RideTech 33 Ford

[Crestronwizard]

Awesome build. Love it!

[bret]

17th in the design segment??? That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in a while! If not 1st I think it would be a stretch to say the 33 wasn't in the top five. Oh well, Incredible showing nonetheless!

Hehe...well, I can't say I disagree, but it's hard to quantify humans or their opinions. I have to say, the three top picks were truly awesome, certainly well above what I'd consider prudent to put on the track. Worthy choices!

Thanks for the vote of confidence Tom...always appreciated!

[bret]

Ok...now that we've got all the known shortcomings on the car fixed, were ready to get this ready for optima.
After running a few road course event this summer I knew I needed some downforce on the rear of the car...it wanted to get light and spin the tires over the bumps at speed. Tire spin at 130 sounds very masculine...until it happens.
So we built a rear spoiler for it based on some ideas given to me by a customer who works with aero on Indycars.
We also had not ran the car on the road course with the larger 12" wide front wheels and 315mm tires...or the new clutch. Lots to test on the road course! So it's off the Putnam Park near indianapolis.
Call it superior planning and engineering...or plain good luck (like I do) but the car was so good we changed nothing...no tire pressure, no shock settings, no alignment settings...nothing. We ran a 1:20 lap time with a 147mph straightaway speed. Yes, I'm sure we could have eventually made it even faster...but we could have laso made it a lot slower...or worse. Too many stories of last minute engine changes .
We brought it home, changed the fluids and filters, wiped it off, and put it in the box for Vegas.
At this point I'm feeling pretty good about things because I'm hearing stories about other competitors with new engines, new suspension systems, new tires...all kinds of unpredictable stuff.

The results at optima have already been documented...5th in the autocross, 12th in the road course, 1st in the brake stop, and 3rd overall.
Obviously I was pleased with the results! We've had a lot of help on the car this summer. Greg Schneider at our shop was responsible for all things mechanical and worked tirelessly to make it run better every week. Paul Cox at Fox and our engineer Britt Marolf put their heads together about shock and spring tuning. Falken sold us tires and gave us a LOT of insight on how to use them. Centerforce clutches custom built a DYAD clutch for our unusual combination that works flawlessly. And Holley EFI and Mile Norris helped work through some EFI tuning. Great team, great results!

Now the 33will run the last 2 Goodguys events at Scottsdale and Delmar...then back home for the winter.
Refinements? Look for shockwave air suspension next year. It'll be even faster

[bret]

On the Tilton clutch...it was a 5.5 double disc, not a triple. That is why the lower torque rating. Remember that torque rating is when everything is fresh and perfect. The first time you run the car the torque capacity will deteriorate some due to disc wear and the resulting increasing clearances.

[HarleyR]

Cheap. It's a used magnesium Rankin clutch less 4 speed with cryogenic treated gears and other cool cup treatments. (a friend of mine works across the street at the Jasper Engines NASCAR transmission shop)
Also, we moved the shifter back 10" and over on top of the trans. Then built custom shift linkage.

Ive built a few of them...nice pieces... I used to get parts from Terry DeKemper at Jasper when we were sponsored by them a few years back...

[bret]

Yep...Terry is the transmission whisperer. I wish I could afford that new piece they are currently supplying for NASCAR!

[bonecrrusher]

Nice job @ optima!

[66larkgs]

Hehe...well, I can't say I disagree, but it's hard to quantify humans or their opinions. I have to say, the three top picks were truly awesome, certainly well above what I'd consider prudent to put on the track. Worthy choices!

Thanks for the vote of confidence Tom...always appreciated!

Couldent agree with tom more about the 17th place. Thier was some REAL nice cars but the level of fabrication and attention to detail is truly a piece a art. I looked at your car over 5 different times during SEMA and optima and ever time i saw something different. I got to say thanks for spending the time talking to us during sema and it was a blast to watch you guys run the car in vegas.

[Martin71RS]

[jorge]

^ That's awesome, thanks for posting the videos.

[Tig]

Nice, car sounds amazing.

Any new photos?
I love this build.

[Tig]

Congrats on your feature in Hot Rod
It looks awesome.