|
Admirable Gusto posted:Laguna Seca is Boring If you aren't making GBS threads bricks every time through Rainey curve you're doing it wrong. Also, it is one of those tracks that is for RACING, preferably in low-powered momentum cars with insufficient grip (read: Formula Vee). Here's my two bits about track days for first-timers. 1) Prep your car. a. Fill your tires to the recommended air pressure. b. Get an oil change if you are over halfway to the next scheduled service. c. Make sure that your brake lights work and that you have enough brake fluid in the reservoir. d. If you are doing a two-day school, strongly consider getting your brake fluid flushed and replaced with some DOT4 fluid (ATE, Motul, Valvoline are all good choices) because you will boil your fluid, probably after you get confident and start braking late for turn 1 on your second day. e. If you have removed the wheels lately, re-check the torque on the lug nuts. 2) Prep the driver. a. Know the basics: when to show up, where to check in, where to park your car. Some clubs will assign parking based on run group, others will leave everyone to find their own spot. The generic track day is as follows: show up at the track at least 60 minutes before you have to be anywhere. You'll need to complete tech inspection and find somewhere to paddock the car. After you get the car checked, head to registration to check in. Listen to the registration people carefully. At the appointed time, there will be a driver's meeting to welcome the participants and parse them into run groups. Once with your group, you will receive instruction about the track layout, particularly tricky or dangerous areas, flags, and rules of the run group. Then you're off and running, hopefully with an instructor to help you find your way around. b. Know the track map before you show up. Everyone will be referring to turn 1 or turn 9b or the carousel or whatever -- it will be very helpful if you can envision what that corner looks like. c. Check your ego. No one enjoys dealing with an overconfident douche at the track, least of all the instructor who has to strap in with you. The more closely you listen to instruction, the faster you'll go. d. Don't be discouraged. Everyone sucks their first day and there is plenty of time to learn down the road.
|
#
¿
Jun 18, 2012 08:09
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 18:32 |
|
|
Admirable Gusto posted:HPDEs + traction control = bad habits Just needed about 15* more lock on the first correction and you would have had it. At least no harm done -- nothing a car wash and an interior wipe-down won't fix.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 12, 2012 02:43
|
|
|
FatCow posted:Then you get out of the novice groups. For reals though. Once people in a given run group have comparable driving skills (DE4/TT), cars typically run laptimes like they "should." The only real surprises you get are the oddball trackday cars with unpredictable motor swaps and overclocked boost buggies that punch way out of their weightclasses.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 25, 2013 05:25
|
|
|
DJ Commie posted:At the race you drove, absolutely a badly setup shitpile run by idiots. We ran 2:40 at Thunderhill that race, the next race was a 2:19. A few races later we ran a 1:55.0 at Laguna Seca, which is faster than stock 986 Boxster S. Not bad for 110hp on 7" street tires. Everything sucked at the beginning but learning how it all worked really helped. And really, this is the difference between a spendy club race car and a cheap one. You're paying for experience, development, parts choice, and setup. I would venture to say a well-developed ChumpCar can be comparable to midpack club race cars (the lap record in SCCA ITC at Laguna Seca is a 1:51) but cannot possibly keep up with cars with fully balanced, blueprinted, limit-of-the-rules engines that are rebuilt every other season and have $8k and dozens of days of tuning in the suspension and brakes. A full-pull-no-excuses-front-of-the-pack club race car will cost at least $25k to build, no matter how meager the starting point is. A good ChumpCar is what, maybe $5k? You can still have a poo poo-ton of fun for 20% of the cost.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 20, 2013 17:25
|
|
|
Dave Inc. posted:I'm putting together an '83 944 for 944 spec racing and they allow the seat to mount onto the cage. Anybody have a suggestion for a seat placed on a fixed mount like that? Kirkey are popular but anything will work, just buy a seat and some rails and have the fabricator integrate them. Sparco has adjustable side mounts that you just bolt into the correct position. What's your seat budget?
|
|
#
¿
Apr 5, 2013 07:30
|
|
|
Aurune posted:I'm sure they will do something like that. It's just sad to loose a iconic tree that was older than the track. It's like the town of Mulsanne suddenly disappearing off the map... Oak Tree was the name of the corner, a landmark the track was literally built around, and it won't be the same track without it. I liked the idea of harvesting that wood for trophies won at the track... seems like the competition for the trophies would honor the tree and all those who raced in its shadow. A question for the Lemons/Chumpers out there: would you consider buying a used crapcan racecar on craigslist? Is the initial build process necessary?
|
|
#
¿
Jul 3, 2013 22:13
|
|
|
BlackMK4 posted:Blead the tires? You add air to have a lower hot pressure, removing air makes a higher hot pressure... In general, for cars in HPDE-type events, you go in with your tires aired up to their optimal working pressure -- say 40psi -- and when you come off the track after the first session (tires are hot and they've increased to perhaps to 44psi), you check pressures and bleed air to get to your optimal working pressure. They'll cool off as you wait in the pits (dropping pressure to perhaps to 34psi), but when you go back out, they should fairly quickly reach operating temp and pressure. If you're diligent, you record the ambient temp, track temp, and pressure at every step, before and after every session, including laptime charts. In a few weekends you might have enough data to accurately predict the cold pressure to fill to obtain a given hot pressure, measure the amount of heat-related pressure gain (what you're talking about), and start experimenting with pressures. Of course, the amount of heat you put into your tires depends on your experience level, how smooth you are, and (of course) track temps, variables which are continually changing. Long story short, it's easiest to bleed pressures down to an appropriate level.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 3, 2013 14:46
|
|
|
aventari posted:SoCal- Autoclub speedway Roval, Saturday 2/15 Raced there with NASA Honda Challenge back in like '06. It is quite fast, prior to turn-in to T3, check mirrors paying close attention for street cars with faded brakes or inattentive drivers plowing down the inside (T3 is the first turn off the oval) because that poo poo happens constantly.  Also, the track looks like a proud, sturdy dong.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 28, 2014 18:04
|
|
|
ZincBoy posted:Uploaded a few laps from one of my practice sessions at the time attack last weekend. I kept forgetting to setup one of the gopro, GPS, or datalogger so most of the laps did not turn out. Whats the camera setup there? G-Mach posted:In the beginning you are always better off spending $5,000 on HPDE, autox, and drivers school than dropping the same amount on parts. So true, yet so seldom done. Almost no one goes to the track believing that they'll be slow and, when they are, it's much easier to solve the "problems with the car" instead of learning to drive. I've seen people upgrade to big brake kits for their second track day instead of learning how to properly use the brakes they have (hint: ducts and pads solve almost any issue), guys who drop thousands on double-adjustable suspensions they have no idea how to setup properly, and slap on superchargers and big turbos instead of learning to carry speed out of corners. The fact is that via magazines and advertisements, enthusiasts are repeatedly told to upgrade parts, not skills. That said, after my first track day, I sold my '99 Mustang GT and bought a truck, trailer and fully built ITA car with less than half the horsepower, and proceeded to do the rest of my learning in that. I'd rather drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. Stardotstar fucked around with this message at 04:48 on Jun 29, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Jun 29, 2014 04:41
|
|
|
NitroSpazzz posted:Anyone looking for a track car at the moment? Location?
|
|
#
¿
Sep 3, 2014 18:51
|
|
|
parid posted:Since the chumpcar/lemons thread seems so dead I'll try here. I have a couple of seats open in my chumpcar (Apex of Failure a 87 rx7 gxl) for the October chumpcar race in Portland. Probably going to be in the $650 range for fees. Depending on luck, should be able to get at least two long stints in. Due to likely weather conditions and wall situation at portland drivers with previous experience preferred. We could use some fresh blood. Anyone interested? Yes. Local, experienced racer. Sterndotstern at gmail.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 15, 2014 06:30
|
|
|
Sab669 posted:Any tips for "smoothing" a GoPro in the car? Last time I went to the track the footage was SO jittery. Gunna do some paced laps tomorrow, I think, and I'd like to get some better footage this time. I have the sticky mounts, a suction cup, and a headband for what it's worth. Attaching it the suction mount to a hard surface and making sure the adjustment screws are holding it rigidly always did the trick for me. How did you have it mounted before? Parid, you still looking for a driver?
|
|
#
¿
Sep 27, 2014 03:17
|
|
|
jamal posted:If you're melting the outside, more camber. Taking tire temps across the tread after a session is really the only way to fine tune alignment. This. This is the issue. McSpatula posted:A pyrometer If you're going to use a pyrometer to tune based on tire temps, a laser is near useless unless you have the ability to datalog in real time. The time spent coming back to the pits from a hot lap will cool down the surface of the tire, you need to be able to take a carcass temp from deeper than the surface to get any real indication of temps. This is especially true once you are running significant static camber. E: Laser pyrometers ARE useful for finding out if a particular cyl is running lean (hotter exhaust at the header/head junction) and diagnosing failed wheel bearings (hotter wheel) and if your pork is thoroughly cooked (145 deg F) and a bunch of other stuff. Stardotstar fucked around with this message at 12:30 on Oct 19, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Oct 19, 2014 12:26
|
|
|
BlackMK4 posted:I'm doing a trackday at Chuckwalla for the first time on Friday - anyone know what the pit situation is like shade wise? Every other track I've been to has had areas to pit under that were shaded. Where are you planning to stay?
|
|
#
¿
Mar 5, 2015 03:36
|
|
|
jamal posted:They have showers, and I think the nearest hotel is blythe. Camping is the way to go if you're spending the whole weekend. We had like 5 people sleeping in the enclosed car trailer when I went (it had AC). Good to know. NASA AZ does events out at Chuckwalla at least once/year but I don't have a toybox trailer. I just wanted to understand how people sort lodging. When I have a little money to throw at something... I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy a E46 M3 track car like this: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/2002-bmw-e46-m3-trackcar-or-how-to-screw-up-a-dece/88751/page1/ Either that or, if my DD E46 wagon gets totaled, I'm going to buy a wrecked E46 M3 and swap everything over. I'd love to have a wagon as a track car, it's honestly wonderful to be able to drive to events.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 5, 2015 20:41
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 18:32 |
|
|
BlackMK4 posted:Speaking of Chuckwalla and wagons, there was a nice Imola E46 wagon on BBS wheels with ZHP bodywork at the house at Chuckwalla today. I've never driven it and was looking at the track map imagining a 40 ft wide track with no hairpins. Looks like so much fun. Did you have a favorite corner or complex? 
|
|
#
¿
Mar 8, 2015 05:46
|
|