Sunday, December 5, 2010

Tempest Racing Acura Integra Drag Car Front Right

Progression is the key element behind most successful undertakings. We’ve all heard the story before. It starts with “From humble beginnings” and chronicles the trials and tribulations that lead to a crowning achievement.

As a shop car owner, finding the time to work on the beast was a challenge, but it only took a single winter to transform the carcass into a player. Deconstruction was followed up by rollcage installation and paint prep, all executed by Simpson. His friend, Matt Pratt, did the honors of laying a deep burgundy paint.

With a target boost north of 50 psi, stout was the word of the day. Simpson contacted Stewart Engines on famed Gasoline Alley in Indianapolis, Ind., and acquired a fully built, zipped-up race engine. The ’Teg is running a B18 bored to displace 2.0 liters. State-of-the-art machining and head porting was followed up by a precise assembly using quality pieces. Custom 10:1 Wiseco pistons and Manley turbo-spec rods swing on a balanced and micropolished OE crank. “Having several cars on our dynojet to compare,” Simpson says, “we found out that my car will out spool, make more peak power, and carry the power to a higher rpm than any other similar combination we’ve ever had on our dyno. Best of all we were able to get two full seasons out of the engine before sending it back to be refreshed. With the rev limiter set at 10,800 rpm, seeing peak boost pressures of 54 psi, taking the motor apart, and having it look virtually brand new is amazing!” Simpson is also quick to point to the Ferrea-infested valvetrain as a key to the stratospheric engine speeds.

With big boost, 8,400 cc/min of fuel, and a 10,800rpm rev limit, tuning had profound importance in the power and reliability of the combination. Simpson’s weapon of choice was the MoTeC M800. “It’s just amazing. It does everything and anything you would want an ECU to do,” Simpson says enthusiastically. “There is so much flexibility in it and so many features. I will be learning new things with this ECU for years to come.”

The proud, race-ready Integra went 9.7 on its first test pass—quite a debut. “We took it to the first event and on a 9.9 at 158 pass, the back end of the car kicked out sending the Integra into the wall,” Simpson says. “I thought the car was totaled for sure but the rollcage saved the chassis. Many of our friends, fans, other shops, and the vendors we deal with from the popular forum www.honda-tech.com stepped up and helped us out. I was so bummed and frustrated with the whole situation I was going to part the car out and be done with it. They kept my spirits up and pushed me to get it back together. We are still dialing in the car’s Omni-Power drag coilovers, Full-Race traction bars, and Liberty transmission, trying to get it up to speed. There is still more power in it, we are just taking baby steps to get the car down the track.”

When operating on the razor’s edge, data is divine; so is understanding what it’s telling you. Simpson and Tempest Racing seem to be making all the right moves and it’s clear that this Integra is an end game that’s only just begun.

Specs


Engine


Transmission

Exedy twin-disc clutch, Liberty dog box gear set