Second Monday at St-Eustache

My second Monday at St-Eustache did not go as well as the first one. I was hoping to improve on my best lap of 1:02.7, given that I had a pair of brand new tires, but it was not to be. I could only manage a best of 1:03.1. Looking at the data, I did not seem to be faster anywhere, despite the new tires. What's my excuse? Maybe the tires are too new and have too much tread, which makes them "squirm" and overheat quickly... it's hard to know. Clearly, there was a problem with my right axle, and I had to cut my last session short as a strong vibration appeared when I turned left.

The car remains fun and easy to drive, however, and I was able to get home without any problem. I went to see Pat Boyer to install the new axle yesterday evening, and he discovered several other issus with the car that will need to be addressed at the same time. The most glaring issue was the terrible condition of the front subframe, which is perforated due to rust. The front frame rails also have holes, but luckily, the parts I need to fix that only cost about 100$.

He also suggested I change some motor mounts and bushings, but none of these items is particularly expensive. At least I was able to replace the huge and ugly rubber-coated Acura steering wheel that came with the car. I found a smaller leather Acura RSX steering wheel for only 50$ with the airbag. When I installed it, I realized the airbag was not compatible with my car, even though my car had a JDM RSX steering wheel when I test drove it. It turns out the North American RSX had a dual-stage airbag, while the JDM one had a single stage one, like older Civics and Integras. The solution was to use parts from both airbags and now I have a much nicer steering wheel in the Civic.

Anyway, the car will be out of commission for at least a few days while I get together the parts I need to fix the most urgent items. Stay tuned!

Cool duo spotted at St-Eustache on Monday