Thunderhill Raceway 2/8/2013 (Video)
 

(CCW w/ Cyclone)

Just had my 2nd attempt at thunderhill raceway (1st dry attempt) with the FR-S. All I can say is I love love love this car! (with a few suspension/tire/wheel modifications). Had a blast out there. I was feeling off in the morning due to the extreme cold and dampness, but as the sun came out and the RS3's started talking to me it was heaven.

Impressions from the day:
I think I did alright but realized a few things:
1. Stock brakes won't cut it. Especially in the warmer months. They were starting to prevent me from pushing the car comfortably.
2. Needs more power. Powering out of corners is a bit sad when watching that stock STI or EVO pull away from you after every corner and in the straights. 30-50 more horses and this car will shine.
3. You can really break late and enter corners a lot faster though with this chassis. To do this consistently you need #1
4. I need a harness. My body is so sore/stiff from "hanging on".

Handling:
This car is so neutral in corners. I think at least some of this has to do with the RCE yellows and the balanced spring rates front to rear. When I pushed the car to the limits of grip the car just slides sideways a bit with the ability to induce oversteer with the gas pedal. This is good stuff! Really put a smile on my face.

I am also so glad the RS3's started howling. People have told me that you don't usually hear them until you are facing backwards... :lol:
Modifications:
RCE Yellow springs
-1.5 camber front
-1.7 camber rear
245/40/17 Hankook RS3's
Mach V Awesome 17x9 +42 rims
Whiteline Positive Shift Bushing
FT86 Factory 11lbs battery kit (20lbs savings)
Muffler Delete (25lbs)
Rear Seat Delete (20lbs)
Spare Tire + Tools Removal (30lbs)
~90-100lbs weight reduction = ~2650 curb weight

Your Feedback:
Please point out things I may be doing wrong or where I can improve. I know I can improve my times a lot. I am no where near good at this track. I have problems with the last 6 or so turns of this track. I also have never driven with ultra high perf summer sticky tires so I think I underestimate them a lot on corner entry. Been trying to stay in 4th as much as possible to work on being smoother but with this engine it may really be killing corner exit.

I went from a 2:55 in the AM (having to back off and point 5-6 cars by) gradually improving every lap to 2:19. Wasn't really chasing lap times either - just trying to improve my driving and understanding of the car's behavior.

Videos:
Sorry about the rattling sound. It was terribly windy and my seatbelt was rattling against the door. The wind was also blowing on the suction cup mounted camera causing it to vibrate a lot too.

2:19:42
[ame]http://youtu.be/DAv3mXyQNiY[/ame]

2:19:68 (can't remember why I lifted on the throttle at the end)
[ame]http://youtu.be/fFUWKslxlHE[/ame]

Pictures:

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...56027722_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...40096734_n.jpg

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...63130757_n.jpg

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...30513505_n.jpg

What the heck is that horrible rattling sound in the video?

Nice job and thanks for posting. Your lines look pretty good to me. If you're in 4th gear the whole time, you're definitely losing time coming out of corners. You want to be in the high rpm powerband when exiting. The key is exit speed out of a corner. If you're worried about not being smooth from downshifting, learn how to heel/toe. When you get heel/toe down, it's very rewarding.

Was super windy that day. Seat belt was rattling on the door. I usually fastened it in place but realized too late that I had forgotten during the session.

I do heel-toe. I guess I am just used to parking it in 4th for most of the track due to the cars I used to drive (6 cyl). I am the smoothest when I don't have to worry about shifting. At then end I was using 3rd for 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. I need to work on 3rd for 5 and 5a.

You gotta keep it in the powerband. Even in my 6 cylinder Porsche I'll take it down to 3rd before turn 2, 5, 9, 10, and 14. I'll even bring it down to 2 at turn 11.

Down shifting shouldn't affect your ability to stay smooth since your doing it in a straight line in the braking zone.

RE: muffler delete. I read somewhere that the stock muffler acts as a diffuser. I wonder if you're getting some lift at high speeds with the muffler delete? Just a thought.

BTW: just in case you were thinking that my downshifting is because I slow down too much before a turn, I ran 2:07 over the top at Thill with my other cars.

It will be interesting to see what I can do with the BRZ in stock form... It's not going to be pretty. LOL

Yeah I am waiting for Berk's solution to that problem with their new axleback exhaust + diffuser. I just can't stand how quiet the stock muffler is. I want to hear the revs. It is amazing how much of a difference that makes.

That being said, I am pretty sure my times are because of me not the car. :happy0180:

I'll be there march 2nd.

You do seem to be loosing time being out of the power band on corner exits,...just my observation. Great videos!.....Thanks!

Yeah, I hear you on the quiet exhaust. I'm tempted to do it myself, but I'm trying to keep this car stock for as long as possible. Let me know if you have any issues with the sound limit at Laguna. I'll be at Laguna on March 2nd

Pads/fluid should've been the first thing done before hitting the track.

Line looks okay, but you're definitely a gear high in most corners. The only 4th gear corners should be 1, 7 and 8.

The car should be capable of 2:11-2:12 (bypass config) completely stock (except pads/fluid).

orthojoe - Is the Cyclone config really only 2 seconds slower? Seems like more.

+1 on pads/fluids and 4th gear corners. My BRZ will be going into it's first track day totally stock with the exception of RBF600 fluid and Project Mu club racer pads.

In my experience, yes, cyclone is 2 seconds slower. I ran 2:05 with the bypass and 2:07 over the top with my old Evo X. Some people may find the bypass slower than 2 seconds because the bypass can be scary, being off camber. I actually like running the bypass better than the cyclone.

Not necessarily. Driver skill and weather conditions influence this decision. I am new to the car, not very experienced yet and the temperature out there was cold! It didn't rain, but the weather forecast was "showers". Even the morning of the forecast was rain so i decided not to put them in yet. They are ready to go though.

I will be putting them in for March 2 as it may (hopefully) be a bit warmer and I am now comfortable enough with the car to really start pushing it.:thumbup:

You can disagree but I believe you should at least consider trying the car out in stock setup. First time I was out there I was completely stock but it was raining for 75% of the day. Brakes did fine. This time around, brakes were ok not great but ok. If I was going to really push it, yeah brakes would have been a burden. I did consider it for this round but I decided not to because of the weather forecast.

Cheers

Do it. When I first started, switching to track pads resulted in a dramatic drop in lap time. Being able to brake later/harder, and increased confidence (key) was the reason. Which pads are you going with?

I totally agree with you if you are novice. However, if you have experience, brake pads and fluids are important. Not only for fade resistance, but also to prevent demolishing street pads in a short period of time. If you think you are rough on your brakes now, just wait until you do Laguna Seca. That track is REALLY tough on brakes. Stock pads won't hold up there at all.

Maybe for your first 2 track days. When I had my S2K, I did my first 2 events at T-Hill back in '02 and had the stock pads down to the backing plates. I did have RBF600 fluid, so that may have helped a bit with the pedal feel, but you'll definitely need pads as you gain seat time.

On the FR-S, I've been using the Carbotech XP10/XP8 combo w/ ATE Superblue and it's been fine with everything else stock. I was just at Laguna last Sunday and they held up well.