FlzRider

So I pulled the trigger on the TSW wheels! I purchased the black TSW Interlagos in 17x9 +63 with 245/40-R17 Bridgestone RE-71R tires all around.

So now that the tough part is over, I have just two more questions for you:

-Do you need to run hubcentric adapter rings with these wheels? If so, do you know what size?
-I assume OEM wheel nuts will not work with these wheels, correct? Do you have any recommendations on tuner-style wheel nuts?

I have an upcoming track day later this month and I'd like to be able to have everything I need to install them.

SlowTeg

Nice wheelz.

I bought the wheels from discount tire direct and they sent hubcentric rings. Are they really necessary? I don't know, but they definitely can't hurt centering the wheel on the hub before you torque down lug nuts. Keep in mind front and rear hub sizes are different, so if you rotate wheels you need to swap hubcentric rings as well.

Yep, OEM wheels use a different taper on the conical part of the lug nut where the lug nut seats against the wheel. They are not interchangeable. The ones I use are the Muteki SR35. I like them because you can use a 17mm thin wall socket to remove them (not including the wheel locks). Anything that is 19mm will probably be too large for the wheel opening for the lug nuts. I bought a set from amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AKFBB80

They probably sell them in black just poke around. There are a billion different kind of lug nuts out there, really just depends what you want to run.

SlowTeg

So after almost 5 months of hardparking and touging (on occasion) I finally got around to do a track day again. It was at the ever elusive Dominion that was supposed to open last year but didn't open till this year, and there are still a lot of little things to be completed. I had a few TNIA events planned that all got cancelled because they didn't think the track was upto snuff..

Anyway.. So what did I change for this event? Nothing, which was great. Swapped pads the day before, checked fluids, and just drove it. The track is only an hr away, so I figured what better way than to spend a Friday off of work. I had a friend Adam who did his first track day and drove his Cayman. If he's like most he's probably hooked

Regarding the track, since there has been some discussion about it. It's certainly disappointing for a new track to have such little/no runoff in spots and have ditches alongside of the track, but once you overlook those issues and plan on keeping 4 wheels on pavement, it doesn't look so bad. For the record, not all parts of the track mean sure damage if you put 4 wheels off, just many parts. Seeing how I haven't been on track in 4 months and a new track, it took me a couple session to get back upto speed, but I think I ran some half decent laps on my last 2 sessions.

This was the first time I participated in Trackdaze's "open track" format and I liked it. Run groups weren't that full and the long open session at the end of the day is really nice. I took Derek's S for a spin for a few laps ( Derek) with the V6 and the torque and power is awesome. It took me a lap to get quasi comfortable though because his custom seat mounts for his giraffe like long legs made it hard for me to reach the pedals.

Anyway, all in all car did well and weather was perfect. Oil temps hit lowish 240F's with the oil cooler which isn't bad for an almost 80F degree day. There were a couple fast cars out there.. A new Camaro Z28 with 305 Rcomps all around had a ton of grip as he walked away from me in the tight sections of the track. I'm still rocking original Z2's and they're good tires. I left plenty of time on the table, but am happy I consistently shaved a couple seconds each session and had a best of 1:40.6. Turn 1 had me stumped for most of the day, but I think I finally had a good hang of it later in the last session.

Obligatory pictures:
Coming later.. gotta figure out how to link to images as picasa nixed that functionality..

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgcPyq19mYQ

SlowTeg

A few pictures from Dominion. I hope this works, as not being able to edit blows..




Dewreck's car:


Adam's car:


Fast Z28:

SlowTeg

Oct 1st- Summit Shenandoah

Signed up for another track day at Shenandoah, and the weather was terrible. It rained all day and the track was very slick for two sessions which made them completely useless. I only got one good session in for the day where the track was mostly dry. That's how it goes sometimes. I've done a couple other events where I did a session or two in the rain, but it cleared up and got better the rest of the day. This day there was a light rain/mist the entire day except for a couple hrs. I usually don't mind some rain as I can work on smoothness, but some spots were super slick on the day which made it very unpredictable for a couple sessions and not much fun.

Big props to Dave for bringing his trailer and canopy so we had some cover all day. There were a good number of S's out at this event.

My car:


Hanging out under some cover:
https://rfyccq-dm2305.files.1drv.com...&cropmode=none

I have some video but nothing really exciting from the day. If anything I could compile bloopers but that takes more time and I'm lazy. Maybe I'll do it later on. All in all car feels good. No complaints and it's nice to just drive it and spend less time tinkering.

On the topic of seats, I think I'm going to make the plunge sooner than later. I swung by OG Racing the other day and tried on a couple seats, and the Champ-R is actually a little snug on me. What I found really nice was the Sparco Ergo. It's a Halo seat and the wings are smallish and low that I could look over and around them, not to mention they're removeable. The Evo 2 (non-US) fits me well and I think I'm going to give it a shot as the bolsters are a little lower and it'll suit a street/track car the best. If I need to trim the seat so be it. Removing the cover looks pretty easy. Big thanks to Arro for the tips on seats/fitting them. I was thinking of doing passenger side as well, but rarely have anyone ride with me on track and don't want to deal w/ the passenger weight sensor so I'll just stick w/ oem for now.

Kenny_Stang

Very informative thread, as a track newbie this year, it's really cool to read other's experiences and learn from the things they have done. Look forward to reading more!

SlowTeg

Cool man good to hear. It's one of the reasons why I created this thread to help/encourage other folks to take their car on track. Hopefully it can help folks by learning from my mistakes and thought process/experiences.

All I'll say to track newbies is try and be patient and not worry right away about "going fast." Try to focus on improving as a driver and learning things rather than "winning" against other drivers. I get everyone has an ego but it's best to check your ego as there will always be someone faster than you. Not to say I don't enjoy some s**t talking with some friends, but gotta keep it in perspective.

SlowTeg

So this came today, it's a Sparco Evo 2:






This is the Evo 2. I fit this seat pretty well and it seems good for a street/track car. The shoulder wings are supposed to be a little smaller than the regular EVO (so hopefully it won't require much/any cutting to clear the door panel), and the seat width for your butt/waist is wider than the regular EVO as well. The regular EVO is a little too snug on my hips. There's also the Evo 2 US which is made for even wider folks. I'm about 5'9" ~180lbs, size 34 waist.

So now I have a question for anyone that reads this. Can anyone recommend specific rails? There are so darn many out there. I want quality brackets and sliders. The one piece design like the ballade sport is nice because I don't have to bother with aligning the left and right rails, but I also understand it might make it sit a little higher. I initially thought I might use the seat bracket mount for the anti-sub harnesses but at this point I think I'll probably just do it like most and drill holes in the floorboard.

I've read a lot about the BC rails and while I could take them to get welded, I don't know if it's just a better/simpler option to just get a better quality one in the first place. I'd rather not have to futz with the brackets/rails at all. I might have to trim the seat at this point and that's fine, but I don't wanna be messing w/ brackets/sliders also.

If anyone has any recommendations on rails/sliders I'm all ears.

sillyboybmxer

I waited a long long time for a used Tiatec rail to come up for sale, now that I have used it, im a little annoyed with it because of having to lift/lock two sides and it doesnt slide easily. That said, its a little price to pay for having a rock solid rail.

King Tut

Sliders are for street cars. I'm still pretty happy with my OMP side brackets bolted to a simple Planted seat bracket with no sliders. It gives you full flexibility to mount the seat exactly where you want it. The only downside is installing the inner rear seat bolt is a BITCH. I'd like to thank baby Jesus for the stubby ratcheting wrench from Harbor Freight.