Tomorrow is open test day at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) and the 240RS Maxi and RASpec Impreza will both be there for their first shakedown! We’ll be there trying to root out problems with the new spec-vehicles, and be sure to report back here with all sorts of data and fancy photos (maybe video too). Keep watching.

Post-event wrap-up

Wednesday 9-24-2008 8pm
Ron drove down to the shop to drop off his track equipment in order to be loaded into Old Mother Hubbard (OMH). Nick was busy finishing up the DCCDpro wiring on the RASpec Impreza, and Bill had the 240RS Maxi on the dyno. Afterwards Nick, Scot and Bill aligned the RS Maxi and got home late around 12:30/1am.

Thursday 9-25-2008 4:45am
Mitsuru picked up Ron and Quy at 4:45am in order to rendezvous will Bill and OMH.

Thursday 9-25-2008 5am
Dunkin Donuts.

Thursday 9-25-2008 7:45am
We arrive at the track, and begin unloading the equipment and vehicles.

RASpec Impreza

The RASpec Impreza is a new beast to be reckoned with. Out of the paddock, I spent two laps to warm the tires up and get a feel for the new handling characteristics of the car.

Power-wise, the car feels amazing. The first time the wastegate opened, and the true engine scream was released with full boost, my heart almost skipped a beat. The power onset is much more aggressive compared to the TD04 (obviously). The engine is also much more revv happy, it loves to stay above 5000k to 8200rpm. Spinning all-4 tires on power into turn 11 was a jaw dropping experince. The shift points are now vastly different with the 6-speed transmission. The rear differential makes the car turn in a lot different, and I love it. Its more aggressive to handle, but more fun.

The car was amazingly reliable, despite the complicated nature of the changes made. She had a very very minor oil leak from the drain plug crush washer and a CV boot leak, which got grease all over the insides of the brand new Enkei RC-T4s. We did however have a minor power issue. Under full load, the car occasionally cut power briefly and abruptly, similar in feel to fuel starvation. It was intermittent and preventable with throttle control. This is most likely due to a limitation with the ECU and MAF sensor, so we’ll put her back on the dyno and try to ferret out this issue.

Overall the day was amazingly successful and fun.

I give big thanks and appreciation to Nick for putting in the extra hours to install the DCCDpro controller at the last minute. Top-notch installation! You guys are awesome.

Photos

Visit the gallery for the full section of photos

Video

RASpec Impreza - first lap from Ron Adams on Vimeo.

Initial Impression - The RASpec Impreza from Ron Adams on Vimeo.