Can we have specs from FFR on their blue 818R

[Doowop]

Hello,

I did some research but can't find anything on the 818R blue car.
I see a lot of talks about what should be done on the R (or the S) for road racing, but I instead of trying to evaluate what it will be, I would really like to get feedbacks from a car that was already built and raced by FFR. People have been talking about what is installed on the FFR 818R blue car, but I'd like to have an actual feedback that could help people decide which way to go. I am sure FFR tried a few things and can tell us what things seem to work better that others.
If there are people out there with experience, it would help others to get a better starting points on some items that they are looking into for the car.
I know that personally, I have a lot of questions, and would like a better understanding of what works in the real racing world, so I don't have to do it twice. I think Wayne could be a great help on this as I think he actually drove it on the track.
So Here is what I see, but feel free to add:

- Suspensions? Are the stock R used? stock spring?
- Gas tank? I guess a cell is installed next to the driver.
- Intercooler? What is used there? are there any cooling issues?
- Battery? is the battery located in the front as planned?
- Radiator? I am assuming an aluminum aftermarket one was used. How is the cooling?
- Brakes? what brake setup is used front and back? is it good enough? what pads work best? rotors? were there any extra valves installed in the system? were there brake ducts installed? I am not familiar with rear engine cars as far as brake setup...
- wing mount? can we see at least pictures of what was done there to mount it? what good starting point is as far as angle?
- Suspension bushing? was a polyurethane set used?
- Exhaust? what was used there? cats? mufflers?
- wheels and tires? what size wheels work best as far as offset? what racing tires did FFR try in this car.
- Racing harnesses mounts? was anything added to the R? Being a R for race, you would think that it would be already setup to mount a harness behind and under the seat. If this was not done originally, will it be added on the newer chassis?
- Sway bar? is the front sway bar used on that car? If yes, is it the stock WRX one or something else?
- Any other modifications added to the original car on the chassis or else where?
thanks

[Wayne Presley]

Main thing to remember is the blue FFR 818R is a prototype and some of the stuff on it is not on the production or is different. These opinions are mine and and some of the things on it do not apply to the current production chassis.


- Suspensions? Are the stock R used? stock spring? We put at least 4 different springs in the front and rear during testing.
- Gas tank? I guess a cell is installed next to the driver. The blue 818R has had 3 or more different fuel tanks/cells in it.
- Intercooler? What is used there? are there any cooling issues? Stock 06 intercooler, and at the UTCC it was having some heat soak issues. Was 95°
- Battery? is the battery located in the front as planned? Front battery
- Radiator? I am assuming an aluminum aftermarket one was used. How is the cooling? Stock radiator, cooled really well. At UTCC they had over 30% of the radiator opening taped over before it affected the temps.
- Brakes? what brake setup is used front and back? is it good enough? what pads work best? rotors? were there any extra valves installed in the system? were there brake ducts installed? I am not familiar with rear engine cars as far as brake setup... Blue car had Wilwood pedals with a balance bar, red car had stock WRX MC, Wilwood proportioning valve and stock calipers. Both had Hawk DTC60 pads and stopped great.
- wing mount? can we see at least pictures of what was done there to mount it? what good starting point is as far as angle? Wing was a DTC300 from APR wings and was set at 0° AOA. The car now has a custom straight chord wing.
- Suspension bushing? was a polyurethane set used? Stock front, rear was rod ends.
- Exhaust? what was used there? cats? mufflers? No cat no muffler
- wheels and tires? what size wheels work best as far as offset? what racing tires did FFR try in this car. 17x8 and 18x9
- Racing harnesses mounts? was anything added to the R? Being a R for race, you would think that it would be already setup to mount a harness behind and under the seat. If this was not done originally, will it be added on the newer chassis? R chassis have harness mounts
- Sway bar? is the front sway bar used on that car? If yes, is it the stock WRX one or something else? During testing the R had no bar and the R had a stock 06 rear bar on the front.
- Any other modifications added to the original car on the chassis or else where?
thanks

[Canadian818]

Hey Wayne, do you have any opinion on sway bar vs no sway bar? I'm really excited for the first builders finishing their cars. The builds are great, new things being learned everyday, but road/track feedback will add even more to the community. But for now, your one of very few that have driven one on track. Oh, and where's that dyno vid? :)

[mikeb75]

Wayne,

Thanks for the info about the R. I've been researching pedal kits w/balance bar, but its all a guess without knowing the measurements and clearances behind the firewall.

Did the R use a hanging set of aftermarket pedals or a floor mount set? Any more info about the setup on this is hugely appreciated! Thanks!

[Doowop]

Wayne, thanks for the answers.
- Any idea what the final spring rate was used and what comes on the car stock?
- besides the pedal and balance bar, was the blue car in stock wrx caliper and disks?

you are talking about what was done during testing when the car first came out? I am assuming they actually raced the car in NASA after that. Any other mods that are on the car now that were done afterward? thanks

[Wayne Presley]

The 818r's had 300 front and 500 rear springs
Blue had stock calipers for the first 4 days of testing, at Watkins test and UTCC it had 6/4 piston Wilwoods

It had hanging pedals which I believe were the rear facing MC's.

Sway bar is a tuning tool and I didn't miss it not being on the R. After day 4 John George and I got out of the car and said it's perfectly balanced. I even offered to take the car with me to Road Atlanta for the SCCA race the following weekend as it was really easy to drive very fast.

[Santiago]

Wayne, do you know the weight of the blue 818R? I seem to recall John George saying it was around 1,900 lbs, but he wasn't sure and didn't say if that was coming off the scales w/driver in it or without. Any confirmed weights?

I'm playing around with classing the car and a general sense of what a built 818R weighs would help.

Best,
-j