Going to my first track event this coming sunday.

junior40er

junior40er

Experienced Member
Joined
5 January 2011
Messages
1,604
Location
Southern California
This will be my first time at a track, as a driver and as a spectator.

Track:
Willow Springs Streets of Willow CCW

Car:
1995 NSX
Engine
CTSC 1.6L Whipple
Cantrell Headers
Angus Resonated Test pipes
Dali Intake Scoop
Ark DT-S Exhaust

Brakes:
Stock Brake rotors/Pads
Slotted front

Wheels/Tires/Suspension:
OZ Ultra Leggera 17/18
Dunlop Starspec Front
Micheling Pilot Super Sport Rear
KW V3 coilovers
Alignment recently done

Body
Carbon6 SuperGT Mirrors
Difflow Diffuser
NSX-R Style Spoiler


Thats pretty much it, nothing special. I'd like to think my suspension is at least decent to start with but I know I have work ahead of me to get it right.


So you know where im taking my car to and know some basics about my car.

Some basics stuff I wonder are:
1) TCS on or off?
2)Tire PSI, should it be set any different than street?
3)I plan on painters taping front of car, should I do side and rear too?
4) Do I need a number on my car, I noticed some do (either magnetic or tape)
5) Should I start off my day with a full tank or half?
6) Do I have to run the car on every run or can I take a break and cool off?




I dont haveanymore specific questions but I accept any advice you feel is good for a begginer. Something you wished an experienced driver would have told you.

I'm sorry if im asking dumb things but I want to know as much as possible and want to know what to expect.
 
junior40er said:
Some basics stuff I wonder are:
1) TCS on or off?
2)Tire PSI, should it be set any different than street?
3)I plan on painters taping front of car, should I do side and rear too?
4) Do I need a number on my car, I noticed some do (either magnetic or tape)
5) Should I start off my day with a full tank or half?
6) Do I have to run the car on every run or can I take a break and cool off?
Click to expand...

1) TCS should be OFF. You don't want anything intervening especially if you're trying to correct a slide or if the back end steps out.

2) I would start the Tire PSI at OEM recommendation of 33 front, 40 rear before the first session. Immediately after the session is over, check the pressure when your tires are hot. I would try to keep them around 35 hot and 42 hot rear... There are markers on the side of the tire that help you determine if the pressures are too high or too low. Read the article below for more info
http://racingready.com/2010/05/27/tire-pressure-woes-autocross-tuning-tips/
Adjust accordingly if the car is oversteering or understeering (this could be the case since the tires aren't the same front to rear).

3) I tape the whole car (except where my clear bra is), see my picture below from Willow Springs. There's lots of dirt and rocks that get dragged on the track and they get kicked up by the cars in front.

4) Use tape for your number. Remember the bodies of our cars are aluminum, so magnetic numbers DO NOT WORK.

5) Start off the track day with a full tank. Get the gas at the station right off the 14 fwy by the Jack in the Box. Gas at the track is ~$7-$10 a gallon if I remember correctly and it's about a 40 min round trip to the gas station by the fwy. My Mazdaspeed uses 1.5 tanks of gas on a track day, my N/A NSX uses like 1/2 tank.. not sure how thirsty your S/C NSX will be, but just fill up.

6) The day will be broken up into probably 4 run groups (Advanced, Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2 and Beginner). Each session is about 25 minutes in length and they go one after the other. So as soon as you finish there's about 1.5 hours (3 run groups) of down time until your next session. You can skip as many sessions as you want or go home early, but you won't get any refund.

Remember after a run session, do not park your car with handbrake - use a chalk as the handbrake can warp the brake rotors. Let the car cool a few minutes before turning it off, then park it in gear. Pop the engine bay, then check your tire pressures!!!

SOW_073011_Ses4_-_023.jpg


This was the first session, so I didn't get a chance to tape the turn signals..
SOW_073011_Ses1_-_023.jpg
 
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junior40er said:
Thank you, lots of good info. Never knew about e brake tip.

As far as number, can I just choose my own?
Click to expand...

Are you running with ExtremeSpeed? They usually don't care if you have numbers or not (I never run numbers with them)... SpeedVentures enforces it a little more and they allow you to pick any 3 digit number..
 
Hey man! good to see more people getting out there.

Ill be out there both Saturday and Sunday in my NSX. I run frequently with ExtremeSpeed, You'll find it a more relaxed atmosphere that other groups (this can be both good and bad).

Streets is a decent first track day course, its technical and not too- too fast. You'll get a good idea of nailing lines and hitting braking points. You'll likely start in the beginner group, learn the flags get used to wearing a helmet in your car (for me at least was weird at first) and understand the dynamic of driving on the track.

This will be a good weekend and not too crowded, another group called SpeedVentures is running at Buttonwillow and I know alot of people that will be there instead.

As far as upgrades, I do suggest that you change your fluid to a motul RBF600 or a super blue dot4. its definatly not the end of the world if you dont/cant, but temps get hot out there during the summer and as a beginner nothing is more disconcerting than a spongy pedal. check your rotors visually for anything that may be a crack or abnormality at least halfway through the day. I take a quick peak (with the wheels still on the car) after every other session or so. its a good idea to check oil level and have a peak under the hood for splashing abs fluid and under the back for anything else dripping as often as possible. I bring a peice of scrap carpet/towel with me so i can lay down and not get dirty.

I always put my pressures at 32PSI in the morning and they will heat up to about 36-38 during the track session. after you pull in the first few min try and take your PSI if your in the ball park of 36-38 you'll be good. as it heats up you may need to bleed some air off.

TCS always OFF, sounds scary but is much easier to control if you do step out. I ended up unplugging my ABS on my first track day in the NSX then removing it all together later on. There varying opinions about this, personally I did not like the ABS at all.

take ALL the stuff out of your car. EVERYTHING. floor mats, junk in the glovebox spare tire from the front. certainly don't have anything hanging from the rear view mirror.


I fill up to 3/4 tank at the chevron right after you exit Rosamond blvd. its cheaper than at the track by 30 bucks a tank or so. You'll notice that during hard driving the gas gauge will start to drop waaay down. For one, your using more gas on throttle (duh) and two theres a quirk in the NSX- After you take it back to the pits it'll typically rise up a few hatches over where it said it was when you were during your session.

On streets you will only hit 3 gear twice (unless you've for a 4.4 and the jdm gear set) this is both good and bad. good because you can work on lines and braking more than shifting- and bad because you'll wish that you had the 4.4 and gears:biggrin:)
wheel to shifter then hands back on the wheel. pet peeve sorry.

One cautionary piece of advise I am qualified to give is is be careful on over revving on a downshift. I es'sploded my oil gear running CCW at streets this last year. it was avoidable but I was in 'the moment' coming down the straight, Ive lived and learned.. and paid for it. If any sort of oil light comes on PULL OFF THE TRACK SAFELY AND TURN OFF THE CAR. Not trying to put fear in you, people track plenty and are just fine. Im just saying- if an oil pressure light or CEL light flicks on. It can end up saving you a wad of cash just to shut her down and get a tow back in. It should be mentioned that the oil pressure gage will be jumping around coming in and out of vtec (thats normal and nothing to worry about) idiot lights mean trouble.

If there is some one behind or in front of you that you dont want to be around, pull into the hot pits (all this will be covered at the drivers meeting) some people forget thats an option.

painters tape. I dont use it. I track a shit tonne and my paint is holding up fine. Im not super anal like that though so, grain of salt. If you do tape the car. PLEASE don't block the radiator ducting hole.... Lemme tell you about this one BMW driver... :rolleyes:
You dont need numbers at XS events. You can also run as little/much as you feel comfortable with.


Heat out there is a bitch i typically will sit out a few during the day to hydrate. there is free water bottles that sit outside the main building at streets, I grab a few every time I walk by. There is also food at the track that you can buy. its not too bad but I usually bring my own snacks, since the hours can be spotty.


Anyways- i've been elbowed to be an instructor for XS (and have done some instruction before with other event groups) I don't ever do it unless its my brother or my friends but wouldnt mind taking a couple laps to show you where to be. I drive my NSX on different lines than any other car ive owned, especially on Streets. I wouldnt mind showing you what has worked for me, if you want.

Come say hi, im the guy with the tattoos and this car


 
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Yeah, I meet illwillem last time when I brought out my Mazda. Super cool guy and super fast! He'd be an excellent instructor. I stand by his recommendations.

I just remembered, don't forget about the ABS trick with our cars. You can temporarily disable ABS by pulling the Handbrake up 1 click, then driving around the pits (or do a 1/2 lap) until the ABS light comes on. Once it comes on, drop the handbrake back down. The ABS will be disabled until you restart the car.

The only other thing is that my car overheated about the 3rd session (around 1pm) on a hot day like this weekend. You'll know it, because your redline will drop to like 6k-7k rpm (and the temp gauge will be spiked). If that's the case, do a cool down lap or two and bring her in to the pits. Don't run your A/C during the track sessions!! even though it'll be so hot you'll be dying to use it..
 
+1 on high-temp brake fluid. You might not be threshhold braking at your first track day, but if you are you'll want the extra cushion. Boiling brake fluid is scary and dangerous.

+1 on a full tank. If you are shifting at redline you will get about 10 MPG. Do the math; you'll prolly run out of gas before you run out of sessions.

Do all the sessions. You paid for it, get seat time.

Driving tip: work on line first, speed will come later.

Important driving tip: since this is your first session on a track, DO find the corner workers stations. THEY ARE YOUR FRIENDS and represent the difference between fun and disaster if something has happened on the track in front of you. If you know where the corner workers are, you'll never be surprised that the track might be blocked b/c you'll have seen the yellow flags.

Another important driving tip, if not THE most important tip: EYES! You will find it SO easy to fixate on what is in front of you so that you won't look down through the turns, to the apexes and to the track out points. You'll remember to look ahead, then after 5 minutes, you WILL forget. The best thing you can learn in your first track day is EYES UP. It will slow the course down in your head and help you find the line. I cannot emphasize this enough. Look further ahead than you think you should:

- On a straightaway look for the brake markers and the turn-in point
- In the brake zones, STOP LOOKING AT THE TURN IN POINT, look for the apex. Scan back and forth from the turn in to the apex, and the closer you get to the turn in the more you'll look at the apex using your peripheral vision for the turn-in point.
- At the turn-in point look through the apex to the track out. Pivot your head around, look out the side window if you have to.
- At the apex, look for the track out.
- At track out, look down the next straight to the next braking zone.

Make this your mantra: Brake marker, turn-in point, apex, track out, WAY BEFORE YOU THINK YOU SHOULD.

If you learn nothing else on your first day, eye discipline will be the best skill you can learn for not only track driving and hitting the line, but for street driving, too. Come back after your track day and tell me, "Yeah, I did find myself looking straight ahead and forgetting to look ahead and through the turns." It is SO easy to do. Then tell me "Thanks for this tip!" :biggrin:

Most of all, RELAX AND HAVE FUN!!!!!!
 
Here's a comparison video of me running the NSX on the left and the Mazdaspeed3 on the right. As you can tell, I'm much more aggressive in the Mazda since its FWD and much more forgiving. I also don't want to go off track in the NSX and mess it up..:tongue:

Click the bottom Link to start the videos at roughly the same time
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"><tr><td width="425" height="355" valign="top"> <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/d6bXgLxFRGQ&start=12&autoplay=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/d6bXgLxFRGQ&start=12&autoplay=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object> </td><td width="425" height="355" valign="top"> <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ONq812HJdzo&start=104&autoplay=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ONq812HJdzo&start=104&autoplay=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object> </td></tr> <tr><td colspane=2><span style="font-size:8pt; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://youtubedoubler.com/?video1=d6bXgLxFRGQ&start1=12&video2=ONq812HJdzo&start2=104&authorName=meahwahwah">Click here to show the Laps Side by side!</a></td></tr> </table>
 
I've said it many times before and I'll say it again........Call your insurance agent and see if you are covered if you are on a RACE TRACK and have a mishap. He/she most likely will have to call underwriting to make sure. I did not call and crashed my car (actually totalled it - yes, NSX). Not trying to rain on your parade - going to a race track is putting your car on the line, no two ways about it. I had to most fun in my NSX when I was on the track. It was the best of times and the worst of times.....
 
Wow, lots of really good info here. Thanks.

Anytime, I will call my agent tomorrow but everyone days most insurance companies don't cover on track? So I'm doing this at my own risk and will take it easy and just work on lines rather than times. I will call tomorrow and ask. Thanks.
 
junior40er said:
After some online research I am confident state farm or any other off the shelf company excludes coverage on the track. Any else here track their nsx accepting this fact? Kind of scary.
Click to expand...

Tell them it's a high performance driving school. Also if something did happened to your car it was right outside the track (wink wink)
 
ANYTIME said:
I've said it many times before and I'll say it again........Call your insurance agent and see if you are covered if you are on a RACE TRACK and have a mishap. He/she most likely will have to call underwriting to make sure. I did not call and crashed my car (actually totalled it - yes, NSX). Not trying to rain on your parade - going to a race track is putting your car on the line, no two ways about it. I had to most fun in my NSX when I was on the track. It was the best of times and the worst of times.....
Click to expand...

Wow! Was this recent? Or was this an accident in a prior NSX?
 
(Most of the time) The car goes where you look. So look where you want to go, the farther you can, not in front of you. This also help to detect oversteer.
 
Best thing I ever did for my car track driving was to start to tracking motorcycles too. Its like taking the fast lane in teaching eye discipline and braking points. On the motorcycles there is no 'Kinda' you're either eyes up or in the dirt.
 
Can I get some input on this?

While inspecting my NSX I found my left inner axle boot ripped. Seems like theyre plenty of grease in there still. Is this something I should "down" my NSX for and skip going Sunday? I'm hoping its OK for 1 light track day and just start working on replacing soon after. Maybe I can take it still and just inspect it after every session?

IMG_20120727_125119.jpg
 
Thats a tuff call, if you can get it fixed somewhere today or tomorrow (which i doubt you could) just grab a temp CV boot like ryu posted and throw it on there then change it ASAP. Ive replaced all my CV boots and after super hot track days I still find slung grease around. it'll heat up because its right next to the header and 'melt' the grease then it'll seep out of the smallest cracks. Do the temp fix for sunday but get it done for real asap or if you've got time. Problem is to do it correctly you gotta pull off the axle and since it looks like its on the drivers side you'll also have to drain and replace the trans fluid.
 
It's astounding how hot your wheels will get, since they are acting as big heat sinks for the rotors. This heat cycling will wreak havoc with the lug nuts, so, I recommend retorqueing your lugs nuts after every run. Re: the CV boots, personally I would not take my car on the track unless the motherfcker's tip top.
 
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