Boyracer...

Gauges and harnesses, baby!

Three weeks after ordering them, my harnesses finally arrived. I got them installed a couple of days ago, and just that simple change makes the interior of the car look mean.

Now, to complement them, and to give me some knowledge of what's going on under the bonnet, I'm getting some gauges. I've ordered an Alta gauge-pod, and had my dad order an air/fuel ratio gauge, along with something called a D-PIC, which measures G-forces, wheel horsepower, acceleration, and braking. Both have lots of flashing lights and should give me a good indication of what changes need to be made to improve my performance.

It's all very exciting.

Even more exciting is the fact that I've put 356 miles on this tank of gas, and the OBC is telling me that I can get 61 more miles out of it. This might be a record. My computer's reporting an average fuel-economy of 29.7 mpg, which might be just a touch low compared to actual usage.

Unfortunately, I'll have to refuel today, but I'm not putting in more than half a tank. Why? I'm participating in my first autocross on Sunday, and experienced racers will tell you never to run with more than 3 gallons of fuel in the car. Gas weighs over 6 lbs / gallon, so running with 3 gallons shaves 60 lbs of weight.

Taking out the spare tire and toolkit takes off another 48 lbs, so I'll be running 100 lbs lighter than I generally run. w00t!