Hammerevo

The MW3 Mitsubshi Evo IX is getting a set of DBA 5000 Series rotors to try for the upcoming 2010 SCCA Time Trials season. The 5000 series is a 2-piece rotor, 2-piece rotors save you weight, much higher heat dissipation and are more flexible for expanding and contracting without stressing the hat. You can also just replace the rotor if needed rather than the whole rotor and hat.

These 2-piece ultra-high performance rotors feature aerospace grade materials for added thermal (heat) protection to the vehicle’s wheel bearings. Stay tuned for updates on the installation and our first testing day.

Ok guys, using the Forza Motorsports 3 rendering engine I was able to built the MW3 Mitsubishi Evo as I would like if money ws no object. Forza also features an awesome paint and decal shop where you can create your own paint schemes from scratch. You are only limited by your creativity.

Leave a comment if you like or dislike the new paint scheme. Now hopefully we can get these sponsors on board!

I recently purchased from Tire Rack, a set of Kumho Ecsta V700 tires, for use at driving schools and track days. I also had Tire Rack heat cycle and do the recommended shaving so they would wear better. A few weekends back, I attended a BMW CCA driving school for the first go with the new rubber and I had one tire that decided to come apart. The drivers side front definitely got most of the wear at Pueblo, and I expected it to wear, but it started chunking midway through the day. I even moved the fronts to the rear. The other three tires seemed to wear ok and were all worn about the same. I can’t believe that there could be huge chunks and cuts out of the tire after one track day? I was assuming I could get about 6 or 7 hard track days out of these according to the reviews I read.

I decided to send pictures to Tire Rack and see if it was faulty or if something could be done. I had a sales rep ask me some questions on air pressures, the track, my setup and said he sent it off to Kumho. I waited several weeks to hear,

“The motorsports group feels the tire has simply worn out. Basic
set up and inflation pressures look good. But from the rolled appearance
of the tread rubber, it looks like the tire experienced too much slip
angle. Pueblo Motorsports Park has mostly right hand turns, so it’s no
surprise the left front is showing the most wear. There may also be a
fair amount of understeer in the vehicle set up, as both front tires (on
for 20 laps) are showing more wear than the rear tire from the same
side. I would encourage working the set up to reduce the understeer, and
tuning the driving style to avoid sliding the tires.”

So Kumho basically tells me the obvious, that PMP is mostly right hand turns, that my car setup is wrong, and that I suck as a driver. Thanks a lot Kumho, great way to keep a customer. As I told Tire Rack, if they would have just replaced the tire, or even sold me a discounted one, they would have been good in my book. Since Kumho basically added insult to injury I recommend no one buying Kumho tires, they are junk and Kumho doesn’t back them up. Their customer service needs work too.

Thanks to Dan at wheeldude.com for setting me up with some great wheels for my track setup. I appreciate the support. Wheel dude has great prices on wheels and they are great to work with.

I am going to run the 17×9 Rota DPT – Matte Bronze finish wrapped in Kumho Ecsta V700 R-compounds. I am hoping this setup performs well.

The BMWCCA fall performance driving school is scheduled for October 4th and 5th at Pueblo Motorports park. The club discounted the rate this year so it is cheaper to get your car out on track with instruction. Come down and enjoy good food, good cars and hopefully good weather.

Some friends and I went out to High Plains Raceway for an open lapping day. HPR is a new racing facility located about 60 miles east of Denver, CO. This track is amazing, it has alot of elevation changes, great technical corners and a pretty long straight to test your wits. There were a huge variety of cars out there that day, mostly purpose-built race cars, but there were a few of us out in our daily drivers. I had fun following this Cobra around for a session, mostly just to hear the motor. Check out the Race Prepped Porsche at the end, I was going 120 mph when he passed me.

Push It

I got a great feel for the track and started to push a bit more later in the morning. I was hitting 120 mph on the back straight and I stop-watched a few laps around 2:18. My next visit to the track will be much faster as I will install my Tein coilovers and will have my new R-compounds.

My first racing school was October 2008 at Pueblo Motorsports Park with the BMWCCA. This experience was extremely fun and and further fueled my obsession with racing and performance cars. It is amazing how much you think you know until you get into the car with an instructor. I was happy that I had one of the faster cars on the track and possibly the fastest in the corners where other cars might be better in the straits. I personally think that there is not a better handling car than the Mitsubishi Evolution, the steering response is phenominal, the stock suspension is amazing and of course the power is great.

PMP is a very fun, technical track that challenges both driver and car.