Random Thoughts - Part III The Search for Spark (No Politics)

[bcj]

Found this for sale this morning.



Woo! Make the commute a bit shorter.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Why am I doing this?:. I kind of just want to try it as a challenge. My problem is I'm too cautious and never had the space/money/stability to feel comfortable with major mods and now I do. My irl car friends are all about that torque (280ftlb or gtfo) and most of the encouragement I get is trade in the FRS for something faster, so I guess there's a bit of wanting to prove them wrong lol.

More power does not make one a better driver.
More power does not make the FRS a better car.
If you haven't yet been coached by a pro, I guarantee that you haven't come close to experiencing what the FRS can do. Bone stock, it already rewards the driver for using proper technique, and safely tells the driver when handled otherwise.


Fill it with 5w30 and go find its limits with help from a coach. That is the only correct answer at this point. ...IMHO

[ScoobsMcGee]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Warning car talk:

If my car were still stock, or I could do it all over again, I'd consider one of four things:

- Wait for a performance pack on the 2nd gen with better brakes, buy it, and then swap out suspension bits to have a fun car with warranty on the engine
- Consider a decent used Cayman S or GTS if you can find one
- Consider a new Z once the initial markup calms down
- Consider a manual Zupra after looking into the bump steer more

Right now my BRZ has just a bit more whp than a stock 2nd gen, a lot of suspension mods, 17x9 wheels, and better brakes. Also comfy seats and some other small cosmetic stuff. I don't want to go e85 nor swap a high flow cat or catless header. I've yet to hear an aftermarket non-turbo header that doesn't sound like an amplified wet fart, and the best fuel we can get around here is up to e70 -- sometimes.

On the up side the car is more fun and engaging to drive than the Giulia, while still being both much slower on throttle and less capable in corners. It's completely paid off so if it blows up I'm only out garage space until I decide what to do with it. It costs me nothing but cheap consumables and insurance to run.

On the down side it is still less capable than any of the listed cars with equal tires and skill. The engine idle still sounds like a muffled recording of a two stroke lawnmower making out with a blender full of loose bolts. Whenever I don't drive it for more than a few days I find myself thinking about either further modifying it or selling it outright. Some of the consumables I do need (engine air filter, brake pads, belts) are no longer stock and may become difficult to find. I also have to beg IAG to do an alignment when I need one. After CBRD closed in York, the only place I could find which would even attempt to align it did such a bad job that IAG's alignment computer made the car look like a flying DeLorean before they fixed it.

Another thing to think about is that it may be more difficult to find some place willing to either tune the car, or sell you tools and software to try to tune it yourself. I haven't looked into it post EPA crackdowns, so not sure on this.

Although the list of negatives is longer than positives, I don't regret modifying the car at all. I learned a LOT more about cars than I ever knew, and about driving as well. Also none of the negatives matter once I'm on a back road with no one around for more than 5 minutes. The only thing that matters is to keep driving for as long as I can get away with it.

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by NoHaveMSG

That would be a good start. I’d really recommend taking part in an instructed event first. They usually focus on safety and etiquette and work up from there. Some stuff on driving line and basic techniques. It would be worth calling or emailing them and asking questions first on how they structure the day. We have a couple decent groups in my area that I have done classes with and they are helpful.

I really wouldn’t worry about joining SCCA. You don’t need to in order to do one of their TNiA events and those are kind of clusters anyway that I would recommend avoiding unless you are desperate. You only really need their membership for competitive events.

I’ve met tons of people that have become friends over the years doing track days. You are already participating in a common interest. Most people are friendly. I haven’t met too many idiots.

Looks like the scca HDPE novice groups are instructed and have a number of classes and 20-minute track sessions. I think I'm going to try one of those...

Question 1: What is the most efficient way to buy a helmet, and what should I look for?

Question 2: In your opinion, how important is track insurance for a first timer?

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

More power does not make one a better driver.
More power does not make the FRS a better car.
If you haven't yet been coached by a pro, I guarantee that you haven't come close to experiencing what the FRS can do. Bone stock, it already rewards the driver for using proper technique, and safely tells the driver when handled otherwise.


Fill it with 5w30 and go find its limits with help from a coach. That is the only correct answer at this point. ...IMHO

Yeah, you are right.

[cjd]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Looks like the scca HDPE novice groups are instructed and have a number of classes and 20-minute track sessions. I think I'm going to try one of those...

Question 1: What is the most efficient way to buy a helmet, and what should I look for?

Question 2: In your opinion, how important is track insurance for a first timer?

1. Fit is the most important thing, which means you should try it on at a shop where they know how to verify fit.
2. You ready to walk away from a wreck? What's your tolerance? Insurance is never about the sure-thing; it's about the what-if.


Don't discount an autocross either; it's not going to get you as much seat time for your dollar, but it gives you a chance to push hard at lower speeds. See how it feels when it spins (assuming you push that hard... you may not.) Still totally possible for everything to go wrong, but within the envelope of speed for which the cars safety features are built.


It still hurts if you crash. I was vaguely surprised I didn't have neck issues from the helmet, but it seems the airbags worked there and did their job.


C

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by bcj

Found this for sale this morning.

Attachment 214840

Woo! Make the commute a bit shorter.

If I had a big enough property to legally fly out of, I'd consider one.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Back at cha!

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Back at cha!

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by cjd

1. Fit is the most important thing, which means you should try it on at a shop where they know how to verify fit.
2. You ready to walk away from a wreck? What's your tolerance? Insurance is never about the sure-thing; it's about the what-if.


Don't discount an autocross either; it's not going to get you as much seat time for your dollar, but it gives you a chance to push hard at lower speeds. See how it feels when it spins (assuming you push that hard... you may not.) Still totally possible for everything to go wrong, but within the envelope of speed for which the cars safety features are built.


It still hurts if you crash. I was vaguely surprised I didn't have neck issues from the helmet, but it seems the airbags worked there and did their job.


C

I hear you on autocross, also on my list to try. I'm just not sure what I'm doing there either, lol. My concern is how beginner friendly the events left on the calendar are.

For insurance purposes, I can afford to lose the whole car if that's what you mean. It would probably make my original quandary easier at the very least...

Edit:. Checked in on autocross near me. Organizer said no experience necessary and they have a novice coordinator to help get new folks situated. However... All the locations are 2.5 hours away so I need to figure out if it's worth it to drive 5 hours for 6 minutes of runtime.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

If I had a big enough property to legally fly out of, I'd consider one.

Are you SURE you would want to fly that thing over rural Georgia? -

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Are you SURE you would want to fly that thing over rural Georgia? -

I'm all prepared for that, been practicing....

[NoHaveMSG]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Looks like the scca HDPE novice groups are instructed and have a number of classes and 20-minute track sessions. I think I'm going to try one of those...

Question 1: What is the most efficient way to buy a helmet, and what should I look for?

Question 2: In your opinion, how important is track insurance for a first timer?

That sounds perfect.

Like CJD says, try to buy at a shop where you can try them on.

I bought track insurance the first few times, then stopped. I don't think it's as important for a first timer as you are typically instructed and being cautious. It's kind of track and organization dependent. I imagine SCCA instruction will be pretty conservative. The couple guys I know that instruct locally take it pretty slow and try not to overwhelm people with too much to quickly. I also know of a couple NW tracks I would completely recommend track insurance for first timers as there details of the track that are tricky and have really bad spots that even putting a couple tires off can be bad.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Yeah, you are right.

I expect a full report.