2014 Radical SR8-RX Videos
Documenting my SR8-RX rebuild
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2014 Radical SR8 RX Project Videos
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Radical SR8-RX 2.7L V8 Race Car - part 1 (strip-down walk-thru) - September 2018
This video is part 1 of a series on the Radical SR8 RX V8 powered formula style race car which is the big brother of the very popular SR3 four cylinder version of the same car.
Radical Sports Cars has produced over 1000 SR3s to date and around 50 SR8s. The chassis which is common to both cars is better suited to the inline 4 cylinder engine in the SR3 - that car is lighter, more balanced, and quicker thru the corners, and doesn't have enough engine torque to cause dramatic oversteer coming out of the corners when pressing all the way down on the throttle pedal, while the SR8 with its 2x torque and power levels needs careful application of throttle until the car is already fairly much straightened out. The SR3 comes in 2 engine sizes, a 1340cc and a 1500CC version (220 and 260hp respectively) while the SR8 RX has a 2680cc 430hp engine. The SR8 also weighs in at 1490lbs while the SR3 is 150lbs lighter (in the rear). Both engines make extensive use of Suzuki Hayabusa 1340cc superbike parts and cylinder heads with elevated compression ratios and some cylinder head porting and cam profile changes. A remarkable aspect of the SR8 V8 engine is that it essentially provides a flat torque curve from 4,000 to 10,000rpm. The Radical factory (the RPE engine group) limits the shift point revs to 10,500rpm with a strict 14,000rpm warranty voiding upper limit for temporary over-revs.
The ECU is from Life while the Dash is sourced from Aim (MXL Pista model). My car has additional data logger sensors - things like brake pressures, steering angle, etc. have been added. I also have the electric fire suppression system and Aim SmartyCam HD bullet camera and GPS module - I am looking into upgrading to the latest Aim Formula 3 wheel with integrated display and datalog functions, and the newest SmartyCam HD camera - assuming it is all going to be compatible with the existing h/w and s/w.
My car has 14 hours on the engine and transmission and came with black gelcoat. There are various spider cracks in the gelcoat around the quick-release fasteners that I have dremelled out and will soon be filling with epoxy, then sanding, applying epoxy primer, then high-build primer, and then sanding and then finishing off with some final coats of urethane white paint, and then I will apply some carbon fiber and matte metallic yellow accent colors, and then some Radical logos. I also have sourced nice carbon fiber vent panels and will also get custom seat liners made up. I am also polishing up the SS exhaust system at the moment – it will really look nice when re-installed.
Radical SR8-RX 2.7L V8 Race Car - part 2 (Body Panel Repairs & Strengthening) - October 2018
The Fiberglass bodywork on the SR3s and SR8s takes a beating from several sources: the low ride height (40mm) and extreme aero downforce (up to 2000lbs) can create bottoming out situations, hitting curbs, so can loading and unloading from a trailer, handling stresses from removing the panels, gravel hitting the panels in the wheel well areas, plus getting in and out of the car improperly can result in cracks in the panels and seats. My goal was to remove all of the wrapping, find the cracks, re enforce the backside areas, dremel out the spider cracks, fill with epoxy, sand down, fill and sand with more short strand fiber filler, apply super tough epoxy primer (3 coats) and then finish with 3 coats of Urethane final paint, and then wet sand 600/1000/2000/3000 grit, then machine polish. It was about 300 hours of total effort but the result has been a completely renewed and stronger (and better finished) than original set of body panels, ready for wrapping.
I will complete this mini-video series as the car comes back together, and will ultimately get on-track video of the car once it finds a new home and gets onto the track.
Radical SR8-RX 2.7L V8 Race Car - part 3 (Re-assembly - part A) - November 2018
The engine ancillary components, body panels and various electrical circuits are 50% complete now - less than 2 weeks to final completion ...
Radical SR8-RX 2.7L V8 Race Car - part 4 (Re-assembly - part B) - December 2018
The remaining panels and various parts and sub-systems were put back together and lifted off the table and lowered to the ground with the MK Technologies A frame which is a real life saver. Having worked on the car while on the table I can't ever go back to shuffling around on my knees working on the cold concrete floor again.
The car looks awesome in pure white with sliver wheels and black accents. That said, it will have some colours added this spring when it hits the track. For now Dylan and I will be waiting for warmer temps in the Pacific Northwest to come for the 1st track day of 2019. It was loaded into a trailer and taken away for winter storage.
Radical SR8-RX 2.7L V8 Race Car - part 5 (1st Shakedown track test session at Mission Raceway) - March 23, 2019
Cold and wet but the session went well and the car performed flawlessly ...
Index of Project web pages
2014 Radical SR8 RX Project Photos
2014 Radical SR8 RX Project Videos
Radical SR3 & SR8 Technical Documents
My Automotive overview and history
Exit to Home Page