Preparation for HPDE

[ShawnO]

What will you guys be doing to prepare your new car for it's first HPDE?

Will you go ahead and...
...swap out brake fluid to superblue?
...ditch the stock rotors and pads?
...log 500 miles before flogging?
...change oil before flogging?
...leave stock transmission and diff gear oil in the car?
...paste lots of stickers on your car? JK

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[Ponykix]

FIRST HPDE:
Break the engine in before going to track.
Change brake pads.
Install brake cooling ducts.
Change oil and brake fluids.
Alignment.


AFTER SECOND HPDE:
TBE.
CAI.
WMI.
Tune.

IF NEEDED LATER:
Suspension Mods.
R-Comps.

This is my wish list, should be a fun ride....

 

[OppoLock]

Is a WMI kit even necessary for the stock turbo setup?

 

[Ponykix]

Necessary no. I good idea yes. Heat is the enemy during open track events. This will provide better cooling of intake and exhaust temps and raise octane level to increase safety. It used as a precaution on track and not necessarily for increased performance. I intend to use it for consistency. A lot more heat is generated in a 30 minute track session than a quarter mile run obviously. It is a good idea no matter what the turbo size is.

 

[ShawnO]

FIRST HPDE:
Break the engine in before going to track.
Change brake pads.
Install brake cooling ducts.
Change oil and brake fluids.
Alignment.


AFTER SECOND HPDE:
TBE.
CAI.
WMI.
Tune.

IF NEEDED LATER:
Suspension Mods.
R-Comps.

This is my wish list, should be a fun ride....

Did you buy cooling ducts yet or are you going to fab your own? Do you know if the stock rotors are slotted? You think they wll handle the heat? Im tough on brakes. I like to drive 10 tenths.

 

[Ponykix]

I have cooling ducts already that I believe will fit or require little modification. The stock rotors are not vented and not needed in my case. Bigger is better in brakes for heat dissipation but I have been successful with the stock rotors on a 2012 GT with Wilwood 6 pistons. I was able to run with Boss 302s and Roush Trak Pak cars which were my bench mark. The difference in performance was lost in the noise of the ability of drivers.

The cooling ducts and good pads are the key. Stock rotors are inexpensive, easily available and hold up well. Of course going full blown road race setup (AP Racing comes to mind) is great but to be honest with myself I am not the level of driver that I can justify the cost. I can get a lot of track time for a AP Racing setup.

If I had an unlimited budget, I would go with the best of everything. Still waiting to win the lotto so I can go racing full time. I see you are Southeast. What track do you drive at? I am at VIR.

 

[ShawnO]

I have cooling ducts already that I believe will fit or require little modification. The stock rotors are not vented and not needed in my case. Bigger is better in brakes for heat dissipation but I have been successful with the stock rotors on a 2012 GT with Wilwood 6 pistons. I was able to run with Boss 302s and Roush Trak Pak cars which were my bench mark. The difference in performance was lost in the noise of the ability of drivers.

The cooling ducts and good pads are the key. Stock rotors are inexpensive, easily available and hold up well. Of course going full blown road race setup (AP Racing comes to mind) is great but to be honest with myself I am not the level of driver that I can justify the cost. I can get a lot of track time for a AP Racing setup.

If I had an unlimited budget, I would go with the best of everything. Still waiting to win the lotto so I can go racing full time. I see you are Southeast. What track do you drive at? I am at VIR.

Thanks for the info. I'll be driving Barber's this year mostly. Maybe branch out to some other tracks. I've spent most of my life buying worn out VWs and a few Porsches and rebuilding them. I'm 41 and finally over it. I chose to do a HPDE last year in my 1992 GTI and loved it. Turns out I'm not half bad either (by my estimation - of course I was running in beginner groups). So I'm biting the bullet and buying a car that does not need repairs for once and going all in. I'm not a huge Mustang fan but I think it's a smoking deal for the equipment, reliability, aftermarket support, HP/TQ, and price. It will be nice to be able and use the car as a tool instead of worrying about every little imperfection. My current short term plan is to drive every other month next year and see how much I enjoy it. If I fall in love then I'll either tear this car up and make it more serious or just quit and sell the car. Either of these choices offer a check mark on my bucket list.

I'm concerned that HPDE over the long haul may get a little boring after I get to know the tracks well. So that brings the question of do I tear up a $40K car to W2W or buy a $10k car and dump $10k into it?

Hopefully I'll see you around.

 

[Swoope]

What will you guys be doing to prepare your new car for it's first HPDE?

Will you go ahead and...
...swap out brake fluid to superblue?
...ditch the stock rotors and pads?
...log 500 miles before flogging?
...change oil before flogging?
...leave stock transmission and diff gear oil in the car?
...paste lots of stickers on your car? JK

what level of hpde?

if it is your first time ever. go listen to instructor and enjoy your self.

beers

 

[ShawnO]

what level of hpde?

if it is your first time ever. go listen to instructor and enjoy your self.

beers

Well my first time was last year. I was driving my 1992 VW GTI. By the end of the day he promoted me to level 2. I hope to get another instructor, at least for the first day, since this is my first time on a track with a rear wheel drive car. I've been reading a really good book but I need some seat time in the car. My real issue is things are not like they were 15 or 20 years ago. There are no roads anymore that you can practice your skills on. Back in the day you could get on the outskirts of town and cut up a little to figure out your car. These days the PO PO is everywhere.

 

[Swoope]

Well my first time was last year. I was driving my 1992 VW GTI. By the end of the day he promoted me to level 2. I hope to get another instructor, at least for the first day, since this is my first time on a track with a rear wheel drive car. I've been reading a really good book but I need some seat time in the car. My real issue is things are not like they were 15 or 20 years ago. There are no roads anymore that you can practice your skills on. Back in the day you could get on the outskirts of town and cut up a little to figure out your car. These days the PO PO is everywhere.

really,

level 2 i would change brake fluid, maybe pads if you are really braking deep. but likely you are still learning..

but if this is really your second event, enjoy listen to your instructor.. ;)

i would keep your car as stock as possible while in the learning phase, then just add what you need to get to the next level/comfort zone.

the order likely will be pads, tires, shocks. and on and on..

you did not mention where you are running. if you get a chance run tgpr near talladega, can be done for cheap and lots of great learning on that track!!!!!!!

remember you will always be the fastest driver in your car. :lol:


beers

 

[ShawnO]

really,
level 2 i would change brake fluid, maybe pads if you are really braking deep. but likely you are still learning..
but if this is really your second event, enjoy listen to your instructor.. ;)
i would keep your car as stock as possible while in the learning phase, then just add what you need to get to the next level/comfort zone.
the order likely will be pads, tires, shocks. and on and on..
you did not mention where you are running. if you get a chance run tgpr near talladega, can be done for cheap and lots of great learning on that track!!!!!!!
remember you will always be the fastest driver in your car. :lol:
beers

Thanks for the advice. I'm running at Barber's Motorsports Park. I need to plan the upcoming years for events but I'm waiting on a definite time for car arrival before committing. I plan on TGPR as well as Barbers.

 

[Swoope]

check out just track it.

nabil is a friend of mine.. puts on a great event.. does lots of stuff in your area, including tgpr..

beers

 

[Norm Peterson]

What will you guys be doing to prepare your new car for it's first HPDE?

Will you go ahead and...
...swap out brake fluid to superblue?

Superblue is no longer available. Recalled, not legal for highway use specifically because its color is not within FMVSS spec for brake fluid (I'm not making this up) and it should be virtually impossible to find as a result, anyway. The good news is that ATE200 is essentially the same stuff in a legal color. Better than that if you think you'll keep going back to the tracks is Motul RBF600.

FIRST HPDE:
Break the engine in before going to track.
Change brake pads.
Install brake cooling ducts.
Change oil and brake fluids.
Alignment.

Hopefully, entry-level track pads will start showing up. Something like Carbotech's XP8 should be adequate for the first couple of track days - and won't eat rotors in street driving like some track pads do.

AFTER SECOND HPDE:
TBE.
....
WMI.
.....

I have no idea what those two acronyms stand for.

Cold air and a tune should go together - though I think these cars already get some sort of cold air at least in PP form.

I think I'd go with wider wheels with wider and stickier street tires as an intermediate kind of step before moving all the way up to R-comps. The wider wheels you're going to want anyway.


Norm

 

[Ponykix]

TBE=Turbo Back Exhaust

WMI=Water Methanol Injection

 

[Tim Hilliard]

What will you guys be doing to prepare your new car for it's first HPDE?

Will you go ahead and...
...swap out brake fluid to superblue?
...ditch the stock rotors and pads?
...log 500 miles before flogging?
...change oil before flogging?
...leave stock transmission and diff gear oil in the car?
...paste lots of stickers on your car? JK

Well I just spent 3 day's in Skip Barbers Race school this week and the topic came up. One instructor has a Z06 and one was very excited about the '15 GT/PP.

Basically put a good set of pads in it and learn to drive it. Wear out the factory tires and have fun. The Z06 on Pilot SS is running laptimes equal to full on race cars, so that is a tire recommendation I trust. I was cautioned about changing wheel and tire set-ups due to it having an adverse effect on balance. HPDE's are just that, driving your car to YOUR limits. I would be more concerned with a bolt-in bar to mount proper harnesses than worrying about much else. If you can't stay in the seat, you can't drive a car.

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