What years are your evoras?

Good job my man as an owner should do in a beauty. Once you get the hang of that beauty you’ll be swinging corners in mountains like butter

I got my dream car at 17 I am still 17 it was an 07 3v gt mustang California special my dad spun out on our crappy gravel road and totaled it in a ditch just 3 weeks after getting it

Fellow Viper Club member and KZbinr here! Great video!

Great video, very well edited!!! Hands down the nicest cleanest car in the burnout pit that day. May I ask what is the type of tape you run to protect your paint?

Sounds fantastic! Enjoy your Lotus!

As an NC owner I have 245s available in all of the above tires, did you ever test a 245 Re71? We're split between the RE71s, CRS and V730. Our race format is 2 3 hour races per weekend. Sat/sun is practice/quali in the morning and a 3 hour race with 2 drivers changes in the afternoon (tire pressure adjustment is allowed when pitting). Re71rs seems the most versatile (rain) and fastest tire, but we expect to get a weekend out of them at best (and a little worried if it'll make it) CRS feels like it's similar pace and will likely make it all weekend (wondering if we could get 2 weekends out of it if we practiced on different tires. And the V730 which I "think" could make it 2 weekends if we just raced on them which would cut our budget down, but they don't seem to work on the car well. They seem way off the pace and grip level(on this car at least) of the Re71s and CRS from previous experience with them. Do you think my life expectancy out of each is reasonable? The car raced successfully on RS4s previously in WRL, and I think we could get 3-4 weekends on them but if they're slower than the V730s, I'd honestly be concerned about our pace

I've never seen the original build video for this car. Is it basically a naturally aspirated (built?) Cobalt engine in this ride, or is something else (besides the GM lump) also labeled an 'Ecotec'??

As far as 'endurance' type 200 TWs go; Any experiences, or thoughts on the Yok AD09s at all and how they compare to the 'old gold standard' of the RS4s as far as grip vs. longevity goes?? Or are they considered way too much of a 'street tire' grip-wise to even be mentioned in the same breath as all of the other 'endurance tires out there?

that LED light ring would KILL ME!!

FOXWELL NT630 Plus OBD2 Scanner on Amazon is currently $130 and will clear those airbag lights using the Daewoo method mentioned

Blue ball is $150 or less replacement, I've done it. My dealer was going to do a whole shifter assembly replacement ($3k) if it wasn't for the guys on lotus talk intervening

My sail panel cracked in the exact same spot. Lol. A pillar too.

Pretty neat info, don’t see a lot of these cars around. Thank you for sharing!

Great video. Thanks for sharing your experience and expertise.

The JRW is also the heaviest 15x10. If you want the best 15x10 look at the KE Motorsport PRO T12 G2. Lighter and stronger than the Konig......

We won the ChampCar Endurance Series National Championship with Atlanta Speedwerks on Nexen N'Fera Sport R's! They are definitely becoming a top choice in the endurance scene!

what did you have to do to fit a 15x10 on your NA? I'm running 15x9 225s and would like to get to 15x10 but not sure how well they fit....

There are no Nexen N'Fera Sport R available in 15" in the country, and they're supposedly changing factories, so none available this year (that's what the lady at Nexen told me).

Great video Roy. Veey discouraging to hear that all those 15 inch wheels bend. I have really been looking forward to my mzr swapped na so i could get back to a 15 inch rim and tire because they are lighter, cheaper, and i thought they were gonna be more durable than the 17's on the nc. Regarding the Rt660, I'm really shocked to hear the issues that you have had. When I started running them, Rodney earwood said to make sure that I run enough air in them because he had a similar experience that you had with his bmw when he did not run enough air in them. He spoke with their engineer to find out the correct air pressure and what not. I also assumed that part of his issue was that his BMW made more power and was heavier than my NC miata. They have been consistently very good for the nc. Aside from mcm, they will last the whole 14 hour race everywhere or a whole 15 to 16 our weekend. Usually with Tire left over to use on a practice day at an upcoming event. They are way more consistent and at least one second faster than the rs4. Another thing that I want to mention is that tire rack did a tire test on 7 in 8 in and 9 inch rims using a 205, 225, and 245. They found that the 225 on 9 inch rims was the best combination. So that is what i switched to last year. There might be a little more time with a 245, but i have really been pleased with the feel of ths 225 not to mention the price difference

Only a guess but extra clearances are needed on both ring gap, piston to bore and even crankshaft bearings when running higher than stock power.

If it's a Ford than failure does not surprise me.

This looks like you need some ring gap.what Octane did you use

Money spent on a build depends on the outcome you are looking for on track. If your target is to participate it can be super cheap. If you are going for an overall win every race the price sky rockets. To constantly place at the pointy end all the I have to be dotted and t crossed. First you need a 100% reliable car and on top of that it has to be fast. Both of those aspects (reliability and speed) are where all the cost come in. I would always prioritize reliability first because if you can't finish you can't win. Replacing know weak parts before they fail adds up fast. If you go down the road of "we will fix it when it brakes" you are not bringing a 100% reliable car to the track. Oh and don't discount the drivers they play a big impact on the outcome as well.

I know you have raced the car already but catching up on your video series. Do you guys actually run a legit racing oil? After our Daytona mishap last year, we finally put in a 3 quart Accusump to go along with the trap door oil pan baffle and switched to 40 weight VR1 oil and everything was much better.

We did a similar headlight setup in the same location. We found some crystal clear lens covers that don't disrupt the beam compared to the stock lenses. Amazon sells them for $40.

I am still going with too much internal combustion heat due to a combination of lean mixture and late timing. (Exhaust leak giving false O2 readings and the loose pulley triggering the knock sensor to pull back the timing or timing retarded too much from an incorrect tune) If the piston damage was caused by detonation then chunks of the piston probably would have been dislodged all at once then left evidence of the bits being hammered between the piston and the head. I think the pistons were progressively burnt away in short order. The molten metal from the burning piston could be the spots on the cylinder head. I believe the dark spots on the head in each cylinder indicates high heat. Any valve, valve seat, or valve guide damage could be from the excessive heat in the combustion chamber and head surface This heat could have been transferring into the intake valve seat and the intake valve itself over-riding the normal cooling affect of intake air/fuel flow and and cooling affect when it closes and contacts a cooler seat. The intake valve stem could have even increased in diameter due to over-heating and started to seize in the guide.

Pre Ignition ( not Detonation ) damage, detonation occurs after the plug ignites the air and fuel. Pre Ignition happens as the piston is traveling upward and causes failure like you have experienced. That explains why you don't have damage to the rod bearings.

Seems like more of a tune issue than oil starve to me. Usually you spin a bearing before anything with the pistons in a low oil P situation.

I will guess pre-ignition ( not detonation ) caused this. Just a guess. As to why, that remains to be seen....

I just found out my 1952 lakehouse needs some major work. You need to buy my car for $15K. I spent more than that just for the EcotecMiata turn-key installation. Located in Brighton, Michigan 48114. It needs the brakes improved and heat shields but could be driven anywhere. The only problem is the interior is too nice to make a race car. But it would be the ideal street car for product development and to showcase your products. Perfect for "Miatas at the Gap". It comes with the following parts for future improvements: Ecotecmiata flywheel kit, New HD clutch assembly, 6-speed Miata transmission with 33,000 miles, Solstice AR5 transmission with 33,000 miles, Slingshot transmission with 14 miles, later rear subframe if you run without a PPF, Flyin Miata V8 crossflow radiator, Flyin Miata V8 sway bar bent to clear pulley nut, Flyin Miata sway bar supports, various cooling fittings to re-route hoses, Mazdaspeed sideskirts, Jetstream front spoiler, Bimini top kit, Quickjack hydraulic lift, plus many more. See pictures on my channel or search "Miataquest" on insta-ya-know.

I am going with a combination of the exhaust leak giving the oxygen sensor bad feedback and the damaged pulley triggering the knock sensor to pull back the timing. The combination of pulled back timing and a lean mixture could have made everything run hot internally including the oil.

Got hot and rings butted? Try to avoid stock ring gaps if it possible engine may get hot in racing like losing cooling. Look for intermittent vertical ring gouges in cylinder walls once you get pistons out.

Rings butting up together will pull the head off of the pistons ot break the ring land in between the 2 compression rings.

Best guess with information and evidence provided...... intermittent lean condition caused by fuel slosh. Cylinders run lean, get hot, butt the top ring, and pop the lands.

Hoe was your oil level throughout? Was it consuming oil thru the pcv lowering the octane creating detonation . Maybe try venting the pcv and valve cover to a catch can then road draft it

Hmm KZbin ate my other comment.....1) were you able to check timing before you pulled it apart? 2) Any chance mechanical timing moved due to the keyway issue or was wrong when you put it back together Sunday?

Do you data log your wideband values? Do you data log Fuel Pressure?

Data point. I've ran mine quite lean to make 2hr stints and never seen any signs of detonation on the plugs. Ecotec ECU flash with lowered fuel pressure, ~100hrs at 13:1 afr on pump 91

Timing dude!

I’d be surprised if you encountered enough detonation to destroy pistons without it being obvious on the rod bearings. Maybe pull the connecting rods and have a look, the bearings usually start to pinch inwards and wipe the oil from the journal. Even if they aren’t spun you should be able to tell by the bearing fit/crush into the connecting Rod.

I know there's a big community for ecotec buggys, have you reached out to them to see if they have similar issues (I know they run their stuff hard). I wonder because they run the stock ecotec oilpan...just a thought

Nice lap. Any thoughts on the larger oil pressure drop in the left hand turns?

Those bearings were crying on every turn

For what it's worth - our first ecotec motor lasted 23.25 hours of a true 24 before it blew and it went immediately after some horrifying money shifts. I do not believe these motors are forgiving that way. The next motor lasted over 100 hard track hours before blowing with a fuel cutoff at 6,250. The dyno doesn't lie, these motors don't make more power past that. I've seen oil pressure all over the place throughout. High when cold and much MUCH lower when warm. We run an original "ecotec" Miata pan for reference. About being down on power at weird times - check your intake temps. I don't know your tune or ECU (sorry too lazy to check) but in my experience high intake temps have massively hindered the power. We generally run without a driver side headlight in our NB with aggressive good vents. Good luck on your next motor. We've had good luck with more patient shifting and aggressive fuel cutoffs. I cringed watching the Saturday footage when the driver was shifting at 6,700. Great videos!

Just guessing here, but it sounds like your failure mode is a combination of issues. Spinning high RPMs, oil pressure, and those crank pulley and timing failures. It seems folks like to bag on this swap about blowing motors, but endurance racing is pretty much THE most extreme sustained duty cycle for any car. You guys were killing it out there. Great job guys!

I think when you had the bad exhaust leak the oxygen sensor was sending false readings and subsequently the system was trying to compensate with too lean of a mixture then followed by a too rich mixture. Back & forth and back & forth until whatever failed.

Check the oil pressure log traces. Video at 19:05 the oil pressure is bottoming around mid-30's and touched 34psi at 4900rpm.

I've got money on the exhaust valve seats failing on cylinder 2. That was a quasi normal failure we saw on the ecotecs