first time at the track

[KILRSVT]

hey guys I finally got a chance to sign up for a track event. I joined NASA and signed up for HPDE 1 for june 27th at sears point...cant wait. I got so many questions I dont even know where to start. pretty excited to get out there. Ive been reading the track premier and watching you tube vidoes on infinieon raceway which is where I will do my debut..lol. I guess the main question is the vehicle prep. i know i wont drive the piss out of it the first time out since i will be learning the lines and what not but so far i got this on my list.....I figure it wouldnt hurt to throw my mod list as well.

brake flush
front pads are at 6mm at the front is that OK?
rear tires...(current ones are bald)
alignment
spark plugs

mods are as follow
engine
2.3 whipple
afco heat exchanger dual fans
accufab tb
cai
sct 90mm
upr or/x
magnaflow c/b

suspension
brembo 4 piston calipers with 13 inch rotors
MM FLSFC
eibach pro kit
kenny brown IRS brace
moto blue diff girdle
suimitomo HTRz's..180 tread wear

thanks in advance...:beer:

 

[racebronco2]

hey guys I finally got a chance to sign up for a track event. I joined NASA and signed up for HPDE 1 for june 27th at sears point...cant wait. I got so many questions I dont even know where to start. pretty excited to get out there. Ive been reading the track premier and watching you tube vidoes on infinieon raceway which is where I will do my debut..lol. I guess the main question is the vehicle prep. i know i wont drive the piss out of it the first time out since i will be learning the lines and what not but so far i got this on my list.....I figure it wouldnt hurt to throw my mod list as well.

brake flush
front pads are at 6mm at the front is that OK?
rear tires...(current ones are bald)
alignment
spark plugs

mods are as follow
engine
2.3 whipple
afco heat exchanger dual fans
accufab tb
cai
sct 90mm
upr or/x
magnaflow c/b

suspension
brembo 4 piston calipers with 13 inch rotors
MM FLSFC
eibach pro kit
kenny brown IRS brace
moto blue diff girdle
suimitomo HTRz's..180 tread wear

thanks in advance...:beer:

Heat is going to be the biggest problem.
Change out your fluid to high temp such as motul 600.
Get some better pads such as hp+'s
You should have some tires with good tread at least.
Not much you can do without cc plates.
The blower, run the biggest pulley you can, short shift and run with the heater on but with the vents pointing towards the windows.

 

[KILRSVT]

Thanks chief ! I have hp+ already and getting new rear tires I am running a 3.5 pully on the whipple which is tuned on 91 and throwing some 100 on it thanks for the heater advise will do...What cc plates do you recommend??

 

[98 Saleen Cobra]

Either maximum motorsports, or griggs racing for the CC plates.. I would also get a semi decent alignenment. Checkout out custom alignment in mountain view. they are the best for all the stuff. They will actually install the plates for you too if you wanted..

 

[KILRSVT]

Thanks for the info I llcheck thar suspension shop

 

[David Hester]

6 mm is not safe for track use! front or rear!
CobraHP+ pads are HB111N.610, I believe. That means full pad is .610 inches.
Box will tell you what the Brembo pads are. (last 3 numbers).
Starting out with anything under 8-10mm is asking for brake failure, even with a performance pad. 6mm on a street pad might get you part of the way through the 1st session before you are on bare metal. Weekend blown then.
Have fun!

 

[KILRSVT]

i thought the thickness of the new pads were at 12mm??? my buddy went out last moth for first time and didnt even use much brake material...didnt even push the car for that matter.but i guess ill put some pads on it to be on the safe side along with dot 4 motul 600

 

[Sirl]

Glad to hear your going for your first event.

Here is some more good reading material from Track Guys:
http://www.trackguys.com/forms/NoviceTrackGuide.pdf

Dont overdrive your car, listen to your instructor, and you should have the time of your life!!

Enjoy!

 

[wheelhopper]

Looks to me like you're well prepared and have done your research. That is better than I did when I first started.

After my stockers faded on my first outing, I went with a set of EBC Yellows for my brake pads. They are equivolent to the HP+, but dust less and make less noise. I still use them on the rear. If you stick with your used pads, take a new set just in case and be prepared to change them at the track.

 

[David Hester]

i thought the thickness of the new pads were at 12mm???
They are, or pretty close. 12-13 mm would be .500-.600, but anything less than 1/2 transfers a lot of heat. Road racing, I toss pads when they get close to .250 inch.


my buddy went out last month for first time and didnt even use much brake material...didnt even push the car for that matter
That could be the reason. Thing is with OEM pads at 1/2, they will be used up pretty quickly in just a session or two if you push.
I may push a tad harder that someone just starting out....but went through a FULL pad (car had 801 miles when I pulled out of grid) in a single day. I knew I was going to upgrade, and thought what the heck. They should last till I get home. Wrong.
Do bed in the new pads, before you leave. You can get them up to temp with a few 35-10 mph, let cool 5 minutes or so. 45-10, let cool 5-10 minutes. Do all this on a stretch of road where it is safe, and you don't have to touch brakes in between.
Then 2-3 65-70 to 10 whoa ups. Then drive for 10-15 minutes or so without touching the brakes at all.
This isn't as critical with a HP+ or equivalent pad (except the DON't DRAG HOT!), but good habit to get into.
You don't want to stop, as pad will leave mark on rotor. You also don't want to drag pads when they are hot.
You are trying to season the pads with gradual heat soaks and cooling.
Should be good to go...I mean stop.. then.

 

[KILRSVT]

thanks for the heads up I am glad to know I have some veterans to ask questions to in here...i know the first time out I wont really drive the car hard despite the massive potential it has....but rather be safe than sorry.

 

[David Hester]

....but rather be safe than sorry.
Exactly. You can work on scaring yourself later.

 

[KILRSVT]

....but rather be safe than sorry.
Exactly. You can work on scaring yourself later.

for sure!hahaha

 

[brkntrxn]

On the newbie and braking topic, be mindful that as a new driver you are going to have a tendency to brake long and lean as if you were on the street. Be aware of this so you don't overheat and use up your pads needlessly. Don't be afraid to get on the brakes, but don't kill them either.



-Kevin

 

[KILRSVT]

For sure thanks for the heads up Kevin. Makes sense don't want to fade the brakes up

 

[Jimmysidecarr]

Your instructor will probably be saying "that's enough brake, OK now turn"

I know mine did. I had never gone around a turn that fast in my life!

You will instinctively want to get started with your braking earlier than you need to.

They will want you to eventually, brake later and much harder, for shorter periods of time to eventually slightly higher entry speeds as you learn to work up to find what the limit of your tires and car is.
In the beginning the limit will be you.

The car will be pretty freaking fast! It's good you have a fairly normal tire because the more slipping it does the faster you learn car control.
If you get a chance to run in the rain JUMP at the chance! It will greatly speed up your learning!

Most of all keep your eyes and ears open, look WIDE and LOOK DEEP and have fun with the learning, it can seem like an awful lot in the first day. That's because it is! Second day is another whirlwind of thoughts and experiences, just be careful and stay measured, you will get tired near day's end.

Drink WATER!

 

[KILRSVT]

I am ordering front pads and getting new rear tires 160 tread wear .... I am excited And won't lie I probably will have a hard time sleeping the Night before I feel it would be better to sign up for both days but had to work .... Next track event after this one will be thunderhill which I plan to do both days I know track time is what I need to get some track experience going...thanks a lot for your info guys pretty sure I'll keep picking you guys brains more.... Lol

 

[brkntrxn]

I am excited And won't lie I probably will have a hard time sleeping the Night before

When you start sleeping well the night before an event, find another hobby. LOL :beer:



For whatever track you are running, watch as many quality videos of it as possible leading up to the event. And study the track map a LOT. Do both until you can visualize yourself driving around the track. Keep doing it until you have it memorized. Your mind does not know that you are not at the track. This will GREATLY speed up your familiarization of the facility and you will start learning SOONER.

And leave the attitude and any thoughts of great driving at home. Listen to the voice from the right seat and have FUN!


-Kevin

 

[mu22stang]

I suggest doing as many ride-alongs as you can. It's good to catch a ride with your instructor to create a link between his advice and his driving style. Riding with someone that has a similar car is helpful, too. Even if it's not a Terminator, the information you will get in the seat of your pants from the passenger seat of a car with similar weight, suspension geometry, cockpit controls, etc, is invaluable.

I probably cut 3 seconds out of my lap time at MSR Houston after riding with my instructor. Given, it was my second OT event so picking up that much speed in one weekend was a bit easier, but I couldn't believe the lateral grip he attained and speed he carried through the turns in street tires, especially around the carousel. Next time out, I used that memory bank of what I felt as a point of reference and worked to it the rest of the weekend.

 

[David Hester]

visualize yourself driving around the track
This will be easier, the more times you go to a particular track.
I will do this hunderds of times in the weeks leading up to a race weekend.
Pretty cool how you can run a lap in your mind that last about the same as a real lap. People at work think I'm crazy, turning around in circles with my eyes closed and my right hand changing gears...
Second thought, maybe I am.:dancenana:
I do the same thing on the couch watching Tv, except I throw in the clutch/brake/throttle thingy too with my feet.