I will be attending my first track day ever on a road course. $50 for a day w/ 2 instructors ,food, drinks and as many runs as I can get in, I just couldn't say no. What pointers can you give me as far as things I can do to my car to make the best of my time there. I'm willing to spend aroun $400 if possible. I am currently on a ported turbo and exhaust mani setup w/ minor power mods on stock boost. My suspension mod is eibach sportlines and I'm riding on stock wheels w/ crappy tires. So what do you guys think I should do or get?
first of all, congrats on getting into it! you will have a blast. 50 is an incredible price for what you're getting.
as for prep..i'd start with new tires. you're going to spend more than 400 on that though. if you're really serious go with something like an rt615 from falken..it would benefit you anyway being in el paso during summer. they are great street tires.
as far as what to take to the track...
-a cooler with water/gatorade(free lunch doesnt always mean free drinks all day)
-the right tools to jack car, change oil, remove wheels, and change brakes
-a few bottles of fluid(coolant, brake fluid, pwr steering fluid)
-an oil change(5qts and a filter)--if you're really serious but still a good thing to have just in case
-many people take spare rotors, but i'd at the very least bring extra pads. howard(htheduck) changes into track pads(hawk hp or porterfield i believe) when he gets to the track, then swaps the stockers back in for the drive home. so a good set of track pads would be a good addition.
-a lawn chair/folding chair. i cannot tell you how important this is!
-if you smoke-quit!(or bring enough for the day)
thats all i can think of for now. im sure others will chime in.
first of all, congrats on getting into it! you will have a blast. 50 is an incredible price for what you're getting.
as for prep..i'd start with new tires. you're going to spend more than 400 on that though. if you're really serious go with something like an rt615 from falken..it would benefit you anyway being in el paso during summer. they are great street tires.
as far as what to take to the track...
-a cooler with water/gatorade(free lunch doesnt always mean free drinks all day)
-the right tools to jack car, change oil, remove wheels, and change brakes
-a few bottles of fluid(coolant, brake fluid, pwr steering fluid)
-an oil change(5qts and a filter)--if you're really serious but still a good thing to have just in case
-many people take spare rotors, but i'd at the very least bring extra pads. howard(htheduck) changes into track pads(hawk hp or porterfield i believe) when he gets to the track, then swaps the stockers back in for the drive home. so a good set of track pads would be a good addition.
-a lawn chair/folding chair. i cannot tell you how important this is!
-if you smoke-quit!(or bring enough for the day)
thats all i can think of for now. im sure others will chime in.
Thanks man. Didn't think of any of those things to take. The lawn chair idea will prolly be the best. I've been looking at the 615s and they seem to be my next set of tires. What sizes would you recommend for the stock wheels?
the 615s are not a good choice for road course use. They heat up and get greasy when pushed hard for a whole session. As a novice you might not get to that level, but I can boil them on a grippy autocross surface if I do back to back runs. In fact, I felt a big change in grip level from the beginning of a run to the end of a run as the tires gained temp. I always ended up having to spray the tires down with water to help cool them off between runs.
Anyway, there aren't any appropriate sizes in the RT-615 to be used on the stock wheels. Just go with what you have, raise the air pressure to ~36-38psi.
Most importantly is LISTEN TO THE INSTRUCTORS. Work your way up in braking points and cornering speed. They will help you find these and there should be cones set up for braking, turn in, apex, and track out points. Don't necessarily play connect the dots with them, but get a good rhythm going. If you feel like you're having to press the brake pedal down farther and harder than you were earlier to maintain the same deceleration rate you had on earlier laps, let the instructor know you're feeling a bit of fade and you're going to back things off a tad for a few laps. This will help them feel confident that you aren't overdriving the car and yourself. Just back the braking points up some, let off a little early, and the brakes should return to normal after a couple of laps like this. Once they are cooler though be sure to start using them again so the pad doesn't cool down too much and glaze. Been there, done that. Be sure to lay off the brakes some on the cool down lap(s) or you can glaze the pads and/or warp the rotors. Don't treat it as a last banzai lap and come flying into the pits. Also, don't set the parking brake when you come back in to grid/paddock. The rear rotor might have a good bit of heat in it and sticking the brake shoes on it can lead to big problems down the road.
Have fun !!! The first thought will be to go as fast as possible, patience and track time will make You faster. Instructors good, lots of liquids good, small tool kit good. Oh yea just to get a feel look up the track your going to drive on Youtube, usually their will be in car vids. Most of all JUST GO HAVE FUN !!! and do a write up when You get back and let us know how things went!
Have fun !!! The first thought will be to go as fast as possible, patience and track time will make You faster. Instructors good, lots of liquids good, small tool kit good. Oh yea just to get a feel look up the track your going to drive on Youtube, usually their will be in car vids. Most of all JUST GO HAVE FUN !!! and do a write up when You get back and let us know how things went!
Already looked up the track on google maps. Looks good. Plenty of turns and a nice straightaway. I see this being more addictive and expenssive than drag racing.
You're going to try to do your best lap about halfway when you gain confidence, but after you've had your fun with that for a couple laps, slow back just a tad and work on hitting the right apex lap after lap. I did this in my last session and I honestly think I might have been just as fast doing this, if not then I will be faster the next track day.
All in all, my hawk street pads did smell a bit after 2.5 truly flying laps, but probably had a little more in them before fade would have occurred, so at least those if not the better hawk hp+ pads. super blue brake fluid is a definate recommended item as well, it had more in it than the pads I brought did.
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