question for trackers

[stuntman]

If you let by someone in the straight, how would you be able to carry the high speed into the corner?

I don't quite know what you're getting at. High cornering speed does not require high straightaway speed. If an NSX/350Z/EVO does lets say 125mph on a straight, and they haveto slow down to 40mph through a corner. A miata going 95mph on a straight will haveto slow down to 40mph or lets say 44mph because of the higher cornering speeds.

And how would you call it fun that you have to let off the throttle in every passing zone??

If you're in a low HP miata, then you won't haveto lift, if they can hang with you in the corners, they will blow by you on the straights with their greater power. If they can't hang with you in the corners, odds are, they could be making slower lap times, so you're going faster than they are. So you're having fun.

 

[Ponyboy]

But will a Miata be of much help in learning to drive the NSX better? Ultimately I want to know my NSX well. They are such different cars. How much of what you learn can transfer over? I am sure the cars behave 100% differently.

The Miata will only help! The key thing is track time and practice. Consider that every time you're on track you're learning better car control, braking threshold, shifting, line, race craft, etc.

A low cost Miata only helps and does it at very attractive price point.

 

[nsxtasy]

You can do the math to figure out how many events that works out to. (For example, you typically put on 150-200 miles in a two-day event with 80-100 minutes of driving sessions per day.)

Thats an average of 112-119 mph Ken.

Read that statement carefully and you'll see it's 150-200 miles in 160-200 minutes, which computes to an average of anywhere from 45 to 75 mph. Average speeds while out on the track may be slightly higher than an aggregated computation like that might indicate, but when you have (for example) driving sessions of 25 minutes, that typically consists of 20 minutes at speed, a couple of slow minutes for cool-down, and the rest is taken up getting all the cars off and on the track.

It sounds to me like you haven't tracked your car yet. As such, the only brake upgrades I would recommend are better pads (i.e. Hawk HP Plus, maybe Blue since your supercharged) and better fluid (i.e. Motul).

Until you've done quite a few track days, have become addicted, have the appropriate skill level, and are going to move up to R-compund tires, start braking real late, and otherwise trying to squeeze every fraction of second out that you can - you won't need more than that. Even then my suggestion would be to move up to a Hawk racing compound (like DTC-60 on the front and Black on the rear) and more-religious flushing of fluid.

Expensive big brake upgrades and such are probably not necessary unless you're getting into competitive events that are several laps in length (where the previous setup is the weak spot because you're boiling brand new fluid) or you're Mr Enduro on track days (sworn off cool-down laps and refuse to come into the paddock between sessions).

 

[BioBanker]

I actually found that the stock set up, with stock pads, stock fluid, worked well on the track for many events.

Now, Im using Hawk HP+ pads with Motul 600 and I find it MORE than sufficient lap after lap after lap. No fade. TONS of stopping power in my 02. R compounds.

I dont perceive much of a difference between my current set up and the Pcar Big Reds on the tracks that I visit.

Dave - I know you're as freaky a modder as they come, but I wouldnt worry about changing your brakes for the track just yet. Save the dough for a yellow paint job - you need that more.

 

[L8apex32]

Not really. You haveto apply things a bit differently from car to car, but their's no reason you shouldn't benefit from seat time in any car.

Since the miata is 50/50 weight distribution and a very well balanced car, it responds to you inputs perfectly. NSX is a very balanced car, has a bit more polar energy in the rear of the car from the engine being behind you, so you should easily be able to gain from tracking a miata.

Here I am agreeing with Stuntman again and I don't even know him. Anyway, a car like a Miata gives you a cheap tool for learning to drive. That was the point. Learning has nothing to do with going fast, per se.

In fact, cars with more power are harder to learn to drive. This is because the high power leads to high speeds and lots of passing other cars and maybe toasting your brakes, etc, etc. Cars that are slower, where the whole time you are thinking that you need to speed up... that is the feeling you want when you are trying to learn to drive.

The thoughts you want in your mind when learning to drive are:
o I need to exit this turn faster
o I'll never catch up on the straights unless I exit the turn faster
o my only chance to catch up is in braking and in the turns
o when I do the turn *this* way I gain on him
o when I mess up the turn, I lose ground

When you are thinking thoughts like these, your mind will free to be "in the moment" at the right time and you'll naturally tend to learn the right line and what works and what doesn't. You'll also, likely, notice that nothing happens on the straightaway... other than everyone just floors it and waits for the next braking zone.

These are the ways of learning to drive.
Low power cars, with good balance - are how to ensure you'll be in "this" zone. The Miata is also cheap which is a big plus.

The bad "zone" (for learning), on the other hand, is the "my car is faster than yours so I *should* be faster than you." Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate... these are not the ways of people who learn to be good drivers.

$0.02

 

[NSXDreamer2]

Here I am agreeing with Stuntman again and I don't even know him. Anyway, a car like a Miata gives you a cheap tool for learning to drive. That was the point. Learning has nothing to do with going fast, per se.

In fact, cars with more power are harder to learn to drive. This is because the high power leads to high speeds and lots of passing other cars and maybe toasting your brakes, etc, etc. Cars that are slower, where the whole time you are thinking that you need to speed up... that is the feeling you want when you are trying to learn to drive.

The thoughts you want in your mind when learning to drive are:
o I need to exit this turn faster
o I'll never catch up on the straights unless I exit the turn faster
o my only chance to catch up is in braking and in the turns
o when I do the turn *this* way I gain on him
o when I mess up the turn, I lose ground

When you are thinking thoughts like these, your mind will free to be "in the moment" at the right time and you'll naturally tend to learn the right line and what works and what doesn't. You'll also, likely, notice that nothing happens on the straightaway... other than everyone just floors it and waits for the next braking zone.

These are the ways of learning to drive.
Low power cars, with good balance - are how to ensure you'll be in "this" zone. The Miata is also cheap which is a big plus.

The bad "zone" (for learning), on the other hand, is the "my car is faster than yours so I *should* be faster than you." Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate... these are not the ways of people who learn to be good drivers.

$0.02

well, that's true... nsx is intimdating to drive at the very edge...
You guys made it very tempting for me to try tracking my miata just once :biggrin: