DDMotorsports: Redline Time Attack Round #1 Results!

M.Bonanni · 03-30-2009, 03:08 PM

This past Sunday was the 2009 Season Opener for the Redline Time Attack Series and in a last minute decision, I brought out the 370Z to compete in the Street RWD class. The event was held at Buttonwillow Raceway on configuration #13CW. I went on Sunday only due to budget reasons so I missed out on a full day of practice on Saturday, but I figured considering the car was almost stock, I would find the limits fairly easily.

The weather was terrible on Sunday with steady winds of 20-30mph and gusts up to 40mph. The track was constantly covered in dust and dirt and the winds played havoc on cars trying to push the limit. Most everybody was about 3 seconds off their pace from Saturday.

For those that don't know, my 370Z is very mildly prepped, especially in the crowd that shows up to these time attack events. You can see a mod list here...

Double Down Motorsports

I went into the event knowing that there wasn't a chance to podium given the level of cars that enter these competitions. My goal was to get out there, have fun, and test some parts for the 370Z community and my sponsors. I got out there and drove the car as hard as I possibly could, trying to find the limit of each part and the car as a whole...

BC Racing ER Series Coilovers:
I am absolutely in love with these coilovers. I really enjoyed them on the street, but when I hit the track I was in awe that these things aren't more expensive than they are. They felt awesome, handled the bumps in the track like a dream, kept the car very flat considering I am on the stock sway bars, and were easily adjusted. Having the ability to adjust compression and rebound separately is awesome!

Mishimoto Oil Cooler Kit:
This was my biggest concern going into the weekend because as far as I know, this is the first oil cooler that has really been track tested on the 370Z, not to mention it's the least expensive I have seen. Part of me was thinking "you get what you pay for" but luckily I was wrong. This oil cooler worked like a charm! Oil temps never got above 260 no matter how hard or how long I was driving on track. The oil temp would get up to 260 and wouldn't budge from there. Then during the cool down lap, it would be back to 220-230 before I was even halfway back to the pits. I am very pleased that this piece worked!

Hawk HP+ Brake Pads:
These, in conjunction with the stock sport package brakes and Motul RBF600 fluid, also exceeded my expectations. I drove this car very hard and the HP+ being a street/track pad and not a dedicated track pad held up beautifully. Initial bite and brake torque remained consistent and strong all day and all session long. I experienced no fade at all and I would venture to say that these pads will be suitable for almost any driver in a stock to moderately modified 370Z. My only complaint about these pads is that they generate a lot of brake dust.

SPL Parts Pro Rear Camber Arms:
There usually really isn't a whole lot to review about this piece other than it fits good and is easy to adjust. The reason I am listing it here though is because there was one instance where I was impressed by these. I dropped my right rear wheel off on the exit of one of the corners and on the other side of the rumble strip was a bit of a ditch. The wheel dropped off and the SPL camber arm NAILED the asphalt. It was a huge thud and I thought for sure it was bent or broken. Surprisingly the car felt fine, no different than before the incident. When I got back to the pits, the camber arm was scratched, but there were no other signs of damage! The camber hadn't even been knocked out of alignment. That is the reason to buy quality rear camber arms!

The car in general:
Compared to a 350Z, I am really impressed with the level of grip this car has. The car exceeded all of my expectations and I could not be happier. The biggest limiting factors of the car were the stock tires and the stock LSD. Both of those things reached their limit far before anything else on the car. The rev match is my favorite part of the car. I wish every car had this system. It is perfect every time.

The results:
I went into the event hoping for anything below 2:10.000 for a lap time. My best lap time of the day was a 2:05.714 and considering the track was reportedly 3 seconds slower than the previous day, I am absolutely stoked on this lap time.

There were 29 entrants in the Street RWD class and I ranked 12th. The competition was fairly close though so although I was 12th, I was less than 5 seconds away from a podium finish and 3.2 seconds away from a top 5 finish. A good set of street tires could have knocked as much as 3 seconds off I believe. An aftermarket LSD, maybe another second or two. Considering the level of the cars that were in this class, I think it's safe to say that this 370Z can easily become a podium contender. We'll see how the car stacks up at Willow Springs at the end of May with new tires and hopefully some other power/handling goodies.

On track pics and video to come soon.

NOTE: The Bridgestone RE-11 stickers are for contingency purposes only. The car was on the stock Bridgestones that were on the car when I bought it from the dealership, not the RE-11.

FairmanZ · 03-30-2009, 06:57 PM

Nice write up and great results!

Minicobra1 · 03-30-2009, 11:45 PM

Yes, nice results

and thanks for the great review

M.Bonanni · 03-31-2009, 01:00 AM

Thanks guys!

Ryan@IP · 03-31-2009, 09:25 AM

I was about to ask how you liked the RE-11's until I saw the note at the very bottom

Do you think you'll try those out eventually? I'm curious how they're doing on the heavier cars.

ChrisSlicks · 03-31-2009, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryan@IP

I was about to ask how you liked the RE-11's until I saw the note at the very bottom

Do you think you'll try those out eventually? I'm curious how they're doing on the heavier cars.

I'll be testing them at Auto-X this weekend. We run a long 2 mile course that gets things going pretty hot. Not quite as hot as track though as there is a 10-15 minute cool down between runs.

scorpion90 · 03-31-2009, 12:04 PM

Great write up and explanation. + rep

M.Bonanni · 03-31-2009, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryan@IP

I was about to ask how you liked the RE-11's until I saw the note at the very bottom

Do you think you'll try those out eventually? I'm curious how they're doing on the heavier cars.

The RE-11s are definately on the list of possibilites and if I don't land any kind of tire sponsorship then I will probably go with the RE-11s because they come in better sizes than my other choices. My other choices being the Yokohama AD07 and Nitto NT05.

RCZ · 03-31-2009, 07:07 PM

Looks great Mike, thanks for the reviews too!

M.Bonanni · 03-31-2009, 07:27 PM

Some action shots from UrbanRacer.com

Much better action shots coming soon.

BerkTech · 03-31-2009, 07:57 PM

Great job out there running a near bone stock car!

M.Bonanni · 03-31-2009, 08:15 PM

^^^Thanks

And congratulations to you for your podium finish with the Berk S2000!

OMGWTFBBQ · 04-01-2009, 01:03 AM

I knew I recognized this car:

Obviously these are pretty bad pictures. Haha. I guess no love for the 370z on other car forums.

Black kNight · 04-01-2009, 06:13 AM

Good job
and hope you will do better
but i am happy for the oil cooler result . i think I can say the problem is solved by changing the oil cooler

M.Bonanni · 04-01-2009, 10:15 AM

OMGWTFBBQ - Thanks for the pictures! Come by and introduce yourself at Willow Springs if you are going to be out there.

Black kNight - Thank you! As far as doing better, I am perfectly happy with my results. The Redline Time Attack rules are very open and allow for some heavily modified cars in the street class, and although 12th sounds bad, the competition was close so my times really weren't that far off of the podium cars. At a normal track day my time would have been in the top of the rankings, but at the time attacks you are running with the fastest cars in the country. My main goal was to test the oil cooler, brake pads, and coilovers, all of which impressed me more than I thought they would.

03-30-2009, 03:08 PM	#1 (permalink)
M.Bonanni The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 2,575 Drives: Fast Rep Power: 1321	DDMotorsports: Redline Time Attack Round #1 Results! This past Sunday was the 2009 Season Opener for the Redline Time Attack Series and in a last minute decision, I brought out the 370Z to compete in the Street RWD class. The event was held at Buttonwillow Raceway on configuration #13CW. I went on Sunday only due to budget reasons so I missed out on a full day of practice on Saturday, but I figured considering the car was almost stock, I would find the limits fairly easily. The weather was terrible on Sunday with steady winds of 20-30mph and gusts up to 40mph. The track was constantly covered in dust and dirt and the winds played havoc on cars trying to push the limit. Most everybody was about 3 seconds off their pace from Saturday. For those that don't know, my 370Z is very mildly prepped, especially in the crowd that shows up to these time attack events. You can see a mod list here... Double Down Motorsports I went into the event knowing that there wasn't a chance to podium given the level of cars that enter these competitions. My goal was to get out there, have fun, and test some parts for the 370Z community and my sponsors. I got out there and drove the car as hard as I possibly could, trying to find the limit of each part and the car as a whole... BC Racing ER Series Coilovers: I am absolutely in love with these coilovers. I really enjoyed them on the street, but when I hit the track I was in awe that these things aren't more expensive than they are. They felt awesome, handled the bumps in the track like a dream, kept the car very flat considering I am on the stock sway bars, and were easily adjusted. Having the ability to adjust compression and rebound separately is awesome! Mishimoto Oil Cooler Kit: This was my biggest concern going into the weekend because as far as I know, this is the first oil cooler that has really been track tested on the 370Z, not to mention it's the least expensive I have seen. Part of me was thinking "you get what you pay for" but luckily I was wrong. This oil cooler worked like a charm! Oil temps never got above 260 no matter how hard or how long I was driving on track. The oil temp would get up to 260 and wouldn't budge from there. Then during the cool down lap, it would be back to 220-230 before I was even halfway back to the pits. I am very pleased that this piece worked! Hawk HP+ Brake Pads: These, in conjunction with the stock sport package brakes and Motul RBF600 fluid, also exceeded my expectations. I drove this car very hard and the HP+ being a street/track pad and not a dedicated track pad held up beautifully. Initial bite and brake torque remained consistent and strong all day and all session long. I experienced no fade at all and I would venture to say that these pads will be suitable for almost any driver in a stock to moderately modified 370Z. My only complaint about these pads is that they generate a lot of brake dust. SPL Parts Pro Rear Camber Arms: There usually really isn't a whole lot to review about this piece other than it fits good and is easy to adjust. The reason I am listing it here though is because there was one instance where I was impressed by these. I dropped my right rear wheel off on the exit of one of the corners and on the other side of the rumble strip was a bit of a ditch. The wheel dropped off and the SPL camber arm NAILED the asphalt. It was a huge thud and I thought for sure it was bent or broken. Surprisingly the car felt fine, no different than before the incident. When I got back to the pits, the camber arm was scratched, but there were no other signs of damage! The camber hadn't even been knocked out of alignment. That is the reason to buy quality rear camber arms! The car in general: Compared to a 350Z, I am really impressed with the level of grip this car has. The car exceeded all of my expectations and I could not be happier. The biggest limiting factors of the car were the stock tires and the stock LSD. Both of those things reached their limit far before anything else on the car. The rev match is my favorite part of the car. I wish every car had this system. It is perfect every time. The results: I went into the event hoping for anything below 2:10.000 for a lap time. My best lap time of the day was a 2:05.714 and considering the track was reportedly 3 seconds slower than the previous day, I am absolutely stoked on this lap time. There were 29 entrants in the Street RWD class and I ranked 12th. The competition was fairly close though so although I was 12th, I was less than 5 seconds away from a podium finish and 3.2 seconds away from a top 5 finish. A good set of street tires could have knocked as much as 3 seconds off I believe. An aftermarket LSD, maybe another second or two. Considering the level of the cars that were in this class, I think it's safe to say that this 370Z can easily become a podium contender. We'll see how the car stacks up at Willow Springs at the end of May with new tires and hopefully some other power/handling goodies. On track pics and video to come soon. NOTE: The Bridgestone RE-11 stickers are for contingency purposes only. The car was on the stock Bridgestones that were on the car when I bought it from the dealership, not the RE-11. __________________ MikeBonanni.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MikeBonanni Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MBonanni36 Function > Form Last edited by M.Bonanni; 04-01-2009 at 11:14 PM.

03-30-2009, 11:45 PM	#3 (permalink)
Minicobra1 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Orange County, CA. Posts: 1,205 Drives: 370Z Tour, Spt, 6mt Rep Power: 645	Yes, nice results and thanks for the great review __________________ 370z Tour\| Spt Pack\|Navi\|BERK CBE\|Berk HFC's\| Eibach Springs\| Hotchkis Sway Bars\|SPC Camber Arms\|15mm Ichiba Wheel Spacers\| 19"Factory Nismo Wheels-Matt Black\|Stop Tech Rotors\|TWM Shifter\|3M Tint\|Black Fangs\|Black Rear Valance\|JDM Fog Light\| MY BAND-www.myspace.com/petroleum

03-31-2009, 01:00 AM	#4 (permalink)
M.Bonanni The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 2,575 Drives: Fast Rep Power: 1321	Thanks guys! __________________ MikeBonanni.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MikeBonanni Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MBonanni36 Function > Form

03-31-2009, 09:25 AM	#5 (permalink)
Ryan@IP Base Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 187 Drives: 04 BMW 330i ZHP Rep Power: 283	I was about to ask how you liked the RE-11's until I saw the note at the very bottom Do you think you'll try those out eventually? I'm curious how they're doing on the heavier cars. __________________ Ryan at Injected Performance Phone: (888) 465-7373

03-31-2009, 12:04 PM	#7 (permalink)
scorpion90 Base Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Akron, Ohio Age: 76 Posts: 109 Drives: 370Z Base 7AT+Sports Rep Power: 283	Good Write Great write up and explanation. + rep

03-30-2009, 06:57 PM	#2 (permalink)
FairmanZ Base Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Paradise Posts: 133 Drives: Z34 future owner Rep Power: 16	Nice write up and great results!

03-31-2009, 07:07 PM	#9 (permalink)
RCZ A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Miami Posts: 6,403 Drives: '09 370Z Rep Power: 1119	Looks great Mike, thanks for the reviews too!

03-31-2009, 07:27 PM	#10 (permalink)
M.Bonanni The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 2,575 Drives: Fast Rep Power: 1321	Some action shots from UrbanRacer.com Much better action shots coming soon. __________________ MikeBonanni.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MikeBonanni Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MBonanni36 Function > Form

03-31-2009, 07:57 PM	#11 (permalink)
BerkTech The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Irvine CA Posts: 279 Drives: Lots.... Rep Power: 272	Great job out there running a near bone stock car! __________________ While the others type fast... Berk Technology goes fast.... See you at the track! OUR NEW PHONE NUMBER: (714) 546-BERK READ THE BERK BLOG HERE

03-31-2009, 08:15 PM	#12 (permalink)
M.Bonanni The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 2,575 Drives: Fast Rep Power: 1321	^^^Thanks And congratulations to you for your podium finish with the Berk S2000! __________________ MikeBonanni.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MikeBonanni Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MBonanni36 Function > Form

04-01-2009, 01:03 AM	#13 (permalink)
OMGWTFBBQ A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: the OC Posts: 1,886 Drives: 08 SGM IS350 Rep Power: 4549	I knew I recognized this car: Obviously these are pretty bad pictures. Haha. I guess no love for the 370z on other car forums.

04-01-2009, 06:13 AM	#14 (permalink)
Black kNight Base Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Oman Posts: 239 Drives: Model 2003 MB C-180k Rep Power: 273	Good job and hope you will do better but i am happy for the oil cooler result . i think I can say the problem is solved by changing the oil cooler

04-01-2009, 10:15 AM	#15 (permalink)
M.Bonanni The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 2,575 Drives: Fast Rep Power: 1321	OMGWTFBBQ - Thanks for the pictures! Come by and introduce yourself at Willow Springs if you are going to be out there. Black kNight - Thank you! As far as doing better, I am perfectly happy with my results. The Redline Time Attack rules are very open and allow for some heavily modified cars in the street class, and although 12th sounds bad, the competition was close so my times really weren't that far off of the podium cars. At a normal track day my time would have been in the top of the rankings, but at the time attacks you are running with the fastest cars in the country. My main goal was to test the oil cooler, brake pads, and coilovers, all of which impressed me more than I thought they would. __________________ MikeBonanni.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MikeBonanni Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MBonanni36 Function > Form

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