JME Cam/Mods?Autocross Season Opener
05-16-2006, 05:19 PM
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 906
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
JME Cam/Mods?Autocross Season Opener
Interesting first two days of the Cumberland Airport Autocross Series season.
As the steady hands here predicted I struggled with new tire/wheel/suspension set ups. I missed the easy grunt of the 15" Fuchs, but car improved throughout the two days. Softened front shocks and finally got the pressures right with "new" bargain RS05's 225/245 combo. Took the rear bar too far and could have gone faster in the middle hole as the short one left me without enough hook-up on exit.
New JME cam is clearly a good breather above 3,500 in the NA, but again I adjusted slowly to the differences between OE diameter tires and last year's "shorty" 225/45 aspects. Once I started spending more time at the top of first gear times improved.
Spacers and wider track have made the car wicked twitchy, seeming to exhibit some form of bump steer as the car's attitude changes under accel and decel. My hands were wayyyy busy when I should been a bit more serence.
Otherwise all good
More soon. Thoughts?
As the steady hands here predicted I struggled with new tire/wheel/suspension set ups. I missed the easy grunt of the 15" Fuchs, but car improved throughout the two days. Softened front shocks and finally got the pressures right with "new" bargain RS05's 225/245 combo. Took the rear bar too far and could have gone faster in the middle hole as the short one left me without enough hook-up on exit.
New JME cam is clearly a good breather above 3,500 in the NA, but again I adjusted slowly to the differences between OE diameter tires and last year's "shorty" 225/45 aspects. Once I started spending more time at the top of first gear times improved.
Spacers and wider track have made the car wicked twitchy, seeming to exhibit some form of bump steer as the car's attitude changes under accel and decel. My hands were wayyyy busy when I should been a bit more serence.
Otherwise all good
More soon. Thoughts?
Last edited by TheRealLefty; 10-24-2007 at 10:09 PM.
05-17-2006, 05:54 AM
#5
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 906
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Only have break-in, transit and ten minutes of autox seat time in an somewhat evil handling mode under my belt so far but will be glad to share info.
Purchased S3-14 for the NA (power band 3600-6500 rpm, .474 lift). New stock 944 Turbo valve springs at cam installation, car also has custom bent low restriction exhaust in OE diamter with cat delete and Flowmaster 40, 0E header, adjustable FPR, stock chip, throttle cam and cleaned/resealed OE injectors.
Definitely pulls smoother and sounds less ratty above 3500. I think the measure of this mod will not so much be an obvious gain in power as the RPM's climb (hard to determine to my senses since my sunny day street car is a Turbo S) but rather that power and torque do not flatten out as the revs climb toward 6K. Several times during my weekend autocrossing struggles I was surprised to hit the limiter, as the car used to send me strained auditory signals that the top of the rev band was coming....this weekend it was pulling robustly forward all the way to the cut out. I will admit that my hands were so darn busy keeping the nose in front of the tail I wasn't clearly focused on engine performance.
Sorting and plotting already underway to get the car back to its 15" early offset sweet handling mode with the new Club Sports and suspension mods...so I think I'll have more to report in three weeks after the next event.
BTW, the consultation, sales and delivery experience with JME has been first class. Go-stick arrived on time safely cradled in a vacuum sealed plastic wrap with moisture fighting silica bag and green grocery style netting tube keeping the lobes safe in transit. Not an easy decision to purchase, but so many other NA mods seem non-cost-effective in the experience of many, so roughly $800 for cam, new springs, seals and belts without labor ended up as my safest investment on paper.
Time will tell and I'll be glad to continue reporting.
Purchased S3-14 for the NA (power band 3600-6500 rpm, .474 lift). New stock 944 Turbo valve springs at cam installation, car also has custom bent low restriction exhaust in OE diamter with cat delete and Flowmaster 40, 0E header, adjustable FPR, stock chip, throttle cam and cleaned/resealed OE injectors.
Definitely pulls smoother and sounds less ratty above 3500. I think the measure of this mod will not so much be an obvious gain in power as the RPM's climb (hard to determine to my senses since my sunny day street car is a Turbo S) but rather that power and torque do not flatten out as the revs climb toward 6K. Several times during my weekend autocrossing struggles I was surprised to hit the limiter, as the car used to send me strained auditory signals that the top of the rev band was coming....this weekend it was pulling robustly forward all the way to the cut out. I will admit that my hands were so darn busy keeping the nose in front of the tail I wasn't clearly focused on engine performance.
Sorting and plotting already underway to get the car back to its 15" early offset sweet handling mode with the new Club Sports and suspension mods...so I think I'll have more to report in three weeks after the next event.
BTW, the consultation, sales and delivery experience with JME has been first class. Go-stick arrived on time safely cradled in a vacuum sealed plastic wrap with moisture fighting silica bag and green grocery style netting tube keeping the lobes safe in transit. Not an easy decision to purchase, but so many other NA mods seem non-cost-effective in the experience of many, so roughly $800 for cam, new springs, seals and belts without labor ended up as my safest investment on paper.
Time will tell and I'll be glad to continue reporting.
