for a certain turbo. It is not! A single turbo has two trims, one for the compressor wheel and one for the turbine wheel. Usually it is used in reference to the compressor.
So what is trim? Well, if you have read part two, you may recall that it is a ratio between the inducer diameter and the exducer diameter, Inducer²/Exducer² to be specific. Now, take note of that. It is just a ratio, nothing more. Yes, it does change the flow characteristics of the turbo a bit, but it has no bearing on the overall flow capabilities of the turbo, nor it’s size.
With that off of my chest, there is one other insane issue that I see crop up from time to time. Compressor wheel upgrades. It is often viewed as a cost effective upgarde to rebuild an engine’s stock turbo with a larger compressor wheel, without changing the turbine side at all. In some cases, this is actually a good idea.
However, in the vast majority, the stock turbo has a smallish turbine side to produce boost lower in the RPM band. When an even larger compressor is hooked up to that turbine, some not so good things can happen. First and foremost is compressor surge. The turbine has the potential to spin the compressor too fast and generate more boost than the compressor is capable of handling at that airflow, which leads to surge, which is extremely bad for the turbine.
The second is something that I mentioned in part four: Exhaust backpressure. A smaller turbine will result in higher backpressure, reducing the overall efficiency of the engine, and increasing exhaust gas temperatures. In other words, the engine’s power is reduced somewhat because it has more trouble flowing air, and is more susceptible to damage due to the higher temperatures.
Moral of the story: Before upgrading a turbo, make sure that both sides complement each other well. Flow capabilities should be similar on both sides.
New Years bring new seasons of racing, new cars, new toys and new feats of engineering. There is plenty to look forward to in what is going to be a great year.
In contrast with Subaru leaving the WRC, American leagues (NASA and RA) will still feature Subarus as their most common race car (and possibly still their winningest). With DIRT’s possible new entries into the sport such as their ProjectRS you’ll have plenty of new Subarus in NASA.
Fans of Petter Solberg will hopefully be able to watch his driving, albeit in most-likely a non Subaru as he is now a free agent. Rally Norway has even extended its entry deadline for Petter until January 13th.
Rally America is still expected to have its big names return: Travis Pastrana, Ken Block, Andrew Comrie-Picard and the not so well known Kyle Sarasin. So there will be plenty of competition to watch. Infact, with such big names dropping out of the WRC, Rally America could gain in popularity (world wide even).
2009 is set to be an exciting year. Do any of you have big rally plans this year?
With a new year comes new car parts that need replacing! I probably mentioned it in the past, but I noticed that my upper engine mount on the S70 looks like someone took a chainsaw to it. As you can imagine, this isn’t a good thing. Worn engine mounts allow more engine vibration, which can lead to poor feeling shifting, accelerated wear on other mounts, and in the extreme case, weird handling quirks and reduced power.
To fix this, I got a solid polyurethane upper mount from iPd to replace the hard rubber OEM piece:
As you can see, the Volvo part looks somewhat abused… it was originally a one piece design! Installation was pretty simple, I only needed 13mm and 15mm wrenches, along with a hacksaw and screwdriver to cut out the retaining ring on the old mount (the alternative was a bushing press to push it out of the mount, something I don’t have).
Before and after shots of the engine mount in question:
After installation, I took the car out for a test drive. One thing that I found a lot of complaints about was the increase in cabin noise and vibration. Granted, I am hard of hearing, but I honestly can’t see why someone would complain about the nice growl that is added upon acceleration.
However, the noise was the second most noticable difference, right after the feel when shifting. The actual shift engagement feel did not change, but rather the way the power is transferred to the ground when the clutch is released. In comparison to before, it feels much more solid, and throttle response is slightly better.
Those are really the only two things I noticed. No changes in handling through turns, which makes sense because that mount is designed to not support any load from the sides.
The moral of this story would be to make sure you stay on top of any bushings, especially on car that is exposed to racing conditions. The higher road speed, bumps, acceleration, braking, hard shifts, etc, all wear down the bushings that much faster, and introduce slop into components that usually do best without any.
Hooray! It is 2009. Happy New Year!
Hopefully you’re enjoying your new year! We all at TwoGuysRally are. It is going to be a good year. I know it because I just got a Helmet camera and that will enable some new camera angles for TwoGuysRally videos. Expect good things for the future.
I hope you all are making the best of your new years like I am: hot tub, champagne and fun!
Powered by WordPress | Blue Weed by Blog Oh! Blog | Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS). | 
