Lude Generation

Booked myself for an open pit lane day at abingdon airfield/trackday next month , was persuaded by someone going in their newly imported JDM ITR. It'll be fun he said! (he hasnt seen the state of the lude)

The next 3 weekends will see some prep/servicing to the aging lude, as its long overdue (car not serviced since last track day at coombe 3 years ago).

I'm off to pick up some accord type R discs/pads/callipers/carriers later, as last times the OE brake setup was what let me down (new discs pads all round, new high temp fluid, but still getting terrible vibration in the steering wheel / front end).

Car is bog standard pretty much - except i'll probably stick my decat back on, and should be on the 300mm setup before the weekend is out

Question is, what mods have you done that had the best impact on track? I'm not talking about performance as such, but feel/longevity/reliability - i'm not out to set any records, but would like to get my moneys worth on the day, and not limp off home.

Talk to @Merlin, he's your man

Make sure your brakes are sorted first.. decent set of pads/discs/brake fluid.

Next look at your suspension. Coilovers preferable.

Then consider track tyres.

& lastly performance upgrades..

Tgats the order i would do it

Dino hit it on the head there. Although if money is tight I'd go decent tyres before suspension. Also if this is a long term track car you should polybush the suspension as that is a cheap performance boost.

Agreed.

It's the same priority order as on a road car:
* does it stop?
* can it go round corners?
* will it go?

Failure or even compromise in these key areas multiply the skill-level needed by the driver.

And for added refinement: what stops me concentrating? (eg: driver positioning and comfort, distracting reflections etc.)

Thanks for the input - echos my thoughts. Last time, my day was cut short each session by brake issues.

So hopefully in the coming weekends i should be running:

ATR twin pot setup with carriers
rebuilt with new pistons, guide pins.
new 300mmx28 ATR grooved/drilled discs
new ds2500 pads

standard rear setup but brand new discs/pads and new guide pins

all filled up with RF600 fluid (used this last time, and had no fade issues at all).

Engine is feeling much stronger after a reasonable service:
new air filter
foam insulated / foil covered OE intake
new iridium power plugs, new leads, new coil, new cap and rotor arm
hamp oil filter
fully synthetic oil change
hopefully get my decat fitted also - this made a big difference last time it was on.
Still need to adjust valve clearances - timing light also on its way to ensure static timing is spot on.

Bought a 'performance' alu rad off ebay, but its literally 5 times thicker than the OE one, so gonna be a close fit in terms of fan/ex heat shield clearance. New thermostat and coolant waiting to go in also.

Otherwise , car is standard suspension / running gear.

Quick update from last friday.

Car behaved well. Wasnt able to get the decat put on , bolts were seized solid. Popped into see Maz at hond-r but he decided not to touch it either - most of the system on its last legs...

So track day was good - car didnt let me down except 4ws kept coming. never came on at coombe so i think its getting old/tired/stiff so probably needs some investigation.

I had cheaper tyres on compared to before - pumped them upto the ~160km/h setting as per coombe, but the results were terrible, understear all day. Except in the rain, i think that kept them cooler and happier. Dropped down to 32psi for the last session and was much happier all round in the dry.

Brakes didnt miss a beat, no overheating and after 1 slightly faded lap initially, they soon firmed up and felt good, although at times afterwards the pedal feeling is variable, ill blame that on a 17year old master cylinder.

But now the trouble has started - clutch/gearbox issues. Clutch was worn , knew it would need doing soon. Getting some nasty noises just manouvering car on the drive way, sounds like bits spinning around on the flywheel, a slight clonk noise then the clutch becomes engaged all by itself. Also - very hard shifting into 4th, which is odd as 4th didnt get used much on the track.

So thats at least a new clutch, plus i have backlash in the gearbox so probably worth doing both whilst its off.

Then it will need a complete exhaust for its MOT at the end of august

Prelude may have driven its last mile...

In other news, JDM Integra Type R was an absolute machine - perfection in every area, what a car!

Oh dear.....

For me with the 4g, I think the biggest gain I noticed was stripping it out. Without going overboard I've shed ~100kgs so far.

A bit more to come with a sunroof bung & a pair of bucket seats....

For 'feel' on track, ditching the 4ws was a great move. Got rid of some decent weight over the rear axle & made the car feel more pointy...

Oil change may sort the 4th gear shifting issue, but yeps sounds like clutch definitely needed!