[WP] A Rookies review of the Federal 595 RS-R
On wednesday, my group of friends and i made the trip down to one of the many Wakefield park Speed of the Streets days.
I just wanted to drop in and give my impressions of the day, my car and the equipment on it.
Track:
Paying and registering was simple and easy. helmets seemed to be plentiful. Making it down on a weekday (Wednesday 31/08/11) meant numbers weren't too high but as the day people complained about a cluttered street class and the original one street class was split into two. Sessions lasted 15 minutes and groups had one session every hour until about 4pm. All that was missing is a timing feature, but for a fee of $125 that isn’t too unfair.
Skills:
Being the first time i had driven the car more than 4/10th's in three months and the first time ever on a track, my original target of 1:17's instantly evaporated once i greeted the first corner. I was grabbing for gears, worrying about engine revs while washing wide of the apex, holding my braking line too late and starting it too early, everything was a extreme handful and if not to make it hard enough I had seasoned EVO’s, STI’s, C63’s, M3’s and GTR’s to accommodate up my arse. This whole cocktail of madness made for some pretty average circuit driving. Some really nice guys from MX-5 club were helping me learn lines and keep the quicker cars off my tail but it was short-lived as they too, needed to get there moneys worth. By the last session though, I started to find some rhythm and some proper speed around the track. Unfortunately it was the end of the day and I had no timing equipment to qualify this new felt progress.
Car and Tires:
Both of these objects were tools much more capable than their master, the car and federal 595 rs-r proved to be extremely well sorted around the track and I only wish I could of done them proud. Tire pressures were set on 32/30 psi for the first two sessions, 34/32 for the third, and 32/32 for the last. (All listed are cold pressures) For reference, maximum fluctuation of pressure was 2 psi increase.
On 34/32 psi the car tended to take less tolerance in the corners when pushed hard, resulting in washing wide and dulling turn-in response. The car also started squealing for the first time making horrible noises as I tried to maneuver tight sections with too much speed.
I found the sweet spot for these tires were on cold pressures of 32/32 psi. AS i got out for the last session, when my skills and confidence were starting to grow, the small glimpses of brilliance that these tires had in the first half-hearted sessions were magnified into a repertoire of brilliance as they warmed up. When the car would start oversteer because of too much speed or steering angle, the rear would have had no hesitation to tuck itself back into line before anything got messy, there just was a tremendous amount rear grip that just kept the car and me on the blacktop where it should be. When the car finally broke traction, after wrongfully applying the brakes with too much steering angle on turn 1, it was nothing but progressive and controllable. On my last tires (Goodyear F1 x3, sumitomox1) I found that mid corner brake oversteer used to mean a combination of fish tailing and complete loss of control, in essence, the car used to tell me that “im breaking loose, and there is nothing you can do about it” but the 595 RS-R’s gave me total confidence and control. As I came into the kink after the straight I was caught up with my friends WRX on the inside, he backed off, I dove in and in the commotion applied the brakes a tad too early finding myself mid corner. The car squirmed and like before set itself up for some fishy business, but after the wriggle I didn’t have to try perform a emergency CPR hand pattern on the steering wheel, the car came straight back into my hands and tamed itself to my beckon. Speed was easly washed off, and direction changes were less volatile and numerous, so I gently turned off the track to let my friend pass then hopped straight back on. In this situation the car with the RS-R’s wasn’t a mad juvenile, but a humble servant, whose grip and controllability could of saved me a very messy crash.
They also amplified the cars ability to devour tight sections. As I had to negotiate turn 5 by staying wide and turning late into a 90 degree right hander, the back has no qualms in tucking very neatly behind to help straighten the car for the next corner. It was a neat habit, although maybe more car than tires, but the RS-R’s definitely made the experience a lot more predictable and easier to nail.
Their turn-in ability could have been explored much further if I actually could afford to change the shite king springs under my wheel wells for a serious stiff setup. But in the meantime my circuit skills could also do with a proper learning curve.
Their heat handling properties seemed fine, my brake pads smoked longed before I had any indication the tires were giving up. I never went more than 3-4 real hot laps because of my mechanical sympathy for my baby so really they lasted fine.
Conclusion:
IN my experiences on the day, I benefited most from the controllability and predictability of the tires’ outright grip. Their performance and lap time ability are something I can’t comment on or exploit until my circuit skills improve and suspension is upgraded to maximize their potential.
I just wanted to drop in and give my impressions of the day, my car and the equipment on it.
Track:
Paying and registering was simple and easy. helmets seemed to be plentiful. Making it down on a weekday (Wednesday 31/08/11) meant numbers weren't too high but as the day people complained about a cluttered street class and the original one street class was split into two. Sessions lasted 15 minutes and groups had one session every hour until about 4pm. All that was missing is a timing feature, but for a fee of $125 that isn’t too unfair.
Skills:
Being the first time i had driven the car more than 4/10th's in three months and the first time ever on a track, my original target of 1:17's instantly evaporated once i greeted the first corner. I was grabbing for gears, worrying about engine revs while washing wide of the apex, holding my braking line too late and starting it too early, everything was a extreme handful and if not to make it hard enough I had seasoned EVO’s, STI’s, C63’s, M3’s and GTR’s to accommodate up my arse. This whole cocktail of madness made for some pretty average circuit driving. Some really nice guys from MX-5 club were helping me learn lines and keep the quicker cars off my tail but it was short-lived as they too, needed to get there moneys worth. By the last session though, I started to find some rhythm and some proper speed around the track. Unfortunately it was the end of the day and I had no timing equipment to qualify this new felt progress.
Car and Tires:
Both of these objects were tools much more capable than their master, the car and federal 595 rs-r proved to be extremely well sorted around the track and I only wish I could of done them proud. Tire pressures were set on 32/30 psi for the first two sessions, 34/32 for the third, and 32/32 for the last. (All listed are cold pressures) For reference, maximum fluctuation of pressure was 2 psi increase.
On 34/32 psi the car tended to take less tolerance in the corners when pushed hard, resulting in washing wide and dulling turn-in response. The car also started squealing for the first time making horrible noises as I tried to maneuver tight sections with too much speed.
I found the sweet spot for these tires were on cold pressures of 32/32 psi. AS i got out for the last session, when my skills and confidence were starting to grow, the small glimpses of brilliance that these tires had in the first half-hearted sessions were magnified into a repertoire of brilliance as they warmed up. When the car would start oversteer because of too much speed or steering angle, the rear would have had no hesitation to tuck itself back into line before anything got messy, there just was a tremendous amount rear grip that just kept the car and me on the blacktop where it should be. When the car finally broke traction, after wrongfully applying the brakes with too much steering angle on turn 1, it was nothing but progressive and controllable. On my last tires (Goodyear F1 x3, sumitomox1) I found that mid corner brake oversteer used to mean a combination of fish tailing and complete loss of control, in essence, the car used to tell me that “im breaking loose, and there is nothing you can do about it” but the 595 RS-R’s gave me total confidence and control. As I came into the kink after the straight I was caught up with my friends WRX on the inside, he backed off, I dove in and in the commotion applied the brakes a tad too early finding myself mid corner. The car squirmed and like before set itself up for some fishy business, but after the wriggle I didn’t have to try perform a emergency CPR hand pattern on the steering wheel, the car came straight back into my hands and tamed itself to my beckon. Speed was easly washed off, and direction changes were less volatile and numerous, so I gently turned off the track to let my friend pass then hopped straight back on. In this situation the car with the RS-R’s wasn’t a mad juvenile, but a humble servant, whose grip and controllability could of saved me a very messy crash.
They also amplified the cars ability to devour tight sections. As I had to negotiate turn 5 by staying wide and turning late into a 90 degree right hander, the back has no qualms in tucking very neatly behind to help straighten the car for the next corner. It was a neat habit, although maybe more car than tires, but the RS-R’s definitely made the experience a lot more predictable and easier to nail.
Their turn-in ability could have been explored much further if I actually could afford to change the shite king springs under my wheel wells for a serious stiff setup. But in the meantime my circuit skills could also do with a proper learning curve.
Their heat handling properties seemed fine, my brake pads smoked longed before I had any indication the tires were giving up. I never went more than 3-4 real hot laps because of my mechanical sympathy for my baby so really they lasted fine.
Conclusion:
IN my experiences on the day, I benefited most from the controllability and predictability of the tires’ outright grip. Their performance and lap time ability are something I can’t comment on or exploit until my circuit skills improve and suspension is upgraded to maximize their potential.
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