Driving the Daytona Rolex Course 2018 in GT350R (new video added)

[Next Phase]

Thanks for sharing Tomster! Great videos and post.

Your R is set up almost identical to mine and I'm prepping for the 2019 season.

Can you share what alignment specs you are going with? (My home track is VIR)

Also, getting ready to swap transmission and rear diff fluid. Any insight to share regarding any nuances specific to the R? (I just received my trans and diff fluid + rear diff additive).

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[Tomster]

Thanks for sharing Tomster! Great videos and post.

Your R is set up almost identical to mine and I'm prepping for the 2019 season.

Can you share what alignment specs you are going with? (My home track is VIR)

Also, getting ready to swap transmission and rear diff fluid. Any insight to share regarding any nuances specific to the R? (I just received my trans and diff fluid + rear diff additive).

Yes, absolutely!

We are at a pub in London right now, so let me get you that info maybe later or tomorrow. Have a look at the document I posted by Michelin. They have. Lot of great insight. I can put you in touch with one of the Michelin specialists who can further consult with an engineer if you have further questions.

Cheers!

 

[Ninjak]

Really really nice. Man your car is screaming down that back stretch. Sounds really good. You have LT's correct ?

I hope I can do that one day. I want to go to daytona one year for sure.

 

[Bullitt40]

Yeah, I lost both the Solo and Meeting stickers in the rain. They gave me new ones, though....

<TED>

Thought maybe you were taping up the grill for a little more downforce>>>>

 

[Tomster]

Thanks for sharing Tomster! Great videos and post.

Your R is set up almost identical to mine and I'm prepping for the 2019 season.

Can you share what alignment specs you are going with? (My home track is VIR)

Also, getting ready to swap transmission and rear diff fluid. Any insight to share regarding any nuances specific to the R? (I just received my trans and diff fluid + rear diff additive).

The Michelin guide has very good information and recommendations for each type of track scenario pertaining to alignment and pressures. If you'll be running VIR, that's more of a high speed road course with lots of WOT runs mixed with maneuvering. Generally speaking, negative camber is beneficial for grip during maneuvering but at the same time can reduce braking effectiveness. Unless you know someone who runs VIR regularly, I'd start with the recommended settings and adjust as necessary using instruments such as a tire pyrometer and a good air pressure gauge. What I'm looking for with a pyrometer is overall temps and a difference from outer to inner of no greater than 15 degrees. It all comes down to what performance you are looking for vs tire wear you can accept. Guys running huge negative camber will typically see premature tire wear for the added performance of maneuverability. So for Daytona, I run the recommended R alignment settings and that gives me very even tire wear and overall consistent temperatures. I stagger the pressures as indicated in the earlier post.

Trans and diff fluid is easy. Jack the car at 4 points so the car is level (or use a lift). Get two seperate fluid pumps (one for each type of fluid). Drain the trans fluid by removing the drain plug. Reinstall drain plug. Measure what you drained, but fill until fluid runs out the fill hole. I do this for comparison only. This step is more important with the differential. So, with the trans full, install the fill plug snug. Run the car for 2 mins to make sure the cooler and line gets filled. Remove fill plug and top it off.

The differential is easy. Use a small screwdriver to pull the bottom differential cooling line retaining pin and pull the lower cooling line out. Catch and measure the fluid. It should be about 52 ounces or so. Replace line and retainer clip. Remove fill hole and pump diff fluid in. I premix the friction modifier and replace the same amount as you took out. Full is 9mm below the fill hole. Filling to the fill hole will overservice the diff and you could wind up venting fluid from your vent during hard turns. That gets all over your right rear wheel and into your brakes. Measure the capacity with a wire guage. Full is 9mm below the fill hole. Get the fluid warm with a spirited drive and then use forscan to run the cooler pump. Verify full again and you are done.

Guys that do this a lot generally find that if you replace what you take out, you are about done. That quantity is about 52 ounces.

 

[Next Phase]

The Michelin guide has very good information and recommendations for each type of track scenario pertaining to alignment and pressures. If you'll be running VIR, that's more of a high speed road course with lots of WOT runs mixed with maneuvering. Generally speaking, negative camber is beneficial for grip during maneuvering but at the same time can reduce braking effectiveness. Unless you know someone who runs VIR regularly, I'd start with the recommended settings and adjust as necessary using instruments such as a tire pyrometer and a good air pressure gauge. What I'm looking for with a pyrometer is overall temps and a difference from outer to inner of no greater than 15 degrees. It all comes down to what performance you are looking for vs tire wear you can accept. Guys running huge negative camber will typically see premature tire wear for the added performance of maneuverability. So for Daytona, I run the recommended R alignment settings and that gives me very even tire wear and overall consistent temperatures. I stagger the pressures as indicated in the earlier post.

Trans and diff fluid is easy. Jack the car at 4 points so the car is level (or use a lift). Get two seperate fluid pumps (one for each type of fluid). Drain the trans fluid by removing the drain plug. Reinstall drain plug. Measure what you drained, but fill until fluid runs out the fill hole. I do this for comparison only. This step is more important with the differential. So, with the trans full, install the fill plug snug. Run the car for 2 mins to make sure the cooler and line gets filled. Remove fill plug and top it off.

The differential is easy. Use a small screwdriver to pull the bottom differential cooling line retaining pin and pull the lower cooling line out. Catch and measure the fluid. It should be about 52 ounces or so. Replace line and retainer clip. Remove fill hole and pump diff fluid in. I premix the friction modifier and replace the same amount as you took out. Full is 9mm below the fill hole. Filling to the fill hole will overservice the diff and you could wind up venting fluid from your vent during hard turns. That gets all over your right rear wheel and into your brakes. Measure the capacity with a wire guage. Full is 9mm below the fill hole. Get the fluid warm with a spirited drive and then use forscan to run the cooler pump. Verify full again and you are done.

Guys that do this a lot generally find that if you replace what you take out, you are about done. That quantity is about 52 ounces.

Thanks for the info! I've done this on other vehicles and sounds identical to what I've done on others.

 

[havasu486]

It is not that difficult to get started everyone. Just make certain your car will pass a safety inspection and research for an event near you on motorsportsreg.com

I do recommend avoiding the bigger tracks such as Daytona or Road America as a first event. Start with something smaller and if you enjoy keep going, gain some experience, get some instruction, and your wallet is the limit to how much fun can be had.

Enjoy!!!!!!!

 

[Wings1090]

Awesome videos Tom! Arguably the best exhaust note ever produced. What camera and microphone setup are you running? I noticed that even with what seemed like an external microphone, the exhaust is so loud that there is still some distortion at the high rev ranges. And it's always a pleasure, as an employee of Ford and having worked on the car, seeing it driven the way it was built for.

 

[Tomster]

Awesome videos Tom! Arguably the best exhaust note ever produced. What camera and microphone setup are you running? I noticed that even with what seemed like an external microphone, the exhaust is so loud that there is still some distortion at the high rev ranges. And it's always a pleasure, as an employee of Ford and having worked on the car, seeing it driven the way it was built for.

Hi Matt,
The cameras I use are Gopro Hero 4 Black. I have one facing forward and one facing rearward. I have so much more video that I should process and post, but it is a very time consuming task. I use an external microphone adapter with an Olympus stereo external microphone with windscreens. I tape it to the back of my license plate. If you don't want to go to all that trouble, you can just throw it in the trunk and it works well (except that it will pickup noise from the differential pump when it starts).

I'm happy to see Ford folks here on this forum. I have a friend who works over at the plant who is passionate about these performance vehicles you all build. From the consumers perspective, I feel fortunate that Ford produces such a great product at such a price level. Keep up the great work!

Thanks for your kind comments and don't be a stranger around here. Your perspective and input is valued.

 

[nastang87xx]

Ho ho!!!! @2:14, shots FIRED!

 

[nastang87xx]

One question...do you not heel toe?

 

[TheDeadCow]

Great write up! Thanks for sharing

 

[Tomster]

One question...do you not heel toe?

I guess it was just a matter of time.

Heel/toe going into turn 1 and the bus stop, Throttle blip going into turn 5. I know it sounds weird, but put a microphone on your rev match under those conditions and see what it sounds like.

 

[Tomster]

Ho ho!!!! @2:14, shots FIRED!

2:14 into the video is still into the warmup lap. A man can only take so much. Keep in mind that NASCAR turn 4 is the worst place to go blasting into without your tires warm and pressures up.

Don't all fast track sessions start slow to get the temps and pressures up? (rhetorical)

 

[Wings1090]

Hi Matt,
The cameras I use are Gopro Hero 4 Black. I have one facing forward and one facing rearward. I have so much more video that I should process and post, but it is a very time consuming task. I use an external microphone adapter with an Olympus stereo external microphone with windscreens. I tape it to the back of my license plate. If you don't want to go to all that trouble, you can just throw it in the trunk and it works well (except that it will pickup noise from the differential pump when it starts).

I'm happy to see Ford folks here on this forum. I have a friend who works over at the plant who is passionate about these performance vehicles you all build. From the consumers perspective, I feel fortunate that Ford produces such a great product at such a price level. Keep up the great work!

Thanks for your kind comments and don't be a stranger around here. Your perspective and input is valued.

Ok, good to know. I planned to hook up an external microphone up to my GoPro setup, but was unsure how to route it back there and where to leave it on the back of the car.

And on the flipside as stated before, it is very refreshing to see how passionate people are about the products we make. It makes a lot of the hard work worth it when you see people enjoying the finished results. This car is one of the best "bang for your buck" vehicles out there on the market. I enjoyed working on it so much that I had to get one myself.

I have always enjoy lurking the forums rather than posting a bunch, and I appreciate the friendly sentiments. I will attempt to contribute more, and share my own adventures as well.

I can't wait to see your next track day. Where is your home track, or the track you most frequent down in Florida, unless it is Daytona?

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