The Red Drift ///Machine - 2026 NASA TT4 adventures

[bigjae46]

Got the dyno sorted out. It was an adventure. Home coding caused issues and a delay. Got it done.

337hp/266tq - quite happy!



Then the detune. I was running out of time on the dyno, power kept going out, and it was an all around shit show.

Got it down to 286. Needed to be at 280. Not going to run the detune until the fall anyway.

[bigjae46]

Impressive.

Is the 2615 with driver??

No, just car with fuel

[AXDB]

Not sure if I mentioned it but the goal for 2025 is to set TT4 NASA track records for the TX region. I'm 90% confident that the car can do it as is. But I do want to run TT3 where my car is at a significant tire disadvantage. My car is lighter (duh) but there will be a HP and tire deficit. So I have to out drive other cars with stickier tires and more power. The power disadvantage becomes obvious on long straights - the car just runs out of steam over 120mph due to drag. So I will continue to optimize the weight - first step is to get below 2500lbs. I'm getting closer, an estimated 2525lbs right now (2615 minus 15g of gas - 90lb = 2525). 2nd half of the year - work on drag reduction and hopefully a suspension upgrade.



Lots to do before the first NASA event that I can attend this year. Detune, ballast installation, and test, test, test.

First step is to get some laps in at MSR Cresson and Eagle's Canyon. So event #1 - MSR. Previous PR is a 1:20.1. I'm very happy to say that I was running consistent 1:18's, PR 1:18.4. There are things I need to do to optimize for MSR since it is a smooth track compared to MSR Houston. Virtual best was a 1:17.1 which is a massive delta to the reference lap. I need to close that up and be more consistent sector to sector before I can start fine tuning. Running 2 year old Toyo RRs with a bunch of heat cycles. So an easy extra .5 second gain with just tires.

It was going really well. Mid 90's through Riccochet, happy with the speed everywhere else except for Big Bend.

Then this happened...

Came out as good as I could expect. Car was still drivable, no noises or issues but the car felt sick. Got it home, found a damaged splitter mount and control arm. The ball joint blew up yet it made zero noise. Fixed and ready for more!

Impressive.

Is the 2615 with driver??

[bigjae46]

The front strut and rear spring reinforcements worked! No pics of the strut plates.

Here are the rear spring plates. I used a 1.5” hole saw. The upper plates don’t stay up but not sure if 1.375 will fit. Might just put some double sided tape on it.

[bigjae46]

Getting ready for NASA in Houston! Working on a detune with Epic. It has been an adventure with my home-cloned ECU 🤣.

Meanwhile, working on some carbon parts.

Front strut tower plates that I can bond to the car. Stock parts are 1.5lbs, carbon parts are .3lbs.



And some rear spring plates - top and bottom. I don’t really need the weight jackers. Its not too
difficult to mess with the rear ride height.



Carbon seat mounts…eh…need to make some changes to the layup. 4mm thick is challenging to cut. Also, I don’t think the top holes are usable. I started drilling the holes but it is too close to the edge. Not sure I’d use that hole with a steel mount.

[bigjae46]

Not sure if I mentioned it but the goal for 2025 is to set TT4 NASA track records for the TX region. I'm 90% confident that the car can do it as is. But I do want to run TT3 where my car is at a significant tire disadvantage. My car is lighter (duh) but there will be a HP and tire deficit. So I have to out drive other cars with stickier tires and more power. The power disadvantage becomes obvious on long straights - the car just runs out of steam over 120mph due to drag. So I will continue to optimize the weight - first step is to get below 2500lbs. I'm getting closer, an estimated 2525lbs right now (2615 minus 15g of gas - 90lb = 2525). 2nd half of the year - work on drag reduction and hopefully a suspension upgrade.



Lots to do before the first NASA event that I can attend this year. Detune, ballast installation, and test, test, test.

First step is to get some laps in at MSR Cresson and Eagle's Canyon. So event #1 - MSR. Previous PR is a 1:20.1. I'm very happy to say that I was running consistent 1:18's, PR 1:18.4. There are things I need to do to optimize for MSR since it is a smooth track compared to MSR Houston. Virtual best was a 1:17.1 which is a massive delta to the reference lap. I need to close that up and be more consistent sector to sector before I can start fine tuning. Running 2 year old Toyo RRs with a bunch of heat cycles. So an easy extra .5 second gain with just tires.

It was going really well. Mid 90's through Riccochet, happy with the speed everywhere else except for Big Bend.

Then this happened...

Came out as good as I could expect. Car was still drivable, no noises or issues but the car felt sick. Got it home, found a damaged splitter mount and control arm. The ball joint blew up yet it made zero noise. Fixed and ready for more!

[bigjae46]

Leafblower? Should at least give you a good idea of what the air is doing.

tried that and an industrial fan. The tufts don’t start moving until about 40mph.

[heinzboehmer]

I think I could get by with a smaller radiator and less oil cooling by increasing the airflow efficiency - also reduces weight with less radiator, fewer lines and hoses.

That sounds like an interesting exercise in finding the optimum point. Decreased effective surface area with the tilted radiator will likely play a big role as well. Although you could offset a good chunk of that with a properly designed shroud.

I need to figure out how to capture flow on the front bumper. Thinking of using a gopro on the front straight pit wall.

Leafblower? Should at least give you a good idea of what the air is doing.

[bigjae46]

Jae, I feel like I've seen you talk about wanting a slanted radiator setup before. Was just recommended this video, which shows a carbon piece that does just that: https://youtu.be/uUSk5w5G4W8

Maybe you could even recreate (improve?) it...

Yes, I have! It has been something that I've been brainstorming but haven't been able to figure anything out that doesn't require major modifications. Ideally, I could make something and sell a couple of parts to replenish the slush fund.

That's an interesting way to mount the radiator - to a shroud and then the shroud to the frame rail. Ultimately, I'd like to try and close off the kidney grills for aero efficiency and take the intake air from the foglight ducting and headlight if needed.

I think I could get by with a smaller radiator and less oil cooling by increasing the airflow efficiency - also reduces weight with less radiator, fewer lines and hoses. BUT...I've got a lot of learning to do. The first step I'm taking is to learn more about aero - specifically air flow patterns and what effects the air pressure differential across the radiator and how it affects cooling.

The part I haven't figured out is the ducting on the back of the radiator. The airflow needs to be laminar to lower the pressure. Right now, the air needs to make 3 90 degree turns which will result in flow detachment and turbulence - higher pressure and reduced cooling performance. The real challenge is how to maximize laminar flow. The first step I've taken is to do some wool tuft testing. I understand the flow across the hood and windshield. I need to figure out how to capture flow on the front bumper. Thinking of using a gopro on the front straight pit wall. Once I get a better understanding of the flows on the front and sides of the car, I will start making some changes. Not sure what those are yet.

Thanks for the thinking of me! That video has given me more options to think about.

[heinzboehmer]

Jae, I feel like I've seen you talk about wanting a slanted radiator setup before. Was just recommended this video, which shows a carbon piece that does just that: https://youtu.be/uUSk5w5G4W8

Maybe you could even recreate (improve?) it...

[bigjae46]

Not a PR, but close. 1:40.9. PR is a 1:40.5.

I have a deal with myself. No fast, sticky tires until I get into the 1:39s on these RRs. I might have to break that deal. I think I can get there but its going to take the moon, stars, god, heaven, hell, and everything in between to align.

I'm learning more from the aero testing. Someone brought up using a rear mounted radiator. Also seeing how a gurney can make such a big difference with air extraction...its got me thinking.

[bigjae46]

Forgot to post the carbon fiber doors that were finished

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/main-forum/e46-2001-2006/280794-carbon-fiber-doors-finally-finished-almost

[bigjae46]

Here we go. OEM slick top roof panel. Only
took 3 attempts and then 3 months to get it.

[bigjae46]

See you in December!

Hell yeah! See you there!

[bigjae46]

Is the engine losing power after a few hard laps? How many miles does it have on it?

The engine has about 110k miles on it I think...its a used replacement. The loss in power when its 90+ is noticeable but it also loses a lot of grip. Hard to say how it compares to the rest though. Could be the driver. As I get older, driving in the TX heat gets less and less fun. Even with a cool shirt. Also the track in the video, MSR Houston, is in terrible shape. The surface grip seems so temperamental.

Interesting piece of data from this past weekend. I was running 1:47s with near dead NT01s. Throw on relatively fresh RRs (a year old but with 2 heat cycles) and I'm 4 seconds faster the next session.