Building for the road course...again

[gotovato]

So i have taken once again to the facebook group to see whats up here. alot of dudes either just keep replacing every 2-3 events, or you get the odd "ive never had this problem" guy.

Some updates that i have found/driven.

Recently replaced my passenger side hub assembly. I could NOT find any branding or part number on this hub. I replaced it with a timken.

First thing i noticed - Timken hub measures 5.6mm. no name hub measured 4.7mm. Terrible

Had a fellow 8th gen guy reply to my post mentioning he was gonna order a moog and measure it. Results are in,
the moog is freaking BEEFY AF. We were all shocked. The entire facebook group lol. My assumption is this is a moog "problem solver" part. I called moog to ask some questions and the guy couldnt say for sure but he did say moog is known to improve on OEM parts if there is a known issue. He had never heard of this hub failure issue though.

Gonna order up 2 moogs i think. Question becomes, do i still time them out? or send it until failure? My guy on facebook says hes gonna send until failure otherwise how else will we know anything?

 

[Enki]

Science demands sacrifice.

 

[Cold Lotion]

Counterfeit parts have been a problem for at least 10 years and it's only getting worse. Almost all parts are made in China now, but a lot are knock-offs without the same manufacturing standards, shipped overseas with fake packaging and documents, then distributed and sold as legit. When you're buying from places like Amazon and Rockauto who don't scrutinize their supply chains, they end up stocking tons of counterfeits, and companies like Timken and Moog are some of the biggest targets for counterfeiting. Something to seriously consider when going through all this.

 

[gotovato]

Counterfeit parts have been a problem for at least 10 years and it's only getting worse. Almost all parts are made in China now, but a lot are knock-offs without the same manufacturing standards, shipped overseas with fake packaging and documents, then distributed and sold as legit. When you're buying from places like Amazon and Rockauto who don't scrutinize their supply chains, they end up stocking tons of counterfeits, and companies like Timken and Moog are some of the biggest targets for counterfeiting. Something to seriously consider when going through all this.

You’re absolutely 100% right. This is becoming a problem. I first learned of this with spark plugs.


I typically always order from rockauto or amazon if they have the part. Rockauto isn’t reliable though sounds like? I figured they were all hooked up with these manufacturers and that’s why they always have the best pricing. This makes me nervous now.


A moog on Amazon is 116$. Rockauto is 96$. Local parts store is like 250+. How do you know who to trust? I was gonna order the Amazon ones. That’s where buddy on Facebook got his moog

 

[gotovato]

Science demands sacrifice.

Unfortunately this is how it has to be I think. Either this hub lasts forever, for the same amount of time, or just a lot longer than the usual suspects(timken, nsk, skf)

 

[Cold Lotion]

Rockauto

From what I understand, Rockauto works the opposite of Amazon, but they both end up with similar problems. Amazon collects items from sellers, aggregates its inventory causing counterfeit items to be combined with legitimate stock, then distributes. Rockauto is basically a dropshipper who never touches or scrutinizes the items at all, that's why their return process is such a pain in the ass.

 

[Enki]

One thing you could do is take the hubs off after a few track days and have them magnafluxed to check for cracks. I'd imagine some hairline ones would start showing up if it's going to fail at some point rather than just immediately fail without warning.

Edit: Something like this:

Template public:_media_site_embed_youtube not found. Try rebuilding or reinstalling the s9e/MediaSites add-on.

 

[Easter Bunny]

I want to k ow how slow the never had a problem guys is going

 

[gotovato]

I want to k ow how slow the never had a problem guys is going

Yea this is my thought lol. You can tell who the fast guys are and they’re all having issues. Then you get the odd casual or whatever who’s never had an issue lol

 

[gotovato]

One thing you could do is take the hubs off after a few track days and have them magnafluxed to check for cracks. I'd imagine some hairline ones would start showing up if it's going to fail at some point rather than just immediately fail without warning.

Edit: Something like this:

Template public:_media_site_embed_youtube not found. Try rebuilding or reinstalling the s9e/MediaSites add-on.

This is a good idea. Regular inspections usually catch the major cracks. Anything less…you just have no idea

 

[gotovato]

From what I understand, Rockauto works the opposite of Amazon, but they both end up with similar problems. Amazon collects items from sellers, aggregates its inventory causing counterfeit items to be combined with legitimate stock, then distributes. Rockauto is basically a dropshipper who never touches or scrutinizes the items at all, that's why their return process is such a pain in the ass.

Damn I didn’t know this. I always ordered NGK plugs off rockauto cause I assumed they were the most legit. Damn.

Amazon I for sure don’t trust for spark plugs but I figured the hubs might be ok?

 

[Easter Bunny]

I wouldn't buy wiper blades off of Amazon let alone something important

 

[gotovato]

Well I attended a race on Sunday. I was on the fence until Saturday then finally just said fuck it and we went.

These new brake pads im using now are absolutely incredible. I have found my brand. At first I was a little concerned with the 5km of street driving I did. When cold the pads easily overcome the tires and I’d have little abs moments everywhere.

Once on track with a warm up lap however…incredible. Most consistent brake pad I’ve ever used. Strong initial bite with miles of modulation. More pedal, more bite. Less pedal, less bite. Truly how brake pads should feel. Also they look like they wore 0. I’ll have to measure them but they look full still. I was exceptionally light on the brake pedal too. Tons of confidence and stopping power.

All morning was qualifying. I am of course outclassed due to my tire size. Nothing but wrx’s and STI’s and 370z’s fighting in my class. Even 2 golf R and of course nothing is even close to stock in any way lol. There was alot of traffic and I could not get a single clean lap without being held up. With the civic if I even get held up for one corner the lap is done. I don’t have the power to make it up elsewhere.

I almost didn’t qualify due to the amount of traffic on this tight technical track. I was in P6 going into finals where there is only 5 laps. 1 warm up, 3 hot laps, 1 cool down and done.

Pressure was maximum. I had to make it happen. This is the track where I lost my wheel 2 weeks ago. Think about that lol.

Tow rig


We actually camped at the track Saturday night. Slept maybe 3-4 hours lol. Not great. Morning was very rough.



And of course…results




Unbelievably tight. I saw the 1:39.1 come up on my second lap and I lifted immediately. I was screaming in joy in the car. It felt so effortless. I just drove the lap with 0 effort. Just do it and boom. Found 2.7 seconds over my qualifying time. The energy was massive.
I was in a Subaru sandwich here. Alex is a wrx and Sean is a wrx. And I am a NA k20 with unknown mileage unreal. People love hearing it’s just a k20


Of course I need to give a huge thank you to my tuner!! The tuning is exceptional the car did not miss a beat. Power was strong the entire day even if we are burning a little oil

couldn’t have done this without my tuner my small pit crew and my suspension/chassis shop PZ tuning.

 

[Enki]

Standing on the podium like "I'm better than you" lmao
If you were in the proper class you probably would have dominated and been teched again as a result.

 

[gotovato]

Standing on the podium like "I'm better than you" lmao
If you were in the proper class you probably would have dominated and been teched again as a result.

So the car actually fits into production class which is a step below me. If I had 245 tires I could run that class. It’s about 2-3 seconds slower on average.

I considered it but I wouldn’t have to try as hard and I felt like I should just push myself and see what happens

 

[Easter Bunny]

Could you have two sets of tires and run both classes?

 

[gotovato]

Could you have two sets of tires and run both classes?

I THINK so. That would be a lot of work though. It’s pretty hectic making it through an event day. Tons of shit going on constantly. I should check the rule book and see if it says anything though

 

[gotovato]

Wiseco called me about an hour ago.
They want to make peace. “No bad blood”.
They offered me a free set of pistons. I asked for money back they said no.
I guess I have a set of pistons to sell now…

 

[Enki]

By accepting the pistons you won't ever use, you have effectively cut off any chance of getting your money back (from them, anyways). Meanwhile, they get to send you some questionable shit that has probably been gathering dust for several years.

 

[Easter Bunny]

It's honestly the best I would have expected from them. Are the pistons at least as good as or better than the other set