Sleeper_08

my preference is TMP for learning as I have been told that Shannonville can get rough if you get off track. I haven't been there for years. It is also a longer drive.

TMP Exotic Car days are fun events with lot's of cars and sometime we have three ot four of us there with Mustangs.

Here are a couple of videos from the last event;

http://www.youtube.com/user/frederic.../2/GyjKbifGGP4

http://www.youtube.com/user/frederic.../1/TGfw46P-UqE

If you have not been on the track before then I suggest either spending the $50 for instruction or riding with one of us.

Mustang's At Mosport is almost a mandatory event if you track your car.

My first event at Mosport again this season is going to be Frank Ewald's day

http://www.frankewald.com/

My brother is coming as well - he is the Co Chief Instructor for the Porsche Club and has been around Mosport at least 10,000 laps. He sets the standard in my car and then I spend the rest of the season trying to get close to his times. Here is his fastest lap from last year

http://www.youtube.com/user/frederic.../5/UJgw5QPT26Y

I have dealt with Sam and drove down to see him a couple of years ago and pick up my Watt's link. He will give you the straight goods.

In Canada, as you are well aware prices are different and freight etc. a big issue. If you want to upgrade and track your car then the Koni Yellows are the way to go. I got mine from Sam and on sale he could ship them US Postal Service which works very well.

My car is different because of the weight of the SC so Steeda Competition springs are best for it. HP wise at 445 flywheel it is not much more than the new 2011's

If I was doing it with a 2011 I'd go with the springs Sam suggests, Koni Yellows, Sam's front and rear sway bars and Steeda HD front mounts. Then get the car aligned with about -1.5 to -2 degrees front camber.

You have the Brembo kit so the main thing you need is to upgrade your pads. I'm now running a full track pad, Carbotech XP10/XP8 f/r last year and am going to try XP10/XP10 f/r. The problem with the track pads is that they squeal badly on the street. You might also want to consider going to DOT 4 fluid. Contrary to what most people say I have found that TMP is harder on brakes than Mosport but different drivers have different techniques.

IMHO tires are the biggest single performance improvement you can make. I ran KDW2s in 285/40/18 on 18 x 9.5 all round for two seasons and then last year got a set of Nitto NT01s on Enkei PF01 rims. I carry them in the car and change them at the track. If you are new to tracking the car then the normal suggestion is to use street tires for a while.

I use the CG Lock to hold me in on corners but my car has cloth seats which also helps.

txminime

Sorry to hi jack the thread...

Sleeper, can you describe (pictures are even better if you have them...) how did you pack 4 race tires/wheels inside your '08? I'm trying to figure out how to get my track tires to the track without driving with slicks on the street... Thanks!

FC

Sleeper_08

The trick, which someone else pointed out to me, is to put one wheel/tire in the spare well. It sits higher than the stock spare but there is still room on top of it for a second wheel/tire. This one goes in the trunk after the left hand side is packed with one 24 x 16 x 12.5 Rubbermaid tote box with the jack and other tools. The helmet bag goes on the right hand side.

My track tires are 275/40/18 so they are slightly smaller in diameter than the stock tires and thus fit in the spare tire well.

Then the rear seat backs are lowered and two 24 x 16 x 8.75 inch Rubbermaid containers with other stuff go behind the drivers seat. The last two wheels/tires go horizontally stacked on top of each other behind the passenger seat on the folded down rear seat backs. The impact wrench goes on the floor behind the passenger seat.

Anything still left over goes in the passenger side foot well area.

I've had people watch me load it and they don't believe it will all fit

I'm not keen about driving with all of that weight in the back seat area so the containers behind me contain the lighter things. I am also very careful with keeping a good distance open for braking when driving to and from the track.

There is of course no room left for a passenger.

My NT01s are now down to only the 2 longitudinal grooves and one day last year it rained really hard on my way home. If I had been on the track tires there is no way I could have driven the car.

txminime

Thank you. I totally forgot about the spare tire well! Great, now I don't have to compromise on track tires choices if I don't have to drive them to the track with me.

FC

Sleeper_08

Glad to help.

The alternative is a trailer but as I live in an apartment that won't work for me.

Ansibe

Sleeper thanks fro the response. The vids are great, I can't believe a stock 2011 mustang will stay with a viper - you're quick.

Thanks for the shipping advise. I'm sure I'll go that way eventually.

I'm pretty committed to max performance summer tires. I tried a set of bridgestone re11s last year, and wasn't too happy. It's very difficult to take advantage of the greater traction at the apex, and you lose a little "forgiveness" in the bargain. I'll take confidence in the whole corner over grip at the apex. Plus I only got one season out of the 'stones. Ouch.

I'm seriously considering a sparco seat. thoughts?

Consider this thread hi-jacked ....

Sleeper_08

I'm not as quick as the car - my brother always goes faster in it than I do and he doesn't drive it very often.

My car has side air bags and i don't want to give them up so will stick with the stock seats. If I do replace them one day then at the same time I will put in a good roll bar. Post #8 is a good discussion of the merits of safety systems

http://s197forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50726

My NT01s have about 9 track days on them and it looks like there is at least another 3 or 4 days still left in them!

Argonaut

Since we are way off topic here is *my opinion* on a couple subjects:

On the track, race seats are very much a "performance" mod. They make a big difference in your driving. Suddenly you don't have to put any energy into bracing yourself in a corner. You will be more relaxed and you will be able to grip the wheel for the sole purpose of turning it rather than also needing to hold on. Plus - due to less overall padding and the way you are locked in, you are able to feel what the car is doing better. You will be able to anticipate the rear end sliding out sooner and react quicker for example. In the end, with a proper race seat you will be more comfortable, consistent and confident.

The down side of installing race seats is the other 'mods' needed to go along with them. The 3-point belt will not work with a deeply bolstered seat. Thus you need 5 or 6 point harnesses and a way to mount them.

Its the mounting bit that generates so much controversy: will a harness-bar do, or is at least a roll-bar required. The main argument against a harness-bar is - if you get the car upside down and if you crush the roof in then your spine, neck and head (securely fastened in with the harness) have no where to go. Because of this possibility there are many people who will argue adamantly that a race seat and harnesses should only ever be used in a car with at least a proper-roll bar.

I won't say I have a strong opinion one way or the other here. Any way you shake it, driving a car at high-speed on a track has risks (so does driving on the street). There is a risk you can flip it, it occasionally happens, and sometimes the roof does get crushed in* (see below). Other types of incidents like frontal, side and rear impacts are far more common though. I've seen many cars nose first into a tire wall for example. For these types of wrecks a roll-bar gives no advantage over a harness-bar So, in the more common types of on track incidents which is safer: a stock 3 point with airbag or a 5-point w/race seat and HANs device? Personally I'd rather be in the race seat with full harness.

In a perfect world we'd all have dedicated track cars with full safety-cells, etc. But thats not reality. We all have to decide for ourselves what risks we are willing to take. If you can't put in a roll-bar, do you then have to give up the benefits of a race seat/harness and increased safety in non-rollover incidents (assuming you buy that) due to the risk of rollover w/crush....only you can decide.

*I know one of our members who regularly contributes to this forum rolled his stang at a DE a SummitPoint and I know he walked away, but I don't recall how badly the roof was crushed and what safety equipment he had.

justjim

I can't quite figure out how to attach this graph, but here's the way it looks working the math through all the powertrain ratios. I use 7000 for the rev limiter when I couldn't find the exact value....I have a 2006 with a 3.55 axle, and it's about right for autocross since I rarely run out of 2nd gear at the places we hold our event. The 3.31 should be the right axle for a 2011 if you are interested in autocross

http://i319.photobucket.com/albums/m...-ratios_97.jpg

Jim