,
The K-Tuned Civic is now using Ignite Red E85 as their fuel source. The fuel supply system now includes Injector Dynamics' ID 1700s with two Bosch 044 fuel pumps tied in with a Radium surge tank.The two K-Tuned cars that are maintained by Lavinge Motorsports (a new company that sprung from what was known as R-Division) have two different powerplants. James is running a supercharged K-series while Chris is running a turbocharged B-series. Both cars have switched over to running Ignite Red E85 as their fuel source. With this new fuel, the injectors in the Civic were upgraded to Injector Dynamics' ID 1700s and, to support this increased flow, a second Bosch 044 fuel pump was added. As the Radium Surge Tank he's been using already was designed with a second pump in mind, this was another near bolt on upgrade. With the new fuel setup and the Garrett GTX3076R Gen2 turbo, Evans Tuning found a bit more power in Chris' car than James' Type R. The Civic put down 610 whp and just shy of 400 ft lbs of torque. Chris is very pleased on the track as the car puts down a ton of power starting at 4200 RPM and going right through to 9000 RPM.
The next changes were in braking. G-LOC Brakes R16/R10 compounds. The R16's have a temperature range up to 2000°F/1093°C while still offering great modulation characteristics. Chris upgraded to the Neo Motorsports F401 caliper for 2017. This caliper, similar to his previous setup, is a 4 piston unit that only weighs 2.1 kilograms and is crafted from billet aluminum.Stopping power is very important but it also needs to be a component of your car that you should be able to install and, apart from regular inspections, not have to think about while driving. Chris was was an early supporter of Neo Motorsports and this year is running their new 2.1 kg/4.6 lbs F401 4 piston caliper. He has also moved to G-LOC Brakes* compounds – just as James Houghton ran on the Type R last season and this year. Chris is running G-LOC Brakes R16 compound on the front and R10 on the rear. In all of his competition events at CSCS, Global Time Attack, and GridLife, Chris is running in a class (each series has a different designation) that requires street rated tires. His choice for the past few seasons has been the brilliant Bridgestone RE71s. Last year one of his challenges was having to work hard to avoid locking up the tires when entering corners. Having to concentrate so much on the braking zones was costing time. Locking up the wheels risked flatspotting and ruining tires. With a few events already completed, Chris is thrilled with the results of changing to G-LOC Brake Pads. He has found the feel much better and that the product offers greater modulation than what he was experiencing before, that he is not having to think about pedal pressure or trying to avoid lock up. And, he has data that reveals that his braking is 0.6-0.7 g's higher than in the same corners last year when he was using product H. Greater stopping power. Greater modulation. Chris knows that even without the data that the car is stopping better without worry of locking up. Everything that makes you confident in braking, makes you faster overall. *Full Disclosure: Frank Ewald, the author, is an authorized G-LOC Brakes dealer.
Chris has just put Konig Ultraform wheels on the Civic. These 19'x10.5″ wheels dwarf the 15's that he started out his racing career using. Not only that, these are likely signficantly lighter. The move to 19's offers better tire choices with the overall diameter being the same as the current 18″ wheel and tire setup.
All of these upgrades have one purpose- to allow Chris to focus upon driving the car at the limit, rather than worrying about what the car is going to do when driving near or at the limit.
