Bolt EV co-driver position available for December
Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2017 3:26 pm
I'm still a newbie and not completely sure how co-driving works; but I would love to share my car with somebody capable of going fast, curious about an EV, and can help both me and my car improve over multiple runs.
The car won't be competitive with dirt cheap summer tires; so it'll just be a fun exercise if somebody is curious about autocrossing an EV and is willing to give up points or wins for one event. It's a fun car and I wouldn't have discovered autocrossing if it weren't for it.
Will I still be able to purchase X-runs with a co-driver?
If not, it's fine; I'll ride along with my co-driver at least.
I expect the Bolt to be classified when the Fastrack is published on Nov 20, so I should be running it for the December event.
It's probably close to a VW GTI. At least Chevy did a media event a few months back where various journalists autocrossed it against a GTI and it was close.
No need to reimburse me for electricity or wear-and-tear; there's not much in an EV. I tend to overdrive this car because there's few things to break, even.
Tires: Riken Raptor ZR 215/50 R17 (300 AA A) on cast 17x6.5 wheels (44mm offset) from the factory for HS
I still have lightweight Cruze Eco 17x7 (42mm offset) wheels if I decide to move to Street Touring in the future (or hypermile on LRR tires to distant events!).
I'll have a gallon sprayer to keep the tires cool.
I got -0.8 deg camber and some toe out in front from West End. -1.3 deg in the
back and factory toe in (no adjustments)
No suspension changes, yet; it gets unsettled on bigger bumps, but it seems good on smaller bumps and corners well. I'm no suspension engineer, but the shocks don't seem great.
Caveat: the motor becomes less powerful as the charge level goes down; but only slightly (I've never felt it become weaker).
I don't have any recording setup; but you're welcome to bring one and mount it.
The car has an OBD-II port for data gathering.
I don't use a CG-Lock on this car since the seatbelt locks easily.
The buckle is rather high, and the CG-lock was digging into me at my seating position.
Some notes about driving the car: FWD, instant torque, 1-speed transmission with two drive modes, D and L
D - like an automatic which creeps forward and with little regenerative brake (regen). Probably the best option for right-foot brakers when it comes to maintaining speed after braking.
L - like a manual, except it'll slow the car to a dead stop. I suggest left-foot braking to maintain speed through corners after braking; otherwise regen will slow the car too much if you need to move your foot between brake and accelerator.
You can flick back on the shift knob while in either of these modes to quickly toggle into the other while driving. Regardless of which mode you use on course, use L in staging to keep heat off brakes.
There is also a regen paddle at 9:00 on the steering wheel which increases regen in either mode while its held. It doesn't matter how hard you pull it, it doesn't change the amount of regen; but there's still more regen in L with the paddle down. The paddle only comes into effect at zero throttle; so modulating speed is probably best done in L. There's also some lag for the paddle, so maximizing its effectiveness means holding it down for around 0.5s before you lift completely.
The paddle is great for normal driving, but I'm not sure if it's worth using for AX.
Traction Control can be disabled. Stability Control only stays disabled until the car reaches a certain speed (around 30-40mph, I think).
Steering boost is electric and speed-sensitive; no PS fluid to overheat.
The brake pedal is blended (regen and friction), but it feels like normal friction brakes (unlike some hybrids).
Sport Mode changes the throttle response and reduces steering boost. It might change TC and SC behavior, I'm not sure. The Sport throttle response is a bit sensitive for my tastes; but I might still use it in AX.
Spectators won't be able to tell when we're using the brake pedal or lifting; the brake light comes on once there's enough G-force from regen. And you might need to honk at course workers, it's quiet
The car won't be competitive with dirt cheap summer tires; so it'll just be a fun exercise if somebody is curious about autocrossing an EV and is willing to give up points or wins for one event. It's a fun car and I wouldn't have discovered autocrossing if it weren't for it.
Will I still be able to purchase X-runs with a co-driver?
If not, it's fine; I'll ride along with my co-driver at least.
I expect the Bolt to be classified when the Fastrack is published on Nov 20, so I should be running it for the December event.
It's probably close to a VW GTI. At least Chevy did a media event a few months back where various journalists autocrossed it against a GTI and it was close.
No need to reimburse me for electricity or wear-and-tear; there's not much in an EV. I tend to overdrive this car because there's few things to break, even.
Tires: Riken Raptor ZR 215/50 R17 (300 AA A) on cast 17x6.5 wheels (44mm offset) from the factory for HS
I still have lightweight Cruze Eco 17x7 (42mm offset) wheels if I decide to move to Street Touring in the future (or hypermile on LRR tires to distant events!).
I'll have a gallon sprayer to keep the tires cool.
I got -0.8 deg camber and some toe out in front from West End. -1.3 deg in the
back and factory toe in (no adjustments)
No suspension changes, yet; it gets unsettled on bigger bumps, but it seems good on smaller bumps and corners well. I'm no suspension engineer, but the shocks don't seem great.
Caveat: the motor becomes less powerful as the charge level goes down; but only slightly (I've never felt it become weaker).
I don't have any recording setup; but you're welcome to bring one and mount it.
The car has an OBD-II port for data gathering.
I don't use a CG-Lock on this car since the seatbelt locks easily.
The buckle is rather high, and the CG-lock was digging into me at my seating position.
Some notes about driving the car: FWD, instant torque, 1-speed transmission with two drive modes, D and L
D - like an automatic which creeps forward and with little regenerative brake (regen). Probably the best option for right-foot brakers when it comes to maintaining speed after braking.
L - like a manual, except it'll slow the car to a dead stop. I suggest left-foot braking to maintain speed through corners after braking; otherwise regen will slow the car too much if you need to move your foot between brake and accelerator.
You can flick back on the shift knob while in either of these modes to quickly toggle into the other while driving. Regardless of which mode you use on course, use L in staging to keep heat off brakes.
There is also a regen paddle at 9:00 on the steering wheel which increases regen in either mode while its held. It doesn't matter how hard you pull it, it doesn't change the amount of regen; but there's still more regen in L with the paddle down. The paddle only comes into effect at zero throttle; so modulating speed is probably best done in L. There's also some lag for the paddle, so maximizing its effectiveness means holding it down for around 0.5s before you lift completely.
The paddle is great for normal driving, but I'm not sure if it's worth using for AX.
Traction Control can be disabled. Stability Control only stays disabled until the car reaches a certain speed (around 30-40mph, I think).
Steering boost is electric and speed-sensitive; no PS fluid to overheat.
The brake pedal is blended (regen and friction), but it feels like normal friction brakes (unlike some hybrids).
Sport Mode changes the throttle response and reduces steering boost. It might change TC and SC behavior, I'm not sure. The Sport throttle response is a bit sensitive for my tastes; but I might still use it in AX.
Spectators won't be able to tell when we're using the brake pedal or lifting; the brake light comes on once there's enough G-force from regen. And you might need to honk at course workers, it's quiet