More and more sanctioning bodies are requiring window nets even for race-converted track day cars, and for good reason.
The window net not only serves to keep the driver’s bits inside the vehicle, it also helps protect the driver from bits entering the vehicle. That wheel or wing that got torn off that car that bounced off the wall and is now about to hit you? The window net can stop that.
The cage net, on the other hand (literally) serves a similar purpose. It keeps the driver safe from him or her own parts, and from other parts.
Schroth harnesses and an OMP Prototipo halo/containment seat helps keep William securely located at the controls.
When most people think about door bars, they just think about protecting the occupants from another vehicle if it hits the car. But door bars also serve the purpose of guiding crash forces through the rest of the cage and into the chassis. Doing this with the minimum amount of weight and fuss is ideal.
Remember, when a cage is properly built, the cage is effectively the car. The chassis, especially the outer body, becomes more decoration than structural. A tight and tied cage ensures the suspension does the work and is the only source of movement or adjustability. It’s certainly easier to dial in your suspension if you can reduce the torsional rigidity of your chassis to near zero.
The RSX still has the factory Acura crash bars in the doors, and retains the windows, too.
Or, at least, sometimes the windows are bolted in. This proved to be a problem later.
Lol, that’s where those spacers are … now I remember, needed them for the ZE40’s (they’re actually 24 offset, and minus 3mm for the spacers, so 21 offset). We usually run 57FXX’s that are 22 offset (and no spacer)
All we have in our steering rack is a custom rack slider (which we had made), otherwise its all oem steering gear in it. That being said I’m sure there’s room for improvement there in this car – we actually retired the RSX in 2014 and have been slowly bringing it back up to competitive form, so we’ll keep developing it as we can!
Well, you’ve got a lot of development to do. Here’s some freebees.
Honestly, I don’t know why I bother, but whatever…when I get back on track, it will make the competition interesting.
First of all..
Why do you have the stock radiator mounting core? this is a freebee. but if you have hood locks, you don’t need all that shit, cut it out…save some weight, i did it on my car.
bumper support? worthless…drop 20 lbs, right there. another freebee.
w Not the greatest cage…but, maybe your spring rates are not high enough?
Factory crash bars? worthless 10 lbs.
You got your spring rates all wrong, on on FWD, you run soft fronts, and stiff rears. Don’t need sway bars, for the rear, either. Run some neg camber, and some positive caster, and you’re golden on a Mac-Strut. Saves weight, too.
If you had a ‘proper’ splitter you would be able to use those soft front spring rates to your advantage, because under brake dive you would get more grip. But, you need to have a front diffuser/splitter to do that. Which, obviously, you do not have, otherwise you would not have such a huge front splitter because you don’t need it because a front diffuser makes much more downforce, and far more efficiently. Look it up, on LMP1 cars.
Wank, rear wing should be mounted to the rear frame rails. Period.
Rear diffuser is beyond basic. For one, double decker. Secondly, lateral diffuser. Third, blown diffuser. If you know racing, you shouldn’t even have to look those terms up.
Wank, lame side skirts. How about sliding skirts, FTW…maybe you can catch up to 1980’s F1 technology. Or are you that slow?
Horrible front bumper design, you should have radiused inlets, obviously.
You don’t need a double deck diffuser if you have enough room to make a large one. Also the golden rule of all things aero: you design to the rule set. Just because something is “the best” in one series of racing does not necessarily make it correct for another series.
16 comments
What’s the schmoo coming from the behind the ECU?
That’s from the adhesive holding down the kpro – think we’re gonna need some heat shielding in there 😉
Is the front wheel offset +22 after the spacer is added?
Lol, that’s where those spacers are … now I remember, needed them for the ZE40’s (they’re actually 24 offset, and minus 3mm for the spacers, so 21 offset). We usually run 57FXX’s that are 22 offset (and no spacer)
awesome, thanks for keeping this chassis alive.
You guys did an excellent video + article on fixing the EP3’s steering issues. Did they do any similar work on this car? I imagine they had to.
All we have in our steering rack is a custom rack slider (which we had made), otherwise its all oem steering gear in it.
That being said I’m sure there’s room for improvement there in this car – we actually retired the RSX in 2014 and have been slowly bringing it back up to competitive form, so we’ll keep developing it as we can!
what did you use to make the bumper 20g sheet metal?
one day, i will get some money, and I will beat this man, in the most ghetto car chassis available. mark my words.
This I would love to see, want to buy my Sentra to use as a starting point? I am very serious!
Well, you’ve got a lot of development to do. Here’s some freebees.
Honestly, I don’t know why I bother, but whatever…when I get back on track, it will make the competition interesting.
First of all..
Why do you have the stock radiator mounting core? this is a freebee. but if you have hood locks, you don’t need all that shit, cut it out…save some weight, i did it on my car.
bumper support? worthless…drop 20 lbs, right there. another freebee.
w
Not the greatest cage…but, maybe your spring rates are not high enough?
Factory crash bars? worthless 10 lbs.
You got your spring rates all wrong, on on FWD, you run soft fronts, and stiff rears. Don’t need sway bars, for the rear, either. Run some neg camber, and some positive caster, and you’re golden on a Mac-Strut. Saves weight, too.
If you had a ‘proper’ splitter you would be able to use those soft front spring rates to your advantage, because under brake dive you would get more grip. But, you need to have a front diffuser/splitter to do that. Which, obviously, you do not have, otherwise you would not have such a huge front splitter because you don’t need it because a front diffuser makes much more downforce, and far more efficiently. Look it up, on LMP1 cars.
Wank, rear wing should be mounted to the rear frame rails. Period.
Rear diffuser is beyond basic. For one, double decker. Secondly, lateral diffuser. Third, blown diffuser. If you know racing, you shouldn’t even have to look those terms up.
Wank, lame side skirts. How about sliding skirts, FTW…maybe you can catch up to 1980’s F1 technology. Or are you that slow?
Horrible front bumper design, you should have radiused inlets, obviously.
Can we see some pics of your car?
You don’t need a double deck diffuser if you have enough room to make a large one. Also the golden rule of all things aero: you design to the rule set. Just because something is “the best” in one series of racing does not necessarily make it correct for another series.
Good answer!
?Yeah they surely don’t know what they are doing at all. Where’s your record setting cars? Just curious.