Due to today's results...I've come to the conclusion that my EP is just about perfect in STOCK FORM for STS. Read below for reasons and mods to come.
Mods to come in order:
1) Hotchkiss front sway bar (kinda no choice, I've already comitted to it, lol, BTW...when we gonna do that?
)
2) Racing Harness (Although the locking seat-belt trick and the stock Recaro seats are nice...a harness would DEF. help!)
3) ROTA Slipstreams (with my Azenis mounted...EASILY could have shaved a LEAST a second off my time, not to mention saved the stockies from chunking up, lol)
4) Progress Rear Sway bar/tie bar combo ( Although I got a bit ass happy, it took some effort, so instead of driving THROUGH the corner, I was constantly trying to "get it right")
5) Strut tower bars (stiff stuff....ALWAYS a plus)
6) And last but not least..................
NOTHING
.......... FOR A WHILE
It's
almost PERFECT!! I must say, this car handles better than my old EM2 that I had dumped over $1500 into the suspension. It's VERY neutral, and I even got it to go a bit "ass-happy" today, which made the "hairpin's" a bit more fun, lol. I had
VERY MINIMAL problems with understeer, which is a
BIG surprise, being that I was completely stock with
VERY poor tires (Stock Mich's).
After talking with Tai and Donnie two of the fastest EP's in STS here, Honda
must have done SOMETHING to the 04's suspension, because they both commented on how THEIR cars didn't act like mine did (in stock form, and even with full MUGEN coilovers), and Tai thinks that I should approach suspension mods from a different angle than preveously anticipated.....which I COMPLETELY agree with. "Honda spent TONS of time engineering that suspension, and they obviously got SOMETHING right....don't F with it TOO much." -Tai
12. 50/STS DONALD MARINO BOULDER CO > 68.474 <
02 HONDA CIVIC SI COLORADOEP3.COM
SUN: 1) 70.837 2) 69.554 3) 69.269
4) 68.474
(DONNIE^^^02 EP3, Eibach/Koni, Falken Zeix on DD rims 15")
13. 8/STS TAI KAHN DENVER CO > 68.528 <
02 HONDA CIVIC SI COLORADOEP3.COM
SUN: 1) 70.099 2) 69.811 + 1 3) 68.687
4) 68.528
(Tai ^^^02 EP3, MUGEN coilovers, stiff stuff, progress rear sway, Falken Zeix on DD rims)
19. 989/STS STEPHEN EARLS, N COLORADO SPRING CO > 70.530 <
03 HONDA CIVIC EX COLORADOEP3/7THGENERATION.COM
SUN: 1) 71.968 2) 71.345 3) 71.526
4) 70.530
(Crackhead on this site, Hayame's, progress rear sway, 03 front sway, stiff stuff, Azenis on stock steelies)
21. 999/STS JASON SCHOSHKE, N LITTLETON CO > 71.231 <
04 HONDA CIVIC COLORADOEP3.COM
SUN: 1) 71.231 2) 71.300 3) 71.312
4) 69.929 + 1
(ME^^^ NOTHING DONE....but raced STS because of the Neuspeed SS....see I'M honest
)
As you can see from the RAW results, my best time was a 69.929 (we won't count the cone..hehe...it was actually the cone at the FINISH line... lucky I didn't get the timing light
). My first three runs were ALL CONSISTANT, which is actually a good thing IMO. And in stock form...I was STILL only a second off of Tai and Don.
I learned a TON today about the car, my abilities, and "pre-race prep". Yes....I walked the course at LEAST
6 times, and I was alone for 3 of them. I think the fact that I knew the course played a HUGE part in my performance, and to anybody looking to improve their "game".....my advice....WALK THE COURSE AS MANY TIMES AS YOU CAN. Learn the sections, hell...even hold your hands up like you're driving, and turning a steering wheel....I did, and it's VERY helpfull. (Got that one from good ole Ryan Baumgardner himself.....ALWAYS wins STS....in a 98 PRELUDE!!! )
All in all, I ended up shaving a good chunk of time off my runs, I was on COMPLETELY STOCK SUSPENSION, and did just as well as others in "full STS trim"...to conclude....THE 2004 EP3 IS A GREAT CAR ALL AROUND!!
(And in my own mind....I'm starting to have visions of top 10 finishes by the end of the summer.....Donnie was only .5 sec's away from #10...and I only 1.x sec's away from him
)
BTW......FREE FUN RUNS FOR ALL...and we got finished around 3pm...so it was a GREAT DAY!!!
