We last updated the Koyorad x NDF ISF project in late January after some testing at Chuckwalla Raceway. In the past 2 months, the car has undergone some pretty drastic, albeit, unseen modifications in our quest to tweak the ISF into the car it should have been from the factory.
If you’re interested, you can get up to speed by reading the previous article here and here where we outlined the updated progress, as well as the still existing shortcomings of the car – namely the dire need for more camber up front. With the method we’re using to change the car, up to this point, we have seen improvement mod for mod. Not only that, but each change has a tangible effect on how the car drives. At the last event at CVR, with the 2’04.4 time, I was nearing full confidence that the car was being driven at it’s limit in it’s current condition. You’ll see by the end of this update that I am now fully sure of this. Which, I have say, for me is a very big deal!
In order to fix the massive overlap I was getting on the front tires, which I’m convinced was one of the major issues holding the car back from going faster, I opted on a few specific spherical arms from Figs Engineering. Now, for those on a more strict budget, there are less expensive ways to dial in more negative front camber without getting full adjustable front uppers. One of which is an adjustable lower ball joint. However, thankfully, my budget is loose with this project, and at the end of the day, having more precise adjustment was worth the added cost.
Shortly after the January event, the FIGS parts arrived and I was able to install them on the car in preparation for an upcoming SOW event in mid-February.
As many times as I’ve lifted this car off the ground since owning it, I can confidently say it never gets easier.
With the car off the ground and the wheels off, I proceeded to easily remove the rear trac arms and the rear lower control arms; the two units that I chose to replace with the spherical FIGS components.
Here’s a good look at the new arms in comparison to the OE components.
As you’d expect, the install was quite easy, aside from having to tweak the arms a bit once installed to re-attach the sway bar end links. For me personally, the difficulty of the installed was multiplied by having a near complete tear of my extensor tendon in my left arm. If you’ve ever had to work on cars with an elbow injury, my advice is to not.
On top of all that, the rear rotor retains the factory emergency brake function. Since this is remaining a street car, that’s a huge added value in my book.
I think it might have been a combination of having installed the new lines, and having 5 event old fluid, but man did it take a lot of fluid to bleed through. I burned through half a bottle of the Project Mu G-Four, and an entire bottle of Endless RF-650. This was following the bleeding order from the FSM, and there was still a bit of air coming from the rear. At any rate, the brakes did fine on track so I’m not too worried, but maybe next oil service I’ll go through the order one more time.
At any rate, the car was prepped and ready for testing at CVR.
At the event, I missed the first session on Saturday because we were a bit short handed and I was helping out with check-in and registration. Not a huge deal, as I knew that was probably going to happen and the majority of my driving would take place Sunday. I used Saturday to feel out the track conditions an regain my bearings on the track.
Angel’s immaculate RHD EK.
Keep in mind I was on the same NT01’s that the car has been on throughout this entire series of write ups. Despite that, right out of the gate I could feel the car was much more hesitant to understeer. It seems as if the new alignment did the trick on balancing the car out properly. I was able to get on the gas a bit sooner out of corner exits, and my bowl speeds were noticeably higher without the car wanting to shovel out.
Here you can see very little, if any, overlap on the front tires – quite the opposite from what we saw last time at Streets of Willow.
CVR is extremely hard on the brakes; despite this I only felt the brakes start fading once or twice after a couple longer sessions on Sunday. I all but burnt through the rest of the HC+ pads up front this weekend and will be looking into either replacing them with another set (I like the way they feel), or may look into a different pad with equal performance that won’t eat the rotors as bad as the HC+ do.
I wasn’t able to push the car any faster than the 2’04.4 from January. Old tires, much hotter weather, and lesser ideal track conditions didn’t allow it. With that being said though, I was very satisfied with the performance of the car in it’s new form. The consistency of lap times I was seeing was something I’ve yet to experience in my short driving career, and something I’ve personally been aiming for over the past several years. This car has allowed me to regularly drive events, while systematically addressing single problems one by one, with testing in between. I highly recommend this method to anyone new to driving, or perhaps starting out with an unfamiliar car (as is the case for me with the ISF).
Several back to back laps all within a tenth or less of 2’04.9 were seen on both Saturday and Sunday. Even with a passenger, and getting fuel cut twice in the same lap, during an afternoon session on Sunday, the car saw a 2’04.8. I’m fairly certain the car can see mid-2’03 lap times with new tires on a cool morning. With new tires, a 2’02.999 is now my new goal with the car in it’s current state. Over the downtime of late Spring and Summer, I don’t plan to modify the car any more. I may collect parts for it (OS Giken differential), but have no intention of changing it until I’m in a position to test again under ideal conditions.
Excited about the direction this car is headed in and looking forward to next season. With the valley plate leak fixed and the Koyorad package handling fluid temps nicely, I have very little to worry about now other than driving to the best of my ability. It’s a good feeling.
Until next time! Now to get started on the Civic…