HPDE @ Summit Point Shenandoah

[DarkSunrise]

Some impressions after an awesome 2 day HPDE at Summit Point Shenandoah over the weekend. First off, I met some great guys at BMW CCA (NJ chap), so if you ever get a chance to run with them, it's fun. I don't have a ton of track experience, but was one of the quicker drivers in my novice run group, so take this all from that perspective:

1) My car was stock other than:
- Stoptech Street Performance pads, STR600 fluid
- 215/45/17 Sumitomo HTR ZIII tires, 17x8 wheels
- Perrin non-resonated CBE
- 100 octane

2) We ran nearly the full course with a hot pit leading to Turn 1. I've never run this configuration before and loved it (especially hearing my exhaust screaming off the concrete dividers in the hot pit ).

3) Overall the car was exactly what I was hoping for -- reliable, consistent, and fun. It was at home on a technical course.

4) Stock suspension - I was absolutely impressed by what they put into this car from the factory. Even with slightly grippier HTR ZIIIs, body roll was well controlled and the balance felt great. Slight understeer mid-corner, but a Charmin soft transition to oversteer with either power or lift. Amazing. Really felt the sublime balance in the cave esses, the hook, the turn before bridge straight, and big bend. Strange because in autocross I always felt the car was a bit loose, but on the track, I could not imagine a more forgiving but balanced textbook RWD car. OK I will stop myself now, but seriously love the factory suspension on the track. I think there is headroom for even stickier street tires.

5) Sumitomo HTR ZIII - These are not aggressive for a max performance summer tire, but they match the factory suspension well and don't overwhelm the Stoptech pads. This is important if you're trying to keep costs down. Stoptech pads are cheap and you don't need to upgrade the factory suspension. I recommend these tires if (like me) you don't have a ton of track experience and aren't looking to set the fastest times possible. They did not get greasy until midway through the later sessions.

6) Stoptech brake pads / fluid - They worked fine. I only got mild pad fade towards the end of each day. Fluid did not boil. Running mild tires definitely helped here. With more aggressive tires, these pads will almost certainly fade IMO.

7) 100 octane - well worth the extra $100 over two days for that extra bit of protection for the DI seals. The car even missed a cool-down session when my instructor wanted to take the car out for an extra session, and everything was fine. I did have one small hiccup at idle after a red flag came out while I was WOT down bridge straight and I had to immediately stop the car with no cool-down, but it was fine after a restart.

8) Power - The car could definitely use a bit more power, especially mid-range. I did a ride-along in my instructor's M3 and the midrange torque allowed him to stay in higher gears, whereas I was downshifting like crazy in my car trying to keep the RPMs above 4500 -- to the point where my instructor mentioned he was impressed with my downshifting skills. Must be all the practice I get in this car Speaking of which...

9) Gearshift/clutch - Have to mention this. I loved how easy it was to heel-toe at will in this car. Very intuitive and the gates were precise/easy to find. I've done the clutch pedal adjustment and would recommend that.

10) Future mods - I'm pretty happy with how the car is setup now. I'll probably look into small mods (e.g., front camber bolts) and possibly some cooling mods (oil cooler). My instructor recommended stepping up to more aggressive tires like Toyo R1R's, but the car feels so well balanced right now I'm not sure I want to mess with it. Maybe next year.

Course map:

http://www.summitpoint-raceway.com/images/stories/trackmaps/shenandoah_circuit.gif

[kanundrum]

Love the write up, I will be trying to do some Nov events if possible!

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by kanundrum

Love the write up, I will be trying to do some Nov events if possible!

Thanks man, let me know when you go so I can join. I've been trying to get a friend with a 2011 WRX to come out as well...

[kanundrum]

I def want to go before the end of the season one way or another but yes I am thinking there are a few november events we can go too when its nice and chilly so the cars can do a lot better

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by kanundrum

I def want to go before the end of the season one way or another but yes I am thinking there are a few november events we can go too when its nice and chilly so the cars can do a lot better

Yeah the car definitely felt a bit more sluggish as temps rose. Still, had enough to get the wave-by from a number of M3s