The R3gister - Race Rally Research (R3)

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Fast forward one year and seven months from its inception, the track-day special Satria R3 has evolved from its humble road-sensible Stage 1 beginnings to the much more powerful Stage 2 form it is today. True to its promise to deliver performance and nothing less, R3 has proven that they were indeed serious with their maiden project and subsequent performance upgrades (not limited to the Satria R3, no doubt).

The 140whp Stage 2 Satrias roaming the streets today are testament of their commitment, which evidently has silenced certain skeptics who were critical of R3 from the start. Not ones to rest on their laurels, R3’s small, hardworking team has been busy researching, prototyping, testing and developing more performance upgrade kits and parts.

As a result of outright passion and hardwork, yet another monster (not ugly in any sense of word, unlike other ‘monsters’!) has been unleashed from R3’s work stable.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome… The Super Satria : Stage 3 Satria R3!

As witnessed during the recently-concluded R3TA Round 3 at Shah Alam, the 180-bhp Super Satria demonstrated brutal power delivery and surefooted handling, certainly as experienced first-hand from my 90s demo drive, several notches above the Stage 2.

The exterior reveals little of its true potential. From the familiar Incognito Black paintjob and front splitter to the delicious bronze Advan RG wheels, almost nothing gives away the free-revving monstrosity that hides under the hood.

Strangely enough, the Super Satria’s extensive spec list almost fulfills the specs of my dream Satria R3 hot hatch, as posted on the R3gister some months ago – coined the Satria R3VO.

Courtesy of R3, here are some specs:

Engine
Engine model : 4G93P
Engine type : Inline 4-cylinder DOHC
Engine capacity : 1834cc

Cylinder head
The cylinder head is flushed, ported and polished, resurfaced to increase compression ratio. Combustion chamber and volumes of runners balanced. 272-degree intake and exhaust cams. New revised camshaft pulleys and recalibrated cam timing setup. NGK Iridium spark plugs. New gaskets, rings and seals.

Cylinder block
Block is flushed, rebored (undisclosed new capacity, but expected to be 1880cc, similar to SSO-spec). Oversized pistons. High grade con-rod, crankshaft and thrust bearings. Lightened and balanced flywheel and pulley. New gaskets, rings and seals, and oil filter.

Other

• Fully synthetic CASTROL RS engine oil.
• Mineral-based CASTROL transmission oil.
• New OEM timing belt.
• Optimized fuel pressure supply using FSE fuel pressure regulator.
• R3 Stage 2 Performance Plug Cables
• R3 Stage 3 Carbon Fibre Cold Air Intake System

PERFORMANCE SUMMARY:
Maximum brake horsepower*: 178.7bhp@6500rpm
Maximum torque*: 20.4kg-m@5500rpm (200Nm)
Power band range: 4700rpm to 7000rpm

Suspension
Height-adjustable coilovers with remote resevoir. Damping tuned by Tg. Djan. Spring rates 4.6kg-mm front/2.5kg-mm rear. R3 Bumpsteer kit and R3 Stage 2 bushes.

Drivetrain
Uprated Exedy performance clutch with Helix performance clutch kit. Modified exhaust system utilising the Stage 3 4-1 Competition Manifold mated to standard Stage 1 mid and rear sections.

Brakes
Stock cross-drilled discs front and rear with Mintex M1144.

Interior
Stock Recaro SR4 semi-buckets seats, R3 Stage 2 short shift kit, MOMO Tuner steering

Exterior
Incognito Black. R3 Stage 2 Front Splitter.

Summary
The Stage 3 Kit is officially only an engine performance upgrade package. Conversion may take up to one month to complete depending on vehicle and engine condition as well as other specifications requested by customer. To date, there is officially one Stage 3 Satria R3 on the road and needless to say, he is one proud owner.

For those with deep pockets and with a strong urge to upgrade your Satria R3 via NA tuning, this is THE way to go.

For the rest of us, prepare to eat dust!

by Don Terrill ©2004

In 1906, Vilfredo Pareto created a simple formula to describe the distribution of wealth in Italy. He found that 80% of the wealth was concentrated in 20% of the population. In the 1950s, Total Quality Management Guru J.M. Juran, applied the Pareto Principle to business and it’s since taken on a life of its own.

I first learned about the 80/20 rule while studying sales. It was said that 80% of sales would come from 20% of the sales force. The percentages may vary, but I think we can swipe our world with even a wider 80/20 Brush and say that 80% of all results will come from 20% of the citizens. From my own experience I’d say the percentage is more like 95/5, but who am I to disagree with an early 20th century Italian Economist.

So, let’s look at how we can apply this to the racing world. For example,

20% of efforts will produce 80% of results
20% of the drivers will win 80% of the races
20% of money spent will produce 80% of results

Let’s look at the 80/20 Principle applied to performance:

Porting your Heads (Good)
Buying Titanium Rods (Bad)

Porting your Carburetor (Good)
Buying Fuel Injection (Bad)

Buying Aluminum Heads (Good)
Buying an Aluminum Block (Bad)

Dyno Testing (Good)
Powder Coating external engine parts (Bad)

Track Testing (Good)
Buying the most impressive Tow Rig (Bad)

The Conclusione: Don’t waste your resources on tasks that net few results, work smart and only on those tasks that net the big payoffs.

Read Don Terrill’s Technical Racing Column at http://raceology.com.