I finally got my 89 CRX w/ a b18c swap to the track. Went to road ATL w/ the BMWCCA.

Road ATL is an incredible track! Lots of speed, great turns, and the elevation changes are fantastic. The car did better and worse than expected;

The Bad: Road ATL has a lot of concrete walls! The previous tracks I have been to have more open run off areas. This sat in the back of my mind and kept me running more cautious than usual. The hood started poping its latch on the first day and I had to get pitted a few times till I taped the crap out of the hood. I pinned the hood for day 2. Finally the exhaust cracked in front of the resonator. I didn't get taken off the track, but it was LOUD. Too loud to hear the tires squeal when they were at the limit. Made it tougher to take turns hard w/ confidence.

The Good: The car is FAST. The power band is a little high (VTEC doesn't kick in till 6K), but I can have that tuned. Some M drivers mentioned they were surprised to see a CRX pull away in the straights. It handles much better than I imaged. With all the suspension mods (GC coilovers, konis, rear sway, rear tie bar, etc.) it is nice and neutral on the turns. The Azenis' are very grippy, great tires.

Some side notes: OPM Autosport, who did the exhaust, are being great about the crack and taking care of the repair. The guy who sold the car to me however, refuses to take responsibility for any of the problems he lied about. I'm counsulting a lawyer and taking him to court.

Finally, after seeing a Carrera GT3 get towed back from turn 2 w/ enough damage that I could buy two track Hondas for the repair price - I felt very glad that I invested in a track car for my hobby (even w/ the problems I've had). Now the pics.

Why I bought a track car:


Turn 5:


Turn 11:


Turn 12:

 

I doubt you will get anywhere with a lawyer..

The money would probably be better spent on parts than a lawyer.. This is my .02c

 

Just rat the owner out on all of the public boards and to anyone who will listen, and move on. Make sure that all of the stuff you say is factual and you are golden.

K

 

Having a CRX B18c track car and having been to Road Atlanta in it, I know the fun you are talking about. My car is not nearly as "pretty" as yours so most people don't think much about it until I get bigger and bigger in their rearview mirror.

As to the guy lying about the car. Just chalk it up to experience. Remember the saying "you can't get blood from a turnip". Even if you won the liklihood of recovering your money is typically small.

Barry H.

 

Oh man... those pics really make me wish I was living somewhere close to RA. That was the track that I "grew up on" so it holds a special place in my heart.

The walls are all around, but it's best just to think about your driving and not even notice them. I can only recall where walls are by thinking about where I am looking ahead way before that point on the track, because when you're going fast and start looking at walls you're guaranteed to find one real soon!

As far as the car, how much power is yours making? I'd imagine somewhere upwards of 180whp to pull on any M cars.

 

Oh, almost forgot. The front weight bias can be a little tricky. I was standing on the brakes (Fastbrakes 11" kit) comming into turn 10 (you can see it in the background of the turn 11 photo). The braking zone is all downhill, and the rear got very light and started to sway. I eased up on the brakes and just slightly turned towards track center, and all was OK. My instructor said he was certain we were going off the track for a spin. I think I caught that one just in time.

"Pretty"?? The photos are too kind. It is a total POS. Bondo everywhere. Lots o' creaks and leaks.

As for the lawyer, I get free legal through my employer. The seller has been an insulting ***, so I'm likely to pursue it just for spite and if I get a few $ then great.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Def &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">As far as the car, how much power is yours making? I'd imagine somewhere upwards of 180whp to pull on any M cars. </TD></TR></TABLE>

198WHP, from the dyno the seller showed me. I've been adding upgrades like better intake, headers, and exhaust. I'll probably dyno tune it before Rockingham in Nov. Not really looking to make more HP, just bring the power band lower for better pull out of corners.

 

My vtec comes on at 6,000 revs too. I just keep it above 6,000. Like someone else said don't think about the concrete. If your car is wiggling into 10 too much you might check your toe. The other question is when was the last time the suspension was rebuilt completely? I just completed the rebuild on mine because it was getting too much of a "death wiggle" under late braking into 10a.

What tranny do you have? Final drive? LSD?

Barry H.