Camera's 818C

[driveslikejehu]

Great review; thanks! A combination of gaining experience and your reporting had me making some critical observations and trying a few changes. I don't think I noticed the rear "hop" until you mentioned it, and a friend confirmed the rear seemed to be bouncing thru a long constant radius turn. I dialed in more rebound and felt the improvement.
I modified the front a-arms for more camber and less caster and plan on more front damping as well. Can't wait for spring
Cheers!

[mcamera]

Thanks! That's exactly where I first noticed the hopping in my 2024 season. On long high speed (autocross speeds ~45mph) sweeps. Didn't show up until I had my car dialed in really well towards the end of the season, so grip and speeds were getting higher.

That's also when I realized my dampers were bottoming out and I figured my old bushings were contributing to the hopping. Jokes on me though, after all my expensive suspension upgrades, I never placed any higher in the 2025 season. I fixed my issues and the car feels better, but that was a lot of time and money for zero improvement in the standings. I'm hoping part of that was due to my tires being on their 2nd season and that fresh tires will help this year. But the stock Koni's/springs were a surprisingly fast setup even with their issues.

Glad to hear your car is doing well! I would like more than -1deg camber in the front but my front end hasn't been a limiting factor until now. I'm with you though, I think it's finally time for me to add more camber too.

[Bicyclops]

I've experienced the rear end hop at high speeds on a twisty road. I really didn't have time to look at the speedo, but I must have been doing about 60. The first time I noticed it was also the first time I thought I wasn't going to make the corner. I pulled harder on the wheel it went right around the curve but did hop. Stock Konis, heavier springs. I'm heavy in the rear anyway with dry sump and AWIC. Nothing I can do about rebound with these shocks.

Ed

[driveslikejehu]

Jokes on me though, after all my expensive suspension upgrades, I never placed any higher in the 2025 season. I fixed my issues and the car feels better, but that was a lot of time and money for zero improvement in the standings.

I bet you'll see improvement out of the gate this season. We do 5-6 track days a year and we joke about the "zen" of driving faster. The fastest lap of the day often comes in the first or second session when you're just feeling the car and track. Later, when you're trying to drive faster; deeper into corners, earlier power, more revs- doesn't improve the lap times. Folks in all sports experience this I guess.

[mcamera]

I've experienced the rear end hop at high speeds on a twisty road. I really didn't have time to look at the speedo, but I must have been doing about 60. The first time I noticed it was also the first time I thought I wasn't going to make the corner. I pulled harder on the wheel it went right around the curve but did hop. Stock Konis, heavier springs. I'm heavy in the rear anyway with dry sump and AWIC. Nothing I can do about rebound with these shocks.Ed

I wonder how stronger springs on the stock Koni's affects track performance. From what I've seen, when you add a stronger spring you would want to increase rebound to slow down the faster acting spring. Would be cool to see the Koni's dyno graph. All the settings I tried on my dampers felt good on the road, but we're crazily different on the track when the car was pushed 100%. Probably not worth paying for dampers unless you start competing.

I bet you'll see improvement out of the gate this season. We do 5-6 track days a year and we joke about the "zen" of driving faster. The fastest lap of the day often comes in the first or second session when you're just feeling the car and track. Later, when you're trying to drive faster; deeper into corners, earlier power, more revs- doesn't improve the lap times. Folks in all sports experience this I guess.

When I started racing I got faster each of the 5 runs as I was learning the course and getting the tires heated up. Always wondered if a 6th or 7th run would be even faster. Now that I have a little experience and can push the car harder earlier, I usually peak in run 3 or 4 when the tires are hot and before I start pushing too hard like you mentioned. It's nice to know that I peaked though when it's hard to beat my earlier runs.

[Bicyclops]

I've only been to the track once, and it looks like it will be a while more before I go back while I recover strength. I didn't even time my laps. I was more concerned with survival. I wasn't sure how much brake authority I had and when to start braking. I need more time on the track to figure out my car's and my limits. My only problem with control on the track was when I panicked a little and lifted in corners. I wish there was some autocross within a reasonable distance.

Ed

[mcamera]

Last weekend I got a 2025 trophy for 3rd place in the Xtreme Street B Class for Central Kentucky. Narrowly missed out on 2nd place (360 vs 368 points) but not too bad considering my terrible start to the year and I experimented with my suspension every race.

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Bad news is, I've been banned from the XB class for 2026 lol. I checked and this clause wasn't in the 2025 rulebook, but has been added for 2026.

XB Exclusion.jpg

Looking at the other classes, the best fit looks like E Modified. The 818 S/R are on the approved list for that class, but no mention of the C which is heavier. So now I'll be heavy in that class (min weight 1700lbs), instead of the lightest in the class (I'm currently at the XB min weight of 2330lbs).

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The guys in the EM class always beat the guys in the XB class. Should make for an exciting but tough year!

[lpmagruder]

I've always ran EM. It sucks but it's where these cars fall. You won't be competitive with 200tw and like you mentioned, we're heavy for that class.

Have you checked XU? It's new; I haven't read the full rules yet but someone mentioned I should check that class out next year.

[David Ferguson]

As a mod-class car, won't you be allowed to run slicks?

[mcamera]

I would be the only person in XU but it says "production vehicle" which I'm not sure I qualify for. That class also has unlimited weight and aero so anybody else that would join would probably dominate. However, the exclusion of kit cars only says XA/XB and this class has a minimum 200tw tire which I prefer.

I couldn't find info on tires for EM. It refers to section 3.3 which doesn't talk about tires at all. Another class mentioned 13.3 so I think it was a typo, and 13.3 talks about 200TW. I thought it allowed slicks too but the rules are unclear.

[RPGs818SNA]

“+ Kit or component cars from low-volume manufacturers who intend or allow completion of assembly by the end user in order to obtain registration and titling paperwork.”

Congratulations on your trophy! Well done.

Sorry to hear about the new exclusion. If it were me, I would argue (but possibly lose) that although an 818 IS a kit car from a low volume manufacturer, and that manufacturer DOES intend and allow completion of assembly by the end user, that manufacturer does NOT do so in order to obtain registration and titling paperwork. They ALREADY provide registration and titling paperwork with the kit (certificate of origin). Their INTENT in allowing the end user to complete the assembly of their vehicle is to provide them with the experience and satisfaction of building and customizing their own car. Thus the 818 should not be excluded from XA/XB (or the rule should be revised).

Maybe you could get another year of eligibility while they revise the exclusion.

Good luck,
RPG

[mcamera]

Thanks. It's not a big deal. I'll just jump to the XU class so I can stick with road legal 200TW tires. They only adjust to try and keep the classes fair and competitive. Somebody out there must be terrorizing the XB class in an Ultima or SLC or something like that.

[mcamera]

It's been awhile! I haven't posted much because my competitors have started watching my videos so I didn't want to give away this year's big upgrades too early, and give them a chance to prepare. I was also in the process of moving houses, renting out my old house, starting a new position at Toyota, getting a new Lexus, fixing a dead $1500 Audi convertible that my wife wants as a cheap commuter, and just trying to survive this crazy year so far!

So the big upgrades this year are wider wheels and wider tires. I moved the 8.5x18 wheels from the rear, up to the front (replacing my 8x17's), and bought new 9.5x18 wheels for the rear. Unfortunately I bought the last wheel Enkei produced, so I had trouble finding a 2nd rear wheel. Enkei even checked overseas for me. After searching for months I bought a black version of my wheel and tried several off the shelf spray paints to see if I could color match decently. Even though the caps all looked similar, the results were wildly different and not great. So I bought a color matched can from an auto body shop (I didn't know this was an option) which is much better but still not perfect. I mounted new Yokohama Advan A052's (225 and 265). Both up 1 size from my previous Falkens. The Advan's construction is lighter so even though my wheels and tires are larger, my new setup is no heavier than my old setup! Plus my contact patch is over 1" wider on the front and rear. But the fit is tight, especially in the rear. I had to stick with my current 10mm spacers (which had some light rubbing with my previous 255's) to clear my trailing arm but not push the wheel out so far that it would hit the fender. On a short drive I heard a fender scrape a couple times so I'm going to raise my car 5-10mm to help. The car looks a lot cooler though with 18's all around and the deep dish of the new 9.5" wheels!

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New daily
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Dead 2003 Audi TT I'm fixing. Lots of electrical issues, the dash says push clutch to start even though it's an auto, and it doesn't start. I've made a ton of progress and I'm in the process of making a video for it. It's been really fun to track down issues and bring things back to life. Trying to get it back to its former glory for less than $1000.
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[driveslikejehu]

We're hoping to do one of the Appalachian Hillclimbs this year down near your area; assuming you're still near Lexington. We'll give you a shout on the way by.

[mcamera]

Yeah, let me know when you're passing through. I have an autocross buddy with a Legends car that has started doing hill climbs down here.