Ok, a little report from the weekend with all the mods:
1. Halo seat: I like the Recaro Pro Racer SPG, but it really is a different seat than the none-halo SPG. It's tighter in the back and shoulders, tighter around my hips, less padding on the butt, you sit deeper into it. And because the sides are so high, the lap belts can't be propped up on the sides of the seat as you're getting in. This means you need to get into the seat and then fish them out from under you, which is an enormous pain in the ass since the seat is so tight. I'm going to have to figure out how to put some velcro on the lap belt straps and then have the other piece of velcro on the seat edge or something because I'm not going on a fishing expedition for those lap belts every time I get in the car.
As far as the actual halo feature, I found that it doesn't get in my way AT ALL. The neck restraint only lets you turn so far, and the neck restraint's limit is before the halo gets in your way.
Conclusion: Thumbs up, but will require more setup.
2. Passenger seat: uh, it's fine I guess. Didn't take a passenger, so not much to comment on here. I'm probably gonna pull it out soon anyway.
Conclusion: Thumbs up. It looks cool. Adds weight.
3. Rear sub-frame bushings: I like them. My car was already pretty stiff with the cage tied into the car, so for me, there was no night-and-day difference here. I found it to be subtle. This mod added a little more predictability to the car as it starts to go sideways. Having driven it now, I'm not sure it's the best bang-for-the-buck mod for a mostly stock car. People with mostly stock cars talk about this mod all the time. This is an expensive mod. I think your money is best spent elsewhere until the car is modded more.
Conclusion: It's fine, should not be high on the list of a mostly stock car.
4. Rear Toe Arms: Fine. No drama.
5. Exhaust: ugh, this one was a thorn in my side all day. It is damned loud. And it's not really the decibel loudness. It's the resonance that is the problem. The resonance goes RIGHT THROUGH MY GOD DAMN HEAD at all different RPMs. I had ear plugs. They did nothing. The vibrations would resonate my entire skull. ugh, my ears are still ringing today. Plus, the left exhaust had a bolt that loosened and fell off, so during the middle of the session I had to pull off because I could hear it scraping. And then, I had the awesome walk of shame through the pits dragging my exhaust. I promise no one noticed my exhaust dragging on the ground through the ENTIRE paddock. Nope no one noticed at all……..
I was planning on removing the exhaust and doing something else….I think the car wanted that too and tried to shed the damn thing. So, it's back to the drawing boards.
Conclusion: Thumbs DOWN. What? I can't hear you!
Anyway, the OS Giken felt very good. The first time I drove it, all I did was think about it. Yesterday, I just drove the car and didn't worry about it. Worked great. And my fast lap was 1:50.04 on a fairly dirty/dusty track. It rained the previous day, so the track surface was not ideal to say the least.
There was a McLaren P1 there yesterday. Wow. Incredible.
