The track day and racing thread

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got off on a technicality: Feb 7, 2007; oh dear

BlackMK4 posted:

Stay away, I purposely don't add the numbers up

Historically $500-600 per track day for me (ex insurance and car depreciation)

# ¿ Nov 5, 2020 00:52

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# ¿ May 13, 2024 06:44

got off on a technicality: Feb 7, 2007; oh dear

BlackMK4 posted:

That sounds like a very low number to me. Registration fees and fuel alone are at least half that, so I'm not sure how you were doing that in a Porsche/Lambo unless you're not counting consumables or literally wore / broke nothing.

In the Cayman, cheap tires (Hankook V12s) every 6 days, cheap blank rotors and Pagid Blues, being conservative, and literally not ever breaking anything. I once hosed up a front tire and that's literally it

e: I expect the Lambo to be multiples; we'll find out soon

e2: I forgot, a colleague hooked me up with the friends and family rate at his buddy's shop

got off on a technicality fucked around with this message at 02:50 on Nov 5, 2020

# ¿ Nov 5, 2020 02:02

got off on a technicality: Feb 7, 2007; oh dear

jamal posted:

measure tire temps with a probe. You'll go faster and tires will wear more evenly.

To his point, make sure to check the temps on the outside, middle, and inside. Your goal is to get them to be even. You can use a proper probe with a needle, or cheat with a pyrometer (the kind with a laser pointer and trigger)

# ¿ Jan 19, 2021 08:26

got off on a technicality: Feb 7, 2007; oh dear

BlackMK4 posted:

Emilio ended up something like 1400lb / 600lb and he is a way better driver than I am or ever will be

So I know jack poo poo about Miatas, but Emilio was my instructor at my first ever DE at Streets of Willow 10+ years back. I only realized in hindsight how remarkable that was

The thing that stuck in my head, because he kept repeating it over and over again, was that he had no particular special talent as a driver. That everything he'd achieved, anyone could do, because he wasn't a genius who could invent new things. For him, it was a matter of learning to play the same notes over and over, consistently and accurately

The first practical thing he taught me (other than to sit bolt upright and way closer to the wheel than I'd been doing my whole life) was not to jump out and start loving with tire pressures the minute I got off the track. Instead, I was supposed to spend 15 minutes replaying the session in my head, while the memories were fresh. And to do the same before going on track: visualize every corner entry, every landmark, every apex, over and over. If I could keep up this practice session after session, week after week, for years and years, I had a shot at being competitive, as could anyone else

It remains one of the kindest, humblest things I've ever heard, with applications far beyond the track

Thanks for indulging my reminisces; I'm going to go listen to dubstep to feel like less of an old person

# ¿ Mar 16, 2021 04:29

got off on a technicality: Feb 7, 2007; oh dear

KillHour posted:

Crossposting from the iRacing thread because this one gets more traffic - hope that's okay.

This year I'm finally getting off my rear end (well, on my rear end but in a car) and decided to git good at driving fast, and since the season hasn't started yet, that means practicing in sims. I feel like I'm at the point where I'm no longer an imminent danger to those around me, but I was hoping the grizzled veterans could point out a few things to focus on first because I'm having serious ADD about it ("I should practice trail braking, no wait throttle control, no wait braking points, no wait...").

Never tried a sim but my suggestion is similar -

Keep your eyes up and sight your marks (for braking, turn-in, apexes, exits) as far in advance as possible, then consistently hit them lap after lap. Making sure you're not having to do anything unnatural to hit them smoothly (eg cranking the wheel mid-corner because you turned in too late)

When you're really dialed-in on that you can work on moving back your braking points; just remember that exit speed >> entry speed for laptimes

# ¿ Mar 20, 2021 08:41

got off on a technicality: Feb 7, 2007; oh dear

Brought the TT RS to the track for the first time, because the organizer no longer allows convertibles without cages

What a sweetheart. Accessible, stable, high limits. If I were to pick a car for a beginner / casual track day enthusiast looking to achieve fast times with minimal effort, this would be it. I am a heffalump who hasn't done a track day in 5 years and had never been to PIR before, but passed everyone I saw in my run group and did a 1:22 without really pushing
On the other hand, if someone was looking to get really good, I'd tell them not to get this. The turbo, DCT, and quattro are too good at covering for your mistakes. I would probably develop many bad habits if I tracked this regularly
The engine / transmission combo can hang with almost anything, and will happily drag race a GT350 down the front straight. There was another guy with a brand new GT500 who cracked 150mph+ (no chicane); the TT was close, topping out at 147mph. It feels rock solid at 147mph
The suspension feels squidgy on corner entry, which made it hard to fully commit. At least it's better at fast left/right transitions
The stability control will tolerate big trail braking to get the car rotated, but is unforgiving of mid-corner bumps and will pull power when you're not expecting it
The quattro doesn't really vector to yaw you into corners, but it does help a lot with putting power down. You can get really greedy with the throttle past corner apexes. Exits that are fraught (e.g. turn 12 onto the front straight, where there is zero margin for error in big power RWD cars) become a cakewalk in this car
With its 60/40 weight distribution, the TT leans really heavily on its front tires, and they go fast if you don't manage them well. I had to keep an eye on tire temps the whole time. Happily this is much less of a problem on corner exits; you can really feel the quattro distributing power to the back once the fronts get hot
The digital dash is glorious. Flashing tach when it's time to upshift. I love being able to see oil temps and tire temps
The brakes are the weakest link. I would get fade ~10 minutes in despite being gentle (braking early, lots of coasting, etc). Made me miss my Cayman's amazing brakes. I shouldn't have to upgrade to carbon ceramics just to get through a 20m DE session

Not going to make a habit of tracking this car because that's the Lambo's job, but I have to give Audi credit. It feels like they have pushed their transverse engine architecture to the limit, and that limit is pretty drat impressive

# ¿ May 1, 2021 21:16

got off on a technicality: Feb 7, 2007; oh dear

IOwnCalculus posted:

I'm assuming that both of you mean Portland by PIR in which case I completely agree.

Yes

KillHour posted:

I meant Pittsburgh.

Sorry I had no idea there was another PIR in Pittsburgh :v:

# ¿ May 1, 2021 23:19

got off on a technicality: Feb 7, 2007; oh dear

SlapActionJackson posted:

Shouldn't need CCs. Pads and fluid are really important on heavy high HP cars.

To your point I may have to flush the brake fluid. I didn't even think to do that because the car was literally built in November 2020, but maybe there's a little bit of air in the system or the OEM fluid isn't sufficiently high temp

Also does anyone have recommendations for a sort of light duty track pad? I used to run Pagid Blues on my Cayman (before progressing to Orange, which would squeal like a dump truck) but my knowledge is literally 10 years out of date now

# ¿ May 9, 2021 23:58

got off on a technicality: Feb 7, 2007; oh dear

KillHour posted:

HPDE and AutoX are totally different. You're not timed in HPDE and you're focusing on improving consistency and practicing being out there with others.

Depends on the organizers but I've been officially timed roughly 50% of the time in CA, and have relied on video footage when not. At the higher levels - say open passing - I think people treat it as more of a time trial. For me the only things I've cared about are my lap times (without being a dick to others on track or spending a fortune on slicks)

# ¿ Sep 29, 2021 06:44

got off on a technicality: Feb 7, 2007; oh dear

Joe Mama posted:

First time at Sonoma last weekend, I love that loving place! I think it's gonna be my new "home" track. A couple 2:15 laps were the best I got but I learned a lot just chasing better drivers in better cars. The car did great. Bumping up the rear spring rate was just what the doctor ordered and I'm sure the wider tires helped. This was the first time I've run these Maxxis VR-1 S2s on track and they were better than I expected, gripped hard all day. You can tell in the pic that I need a touch more rear camber. I also need to get the shocks and tire pressures just right and maybe lower the ride height a touch and this thing might be capable of 2:00 laps.

Pretty car! Also 2:15 is impressive for your first time & a setup that hasn't been fully dialed-in. I was barely able to touch 2:00 in my stock-ish 987S

# ¿ Oct 5, 2021 23:35

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# ¿ May 13, 2024 06:44

got off on a technicality: Feb 7, 2007; oh dear

KillHour posted:

Feel free to add (tentative) to stuff you're unsure about since I'm sure that applies to everyone right now given [gestures wildly at everything]

Someone please put up some events in CA and I might actually go if only to meet a goon or two IRL

# ¿ Jan 2, 2022 00:23

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