Mods for SCCA PDX events??
05-16-2013, 06:34 PM
#1
3rd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Ofallon, IL
Posts: 502
Mods for SCCA PDX events??
So much for straight lines... especially since I can't break into the 13s.. Did the SCCA event at Gateway Motorsports Park for PDX (personal driver experience)..
You get to have an instructor and go out on the 1.65 mile road course... There's 9 turns... including the banked oval (hold about 85mph in the turn.. at the apex of 9, foot on the floor and float out to the wall.. kiss 115mph before braking)...
My instructor was a really cool dude with a Porsche... I got to ride with him for 20 minutes & that showed me the lines... he pointed out stuff that no one else was doing.. gave great advice.. Great guy..
I'm still tired (was yesterday afternoon)...
Was only passed by a GT-R... We got to pass everyone else (including a Lotus Elise)...
This is really tough on the car.. my axle back exhaust was polished stainless.. it's not heat tinted gold... axle was puking from the vent tube... expensive Nitto's weren't too happy about it either... but it was about as much fun in a car as I've EVER had....
Anyone else do this? What mods have you done? What do you watch for wear? What about brakes, (still 100% bone stock at 107,000 miles)... Too tough on a daily driver??
You get to have an instructor and go out on the 1.65 mile road course... There's 9 turns... including the banked oval (hold about 85mph in the turn.. at the apex of 9, foot on the floor and float out to the wall.. kiss 115mph before braking)...
My instructor was a really cool dude with a Porsche... I got to ride with him for 20 minutes & that showed me the lines... he pointed out stuff that no one else was doing.. gave great advice.. Great guy..
I'm still tired (was yesterday afternoon)...
Was only passed by a GT-R... We got to pass everyone else (including a Lotus Elise)...
This is really tough on the car.. my axle back exhaust was polished stainless.. it's not heat tinted gold... axle was puking from the vent tube... expensive Nitto's weren't too happy about it either... but it was about as much fun in a car as I've EVER had....
Anyone else do this? What mods have you done? What do you watch for wear? What about brakes, (still 100% bone stock at 107,000 miles)... Too tough on a daily driver??
05-16-2013, 09:49 PM
#2
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 1,731
ive done it, the way they have it set up is great! as far as brakes i would just upgrade the pads.. shocks and struts will make a hell of a difference as well. and i put the car on track for over 6 hours while i was still DDing it. just make sure to get some quality brake and power steering fluid, and keep up with your regular maintenance.
05-17-2013, 07:45 AM
#3
6th Gear Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: state of confusion
Posts: 7,635
Brake pads. Watch their wear, because some track day events want to see at least 50% pad material before you go out. Pad wear rates can be crazy fast at least on a "per mile" basis. You really need to be using something better than performance street pads (Hawk's HPS is a street pad, not a track pad).
Rotor wear as well, since track oriented pads tend to be more abrasive. No cross-drilled replacements, please (the holes are places where cracks start).
If the J&M LCAs are their polyball version, keep an eye on them. A couple of members here have found them to be of suspect durability at this activity. The Extreme ones are supposed to be a lot better.
There is a "turkey baster" mod for the diff fluid issue, which may or may not be enough. People have fabbed more extensive solutions. I didn't have the problem at a similar event last year.
Wish I could have heard the commentary better. But your instructor's comment at the end about getting feedback from other instructors is well taken. Particularly so if you can get an instructor with current Mustang or 3rd/4th gen Camaro or Firebird seat time (V8, RWD, stick axle). You looked pretty good from here, I didn't see much early apexing like I frequently do in these videos and you weren't way off the apexes. Good return of your right hand to the steering wheel after shifting, maybe a little less hand motion on the wheel. No, I'm not an instructor, it's just the way the video "feels" as I imagine what I'd be doing.
Can you list some information about your car?
Front alignment, particularly camber
Tire size (sizes, if staggered, which isn't the hot tip for this activity)
Wheel width (ditto, to a somewhat lesser extent)
Springs
Sta-bars
Struts and shocks (age or miles on them)
Tire inflation pressures (hot, if available)
There are better tires than Nittos for this activity, without getting into short-lived "R-compound" tires (think drag radials compromised toward cornering here). But smooth driving, relatively wide wheels for the tire size(s), and camber that's significantly more negative than Ford's preferred spec will help them live just like it does any other tire.
Addictive, isn't it? Ultimately, a dedicated set of wheels and tires will be a good thing - if you ever have to patch a tire from your street use, it generally won't pass tech.
Norm
Rotor wear as well, since track oriented pads tend to be more abrasive. No cross-drilled replacements, please (the holes are places where cracks start).
If the J&M LCAs are their polyball version, keep an eye on them. A couple of members here have found them to be of suspect durability at this activity. The Extreme ones are supposed to be a lot better.
There is a "turkey baster" mod for the diff fluid issue, which may or may not be enough. People have fabbed more extensive solutions. I didn't have the problem at a similar event last year.
Wish I could have heard the commentary better. But your instructor's comment at the end about getting feedback from other instructors is well taken. Particularly so if you can get an instructor with current Mustang or 3rd/4th gen Camaro or Firebird seat time (V8, RWD, stick axle). You looked pretty good from here, I didn't see much early apexing like I frequently do in these videos and you weren't way off the apexes. Good return of your right hand to the steering wheel after shifting, maybe a little less hand motion on the wheel. No, I'm not an instructor, it's just the way the video "feels" as I imagine what I'd be doing.
Can you list some information about your car?
Front alignment, particularly camber
Tire size (sizes, if staggered, which isn't the hot tip for this activity)
Wheel width (ditto, to a somewhat lesser extent)
Springs
Sta-bars
Struts and shocks (age or miles on them)
Tire inflation pressures (hot, if available)
There are better tires than Nittos for this activity, without getting into short-lived "R-compound" tires (think drag radials compromised toward cornering here). But smooth driving, relatively wide wheels for the tire size(s), and camber that's significantly more negative than Ford's preferred spec will help them live just like it does any other tire.
Addictive, isn't it? Ultimately, a dedicated set of wheels and tires will be a good thing - if you ever have to patch a tire from your street use, it generally won't pass tech.
Norm
05-17-2013, 08:16 AM
#4
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 1,731
Brake pads. Watch their wear, because some track day events want to see at least 50% pad material before you go out. Pad wear rates can be crazy fast at least on a "per mile" basis. You really need to be using something better than performance street pads (Hawk's HPS is a street pad, not a track pad).
Rotor wear as well, since track oriented pads tend to be more abrasive. No cross-drilled replacements, please (the holes are places where cracks start).
If the J&M LCAs are their polyball version, keep an eye on them. A couple of members here have found them to be of suspect durability at this activity. The Extreme ones are supposed to be a lot better.
There is a "turkey baster" mod for the diff fluid issue, which may or may not be enough. People have fabbed more extensive solutions. I didn't have the problem at a similar event last year.
Wish I could have heard the commentary better. But your instructor's comment at the end about getting feedback from other instructors is well taken. Particularly so if you can get an instructor with current Mustang or 3rd/4th gen Camaro or Firebird seat time (V8, RWD, stick axle). You looked pretty good from here, I didn't see much early apexing like I frequently do in these videos and you weren't way off the apexes. Good return of your right hand to the steering wheel after shifting, maybe a little less hand motion on the wheel. No, I'm not an instructor, it's just the way the video "feels" as I imagine what I'd be doing.
Can you list some information about your car?
Front alignment, particularly camber
Tire size (sizes, if staggered, which isn't the hot tip for this activity)
Wheel width (ditto, to a somewhat lesser extent)
Springs
Sta-bars
Struts and shocks (age or miles on them)
Tire inflation pressures (hot, if available)
There are better tires than Nittos for this activity, without getting into short-lived "R-compound" tires (think drag radials compromised toward cornering here). But smooth driving, relatively wide wheels for the tire size(s), and camber that's significantly more negative than Ford's preferred spec will help them live just like it does any other tire.
Addictive, isn't it? Ultimately, a dedicated set of wheels and tires will be a good thing - if you ever have to patch a tire from your street use, it generally won't pass tech.
Norm
Rotor wear as well, since track oriented pads tend to be more abrasive. No cross-drilled replacements, please (the holes are places where cracks start).
If the J&M LCAs are their polyball version, keep an eye on them. A couple of members here have found them to be of suspect durability at this activity. The Extreme ones are supposed to be a lot better.
There is a "turkey baster" mod for the diff fluid issue, which may or may not be enough. People have fabbed more extensive solutions. I didn't have the problem at a similar event last year.
Wish I could have heard the commentary better. But your instructor's comment at the end about getting feedback from other instructors is well taken. Particularly so if you can get an instructor with current Mustang or 3rd/4th gen Camaro or Firebird seat time (V8, RWD, stick axle). You looked pretty good from here, I didn't see much early apexing like I frequently do in these videos and you weren't way off the apexes. Good return of your right hand to the steering wheel after shifting, maybe a little less hand motion on the wheel. No, I'm not an instructor, it's just the way the video "feels" as I imagine what I'd be doing.
Can you list some information about your car?
Front alignment, particularly camber
Tire size (sizes, if staggered, which isn't the hot tip for this activity)
Wheel width (ditto, to a somewhat lesser extent)
Springs
Sta-bars
Struts and shocks (age or miles on them)
Tire inflation pressures (hot, if available)
There are better tires than Nittos for this activity, without getting into short-lived "R-compound" tires (think drag radials compromised toward cornering here). But smooth driving, relatively wide wheels for the tire size(s), and camber that's significantly more negative than Ford's preferred spec will help them live just like it does any other tire.
Addictive, isn't it? Ultimately, a dedicated set of wheels and tires will be a good thing - if you ever have to patch a tire from your street use, it generally won't pass tech.
Norm
05-17-2013, 12:03 PM
#5
3rd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Ofallon, IL
Posts: 502
Thanks for the pointers... & comments on style.. what I was looking for..
Car is basically 100% stock, except for some Koni's... tires are 255x45x18 Nitto 555s... everything else has 107,000 miles on it (brakes included)...
Adrenaline is starting to come down now... not sure I wanna bash my daily driver this hard...
In a couple years I get to start rebuilding the 69 Mach... Think we'll get rid of the shock towers, probably Mustang II type set up and a rear torq arm (coils) and perhaps set it up for this type of fun...
Car is basically 100% stock, except for some Koni's... tires are 255x45x18 Nitto 555s... everything else has 107,000 miles on it (brakes included)...
Adrenaline is starting to come down now... not sure I wanna bash my daily driver this hard...
In a couple years I get to start rebuilding the 69 Mach... Think we'll get rid of the shock towers, probably Mustang II type set up and a rear torq arm (coils) and perhaps set it up for this type of fun...
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