Turning Stance Car to Track...Thing
 

Figured I would put all my questions that I will have into one thread, but mods if that's not okay go ahead and delete/move the thread.

Been in the "show" scene for too long and want to start taking advantage of the "sport" part of a sports car, so I'm gonna start doing some HPDE and AutoX. Not looking to break any records, but more see what happens when a noob driver takes a stance/show car to some different driving environments.

For reference, this is what I'm working with:
https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...6c&oe=5687072D
it is on AirLift's v2 airbag suspension, JDL and TRD bolt ons, and the rest of the mods can be found in my build thread.


Big shout out to Mike from CounterSpaceGarage for guiding my ignorant self. He recommended some Torque RT700 brake fluid and Project Mu HC+ 800 brake pads for my first event which will be with The Driver's Edge at Texas World Speedway on November 7-8.


My first question is for anyone who's tracked with stock Primacy tires and OEM wheels: what PSI were y'all running at the track? I am thinking of trying 30 PSI cold and see how they go from there.

We ran the Primacy HPs for a few sessions. My notes show the driver was happiest with 34psi front, 32psi rear. That's hot pressures, so I'd start at maybe 28/26 cold and see how hot they get.

TWS is a ridiculously fun track, I worked there in college. Good luck, and stop by the shop next time you're in Cresson!

Jake

Just drive first, and address the rest later. You'll quickly figure out your dislikes about the car, and then we can address them.

Don't be too low when you're on track!

I was as high as 35 cold my first time, most instructors blindly have you bump up the pressures to prevent a dumb old street tire from being underinflated and rolling over. The Primacy's are actually OK on track and maintain grip pretty consistently, 35 psi was a bit high but not problem causing, upside was I didn't have to reinflate to drive home like I do now running super low pressures.

30 PSI is probably pretty good and won't trigger the TPMS (usually goes off around 28 psi in my experience), don't mess around with it too much focus on learning the line and listening to what the car is telling you. You can drop 1-2 psi in the rear if your driving style is drift happy at first (helps the rear grip a little better, induces some understeer) but I would start with even pressures and reduce oversteer by cleaning up your driving skills first.

After getting comfortable next step is alignment.

For sure. Just wanted to start this thread to document my journey!


Cool, I was out in Lubbock for college, so only tracks we had were Home Depot's overflow lot and country lots. Will try and stop by the shop sometime, thanks!

I'm assuming they have compressed air there, or should I just find a gas station on the way back home?

Depends entirely on the venue, might be an available outlet and someone might bring their own compressor you can use but I have never asked. Gas station on the way home is a good fallback if you can't find air there.

Been using this, takes an annoyingly long time (and it's loud) to fill each tire more than a few psi but does the job well enough. Wondering how long it will last though... Cord is just long enough to reach from the center outlet to each tire.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Slime-50001-Power-Sport-Smart/dp/B000M8SY0I/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1445037841&sr=8-8&keywords=slime+air+compressor"]Amazon.com: Slime 50001 Power Sport Smart Spair: Automotive[/ame]

Edit: Depending on the tire, you may be fine running low pressures, I wouldn't worry about 30 psi on the street in any tire for this car. I drove ~70 miles home on 25 psi on my Dunlops but that may not work out so well with other tires.

Like others said, go out there and do it. You'll see/feel what your car and you need.

Since it's a track say start out at 28 cold psi then check it after the first session.


Sign up for the beginner group. And ask for an instructor to ride with you.

going too low can be unsafe! especially with wide wheels. clearance can be an issue, the outside front will compress pretty significantly in corners. you should maybe ask the more experienced people what the appropriate ride height for your spring rates are.

stay safe so you can have more fun!

Some pictures from my first AutoX today:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/687/21...3dfb69f6_b.jpg
Didn't have time to switch back to 93, so ran E85 since San Antonio was not too far from me.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5765/2...f9aef051_b.jpg
Got there early to switch to the stock tires. One problem though: when my friend was working on the car last week (for show stuff, lol), he forgot to put the lug key back in. Frantic asking for a 6-spline lug nut key ensues for the next hour.


https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/643/22...053011f9_b.jpg
Guess I'm running with cheap Chinese tires and stance wheels. #YOLO(?) :barf:


https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/583/22...68f740fd_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/570/22...979b1962_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/679/22...886aafb0_b.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5630/2...d73b7c1e_b.jpg
Trail braking. lol jk I ate this corner hard :bonk:


https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/728/22...bfcb812a_b.jpg
Cut it off at my standing because there were 80+ people. I got a DNF on the 1st corner, but instructor gave great advice on looking ahead at cones instead of focusing on the immediate one. After that, best raw time was 47.710 and that would have put me in 5th spot in STX. Even if I don't consider the 47.710 time that I got on an accidental 6th run (was supposed to only do 5) and went with my next best time of 50.027, that would still have gotten 7th spot in STX.



Overall, I had a great time. I rode in some very quick S2000 Club Racers, Miatas, BRZ, and bunch of other cars. Everyone was helpful and, for the price, feel like it was well worth the time/trip. Can't wait for the next one. :cheers:

well done dude,, thats what we want to reach! the fun factor! glad that you had a great time there...

amazing looking car by the way,

Looks like you had a ton of fun! Car looks great.

It's been a while since I've been there, but the track always had at least one compressor available for general use.

Jake

At every track day there will always be several people who brought their own compressed air, and most people are more than happy to share some. :)

Happy to see someone coming back over from the dark side, or to the dark side depending on how you look at it. haha Looking forward to seeing how you and your car progress!

This thread makes me happy. :)

- Andy

For track events (and road trips in general) I usually have this + my impact gun. Works way better than plug-in pumps and I can usually set the pressure and walk away to do other stuff.

http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-c...8_00911586000P

-alex