Sepang Open Trackday

It has been a while since I last went to an open track day in the Hiper DCM Silvia.

The previous time it went for a full circuit drive was back in 2006. Back then, it had the GT-SS turbo setup, R32gts-t 4 pot brakes, no means of downforce, and on drift setting of course which made it very very tail-happy. Despite some drawbacks, it clocked a 2'36 on a hot lap, and it made me realised the potential of the car as a time-attack machine.

Some changes were made to the V2 as compared to V1 in 2006:
- HKS GT2835R Turbo
- Dunlop DZ101 225/45/17 Front, 255/45/17 Rear
- R33GTR Brembo Caliper Front with Endless SSS pads
- SARD Pro Drift GT Wing, adjusted to maximum low

The power has increased tremendously compared to the previous setup. On the main straight, it clocked 220km/h on 1.2bar boost and street mapping. The race mapping allows 1.6bar boost which I presume will bring the top speed about 10km/h higher.

The DZ101, despite being a street tyre, are surprisingly excellent under threshold braking. The Brembos can definitely brake harder compared to the Nissan 4-pot, but the front are showing no signs of lock-up. The rear, however, will lock-up under very hard braking on the back straights and main straights. This is caused by the new brake setup which shifted the bias to the rear. The car still braked in a straight line though, just that with an extra puff of smokes.



Although the turn in response of the DZ101 was not knife-edged sharp, it was sufficient to steer the car into the proper cornering line. Smooth and precise steering input will make the tyre turn better rather than harsh and rapid adjustments. With the wider rear tyres and a GT wing, the car is less tail happy. On the high speed corners, throttle can be applied earlier without having to worry about oversteer. However, a slight understeer was present, especially coming out of the fast corners, which is probably due to too much rear downforce, causing the front to lift.

The day ended with some rubber burning down turn 5 and 6, and an overboost problem on the way back to pits during the last lap.

Photos courtesy of Sheikh @ www.evolusiotomobil.com.my