FE / FE2 & ESR Upgrade

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PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 7:52 am
Fellow SRFers please help out our cousins over in the FE / ESR community as they lament on the future.

They are about to experience a Enterprise developed update to their engines and transmissions, basically going through what we did transitioning from SRF GEN2 to GEN3. The cost for their upgrade is a bit more then ours was. If you get the opportunity spread the word about how much more we love our SRF GEN3's post the upgrade process - please do.

I understand it very difficult to sell this update concept financially, it's not like for every $1.00 spent on the upgrade you car increases in value by even a $1.00 but we know it was worth it in overall improvement and class longevity.

I went through the GEN2 to GEN3 upgrade and now will be going through the ESR upgrade process. I am sort of looking forward to it.

Frank Clark
Dog Licked Racing

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PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 11:45 am
I totally love the SRF3 upgrade, and completely support all the FE/ESR guys buying SRF3 cars so they can come race with us. ;-)

Truly, the Gen3 upgrade was impressive. Unqualified hacks like myself were able to transform their cars with a well-engineered and well-thought-through package. The only thing you could call a glitch is the tendency of the engine to eat the transmission, but even factoring that in, the car is very stout. (And I just jinxed my transmission.)
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 1:51 pm
Since this is an "apples-to-oranges" comparison, I'm not sure how our feedback would be of significant value. Since their engine/transmission package is different from ours, it's hard to say with any certainty that they will experience the same positive results (not that ours is over yet given experience to-date with driveline component failures/life expectancy vs G2).

Of course, if they want to do what we did in our initial testing, they can always run a 25 hour endurance race and see how well the car does (though it would need to be in Sports Racer rather than Formula trim!) Nothing like "real-world" testing to prove (or disprove) the quality of the new package.
Bob Breton - SRF 51 - San Francisco Region
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 5:42 pm
I'll bet you'd volunteer as test driver, too, Bob. :)
Dave Harriman
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 02, 2017 12:29 pm
Heck I might volunteer my ESR...

This is not supposed to be about a this or that technical issue discussion, more like supporting FE / ESR community as they grapple with spending $21k on they cars in order to preserve the future viability of their class. We (SRF) had many early concerns about spending $15K to $20K on our cars, but in the end I think just about everyone in SRF GEN3 feels it was worth it., and so will FE2 / ESR2 folks
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 02, 2017 6:20 pm
I know a few guys here in Texas that are excited about the upgrades and the promising future of the FE class. I can't wait to rent one for the weekend..but i may need to work out a little more to build up the stamina.

I wish Gen 2 would have lasted a little longer since I just got started in the SRF in 2015. It seemed like all the guys in Texas had the Gen3 upgrade pretty early. My experience with the SRF conversion was awesome. All the CSRs are were very helpful in working out the few kinks during the process. I was happy driving the Gen2, but now I am addicted to driving the Gen3!! Combination of new engine, hoosier tires, and new rotors was a huge change in one year and made the driving experience incredibly better. I am glad there are smart and experienced engineers, mechanics, and drivers that put together such a solid package for us.

When it comes to the cost, each individual just needs to make their own budget and pick the best class that fits it. The FE cars are bad to the bone and I think Enterprise and the class will succeed with this upgrade.
Joe Frederick
Texas Region
SRF#65 Chassis#294

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PostPosted: Fri Nov 03, 2017 6:20 pm
I just bought an FE this Summer. The thing is 10 seconds a lap quicker than my SRF3 at COTA and Barber and that's before the new engine/tranny/tire upgrades. My take is the new package will be another 3-4 sec quicker on top of that. Several of the SRF3 racers here in Texas have taken a spin in it and they all have the same wide-eyed look when they get out of it. They are awesome cars!

Performance has never been the issue with the FE cars, reliability has. I'm confident the new package is going to be fast and reliable... but maybe not as cheap as some people wanted it to be. You can have any two just pick... :) The FE is a step function increase in speed and handling and I think we'll see the class make a comeback when the reliability of the new package plays out.

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PostPosted: Wed Nov 08, 2017 8:02 am
My ESR is about 10 seconds faster then my SRF GEN3 at VIR but what's amazing is the difference in level of attention and the physical output that's measly 10 seconds requires. It fun in either car, just so much more demanding in the ESR. I have committed to purchase the new ESR engine / trans package.

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