Track prep advice
01-14-2019, 07:10 AM
#11
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Waterford, MI - America's High Five
Posts: 683
Received 82 Likes
on
70 Posts
Yup, ordered the straps. Hopefully wont need them again this season ; )
I have looked into the RS4 and RE71 as a possible replacement for the Z2's, but I cant seem to kill these damn things. They are wearing amazing.
A 255 RS4 or RE71 have been on my radar as replacements for the Z2's when the time comes. If and when I pull the trigger on the coilovers I was even thinking of something a bit more aggressive like an NT01, but thats down the line. Aside from the safety aspect of it, I was looking to do the seat/harness/bar/steering wheel for that reason, I dont want to be propping myself against the door panel or hanging off the steering wheel any more.
I had looked at the EVO 2 as a possibility, it seems my fatass will fit, just a matter of will it fit in the car. Ive recently rediscovered Corbeau Froza's, which I believe will fit both me and the car, just have never been a fan of the quality or weight of the corbeau options.
Great advice in here guys, I appreciate it. I will look into getting the car re-aligned before the season. As far as the oil goes, I guess I was being a little too cautious here. Ive have not changed it since my last event so Ill be doing a fresh service over the winter, ill send out a sample to blackstone to see whats going on. Thanks again!
I have looked into the RS4 and RE71 as a possible replacement for the Z2's, but I cant seem to kill these damn things. They are wearing amazing.
A 255 RS4 or RE71 have been on my radar as replacements for the Z2's when the time comes. If and when I pull the trigger on the coilovers I was even thinking of something a bit more aggressive like an NT01, but thats down the line. Aside from the safety aspect of it, I was looking to do the seat/harness/bar/steering wheel for that reason, I dont want to be propping myself against the door panel or hanging off the steering wheel any more.
I had looked at the EVO 2 as a possibility, it seems my fatass will fit, just a matter of will it fit in the car. Ive recently rediscovered Corbeau Froza's, which I believe will fit both me and the car, just have never been a fan of the quality or weight of the corbeau options.
Great advice in here guys, I appreciate it. I will look into getting the car re-aligned before the season. As far as the oil goes, I guess I was being a little too cautious here. Ive have not changed it since my last event so Ill be doing a fresh service over the winter, ill send out a sample to blackstone to see whats going on. Thanks again!
01-14-2019, 07:26 AM
#12
Agreed w/all the above and will only add that if at all possible resist the urge to throw many changes at your car at once as I'm guessing you're still at the point in your driving experience where there are seconds left on the table simply by fixing the nut behind the wheel.
That said after an alignment you could try the cheap red sway bar on Amazon, it's about 50% stiffer than stock (supposedly) and it's cheap basically a throw away price to see how a bit more FSB feels.
That said after an alignment you could try the cheap red sway bar on Amazon, it's about 50% stiffer than stock (supposedly) and it's cheap basically a throw away price to see how a bit more FSB feels.
01-14-2019, 07:36 AM
#13
I wouldn't run a lot of rear toe-in to "tame" oversteer on the AP1. In my experience, too much rear toe-in makes the AP1 handle less linearly, less predictably, and gives ridiculous rear tire wear. Particularly in traction-challenged conditions or over bumps/undulations, a lot of rear toe-in causes the back end to move around when you wanna go straight, but then gives massive understeer when you want the car to turn in! I would go with ~0.15° to 0.2° total rear toe-in (~1/16 inch or 2mm total). Much better and more linear handling, and decent tire life.
RE71R is on par with NT01 in the dry, maybe a tick quicker, and way way way faster in the wet. Tire life is short though...
RE71R is on par with NT01 in the dry, maybe a tick quicker, and way way way faster in the wet. Tire life is short though...
01-15-2019, 09:23 AM
#14
I wouldn't run a lot of rear toe-in to "tame" oversteer on the AP1. In my experience, too much rear toe-in makes the AP1 handle less linearly, less predictably, and gives ridiculous rear tire wear. Particularly in traction-challenged conditions or over bumps/undulations, a lot of rear toe-in causes the back end to move around when you wanna go straight, but then gives massive understeer when you want the car to turn in! I would go with ~0.15° to 0.2° total rear toe-in (~1/16 inch or 2mm total). Much better and more linear handling, and decent tire life.
RE71R is on par with NT01 in the dry, maybe a tick quicker, and way way way faster in the wet. Tire life is short though...
RE71R is on par with NT01 in the dry, maybe a tick quicker, and way way way faster in the wet. Tire life is short though...
Sorry to highjack here but hopefully this is helpful to others.. Re: Alignment recommendations.. That seems like very little toe in.. I don't think I have as much experience as you, however it seems .25" total toe in is a common recommendation, and the UK alignment actually specs .28" total if I'm not mistaken.. I understand there are a dozen factors that influence handling characteristics and make sharing alignment recommendations almost pointless but I would be curious to hear more detail on your experience with toe-in. Mainly because I'm running .25" and like the handling but hate the tire wear..
01-15-2019, 10:07 AM
#15
For my first track event in my AP1 I went with the "recommended" 0.25" total rear toe-in. Handling was, weird... Not nearly as linear or tossable as my 240z. 1st event at Watkins Glen went OK, but then at my 2nd event the rears were corded by the end of the 2nd day. So four track days out of tires subjected to pretty modest power... For my next track event I aimed to have the rear toe re-set from the maximum end of the U.S. spec to the minimum end, and asked for 1/8" total rear toe, or 1/16" per side. Instead they gave me 1/16" total (about 0.15°! Was too late to get it "fixed" so I went to the track with what I *thought* would be way too little rear toe-in, worried that it would make weird handling even weirder. Instead the car handled much more predictably and linearly with reduced rear toe, and tire life more than doubled. Never looked back...
For me, excessive rear toe-in just sucks, bad, for absolutely everything. Unstable in a straight line, won't turn in for shite, and tire wear is unacceptable. EVERYthing improved running minimal rear toe.
For me, excessive rear toe-in just sucks, bad, for absolutely everything. Unstable in a straight line, won't turn in for shite, and tire wear is unacceptable. EVERYthing improved running minimal rear toe.
Sorry to highjack here but hopefully this is helpful to others.. Re: Alignment recommendations.. That seems like very little toe in.. I don't think I have as much experience as you, however it seems .25" total toe in is a common recommendation, and the UK alignment actually specs .28" total if I'm not mistaken.. I understand there are a dozen factors that influence handling characteristics and make sharing alignment recommendations almost pointless but I would be curious to hear more detail on your experience with toe-in. Mainly because I'm running .25" and like the handling but hate the tire wear..
The following 2 users liked this post by ZDan:
HawkeyeGeoff (01-15-2019),
ottawas2000guy (01-15-2019)
01-15-2019, 01:25 PM
#18
On the tires: it appears this is a track day car in non-competitive events. No trophies. No prize money. If so, how fast the tire is isn't important. Predictable handling, long life, and lower cost are. There are a lot of expensive, fast tires. Some give decent tread life. Some are marginal on the street. Others with hands-on can chime in, but I understand the RS4 has the longest life, lowest cost, and most predictability. My guess is sticking with 245/40s is best; the 255s may have some clearance issues depending on fender work and wheel offset. STR cars use 255/40s on 17x9 wheels with +60. I believe the RPF1 is at most +45.
01-15-2019, 08:38 PM
#19
On the tires: it appears this is a track day car in non-competitive events. No trophies. No prize money. If so, how fast the tire is isn't important. Predictable handling, long life, and lower cost are. There are a lot of expensive, fast tires. Some give decent tread life. Some are marginal on the street. Others with hands-on can chime in, but I understand the RS4 has the longest life, lowest cost, and most predictability. My guess is sticking with 245/40s is best; the 255s may have some clearance issues depending on fender work and wheel offset. STR cars use 255/40s on 17x9 wheels with +60. I believe the RPF1 is at most +45.
01-16-2019, 05:13 AM
#20
I feel #2 needs a bit of a disclaimer since the OP's setup seems to be more of a budget driven situation. In order to get proper car setup with minimal bars, you are likely looking at extremely pricey shocks. (extreme rear rates would be required) This is also much more uncharted territory because of it and shouldn't be advice for a budget/novice track goer.
