o_O S2000 | Mk I — Stage II

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andrewhake
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#16

11-01-2012

Finally I can stop spending money on the car for awhile now! Finished up all the maintenance at Joey's shop tonight. I had all the fluids changed, engine oil, transmission fluid, differential fluid, brake flush/bleed, clutch flush/bleed, coolant flush, axle nut retorque, and brake pads installed. Joey and his team are fantastic, always happy to explain things and answer any questions and there is a good crew to hangout with while you wait.

First things first, I decided that I would do a quick adjustment to my recent alignment. Since I really hate the whole "stance" movement I decided to start a new one, for your consideration, Helladroop:

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Up on the lift ready for it's transfusion. Coolant was drained first as it takes some time to drain.
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Because I am a nice guy, I decided to wash the car in sunny San Jose and drove it to rainy San Francisco, there was a pretty nice layer of brake dust removed though so all good.
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Joey and Ben started with the brake pad swap all around, because the Project µ HC+800 are a street/track pad and the rotors are in good condition I decided they didn't need to be replaced or resurfaced at this time. The front pads were at around 50% so I decided to box them up and keep them for later..

The rear pads were getting pretty low. (It seems it is pretty easy to use up the rear pads in the S2000, do other people notice that they go through rear pads faster than the fronts?)
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On go the nice Suzuka green Project µ's!
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Always nice to be able to check out the car from underneath while it is being worked on.
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And on go the rear pads.
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100%!
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The axle nuts were re-torqued to Billman spec. (yes they were re-staked)
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And time to start the fluids.
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Draining the engine oil and transmission fluid. Oil was still pretty fresh as it was recently changed (Honda Syn. 5w30) and transmission fluid was most likely OEM fluid from the factory. And next was the differential using AMSOIL Severe Gear 75w110.
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Car was lowered back down to start brake and clutch fluid flush/bleed using ATE Type 200 amber fluid.
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Putting in new oil (Castrol Edge Synthetic Titanium 10w30) and coolant (OEM Honda). Notice the nice radiator cap-funnel that makes it very easy to flush the cooling system.
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And back home after a great evening at Joey's! As we were waiting for the coolant to make it's way through the cooling system, Joey gave the car walk around to see if any problems jumped out, but everything checked out, I mentioned I had a slight top squeak coming from the left mounting point, so he took a look and tightened up the latch mounting bolts a bit and judging from the drive home through the rain the squeak seems to be gone! Joey, he's the man. Definitely recommend him and his team in the evening's if you are in the bay area.

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Since I was driving home pretty late, after leaving the shop I did a little circuit for a couple of blocks to make sure the new pads were going to work ok on the rotors and do some basic bedding in on the empty roads. The HC+800 have an operating temp range of 0-1472 Degrees Fahrenheit (0-800 Degrees Celsius, a better range than the Carbotech XP8) so they work just fine even before they get up to the optimal temperature. I obviously haven't got a chance to test them thoroughly at higher operating temps, but after some basic bedding-in on the street they seem to have a much more consistent initial bite than OEM AP2 pads even in the rain. I will definitely do a more thorough review after this weekend, and then again after the Thunderhill track day on the 18th. So far so good.

For the brake/clutch fluid I used ATE Type 200 (amber ATE blue), Joey and Ben did a great job bleeding the brakes and clutch, definitely a noticeable improvement in pedal feel of both. It is easier to determine the bite point of the clutch (my clutch fluid was looking a bit tired) and the brake pedal is nice and firm like it should be. I likely cooked up the OEM brake fluid nicely a few times as the pedal was getting a bit softer after about a month of heavy use on the weekends and occasional weekday evening. For the transmission (which was likely still using the original factory fluid and was looking past it's prime) I stuck to Honda MTF 2. Definite notice improvement in shifting feel! Any slight notchyness that existed before is now gone, and each gear change is much more positive. The new clutch and tranny fluid should definitely let me shift very quickly without worrying about a mis-shift, it is always a subtle difference but anyone who drives a lot beyond commute speeds and does a lot of rowing through the gears it always feels like night and day. Any basic maintenance like this is always worth the cost or time even if it just boosts driver confidence in the car a small amount, it all adds up and removes from your thought process any concerns about the mechanics, and let you just focus on driving. Even little things like squeaks and rattles, anything that annoys or takes your mind of the driving is worth fixing! :thumbup:

I have created a simple Numbers spreadsheet to keep track of maintenance of the car as an easy way to keep track of how long parts have been installed and how many miles they have traveled. I plan on doing the same for tuning and setup and keeping track of modifications in the future.
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#17

11-16-2012

Headed to Thunderhill this weekend! Got my helmet today with only a few days to spare. The Arai GP-6S (large). Luckily it fits perfectly, and is super light!

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Let's hope I never have to really "use" it! :banghead:
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#18

11-22-2012

20121118 Thunderhill BlackTrax Test & Tune:

Was lucky enough to be able to take my car to Thunderhill this past weekend and had a great time learning how my stock S2000 behaves on the track. It was rock solid all day long, and I had plenty of great sessions. I drove in Group 3 (beginner) since it was my first time on track with the S2000, but will definitely be driving in a quicker group that allows more passing next time, as I was running into plenty of traffic throughout the day, but all around great time!

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My wonderful view for most of the day!

And most of the photos I snapped when I wasn't driving, SO many sessions, so little time!

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My favorite car of the day (and the fastest of the day), RHD Honda mini-truck! :drive:/>/>

My car #95 (repping the Spoon Super Taikyu numbers!) was fantastic the entire day. The RE-11s had plenty of grip and were very predictable (even though i had the tire pressure set way to high) and I was able to push the car pretty hard under braking compared to the street, braking hard from around 116 mph. The HC+800 pads behaved very well under full 20 minute sessions with no major issues with fade or pedal feel, and the same goes for the brake fluid (ATE Amber). I feel like I didn't take full advantage of the RE-11s or the brakes honestly, by the time I would get them up to temperature, I would run into some traffic and had to wait for point bys on the straights only. Still had an amazing time, learned a lot, and can't wait to get to Thunderhill again, excellent circuit.

Here's video of my final session of the day.



Not my quickest session. My tire pressures were far too high for the day but I had a blast my first time to Thunderhill and my first time driving the S2000 on track. I was pretty conservative most of the day.

On the beginning of my third lap of the session my low fuel indicator came on so I slowed down at the end of it and coasted around back to the pits.

My quickest times of the day were around 2'12.x-2'13.x but with better use of the track and braking zones (and proper tire pressure) I think I should be well under 2'10 in a stock S2000.

The custom GT5 style HUD is something I have been playing around with so this was a good opportunity to use it. Measures lap time within 1/24th in this case with 24fps (.042 seconds). Camera is a GoPro Hero2 mounted to my helmet recording 1080-24fps ProTune, sharpening added back in GoPro cineform studio and simple color correction done in After Effects. Also a slight EQ applied to remove some wind noise.
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#19

11-28-2012

Gotta keep the collection up to date!

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:thumbsup:
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#20

12-21-2012

Valve adjustment at Joeys. :thumbsup:

Since i bought my car at 67k miles, I am not sure if it has ever had a valve adjustment done, so I went to Joey's (itS2Krazy) last night and he and Ben worked their magic. For those that don't already know.. Joey, he's the man, and Ben, he's the man. So lucky to have a great group of people like this to go to for service and great environment.

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Casey was also there getting an oil change, new tires mounted, and a few other things done.

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Ben did a fantastic job! Very meticulous, treats ever car as it is his own, and happy to explain the process along the way.

Thanks again!
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#21

01-01-2013

Happy New Year!



:vtec: :rev:
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#22

01-10-2013

Just wanted to provide an update (a large novel) after using the HC+800 for a little over 3000 miles. To just provide a bit of background on my usage:

Car:
2006 AP2 S2000, all completely OEM except:
-225 F 255 R Bridgestone RE-11 tires (step up from standard 215/245)
-Project µ HC+800 F & R pads (installed on rotors that have likely never been changed from the factory and were not resurfaced. Installed without OEM pad shims/grease).
-ATE Type 200 amber brake fluid (ATE blue)
I have quite a lot of seat time driving FF and FR cars over the years in various conditions, and since buying my S2000 in October 2012 have logged hours and hours of seat time and am very comfortable driving the car to it's limit in less than ideal conditions and at the track.

Driving conditions:
The pads were used at 1 track day at Thunderhill Raceway, seven 20 minute sessions. And used very heavily on the street. I drive a lot, more than most people could comprehend. Every weekend since I have owned my car it goes through close to 100 miles of extremely spirited driving on the touge (in the mountains), easily the equivalent of a half a track day if not more just in terms of amount of time driving, rain or shine. Driving in the mountains is much more about the limit of the driver instead of the limit of the car but the car goes through a lot of strain for different reasons. The roads I drive put huge strain on the braking system as there is actual elevation change, way beyond what you would ever get at a circuit, ear popping elevation change, and it isn't uncommon to brake heavily from 100 mph going downhill into tight hairpins or continuous radius corners. Running 10 minutes straight doing nothing but downhill corner after downhill corner and driving the car to the limit of the tires is extremely abusive on the front brakes. Because of the different environment I would say the pads go through just as much abuse as they would in a 20 minute session at a track day in an uphill+downhill run in the mountains. The extra grip level at the track is replaced my the lack of straights and just the sheer amount of corners in one of those 10 minute runs compared to a track. The one less abusive factor is a single run is around 10 minutes instead of a longer 20 minute sessions, with decent cool down in between and this driving takes place very late at night, so the ambient temps are nice and low. To sum up, these pads have seen just as much abuse in a few weekends as I put them through at a track day at Thunderhill, and this happens at least once a week or every other week over the past 14 weeks, if you don't believe that is possible, that is perfectly fine, but it is. :D

Anyway, to the real topic at hand. I absolutely love these brake pads, they are exactly what I was looking for upgrading from the AP2 OEM pads. These are excellent for someone with a close to stock or light tuned S2000 who does very spirited mountain driving and the occasional track day and drives at a level at the track that would destroy the OEM pads quickly.

Fade:
With the OEM pads there were definitely situations nearing the end of a run where I would start to get some fade on downhill runs. Fade on the track is no fun, fade in the mountains is very dangerous. I think most people would be fine doing some spirited driving on the street with the OEM pads but this is a very different scenario. OEM aren't bad pads at all, but their operating range is just not enough in this situation. The HC+800 pads have had no issues with fading with any of the driving I do in the mountains, excellent improvement in this particular area compared to the OEM pads. I would imagine people doing dedicated time attack with lightly tuned S2000s could possibly have fading issues with these at certain tracks and with certain driving styles, but I don't understand how someone expects a nearly stock street/time-attack car to not have issues with fade when trying to do 5+ flying laps in a row. Even many dedicated time attack cars only manage a few true flying laps due to precise warm-up cool down procedures and it is no different for a lightly tuned car. I definitely need more time at the track with these to make a complete opinion, but this pad is not designed to be an ultra high-temp dedicated track pad, and it does a very good job at the street and at the track while many dedicated track pads fail miserably in the variable conditions on the street.

Initial bite:
Another solid improvement over the AP2 OEM pads with a slight increase in initial bite at all temperatures. The initial bite of the OEM pads was fine, but definitely not as predictable as the HC+800, as the temperature goes up, it only gets more predictable.

Feel:
Much improved over the OEM pads, nice and linear with the improvement in initial bite and easy to modulate through the rest of the braking phase. I am often braking heavily in conditions where the grip level could change from corner to corner, and some corners may have a more drastic incline, and I have had no issues making quick adjustments while braking to stay at or close to the threshold of the tires. I think this is mainly because of the excellent backing plate and obviously the pad compound.

Build:
As already mentioned, strong backing plate, keeps feel consistent. The paint did not burn off immediately but after around 1000 miles (including all commuting and under the conditions mentioned previously) and the 1 track day the paint had burned away. Nothing to be concerned about but thought it was worth mentioning since I was consistently checking out the pads whenever returning home. Dust is very similar to AP2 OEM pads which do generate plenty of dust, but nothing to be alarmed about. With light use on the street and occasional track days I doubt dust would be a major concert at all.

Lifespan:
This is tough because I think my rotors have probably made a large impact on this (heavily used and not resurfaced), but I have definitely gotten close to the end of the life of my front pads. The rear pads are at around 60%. Of the 3000 miles that I have used them, I would say at least 1600 of those miles is heavy use if not more, I have an extremely short commute and most of the time I spend in my car is at the mountains. People tend to measure pad life in track days so my usage would be equivalent to 7-8 track days including the Thunderhill trackday. (14 touge weekends + 1 track day). I am not overly abusive on the brakes but I am used to very late braking in lightweight FF cars. I do not gently ease into hard braking, I brake hard and deliberately, using a lead car or nature's brake marker boards as reference points. When I am following another car, it is almost impossible for me to not try to go beyond their braking point, even if by just a small amount. I think 7-8 track days equivalent usage is quite good. If used in normal conditions on the street I would expect the HC+800 to last just as long if not longer than the OEM AP2 pad. If I used the OEM AP2 pads I would guess I would have used them up in 1 track day. I will provide more complete info on this in the future but I think the HC+800 are pretty easy on rotors as well.

Pros:
-Price, I don't think there are really many solid pad options in this street/track hybrid category, and these are a great value for money.
-work well at ALL temperatures, no problems with initial bite leaving my place in the cold early in the morning. Get up to good operating temperature quickly between runs on the mountains after sitting in cold weather (40F ambient temps).
-build quality
-feel
-lifespan
-dust similar to AP2 OEM (perfectly reasonable)
-Suzuka green

Cons:
-slight squeak under certain circumstances (more so in wet/dirty conditions), not anywhere near the squeal you get from some track pads, and almost certainly caused buy the conditions I drive in and the used non-resurfaced rotors they were installed on). Hard to actually consider this a con until I test my next set with new rotors.
-the Suzuka green paint is gone :(

Update: Just wanted to update after taking a closer look at my front brakes. The front pads are actually still at about 20-25%, it is mainly the rotors that are toast. I am guessing these are the original factory rotors as the car seemed to be babied before I got it. I am thinking a lot of the sound I was getting from the pads (although still subtle) could definitely be to the surface condition of the rotors, there are no real major issues with them (no hairline surface cracks or anything) but they have developed quite a nice lip around the outer edges, especially on the inner face of the rotor.

Next week I should be replacing the front rotors with OEM and new HC+800 pads up front, so I will be able to do an even more controlled test. The weather is starting to improve as well so should have some more data on these pads soon! I plan on sticking with these for the long term really.

Overall couldn't be happier with the HC+800. I would love to try other brake pads but I just don't think I have any reason to for now. I plan to keep my car stock for quite sometime so I can collect a good amount of data before I start any major modifications, but in terms of future brake modifications, the plans I have are really as simple as just moving to a 4 piston caliper in the front (most likely Spoon) for the improved feel and more efficient cooling and increased pad/rotor life that would likely bring with it. And brake ducts as well if I find them to be necessary after moving to different front calipers. The ATE type 200 has been fine so far but I do have this feeling that I may have been very close to cooking the fluid in a few situations, but no major issues after many hours logged, and the price of ATE is great. I may also look into stainless brake lines or heat protected OEM lines to keep them from getting damaged.

Sorry for the extremely long write up and all of the extra information, but I think it is completely impossible to give quality info on brake pads in just a few sentences. It is highly subjective and a matter of driving style and preference, finding the characteristics that you in particular are after, so I wanted to provide as much info as I could. Also apologies for not providing a dedicated track use review but I just find touge driving to be much more interesting as much as I love the track. I know my type of usage is not common but I think it has been accurately related to more common types of usage. I plan on picking up another set of OEM rotors and HC+800 pads so I will definitely update if I notice any improvements using the pads on brand new rotors. To anyone who read all the way through this that would like a better example of what I mean when I say 'touge driving' PM me and I would be happy to provide you with hours of content as a lot of this driving is well documented. :tipwink:
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#23

01-13-2013

Changed the cabin air filter the other day. No major drama, super easy to pop the clips using 5mm socket.

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#24

01-17-2013

New front rotors and fresh Project µ HC+800 up front.

New front rotors (Brembo OEM blanks) and fresh front Project µ HC+800s installed today. My rotors had a nice deep groove going, deep enough that the backing plate of the pad was starting to rub the outer lip on the inner face of the rotor, so time for some fresh rotors. The pads were actually at about 20-25% after 3134 miles were they received nothing but abuse. The older non-resurfaced rotors are definitely the reason I did the swap though, the pads had a good chunk of life left in them but I decided to do a new fresh set of front pads so I could gather a bit more accurate data on the life of the HC+800 with brand new rotors. I am hoping to get 5000+ miles of 'andrewhake' driving for front pads, and probably around 7500 miles on the rear pads (they are currently at 50%). Commuters and gentle drivers let it be known, you will get many many many more miles out of these pads than I will 20-30000 miles wouldn't surprise me, but really if that is how you are driving the car stick to OEM pads.

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Some nice shots before heading to the weekly S2000 garage gathering, the S2000 really has no bad angle, looks so fantastic from the top, especially with the OEM rear duckbill.

And some brake action:
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Yep time for new rotors.

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Extra large groove on the inner faces of each rotor, other than the surface wear though, the rotor condition was good overall, no micro cracks or anything major.

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Same goes for the brake pads, nice even wear, no chunking, a little more wear on the inner pads, but the lowest pad at about 20%. Could have kept using these pads without any issues I think but I got plenty of use out of them and would rather test a fully fresh front brake setup.

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Ready to stop like a champ again!
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#25

01-19-2013

4:30 in the morning and not a soul in sight. Another long hard day at the office. :) :drive: :rev:

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#26

01-21-2013

This isn't what it looks like...

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360 Challenge Stradale, 2800 lbs, 400hp... and yet...

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#27

02-05-2013

Laguna Seca!

Definite dream come true for me. I have been driving Laguna virtually since 1999 when Gran Turismo 2 came out (I have played it since the first demo and still play the latest version), and had been dreaming of owning my own S2000 not long after playing the game and starting to learn more about it. The S2000 has been mine since October, and driving it at Laguna was checked off my list this past Sunday!

It was very damp arriving at Laguna, but that is pretty normal for the area. Prepping my car is pretty straight forward, screw in tow hook, apply numbers, check tire pressure.

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I rep 95 to show some love to the Spoon race cars that have worn it over the years.

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And also for Narita Dog Fight and Alpine Speed Stars.

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I decided to rent a Qstarz lap timer which CityTech provided for $30 for the day (which also included a full extra session that I took advantage of, as well as being applied as a discount if I decide to purchase one from them in the future. The lap timer was excellent, easy to setup, very customizable, great real-time display that shows things in a very useful way while on circuit. As I start heading to the track more, this will be the lap timer I will purchase, just excellent really. Being my first time using one I realized I should have started it recording while I wait in the pits for my session to start so when I cross the line to start my out lap I don't record a super short lap as my green or fastest lap. The best part about the Qstarz is that it not only displays green after completing your fastest lap, it shows in real-time if your current lap is faster than your best (or last, or whatever you like), and it also manages sectors exactly how you want it, and beeps as you complete a sector of a lap.

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It was extremely slippery my first session out, I am pretty used to driving quickly in the rain in the S2000, so I was having a blast sliding around on a wide open track with plenty of run-off area, even though the speeds were greatly reduced. It was great to be able to experience the track at these different grip levels. I was in the High Intermediate group this time around, which was perfect, open passing with point by recommended, and all drivers were paying attention to their mirrors and leaving the racing line open when they could, as was I. I was lucky enough to get to the front in most of my run groups and only ended up letting a Porsche 996 w/RS 4.0L blast by in a glorious way. As well as a nicely tuned S2000 who's owner I spent a few hours talking to in the paddock, and other cars whenever I messed up a corner and decided to let the car cool down those laps.

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After the 2nd session when it started to dry out, I noticed I had completely melted my LF plastic valve stem cap. This was a good sign of the abuse my brakes were going to be put through over the rest of the day..

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Turn 5 was always a lot of fun..

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but always a little bit more exciting when taken like this.

Of course the corkscrew was fantastic..
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I made it a point to hit the curbs pretty hard my first time around, and proceeded to use them more..

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..and more...

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..and more, as the day past.

One time in the 2nd session when the track was still a little damp I braked a little bit too late and decided to stick to what Gran Turismo taught me to do in this situation...
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and cut right through the dirt. With no drama at all! :) For those that are interested, that part of the track is actually quite smooth, I didn't even get my car dirty or scrape my front bumper rejoining the track, but just like in Gran Turismo, the dirt line is always slower. (Notice the 2 cars passing me as I slowly roll down the hill :LOL:) About 20 seconds after I Gran Turismo'd the corkscrew, a red Miata ended up in the wall to the left of it, ending the day for that car. This was the only major incident all day long though.

I quickly realized how hard Laguna Seca was on brakes. I ended up boiling the ATE Type 200 I was using, and was definitely noticing by pedal feel change as the day went on. Will definitely bring some brake fluid to my next track day just in case. My Project µ HC+800 street/track pads felt fine throughout the day, but I was putting them through way too much abuse and definitely experienced plenty moments of fade after 4-5 laps flat out. I have no problem braking to the limit of my tires and I had no major issues while at Thunderhill using the same pads and I think most people driving a stock S2000 at Laguna would be completely fine on these pads, I wasn't spending really any time learning the track, I already knew it well, most of my time was spend diving deeper and deeper into braking zones, and going past that limit in every single corner until I found the ideal spot. I am very used to driving super light FF cars and have a bit of an irresistible urge to late brake cars even when I know they are much lighter with more capable brake system. So i ate through a lot of pad material on my fronts, and was clearly over working the braking system as well as my tires and stock alignment. I was able to learn a lot though through my "experimenting" (I will pretend it was intentional) that will definitely come in handy the next time I am at Laguna. I don't plan on changing my setup the next time I visit, my car isn't a track car, and intelligently managing temperatures is a big part of driving a street car (and any car) quickly on the track. And it is less a problem with the pads and fluid and more a problem with the amount of heat that builds up in the stock calipers. For my next visit to Laguna I may look into some basic ducting, but most likely I will just focus on better managing temperatures and more push my brakes to their limit in a more controlled way. I absolutely love the HC+800 on the street and have no intention of ever installing any part on my car that I can't live with on the street.

Overall a fantastic day. My fastest recorded lap was a 1:49.970, and I have tons of room to improve! My target time is still the 1:47-1:48 range, and I am even more confident that is possible after my first time there. I plan on doing the S2K Challenge in the Stock Class this year at Laguna and Thunderhill, so looking forward for more changes to dial in sector times a bit more before that.
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(I will post up some videos soon, working with a lot of footage from a weekend in the mountains and on track at the moment).

The track is great because it gives you the opportunity to really nail every single corner and section perfectly at the absolute ABSOLUTE limit, and then do that again without interruption. On the mountain you always have to go up, then down, then up, then down, which is like driving a circuit counter clock-wise, and turning around and doing it clockwise, effectively doubling the amount of corners. It is great to balance one with the other, there are definitely many things you will only learn at the track, and many things you can only learn in the mountains. :thumbup:

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More photos and videos coming soon! (Thanks to Dito Milian for the great on track photos and capturing my off road action at the corkscrew!

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4kTkz9Z3Is&hd=1

A photo my good friend Alexey Orlov snapped of me on track:
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#28

02-15-2013

Windshield replaced! Had two nice cracks develop on my already pitted windshield after following my friends monster Audi S4 nice and close in the mountains. (AWD, 265 tires all around, rock launching monster). Windshields really are going to be a normal wear part for me, I wouldn't be surprised if I crack one every single year. All good though!

I went to:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/low-price-auto-glass-san-jose-2
http://www.mobile-glass.net

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Couldn't be happier really, no issues at all. $150 out the door exactly as I was quoted. :thumbup: Not the most luxurious accommodations as you wait but I happily went and got some food from the food truck at the Pick N Pull nearby, and enjoyed watching the process of replacement. The owner actually showed me on the first piece of glass they brought from their warehouse had a tiny 1 cm long mark on it. I said no worries I am going to beat the crap out of it anyway, and they said no no no they won't install it, and went and got another windshield for me. I was in no hurry so I happily waited while they went to pickup the other windshield. They brought it in showed me the new glass was good to go, and installed it. They specifically mentioned that they use high quality urethane and gave good instructions on things to avoid while the urethane cures. Can happily recommend them. I sort of wish I would have paid $2 and strolled around the Pick N Pull next door while I waited. They have a nice simple waiting room, but it's nothing fancy, if you're pants are fancy, might want to find a different shop. ;)

I asked for OEM glass and they mentioned APTech as a high quality OEM option. I actually did some research (have been sick the last few days) and learned that APTech apparently is a US subsidiary of AGC (Asahi Glass Company), which is who provides the Factory S2000 glass for Honda on the S2000. Go to any honda parts site or dealer, and their parts system will list (AGC) as the manufacturer for the S2000 windshield that you will get from Honda with Honda badging on it. They use many different glass manufacturers though, PPG/PGW, Nippon Glass, etc. Likely dependent on where the car was built. My new APTech windshield had AGC stickers all over it before it was installed, and is clearly labeled LAMISAFE as you would see on an AGC windshield. (LAMISAFE and TEMPERLITE were developed by Asahi Glass Company)

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How much does all of this matter? Probably not much really, can't really go wrong with a good installer and good OEM spec glass from PPG/PGW, Pilkington, AGC, etc. I was very bored the last two days stuck at home so I though I would do the research, I even watched some nice windshield install videos, hahaha. I just like it when other people are thorough when they are providing info, so I try to do the same. The S2000 seems like a pretty straightforward car to install a windshield as it is nice and small and easy to align. I am not sure how people had issues with mis-aligned rearview mirrors as any replacement windshield seems to have a pretty clear spot for it to be reinstalled. The windshield that was on my car when I bought it (that was replaced) was made by FY, honestly I didn't notice any major problems with it, although it was pitted badly enough that I would be pretty blind with the sun at the right angle. But I would imagine that will happen with any windshield on the S2000.
o_O S2000 | Mark I Stage II...

That’s thirty minutes away. I’ll be there in ten.
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andrewhake
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#29

02-15-2013

I really, REALLY abused my brakes at the Laguna track day, so...

Project µ HC+800 re-up! (In the front)

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This set was neatly worn down to the squeal tabs, next time I get down to the tabs, I will probably take the time to trim off them off so I can get around for normal street duty without the noise until I have a set of fresh pads in, I have been trying to keep a set ready to go though. (I went through this set in 1283 miles. O_O I WAS set for a good 5000-8000 miles of hard touge use, but then I went to Laguna..)

The wear is nice and even though on all the pads.

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If your Project µ's are still nice and shiny green when you remove them, you aren't using them correctly. ;)
o_O S2000 | Mark I Stage II...

That’s thirty minutes away. I’ll be there in ten.
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Topic Author
andrewhake
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Posts: 580
Joined: Oct 2016
Location: Mt. __________
Contact: YouTube IG
United States of America
#30

02-16-2013

"EDIT: Actually Anish might have just come through with the hookup on the Project µ super tasty brake drink! " (this was posted an hour or so ago) and now..

This is sitting on my desk:

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Project µ G-four 335 brake fluid. I felt that the ATE fluid was ok for most of my uses, but driving at Laguna Seca is something I plan to do as often as I can afford to when there is a good event being held, and for someone that really likes to brake hard, it just might not be up to snuff. I REALLY like braking, everything about it, and I plan to be able to brake like a champ on my next visit to Laguna. This is part of that puzzle as well as some higher temp track pads that will be a good match for my beloved HC+800 pads I love for the street and certain tracks. As discussed with Anish (the person that I have been purchasing my braking stuff through) once the HC+800 start to get near their upper temperature limits they start to erode quickly when they remain at that level for extended periods, where the Project µ Club Racer pad has a sweet spot more in higher range that is suitable for a track like Laguna.

The Club Racers on the touge would likely not work well as the time required to get them up to temp is much greater, getting the HC+800 up to temp in the mountains can usually be done in a few corners and the temps stay right in the range they work pest for a solid 10-20 minute run. The ambient and road temps in the mountains are MUCH lower than most track days and the HC+800 have been excellent for me at any temperature and even in the pouring rain I can get them to temps where they are still very effective and predictable. The OEM AP2 pads will do all of this as well in the mountains for many drivers, but for some of the higher speed stuff they were just a bit too easy for me to fade. And even in the really technical stuff with tight corner after tight corner where they don't get much of a chance to cool down.

Thanks again Anish! This stuff looks tasty! I am going to pour it on all of my favorite dishes. :D
o_O S2000 | Mark I Stage II...

That’s thirty minutes away. I’ll be there in ten.

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