I don't know who's driving the press car or what's been changed on it (shocks, etc), but I certainly caution everyone to look at all the factors when judging the results. My car is not being seriously campaigned at this point. We're just having fun in a car that's a hoot to drive. With that said I think the whole Z0K thing is the make or break. Without those springs - regardless of the gearing - it won't have that final critical element to make it in the long run.
t
Editor of the mag will be in it. Now it looks like he will only be at the Pro. Car should be stock other than Hoosiers, wheels and maybe alignment.
Thanks Tom for the ride in your hotrod
See you in SD
Kevin
It was an honor to have you and Ron drive the car. I learned a lot from both of you in just those two runs. Thank you!
The car has been aligned but the setting were just guessed at - basically just maxing out the front camber without screwing up the caster, adding a touch of toe-in at the rear. I say it's not tuned because I haven't tried any other settings. I don't know if these are optimum or not.
Robert agrees the 275s made the gearing better without taking too much away in other areas. Crisper turn in but a little mushy in mid transition. And we drive the car with "everything" off. In mine it takes a full 12 seconds of holding the button in to get it all off.
As far as the spring issue, I'm not the one to figure this out. Ron felt the car was not nearly as stiff as Kevin's and the thinking at the time was it's the springs. I'm so confused by all the chatter and claims I have no idea beyond the fact that the Z0K handles better. And that's not saying that the GXP handles bad, just not as good. Can those issues be dealt with by getting different shocks? Don't know. But I've tried chasing spring problems with shocks before and that's a crappy way to do it.
Too bad the other GXP won't be in SD. It would be a better test there than at the Pro. I hate to think so much is riding on my car, like I said, I'm just having fun in it. I'm delighted that I have Robert - a first class driver - in it for now so I have some idea what the car can really do. But we just aren't that serious at the moment.
I haven't driven a ZOK as a baseline but the GXP does feel soft to me especially in the rear and at this point I've attributed it to shock valving. I guess I'll find out for sure when my Motons show up in a few weeks....
I'll be looking forward to seeing how you guys do in SD.
__________________
If you can't be a good example, be a terrible warning!
---------------------------------------------------
Current Stable:
1998 Toyota FJ62 "Bruce"
2006 VW Mk5 GTI DSG "Ingraine"
2007 Mean GXP, Team Zissou!
I got to run with all different modes of traction control and found it best to have everything off. In comp mode it would kick on and off at times that were not, in my opinion, optimal. I felt the car was easy to hang out and get back in line when I was testing the limits. Overall I am very pleased with the car. I will need to set up the car properly and get more time behind the wheel to see how competative it will be. Basically I ran 2 seconds behind a fully prepped Astock S2000 with R-comps, with my car bone stock with a passenger. I would say we are close enough to each other in our driving abilities that the cars were probably the difference in our times. Glad to hear the 295s will fit, I will probably be looking into those. Can anyone give me some suggestions on alignment for an autox dedicated Kappa? Thanks in advance.
I got to run with all different modes of traction control and found it best to have everything off. In comp mode it would kick on and off at times that were not, in my opinion, optimal. I felt the car was easy to hang out and get back in line when I was testing the limits. Overall I am very pleased with the car. I will need to set up the car properly and get more time behind the wheel to see how competative it will be. Basically I ran 2 seconds behind a fully prepped Astock S2000 with R-comps, with my car bone stock with a passenger. I would say we are close enough to each other in our driving abilities that the cars were probably the difference in our times. Glad to hear the 295s will fit, I will probably be looking into those. Can anyone give me some suggestions on alignment for an autox dedicated Kappa? Thanks in advance.
I am taking my RL to a local shop to put 1.75 neg camber front and add .25 -.5 neg camber to the back. I need to see where it is set first. I am going to park my butt in the car for the alignment. We'll see this weekend how well that works. I have only run the car once (in October) with ESC in Comp mode. I will be running a Saturday test and tune and a solo on Sunday.
__________________ Redline (pre-halt), Pearl, Black/Red
complete option list except auto, 3" MF cat-back,
painted calipers, owner installed power lock buttons, muc uprated springs, S.P. downpipe, Wester's tune
I don't post much on any of these boards but I do occasionaly read them and I just wanted to drop a line to anyone that cares there will be a ZOK version of the GXP and no I don't have the specifics but it looks like RobL has his info right.
Today I drove a set up GXP and my ZOK back to back. Both on race tires on a fairly fast course in the 61-63 second range. The GXP runs out of gearing QUICK! I was all over the rev limiter. Myself and Ron Bauer drove the GXP and the ZOK we both got mid to low 62's in them. The GXP owner said the tires (Kumho's) were about done, they didn't look or feel too bad though. As a comparison I also was on old dead Kumho practice tires and my stock rims and stock shocks, the GXP was on OZ wheels with Koni Shocks, my ZOK was putting down the same times as the GXP. I wasn't hitting the rev limiter in the ZOK but was coming close in one spot. The GXP hit the limiter 3 times, and in one spot it might have been worth a shift but I don't know if it was worth .3 tenths (an average time it takes to shift up and down again). In conclusion I do not think the GXP will be competitive at the national level in AS which is sad because I loved the power it had, and this was a fairly fast course. If I am wrong I'll be trading in my ZOK right away but I don't think I am. Some of you will disagree with my assumtion, and thats OK, but only time will prove me right or wrong within the current classing of cars in AS.
In additition I put my good tires on the ZOK later in the afternoon to scrub them in a little before the National Tour at Qualcomm coming up and droped my times down to a 61.5 Ron also matched that time. There was a 99 miata at this same practice that also put down a 61.4 So those people who don't think the 99 Miata can Beat the Solstice should watch for the results at the SanDiego National tour in CS because its gonna be a goooood race. Some people seam to forget that in Solo its the driver that takes all the credit not so much the car and as much as those Miata guys think they are fast, since Telehowski, Thomason, and Braun left CS there is no one left to carry the torch except for a poor college student from Kansas. :-))
See you all on course.
Best regards
Kevin Dietz NWR SCCA
"How to make your car faster"
1. Bigger Tires
2. Bigger engine
3. Bigger brakes
4. Or just give me the keys!
Hi Kevin!
Quick question was the GXP a 2006 or a 2007?
__________________
Spin or win, there's no glory for going slow!
Team Dynamics AX racing
2003 GSL, 2005 HSL, National Champion
2007 GXP ZOK Mean
Top finishing Solstice 2009 SCCA National Championship
Solo Performance Race catback
Rick Hendrick Pontiac
Solo Performance
CHARLES FRANK goldsmith
Location: Rosamond, CA - Home of Willow Springs Raceway
GXP's are 2007 and beyond.
__________________
2007 Cool GXP with Darkside Top, 5 spd, Ebony Cloth, Monsoon with Single CD, Sport Pedals, XM, A/C Mods: K&N Drop-in Filter, Solo Performance Street/Race Exhaust, Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec Tires, Eibach Pro-Kit Springs, Hawk Brake Pads
Once I get back from Cali (stupid business trip) I'll be getting my race alignment - I think I'm going to max out the front camber (around 2.5) and run about 1.5 in the rear - I'm also going with 0 toe from and rear - but I can change the toe at the track so I'm not too concerned about that.
THat's my base line and I'm going to adjust it from there.
__________________
If you can't be a good example, be a terrible warning!
---------------------------------------------------
Current Stable:
1998 Toyota FJ62 "Bruce"
2006 VW Mk5 GTI DSG "Ingraine"
2007 Mean GXP, Team Zissou!
I would start at:
Front -2.2 front camber, factory caster, 0 toe
Rear -1.5 rear camber, factory caster, 0 toe
adjust from there based on tire temps if using R compounds.
I asked my alignment guy to max the front camber just to see the available adjustment range and he was able to get -3.xxx!
__________________
Spin or win, there's no glory for going slow!
Team Dynamics AX racing
2003 GSL, 2005 HSL, National Champion
2007 GXP ZOK Mean
Top finishing Solstice 2009 SCCA National Championship
Solo Performance Race catback
Rick Hendrick Pontiac
Solo Performance
CHARLES FRANK goldsmith
It was an honor to have you and Ron drive the car. I learned a lot from both of you in just those two runs. Thank you!
The car has been aligned but the setting were just guessed at - basically just maxing out the front camber without screwing up the caster, adding a touch of toe-in at the rear. I say it's not tuned because I haven't tried any other settings. I don't know if these are optimum or not.
Robert agrees the 275s made the gearing better without taking too much away in other areas. Crisper turn in but a little mushy in mid transition. And we drive the car with "everything" off. In mine it takes a full 12 seconds of holding the button in to get it all off.
As far as the spring issue, I'm not the one to figure this out. Ron felt the car was not nearly as stiff as Kevin's and the thinking at the time was it's the springs. I'm so confused by all the chatter and claims I have no idea beyond the fact that the Z0K handles better. And that's not saying that the GXP handles bad, just not as good. Can those issues be dealt with by getting different shocks? Don't know. But I've tried chasing spring problems with shocks before and that's a crappy way to do it.
Too bad the other GXP won't be in SD. It would be a better test there than at the Pro. I hate to think so much is riding on my car, like I said, I'm just having fun in it. I'm delighted that I have Robert - a first class driver - in it for now so I have some idea what the car can really do. But we just aren't that serious at the moment.
See ya all in SD and let's have some fun!
t
Astocker,Everyone
I just finished filming a TV show with the GXP for Speed Channel (today) (buildorbust.com click trailers "SETUP") I had access to the GM Performance guys (multiple guys/prat&miller/Lutz/Sitek Ect... The big guys in Charge of everything Solstice, so to speak. The GXP Does not have the ZOK shocks and springs, in fact for the show we swapped the stock springs out with the club sport or ZOK springs per GM Performance division. The GXP is heavier on the nose as most of you know and the ZOK springs really let the front drop. When the GXP ZOK comes out later this year it will most likely have redisigned front springs for the heavier nose but the rears will probably remain the same as the ZOK (ClubSport).
Meanwhile check out speed channel on April 18th at 8pm to see a new show called "setup" you'll find a few recognizable autocrossers kickin some butt. :-))
Kevin
2006 CS National Champion
I changed this post, the GXP trans won't change its the NA, it shouldn't affect auto x though. Sorry for the confusion
Last edited by EVO Solstice : 03-15-2007 at 05:41 PM.
Reason: bad memory bit :-))
When the GXP ZOK comes out later this year it will most likely have redisigned front springs for the heavier nose but the rears will probably remain the same as the ZOK (ClubSport). GM is also going to change the transmision ratios.:-O :-) Don't ask me for specific ratios because I'm no engineer geek. (Geeks take no offense please) It will all come out soon enough. Don't want to get anybody in trouble.
Well they better get it out the door soon or no one's going to be able to order one. The final order cycle is coming up very soon and the Z0K package is not yet on the options list. Either that or they better have a way to get the redesigned transmission cheaply for those of us who can't pass on an allocation to wait for the GXP-Z0K.
Ugh, that is not the news I wanted to hear. The springs are one thing, but if they do infact change the gear ratios (which they should have done in the first place, but I think that they delibertly designed a car that would not break 5 seconds 0-60 for marketing reasons) that means that any of us with the non-GXP-ZOKs are screwed. Which does not make me happy at all.
I wonder what the trade in on a slightly optioned GXP will be on the GXP ZOK?
(Cursing being quick off the block!)
__________________
If you can't be a good example, be a terrible warning!
---------------------------------------------------
Current Stable:
1998 Toyota FJ62 "Bruce"
2006 VW Mk5 GTI DSG "Ingraine"
2007 Mean GXP, Team Zissou!
Well they better get it out the door soon or no one's going to be able to order one. The final order cycle is coming up very soon and the Z0K package is not yet on the options list. Either that or they better have a way to get the redesigned transmission cheaply for those of us who can't pass on an allocation to wait for the GXP-Z0K.
With our luck it will be a 2008 and we will all be completely screwed over.
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