Back to doing autocrosses and track days in my 88 this year. Since the last time I tracked the car, my setup has changed from 215/275 staggered Hankook RS3s and 12" rotors with stock calipers, to 265/315 staggered Nankang CR-S, C7 Brembo brakes, custom front and rear uprights, and Conti MK60E5 ABS.
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Last weekend at Buttonwillow was overall very very wet but I had a few dry sessions on Saturday morning. My first session was refamiliarization with the track and learning the new characteristics of the car. By the middle of the second session I was really starting to pick up the pace and had a lot of confidence in the new setup.
![Apr-13-2024-Nasa (Sat) [[eb83ce33a8]] - HPDE 3 and 4 - Sweeper - BW3_0111_Apr1324_932AM_CaliPhoto.jpg](./download/file.php?id=1730&sid=3cbdfed93c8d8efad936601d0cd30942)
- Apr-13-2024-Nasa (Sat) [[eb83ce33a8]] - HPDE 3 and 4 - Sweeper - BW3_0111_Apr1324_932AM_CaliPhoto.jpg (185.71 KiB) Viewed 2097 times
I was set to probably run a new PB for the #13CW configuration: I ran flat out from Bus Stop to the braking point for Phil Hill then flat again until the braking zone for the sweeper. Soooo much grip. Then as my eyes scanned right to find the exit curbing I noticed a giant smoke cloud in my rear view mirror.
I pulled into the hot pits to find a film of oil on the muffler and most of the rest of the engine bay, but no obvious source.
Back in the paddock I took off my helmet and race suit and got a better look under the car. A constant stream of oil was pissing from the right side of the pan.
![Screenshot_20240417_200303_Photos.jpg](./download/file.php?id=1731&sid=3cbdfed93c8d8efad936601d0cd30942)
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Turns out the one drop of oil per day I've had on my garage floor from a leak I can never find was actually a crack in the pan where an internal baffle is spot welded to the exterior metal. It broke through completely and went from a drop per day to a couple liters per hour.
![Screenshot_20240417_200325_Photos.jpg](./download/file.php?id=1732&sid=3cbdfed93c8d8efad936601d0cd30942)
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I was able to jack up the car at an angle enough to get the oil level below the hole so I could clean it with brake cleaner and JB weld a patch. Found the perfect patch in my tow vehicle: a single Chinese Yuan coin. I borrowed some JB Quick from 7s Only (the race shop at the track), glued the coin over the hole, and then the rain came. I never got another dry lap all weekend.
![Screenshot_20240417_200357_Photos.jpg](./download/file.php?id=1733&sid=3cbdfed93c8d8efad936601d0cd30942)
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Still, the car was great in both dry and wet. ABS on a Fiero is phenomenal. I truly believe the Mk60e5 is a race ABS system even without the "motorsports flash". I never felt it was holding me back, and even in the wet I could stab the brake pedal hard and trust that the system would find the grip wherever it was.
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The Nankang CR-S is a pretty good tire but it is definitely not a rain tire. By Sunday the track was mostly flooded and the rain was pretty much constant all morning so I packed up and headed home to dry off and clean up.