CSG Blog

Monterey County's sound limit ordinance for Laguna Seca requires most track day events held there to adhere to a strict 90 dB sound limit.

During the majority of track days held at Laguna Seca, cars whose noise levels are measured to be over the 90dB threshold get a mechanical flag for a sound violation. See the "donut" flag three times, and you're finished for the day. A popular workaround is lifting or coasting while approaching the sound booth, located between turns 5 and 6. However, it's not unusual for the staff to perform checks with a mobile mic unit from other turns.

Many sports cars sold in the US market are already too loud for Laguna's sound limit in stock form.  For example, all of the following models in showroom trim are known to get flagged at Laguna Seca for being too loud:

• Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C6, C7), ZR1 (C6)
• Porsche 911 GT3 (996, 997, 991.1, 991.2) / GT3 RS
• Porsche Cayman S/Boxster S/GTS/GT4 (981, 987)
• Dodge Viper
• Ford Mustang GT350
• Nissan GTR (R34)
• Ferrari 458
• Ferrari F430
• Audi R8
• Lamborghini Huracan

Days with cloudy or foggy atmospheric conditions can make compliance with limits even harder, as sound bounces off the cloud layer.

Making your modified Toyota 86 or Subaru BRZ pass Laguna Seca sound test

While the Toyota 86 / Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S are rather quiet from factory, just adding an aftermarket catback exhaust will typically increase sound levels beyond what's permitted at Laguna Seca.

CSG has co-developed several exhaust solutions to keep output under a 90 dB threshold without considerable loss of power or response:

Both the ACE Laguna 90 and the CSG MXP Touring86 exhaust are proven to pass Laguna 90dB days with either Turbo or Supercharger kits, plus ACE header and ACE front pipe.

For applications where a higher limit of 100dB is present, you take advantage of additional weight savings by fitting the ACE Laguna 100 Exhaust:

CSG would like to extend some holiday sales ongoing until January 1, 2018. We will update this post to include the coupon code at checkout on our website: www.counterspacegarage.com.

If a product is not on our website, please let us know through PM or sales@counterspacegarage.com!

Trackspec Motorsports
Delicious Tuning

CounterSpace Garage would like to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving weekend. While the rest of the world started celebrating Black Friday almost a week before Friday came, we wanted our staff to take a break from a long race season and allow some time for them to recharge their batteries during this holiday season. We will have staff available beginning Monday for support and will be participating in Cyber Monday.

Our Cyber Monday 2017 coupon code for participating products is with maximum discount applied on November 27, 2017 until 11:59:59PM PST.

Coupon will be active until Friday, December 1, 2017 until 11:59:59PM PST with lower discount.

Please note that MSRP on some products will change after December 9, 2017 so this will be the last time you will find some products at its current price point.  If you do not see a product available for order, please contact info@counterspacegarage.com and sales@counterspacegarage.com.  We will work with you to get the best out of the Cyber Monday deals.

In the meantime, please take some time to listen to Episode 177 in the SlipAngle podcast by tracktuned.com where you can listen to a feed by our hot shoe test driver, Mike Kang, and his involvement in the development of the BRZ/FR-S/86 community. Thank you!

At CounterSpace Garage (CSG), we enjoy receiving third party data that challenges our R&D and findings.  The more data, the better we can assess how your car’s health parameters and performance specifications at the track and on the street.

One hotly debated item are hood vents / vented hoods and their functionality for high performance setups.  We have tested a variety of off the shelf hoods from Seibon, Varis, J’s Racing, Mugen, ASM, and louvered hood vent kits for Toyota 86 & Subaru BRZ on the track and on the street. All of them yielded very different results and we understand that some hoods are developed for looks, some are developed for pure performance, and some are developed to hit just in between.  Of course, every setup has to look good and we definitely don’t like to slouch in that department.

From our previous blog post, we discussed the benefits of hood vents and a properly designed hood vent can not only reduce underhood temps, but also improve cooling efficiency, aerodynamic efficiency, and indirectly reduce front end lift.

Trackspec Motorsports developed Hood Vents for Toyota 86 / Subaru BRZ have been the main topic as of late and our clients tend to be some of the quickest in their racing series.  One particular client provided some impressive data from a racing series that consistently sees very high ambient track temperatures and wheel-to-wheel action on the 5.4km Losail Circuit (Qatar).  Data was accumulated in 3 separate events with 3 of the fastest laps per each setup on the same track with 3 different hood configurations at 2:26-2:27 pace (2:27 is with passenger).  Currently this client holds the class lap record at 2:25.9.

Third Party Tester (GT86CUP Competitor) racing in the same field as fine tuned K-series (known to output some amazing power) in those lightweight Hondas.

Note: The driver has an external oil cooler that maintains oil temperatures to a sustainable level during his wheel-to-wheel racing.  Top 3 laps of each setup is recorded in its most stressed event.  Oil temperature data is presented in the following tables to show how well the oil temperature stabilized during these most stressed runs.

Factory Hood (no vents) - Summer/Autumn 2016

Leading Competitor Vent Kit - Winter 2016

Trackspec T1 Hood Vent Kit - Summer/Autumn 2016

Observations:  The temperature differentials were significantly different compared to a non-vented hood.  Some contribution is noted to, in partial representation, of the ACE race header and a well-refined Delicious Tuning ACE specific tune.  A properly tuned engine yields sustainable parameters, allowing the engine to output its best performance in the most efficient manner.

Notables:  Due to this driver's overwhelming success against his competition, the Trackspec vents were temporarily disqualified in 2016.  The driver has reported that venting is restricted to a limited area for the 2017 season.  Due to this vent restriction, the driver revamped his front aero package to accommodate the loss of the Trackspec Hood Vents.

Conclusion: The Trackspec T1 Hood Louver kit has been proven, by a third party tester, to be a very effective modification to hoods to improve system cooling efficiency, drag reduction, and reduction in front lift.

References: We thank the client for providing this data to us after testing throughout the year.

Trackspec Motorsports - T1 Hood Louver Kit

Jackson Racing - External Oil Cooler Kit - NA Application

ACE Merged Header - 4-2-1 - Type A - 350 Collector (overpipe included)

ACE Merged Header - 4-1 - Anaconda 42.7mm - Crossfire (overpipe included)

Voltex Type-2 GT Wing - Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S / Toyota GT86

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!

CounterSpace Garage (CSG) would like to wish you the best during these holidays.  To help with the ease the stress of these holidays, CSG will be offering some specials on some awesome products.  As always, if you don’t see the product on our website, don’t hesitate to contact us at info@counterspacegarage.com & sales@counterspacegarage.com to inquire about a particular product you are looking for ANY vehicle application.

Please use the following coupon codes at checkout for discounts on specific products off their listed price (coupons are not stackable - only one coupon can be used per order):

Universal storewide

Radium / TEIN / OS Giken / AP Racing / Brembo / Brake Pads / Brake Rotors

Aerodynamics (Voltex / APR / Trackspec Motorsports) / Project Mu / Cusco / TOMEI / AiM Sport

Tuning specials (Delicious Tuning & EcuTek)

SPL Parts

Carbotech & G-LOC Brakes

Raceseng

Winmax

Edelbrock is offering a $500 rebate on orders from official distributors. CSG is an official distributor and installer of Edelbrock systems.  Rebate offers can be redeemed for orders from now until December 31, 2016.

http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive/misc/promotions/dl/sro.pdf

Special discounts on labor installs on Edelbrock and Jackson Racing kits for orders made between 11/24 to 11/28 through CSG.  Please contact us to have your installation appointment assigned today!

Terms and Conditions

Shipping:

Shipping is free for orders over $300 within the lower 48 US 48 states.  Shipping to Hawaii, Alaska, or any country outside of the US will have additional shipping charges applied.

Sales Tax:

CA residents are subjected to sales tax and is applied at time of sale.  Shipments to Los Angeles County addresses are subjected to 9% sales tax.  Shipments to California addresses outside of Los Angeles County are subjected to 7.5% sales tax.

Payment:

We accept payment via Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover.  Paypal option is available upon request (please e-mail).  All information is private and will not be stored in our database.

Returns:

• All returns are subject to a 20% re-stocking fee.
• Items you wish to return MUST be approved prior to your return.
• Returned items must be in brand new condition.
• Shipping, handling, and transaction fees are non-refundable.
• No refunds or returns on special order items.
• All exchanges are subjected to second shipping charges unless there was a mistake made on the order.

Disclaimer: CSG reserves the right to cancel any order at any time.  Not all items are on sale.  Coupons discount on select items.

CounterSpace Garage (CSG) has been anticipating the Jackson Racing Dual Radiator Oil Cooler for the Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S / Toyota GT86 for quite some time and we're excited to take some pictures of it installed on a FR-S equipped with an Edelbrock Supercharger Kit.  As ironic as it sounds, JR has actually spent quite a bit of R&D and time to make sure the fitment is spot-on for, not just NA setup and JRSC kits, but also a variety of setups including the competing Edelbrock E-Force Supercharger kit.

Without further adieu, we present you some pictures for you to just checkout.

Jackson Racing Dual Radiator / Oil Cooler being installed with an Edelbrock Supercharger Kit.

OEM (Top) vs. JR Unit (Bottom)...Nice shoe for comparison.

JACKSON RACING

OEM Crash Beam clearance with the Edelbrock LTR, AC Condensor, and JR Radiator. Tight fit!

Airbox is on! Everything clears!  Impossible to take the picture of the clearance, but there is nothing touching that airbox.

All tidied up.  Note the lines on the sandwich plate are routed with soft bends.  Don't kink the lines!

Close up picture from the top.

Closeup of the lines being routed.  Note how there are no kinks in the lines.

Final view of the layout.  Almost looks too clean.

The overall unit is clean and easy to work with.  Jackson Racing has a very comprehensive instruction manual so make sure to follow the instructions carefully.  Read over the instructions to make sure you are not missing anything and always remember to follow the steps on HOW to make sure you don't introduce kinks to the lines.

JR Radiators are available in stock and ready to ship at CSG.  Order yours today!

Jackson Racing Dual Radiator / Oil Cooler - Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S / Toyota GT86 - $895

Here at CounterSpace Garage (CSG), we love to work with awesome companies that constantly provide some amazingly high quality, high reliability, and high performing products. Jackson Racing is a household name for those three goals we seek and obviously why we love to talk about them so often.

Jackson Racing Description:

The championship-winning performance experts at Jackson Racing are proud to launch their new line of cooling products, starting with the release of the Dual Radiator/Oil Cooler for the Toyota 86 / Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ.

An engine oil cooler is a must have for high performance vehicles. The FA20 engine in the FR-S/BRZ is a finely tuned high compression engine and engine oil temperatures can spike to dangerous levels even on stock cars. With all types of forced induction being added to the FR-S/BRZ, the need for universal FA20 oil cooling is needed.

The Jackson Racing Dual Radiator/Oil Cooler was developed in-house in conjunction with manufacturing partner CSF Radiators to be the ultimate solution for FR-S/BRZ Street and Track enthusiasts. With well over a year of development, Jackson Racing is proud to bring a true “drop in” all-aluminum radiator with built in oil cooler for the FR-S/BRZ platform. No trimming or cutting needed and installs with all OEM components. The Jackson Racing Dual Radiator/Oil Cooler includes all necessary components for engine oil connections for a true plug and play solution.

The radiator features a 31mm CSF B-Tube core, with over a 100% increase in cooling surface area. The CSF B-Tube technology boosts surface area by 15% vs standard oval tube cores. The integrated liquid to oil cooler features 10AN fittings for proper flow to and from the engine.

The entire system has been put to the test on the Jackson Racing FR-S test mule for thousands of miles on the street and track, in all types of conditions. We are proud to say this system works flawlessly, keeping oil temperatures within a 30ºF temperature delta, thus maintaining consistent engine performance. Thanks to the large liquid to oil cooler, engine oil is kept at the proper operating temperatures in all environments, whether it is cold startup or a hot day at the autocross.

Key Points:
• Increased Cooling Capacity
• Integrated Liquid to Oil Cooler
• True Plug and Play Solution
• Quicker Cold Start Oil Warm Up
• Consistent Oil Temperatures
• Heavily Tested

SYSTEM FEATURES
• 31mm CSF Racing Radiator Core
- 100% increase in cooling surface area vs OEM
- CSF Exclusive B-Tube Technology
- 15% more surface area with CSF B-Tube vs standard oval tube
- Multi-louvered fin with more surface area contact between the tubes & fins for better heat transfer efficiency
- Factory tested

• Integrated Liquid to Oil Cooler
- Maintains 30ºF temperature delta with coolant
- Thermostatically controlled via cooling system
- Brings proper oil cooling for Street and Track enthusiasts

• Jackson Racing Oil Cooler Adapter
- Engine Oil Cooler Adapter with -10AN Fittings
- Includes Black Anodized Jackson Racing Adapter Spacer

• -10AN Oil Cooler Lines
- Pre-Assembled at Jackson Racing
- Aeroquip OE Quality Oil Hose

• Hand Polished For Mirror Finish

• Jackson Racing 1.4bar High Pressure Cap Included

• Industry Leading Customer Service & Support
- 35+ Years of Proven Performance
- Installation Manual

FAQ
Q: Do I need to add more engine oil with the oil cooler kit?
A: Yes, an additional 0.5 quart of engine oil is required when installing the Jackson Racing Dual Radiator/Oil Cooler.

With that said, CSG will provide more updates on a complete description, pricing, and photos when they get released.

Here's a photo of the Miata radiator/oil cooler unit also exclusive to Jackson Racing.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information!

CounterSpace Garage (CSG) is known to test a variety of compounds on the market and helps identify specific application needs for clients all over the world.  With this specialized knowledge, CSG is able to help competitors achieve their maximum potential without concern.  Brake setups are very complex, like any other parts of the car, and each application is tailored to the driver's skill set, car setup, conditions, applications, and the peak potential.

Winmax is an excellent brake company that we have worked with in order to bring another brake option to the table for drivers seeking a pad that provides great modulation, heat capacity, stability, and quality on top of a reasonable price point.  Today, we look into Winmax's W-series lineup and a quick spec list of each pad to suit your application.  As always, contact CSG for a quick consultation on the proper pad setup to go with in order to maximize your braking potential for your specific application.

Winmax W1 and W2 pads are exclusive to street applications.  As noted, the temperatures are excellent for street use with excellent pad life.

Winmax W3 is a great all around pad for street and spirited driving use.  It can hold up to novice level track abuse due to its stable compound mix, however, it is best to use this pad for more street use than for the track.  Always use track pads for the track!

Winmax W4 pad is a very linear pad with a higher friction coefficient than W3.

Winmax W5 and Winmax W6 pads are the dedicated track pads that we recommend for track use.  Winmax W6 and Winmax W7 should always be used with high grip tires to maximize its potential.  Having too high of a bite without the right tires can cause the tires to lockup easily and cause flat spotting for cars without ABS.  Cars with ABS can easily engage the ABS and cause overheating.  In other words, MORE bite and HIGHER friction compounds don't always mean better!

Please contact us on what pad setup will work best for your application.

Don't hesitate to check out our website to see a variety of Winmax pads that we can offer. If you don't find the right pads for your application, please contact sales@counterspacegarage.com!

Winmax Brake Pads - CSG

One of the major challenges with the BRZ/FRS, is the ability to extract heat out of the engine bay. While a stock car that is street driven doesn't have any problems staying within normal operating temperatures, cars that are Forced Induction, or are driven hard on the track often have overheating issues.

Another occurrence the more spirited drivers may have noticed, is that the stock hood "flaps" at higher speeds. There is a lot of air trapped under the hood, and to escape, the air wobbles the stock hood, escaping out the side. This produces a few undesirable effects: extra drag, front end lift, and a general feeling of uneasyness about the hood staying in place.

CounterSpace Garage (CSG) is proud to offer TrackSpec Motorsports Hood Louver/Heat Extractor Vents for the Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S / Toyota GT86.  Through CSG's reputation of impressive R&D levels and testing of products and concepts, Trackspec has partnered with CSG to develop a solution to extract heat out of the engine by and to proof test their latest Hood Louver Kit for the FT86 platform.  With the proper models and analysis performed, it was time for testing of these beautifully developed louvers.

Testing was performed at the world famous Willow Springs International Raceway, also coined as "The Fastest Track of the West."  The 2.5 mile course is famous for hosting a variety of high powered cars and consistently sees a high average speed indicating a liberal use of the throttle.  With this level of driving commitment, many cars have heat issues due to the length of time at full throttle.  The stage was perfect for stress testing our BRZ with the newly added Trackspec louver kit.

The CSG BRZ was wired up with pressure sensors inside the engine by and outside of the car to identify the measured pressured differences between the two readings.  Tuft testing was also performed to provide a visual on the air flow over the vents.

Pressure sensors were used to identify the pressure differential between the engine bay and the outside conditions.  So what does a pressure differential mean for this particular application?  Before we answer this question, we would like to identify how physics work in this regard.

This phenomenon is quite intuitive.  Pressure is a force per unit area. In a high pressure zone, particles experience a large force in a given area (coin Star Wars meme?).  In a low pressure zone, particles experience a smaller force (the Force is weak with this Jedi...).  The larger force "pushes" or "overpowers" the smaller force, which moves particles from the high pressure zone into the low pressure zone.  A build up of air gushing into the engine bay is a high pressure zone (think of boost!) and the high velocity air flowing over the hood is the low pressure zone.

Now that you had a simple physics class on how natural air flow/extraction works, it gets a bit more complicated when providing real life application.  This not only has simple physics, it also has basic fluid dynamics involved with this heat extraction project.  FIrst of all, air leaking out of a void will actually create drag.  This is because extreme low velocity air leaks out of these holes and actually trips the boundary layer of the high velocity air traveling over the hood.  This mixture causes turbulent flow and increases the drag profile.  To reduce this level of turbulence, a solution is guide the air flow smoothly out of the vent and introduce it into the air stream with minimal disturbance.

Louvers are used to trip the boundary layer of air flow.  By tripping the boundary layer of general airflow, mini boundary layers are formed over each louver and causes a reduction in thermal resistance.  This allows the warmer high pressure air to move to the cooler low pressure area with less resistance.  On top of this, the minor flow separation at the louver energizes the boundary layer by forcing the free flowing air to adhere to the skin surface, thereby reducing drag.

Crazy stuff right?  This is just touching the surface too and it can get more complicated if we attempted to explain it a bit more.  So what's the TL;DR version of this physics problem?

• Proper louver size is required to optimize heat extraction from the engine bay.
• Free flow air over louvers energizes localized air and causes reduction in thermal resistance.
• Particles from high pressure region naturally moves to low pressure region
• Energizing airflow through the car and over the car creates natural forced convection (heat transfer) through the engine bay thereby improving cooling capacity by increasing the temperature delta from the power system to ambient temperature.
• All of these characteristics reduces turbulence and improves airflow over the car, through the car, and under the car which reduces the drag profile.

So now that we went over the theory, what was the actual data?  By knowing that dropping overall engine bay temperature, the larger temperature delta allows the radiators and heat exchangers to work more efficiently.  In order to prove that there is definitely a difference in air flow, measured pressure differential is required.  This is the data up to 130 MPH!

• An overall 43% drop in under-hood pressure at highway speeds
• 60% drop in under-hood pressure at 120mph!
• Tangible net front downforce (we had to add wing angle during testing to balance the now-grippier front)
• Increased cooling (less pressure under the hood = more air flowing through the radiator; more air being extracted = more air flowing through the radiator)

Besides an amazing large Pressure Differential, we noted that the hood actually suctioned to the body.  The BRZ/FRS/GT86 hood, and even the available aftermarket vented hoods have been observed to lift at speed, which causes a very small gap between the bumper and the hood.  This is why hood pins are so important!  With this Trackspec louvered vents, we can definitely see how effective the extraction is working.  We also noted much lower engine bay temperatures post track session and much added stability in the front.

So the real question is is this CSG approved?  Absolutely!

CounterSpace Garage has these Trackspec Motorsports T1 Hood Louver Kit - Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S / Toyota GT86 IN STOCK and ready to ship.  MSRP is $329.99.  As always, our US customers get free shipping for orders over $300 in the 48 US states.  Alaska and Hawaiian may incur a higher shipping rate.

For more information, please contact sales@counterspacegarage.com.

We also have various Trackspec Motorsports louver kits available for the C5 Corvette, C6 Corvette, 2005-2009 Mustangs, 2005-2009 GT500, BMW E36 M3, and Honda S2000.

CounterSpace Garage (CSG) and ACE Header (ACE) would like to congratulate Michele Abbate on her SCCA US Majors Tour - Western Conference Majors STU Class win on Saturday, January 30th at Auto Club Speedway with her Scion FR-S.  Her car is equipped with key items including the all new Edelbrock E-Force Supercharger Kit, the proven quality ACE 4-2-1 with 350 Collector Merged Header, and CSG's Fan Shroud with high powered SPAL Fans.

In celebration of Michele's Saturday class win, ACE & CSG is offering a 20% discount off listed MSRP from ACE's website (aceheader.com) on all ACE Type-B 350, 250, and 150 collectors.  This discount applies to Type-B headers ONLY for the Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S / Toyota GT86 platform with the FA20 / 4U-GSE engine on the ACE website.

Disclaimer:
ACE Header's listed price DOES NOT include AIR FREIGHT SHIPPING and CUSTOMS FEE charges.  The shipping is added at ACE checkout -and- customs fee is charged after shipment arrives to your doorstep.  The customer is responsible for the shipping charges and customs fee if purchased direct from ACE.

CSG Guarantee:
CSG will price match the TOTAL Type-B header shipped pricing with the 20% discount from ACE's website.  (ie: ACE Listed MSRP - 20% + Shipping + Customs Fee)

Please e-mail sales@counterspacegarage.com for this limited time offer and mention Michele Abbate and ACE header special deal.  Offer expires after Sunday, February 14th, 2016.

ACE Header - Type-B 350 / 250 / 150 (Shipping & Customs Fee *NOT* included in MSRP)
ACE Type-B Equal Length Header 4-2-1 - 350 / 250 / 150 Collectors

CounterSpace Garage ACE Type-B 350 / 250 / 150 Collectors
ACE Type-B Equal Length Header 4-2-1 - 350 Collector - $1380
ACE Type-B Equal Length Header 4-2-1 - 250 Collector - $1350
ACE Type-B Equal Length Header 4-2-1 - 150 Collector - $1180