Got a track related question? I'll try to answer.

[AZP Installs]

Originally Posted by M23

Thxs.

Any favorite brand and type for fluid and pads for the track days?

And for tires on stock wheels, 215 or 225?

I will most likely get a used 86 car and the tires will probably be need to be replaced soon if its stil on the stock Primacys

225.

Depending if you are only going to track the car or street and track will determine which tires.

-Mike Paisan


Maintaining, Modifying and Educating TriState Enthusiasts since 2001.
Like us on Facebook! | E-mail: sales@azpinstalls.com | 725 Fairfield Ave | Kenilworth, NJ 07033 | 908.248.AZP1 (2971) |AIM: AZP Installs
"Race Tested, Enthusiast Approved!"

[M23]

Stock wheels and street tires for both dd street and track

[AZP Installs]

Originally Posted by M23

This thread seems to be the biggest and most hit. SO maybe it is a good place to ask


Hello,

New here. I haven't bought my 86 car yet. I am planning to hopefully this winter.

I am a noob and never tracked before but I am really interested and want to go. I have been into cars for a long time, but have never driven on a closed circuit road coarse track.

I am also not rich and am more of a broke part time and low wage type of person. So I want to track the car the very cheapest I could, which would be almost all stock.

What should I buy first with my very limited budget? And also what should I buy after my first couple of times?

Since I am poor, it will obviously be almost all stock and I just need the essential things.

Should I buy these first? (these are the things I've researched that are commonly mandatory)
Helmet
Tires (on stock wheels)..which size? 215 or 225?
Brake Pads
Fluid

.......anything else that I need that is a track priority for a noob?

Should I get any suspension parts and modifications?

A few things I've learned over the past 12+ years track, racing and instructing...

If you can't afford to walk away from the car you take to the track, you probably shouldn't be bringing it there.

In your case it seems like you may not be in the financial situation to be doing track days but I could be wrong.

Anyway on these cars here is what we've found you will want to upgrade:

Brake Pads and Fluid
Tires to a good summer tire
Oil Cooler
AOS
Some kind of way to monitor the coolant and oil temps

Once you get that stuff done, you will want to spend as much money as you can on SEAT TIME! I can't stress that enough. There is absolutely no substitute for this aspect of tracking your car. The more track miles you do the better you become. Even if you have the crappiest car or the worst setup, running over and over the tracks will develop memory and your muscles memory. And this advice is coming from someone who sells parts and services...

-Mike Paisan


Maintaining, Modifying and Educating TriState Enthusiasts since 2001.
Like us on Facebook! | E-mail: sales@azpinstalls.com | 725 Fairfield Ave | Kenilworth, NJ 07033 | 908.248.AZP1 (2971) |AIM: AZP Installs
"Race Tested, Enthusiast Approved!"

[ddeflyer]

Originally Posted by M23

Thxs.

Any favorite brand and type for fluid and pads for the track days?

And for tires on stock wheels, 215 or 225?

I will most likely get a used 86 car and the tires will probably be need to be replaced soon if its stil on the stock Primacys

You tend to get better compound selection with 225/45R17 or 225/40R18 tires than most other applicable sizes for the car. That said, given that you are asking, 215 vs. 225 won't make a big difference to you. If you are serious about tracking your car some good summer tires are the way to go; just don't get Michellin Pilot Super Sports. The dual compound layout, while fantastic/brilliant for road use, can be a real PITA due to the different greasing temperatures. You effectively need to run them under pressure to keep off the wet compound which means you have about half the tire width you would with a single compound tire.

As for fluid, I have had very good luck with the durability of the torque 700 fluid as it takes many more track days to degrade than the motul fluids. That said, if you aren't tracking the car alot then any of the high end fluids (ATE, motul 600/660, prject mu, ap racing, etc.) will do the trick. That said if you go too long between track days you might need to do a fluid flush (get dry fluid in the whole system) before the track day and a bleed after (get fresh fluid in the calipers so your pedal is nice and firm).

As for pads, there are alot of options and it depends upon your track day frequency, track, how aggressive you are, etc.
In general the best pads for track days will shriek on the street, not stop as well when cold, and vanish (along with your rotors) very quickly in freeway use.
A mixed use pad on the other hand might fade on track and be gone in one or two track days while still producing alot of dust and maybe noise (and they might also smear on the rotor so you get brake judder).
A street pad has a high probability of fading (both the melty kind and green fade/outgassing) and very well might not make it through the whole track day. Running out of pads is a very bad thing, the best you can hope for is a mucked rotor (cheap) and the worst is one or more bent cars (obviously not cheap).

[smellslikecurry]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

We typically use them to fine tune balance. Stock class AutoX cars use them as a hack to alter handling within the rules.

Any recommendations? My main focus is balance. I'm not trying to be competitive in autox.

You guys are awesome btw.

[AZP Installs]

Here is a pic of my first actual race car at one of my first race events back in 2004...



My first Auto-x Car...



-Mike Paisan


Maintaining, Modifying and Educating TriState Enthusiasts since 2001.
Like us on Facebook! | E-mail: sales@azpinstalls.com | 725 Fairfield Ave | Kenilworth, NJ 07033 | 908.248.AZP1 (2971) |AIM: AZP Installs
"Race Tested, Enthusiast Approved!"

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by smellslikecurry

Any recommendations? My main focus is balance. I'm not trying to be competitive in autox.

You guys are awesome btw.

Drive your car first, and tell me if you like the under/over steer. If you're getting neither, drive more, and drive harder.

Once you get something you don't like, we can make a recommendation.

[M23]

Tnks AZP.

Where do I sign up for my first track days for beginners? I want to start out with other very new beginners and not be mixed in with intermediate or better drivers. But I'm guessing these track days will be organized and they will group the drivers within their skill levels correct?

Do these beginners track day events include free beginner instructors? I read there are instructor fees for some instructors. But I think those are for more advanced and intermediate instruction correct? And beginner instruction is basically just to give the beginning drivers the basics like track etiquette and how everything at the track operates yes?

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by M23

Tnks AZP.

Where do I sign up for my first track days for beginners? I want to start out with other very new beginners and not be mixed in with intermediate or better drivers. But I'm guessing these track days will be organized and they will group the drivers within their skill levels correct?

Do these beginners track day events include free beginner instructors? I read there are instructor fees for some instructors. But I think those are for more advanced and intermediate instruction correct? And beginner instruction is basically just to give the beginning drivers the basics like track etiquette and how everything at the track operates yes?

You should come to the next 86CUP event; you'll meet a lot of other FRS/BRZ owners of varying experience levels.

www.extremespeedtrackevents.com

http://www.facebook.com/groups/1444342282448992/

You can get a free instructor, but generally speaking, instructors that are being paid for are of much higher caliber. A free instructor should be plenty for your first day.

[AZP Installs]

There you go. We have been instructing with NASA and I know they have a Southern California region, so you may want to check out http://NASAProracing.com in addition to what the CSG guys do should have you covered!

Generally here on the east coast the day is divided into session for various levels. Beginners require an instructor and classroom instruction. It's a great learning experience.

-Mike Paisan


Maintaining, Modifying and Educating TriState Enthusiasts since 2001.
Like us on Facebook! | E-mail: sales@azpinstalls.com | 725 Fairfield Ave | Kenilworth, NJ 07033 | 908.248.AZP1 (2971) |AIM: AZP Installs
"Race Tested, Enthusiast Approved!"

[ddeflyer]

Originally Posted by M23

Tnks AZP.

Where do I sign up for my first track days for beginners? I want to start out with other very new beginners and not be mixed in with intermediate or better drivers. But I'm guessing these track days will be organized and they will group the drivers within their skill levels correct?

Do these beginners track day events include free beginner instructors? I read there are instructor fees for some instructors. But I think those are for more advanced and intermediate instruction correct? And beginner instruction is basically just to give the beginning drivers the basics like track etiquette and how everything at the track operates yes?

Your info says SoCal so you probably want to aim for something at Buttonwillow. I would avoid Fontana (I've done the high banks, and while fun, you need to know what you are doing) and Big Willow (haven't gotten there yet but I hear it is a very fast track that can have alot of consequences). I haven't heard anything about streets of Willow or Horse thief mile but they might also work for a start (ask @CSGMike as he is from SoCal if you are interested in those). For which clubs you do the event with, I would look into the marquee clubs (BMW, Audi, PCA) as they generally still have really good instruction programs.
In NorCal we also have hooked on driving which is great for beginners but unless you are coming up to Laguna or T-Hill that wouldn't work.

As far as what they will teach you, the good clubs will have an instructor in the car to help you get through the first stage of driving on track and should also have some classroom sessions w/downloads after every on track session. You can expect to learn about basic track rules like flags, entering and exiting the track, passing and being passed, the school "line", car control (particularly smoothness), etc.

I would recommend staying away from the lower cost clubs until you are in AND passing people in a point-by class run group (ie. you should be able to safely pass people in a corner at speed). This is primarily to ensure that you have the skills and awareness to deal with more un-expected situations on track. 86s seems slow at first because they don't have monster power, but as you get better you will discover that they are really very, very fast machines capable of passing alot of people.

Edit: I am much more conservative on safety items and run group progression than most people. Your risk tolerance is your own choice so long as you stay within the expectations of the event organizer.

[M23]

Cool. Extreme Speed and Nasa looks perfect!

I will sign up with them in the near future once I get my car situation sorted. Lookin forward to it!

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by M23

Cool. Extreme Speed and Nasa looks perfect!

I will sign up with them in the near future once I get my car situation sorted. Lookin forward to it!

I recommend you PM me before signing up for an event, so that I can give you some basic guideance.

[ddeflyer]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

I recommend you PM me before signing up for an event, so that I can give you some basic guideance.

Seriously, take Mike's offer and PM him. He is in SoCal so he knows which clubs are good and which are not. That kind of advice could save your car in an extreme case, or more likely keep you from having to un-learn some bad habits!