No Crust Racing

Excuse my ignorance but what is a nifty fifty/prime 50mm lens? Is this just a fixed 50mm lens, no adjusting for zoom in or out?

I've been through very large portions of the manual and it tells you basic things about the feature in itself but not a whole lot in depth about what you should be doing and when, of course that all comes with experience. As for the focus, I notice sometimes that the lens appears to go through it's entire range of focus before it settles on the right setting. Something I would like more of is clarity in the shots, especially when shooting a subject from say 2-4m away (usually people at social events). I'm not using a tripod yet and didn't think it 'should' be necessary from this range (the lens is a VR lense so does make some effort to reduce motion blur from instability of the holder). I also struggle with the seemingly age old issue of blur due to the shutter being open too long in low light conditions, or on the other hand having the iso up and getting too much noise.

We've got a D90, I'm using the standard 18-55mm that comes with the camera and I'm finding that one of the things that's catching me out when snapping away is how long the lense takes to focus. I don't see any specific settings to assist with this beyond selecting centre weighting instead of dynamic focus. Is this just a characteristic of the lens? Should I be looking for a "faster" lens? (I wouldn't mind an 18-100 (we already have a 55-200) Regarding flash, is shelling out for a decent flash going to improve my low light shots as much as I think it will in my head, vague question I know. The standard flash seems to lack a bit of depth plus without minutely controlling the intensity for every shot it's easy to end up with hard shadows behind the subject. I note that wedding photographers and the like use a better quality flash and appear to aim it upwards on an angle more often than aiming it AT the subject. Some clarification on this would be great. I'm still coming to terms with controlling all the aspects of the camera to get some good shots but I'm getting there slowly. I imagine it's just me but it also seems that even people with the same experience as me are getting cleaner shots from similarly priced Canon's... Anyone else using a D90 and getting great snaps want to make me feel better about ownership? lol Cheers

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Car made 164 killa wasps recently on a Dyno Dynamics setup - check the link for pics. If I keep it I'm considering parting with the Velo which is in immac condition and barely a year old - See these lines. Velo Podium FRP Race Seat, will take 5 point harness Velo Alloy Adjustable Seat Mounts, Custom Frame using the standard bolt holes I'd swap for a driver and passenger R33 GT-R seats in decent nick.. Would also swap the car for an R33 or S14 with lesser mods/more road oriented.

I'm toying with the idea of moving on from the S13, do people do swaps these days? I'd be looking for an R33 with similar mods and street reg'd. Wouldn't be looking to pay cash on top. Here's what I've got 1989 CA18DET 5spd 144ks service history and receipts T25G on 12-13psi Greddy FMIC Pod Filter Drift Catch Can with baffle Turbo Smart XS Boost Controller Grex Oil Filter Relocation Kit BTR Oil Cooler Thermostat JJR Oil Cooler Home Made Heat Shield and Cold Air Intake Alloy Radiator S14/S15 Front Calipers RDA Ventilated and Slotted Front Rotors RDA Slotted Rear Rotors QFM A1RM Pads all round (plus standard street pads) R32 GT-R Master Cylinder TRW 600 Brake Fluid S15 Power Steering Rack and Tie Rods and new Super Pro Rack bushes C-West Twin Blade Adustable rear spoiler Alloy Boot mounts for the spoiler and brackets inside the boot to add support BC BR Coilovers (Height, Damper and Camber Adjustment) Have c-spanners to adjust Front Strut Brace ISC Rear Camber Arms 3" Turbo Back Exhaust with de-cat Dry Cell Mounted in Boot with Battery Isolater Switch Aftermarket Steering Wheel D1 Quick Release Hub Momo Gear Knob Momo Pedals Auto Guage Smoked Water Temp, Oil Temp and Oil Pressure Guages (Oil Temp has warning buzzer and peak recall). SAFC V2 Custom Fascia for Guages and SAFC Boost Guage in A Pillar Holder GKTech OVerflow bottle Blitz Turbo Timer with Boost Guage and Lap Timer Velo Podium FRP Race Seat, will take 5 point harness Velo Alloy Adjustable Seat Mounts, Custom Frame using the standard bolt holes Unmolested black dash with no holes/cracks Alarm with Remote Central Locking Semi Stripped Interior (No Stereo, no rear trim) Stagea floor mats Air Con Completely removed 17x7 5 spoke alloys with 215 Rubber 17x8 and 17x9 Volk(Rays) Emu Racing Rims with Centre caps and Rays centre cap remover. Come with Worn 235 Semis R32 GT-R Grill Custom Vented Front bar to feed air intake and oil cooler with Mesh Inserts New Genuine Rocker Cover Gaskets New Genuine Exhaust Manifold Gaskets New Genuine Half Moon Seals Also have the following spares T25 Rebuilt in 2004/2005 with receipts, only done 15,000ks on standard boost includes actuator All Rear/Boot Interior minus parcel shelf Standard Camber Arms Standard Shocks Standard Washer bottle that was removed All Components of Air Con Standard Rear Spoiler Spare PWR Heavy Duty Oil Cooler, was used for the trans on the tow car for only 10000ks Car has been kept registered and can be transferred to another Vic owner without presenting to Vicroads just needs a roadworthy certificate and most of us known someone who can help with that. Alot of the stuff on the car has only done 1500ks and I have recepits for most of it, it ain't cheap when you add it all up =\ Previous owner had the car serviced and maintained at a workshop so the car has history from about 77ks when it arrived in Aus (I bought at 142). As the car has been used for light track duties I've replaced the oil and oil filter every 500ks at the most (yes five hundred) as it's quick to do and cheap insurance. Car started out as a very clean road car with basic mods and the body and interior shows that it was looked after quite well. All electrics work, no cig burns or tears etc. Here's a pic, more below. More Pics

Cheers Baron I'll press on as intended, can't wait for new rubber

I've had a couple of people make this comment about my setup so I'll put it to the masses. I've got a "just-for-fun" S13 street reg'd but predominately track car. My track rims are a set of 17" Volks that are 8" wide up front and 9" in the rear. The last set of tyres I had were some 235 semi slicks. Car runs about -2.5 deg camber in the front and about -1.5 in the rear, toe is pretty neutral all round. Coilovers are set about mid range firmness wise and the ride height was only brought down by a small margin as not to put the rest of the suspension out of geometry (think it might be about 330mm from wheel centre to guard lip but dont quote me) The car seems happy enough and is using tyres well but I'm in the process of getting some new tyres, either some more second hand semis or some new high performance street tyres (like KU36s, RT615s or 595 RS-R's). And when I tell tyre shops I want 235s all round they tell me I'm "over wheel or over tyred" for that car and that I should only be running 225s at the most. The car doesn't make a huge amount of power, maybe 130kw at the wheels (only a CA18 with T25G and a bit of boost) so am I wasting my money with rubber that big? Can you guys weigh in on this before I shell out money on tyres, If I need to swap my rims for a set of 8" wide all round and run 225s then that's fine (as I think 225 would be a bit small for a 9" rim). Cheers My theory was if the car isn't scrubbing, which it doesn't, and it's using tyres well enough then that implies that the setup is balanced enough.

Troy doesn't have any semis in my size, who else is parting with second hand semis? 235 17s I'm after. Don't really have the spare coin to drop 12-1400 on some new cheap ones.

S13, and no idea. Stock they weigh about 1200-1250? All the rear interior through to the boot is removed, only seat is FRP Velo for the driver, no stereo or any air con at all. Dry Cell in the boot. So i'd say about 1200 if it weighed 1250 to start with or 1150 if it was 1200 to start with. At a guess I'd be thinking 55:45

Yeah that's good, was that extended sessions though as I do like 10 laps at a time so they would get heat cycled a bit and I thought slicks didn't like that. Any idea where those porsche slicks are?

Not sure where to get those from. I can't run any more camber than I have without more parts so if they need a stack more camber then I won't be able to give it to them. Might see what 235 semi's are around instead, I know they fit, know they grip well enough, and the car is currently set for them and was happy enough.

I'll probably go with the 225, dont want stretch on a track car. When I say rotate tyres I mean actually flip them on the rims so I get even wear from both sides etc. The rims stay where they are. That's a fair bit from bushings, I'm just using the camber adjustment from the top of the coilovers. Is -2.5 front and -1.5 rear going to be enough when using slicks? Are any other suspenion changes needed? I'm starting to think I should just stick to 235 semis, the car seems to use those well and was working well on them. It was only that the slicks keep popping up cheap.

Yeah wheels are cheap but my budget is not so great right now, just built a house. I got these Volks track rims a while back for a good dollar and I doubt I could find some matching width rears. Other option is I sell these rims and get diff ones, lots of stuffing around though. Car is primarily track only but road reg'd I have a second set of rims for road driving though. 9" might be big for a partly stripped S13 but the car is very light in the rear so extra tyre contact is not a bad thing, the tyres fit under the guards so why not? The cheapest thing for me to do is just buy some tyres and head to the track. The 225 Pirelli slicks are no more expensive than the 215s and will fit all four corners. So it really just comes down to whether I'll get as much grip out of a 225 slick as 235 semis- thoughts?

Well it seems like the 215s aren't really an option for me as I want the same tyre all round and he doesn't think they'll fit the rears. I'd have to go the 225 Pirellis instead. How much camber are you running? I'm only running about -2 to -2.5 or so

I need some new rubber for the S13. I'm currently running 235/45/R17 Bridegstone Semi's on 8.5" Front and 9" Rear rims (the fronts might be 8" I need to check) MPC is selling the Mini Challenge Slicks which are 215 45 R17s but Troy thinks they will be too small for my rear rims. He's suggesting I go some 225 Pirelli slicks he has on hand instead. I'd prefer to keep the same tyre size all round for rotational reasons. A few questions. Are slick widths the same as Semi Slick widths? I ask because the 235 Semi's I have seem to be as wide as 245/255 road tyre in width. Will I still come out in front grip wise If I go a 225 Slick all round (assuming I'll get better grip due to bigger contact patch on the slicks). Should I just stay with 235 Semi's all round instead of worrying about slicks. Newer semis will give me more grip anyway as the currents are pretty much bald in some spots. Sorry for multiple tyre threads, just trying to get all my ducks in a row before I buy.

lol damn! I could go the 225's all round, and I'd expect that a 225 slick would give more grip than a 235 semi purely through having larger contact patch?

Gah what a pain lol, I'm trying to get Ben to measure up for me so I can compare to the current 235s I have

Moreover, is anyone using a 215 slick on a 9" rim? Benny noted that the 215 was as wide as a 235 Semi he had on hand, I'm running 235 semis at the moment and want to be half confident that the 215 is a wide and will fit.

Classic!

I'm gonna go +1 for Velo, I bought last years model Velo Podium FRP seat from a mob over in Perth that were running it out - it was the first Podium, they are heaps nicer now, the seat cost me $500 new, I got some Velo side mounts and the seat delivered to Vic for a total of $750. I come across it on eBay. Search around and you will find a bargain. A new GP90 is about 600-700 I think so I was very happy with my buy. Edit: Forgot to add I looked at the Sparco, Cobra and some SAAS seats on the dollar vs quality/comfort was better for me with the Velo. Pic attached

I'm pretty sure the series has died but there are still plenty of second hand slicks for cheap that need to be chewed up Benny on here and Troy at MPC note they are 215 slicks, that seems to be akin to a 235 semi though in width.

Benny put me on to these and I rang MPC and spoke to Troy about getting some but he noted that they would not be suitable for a 9" Rim (I've got 9" rears and 8 or 8.5 fronts) I'm currently running 235 Bridgestone semi's all round and they seem fine and the car is using tyres well and gripping as expected. Fitment to me seemed good. Beny measured the tyre for me at one point and said it came in around 9.5" sidewall to sidewall. Is anyone using these Ex Mini Challenge 215 Slicks on a 9" rim?