Base GT track day limits

[EFI]

Because it’s entertaining and funny.

Seems appropriate response.

Move along Betty.

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[VisceralSyn]

Opinion made, opinion reiterated, placed sack on the table, said your big cahoona's is innit..

F*cks given = 0

maybe, move along???

 

[luc]

Back to topic, the Base GT is not a track car and limits will be reached quickly and it’s dangerous as #67 video proves. Period the end of this thread.

Good luck if you track one and be safe.

I really hope that it is the last time we heard from you on this thread because your negativism, false certainties and lack of common sense is a big disservice to the track community and especially to any beginner that want to explore this great hobby with a “regular” and affordable car

 

[Marsalad]

So anyway, I have a few more questions:

1. Can I run 87 octane or do I need 93 on the track?
2. What oil should I use? Do I really need synthetic?
3. Who makes the best oil filter?
4. What tire pressure should I use?
5. Do I need a catch can?
6. Will I need a tune if I install LTH’s?
7. If I crash on (off?) the track will my car be totaled?
8. If it is totaled should I keep it and build a track-only beast?
9. What’s the best spoiler for the track?
10. Can I use wheel spacers on the track?


Sorry if these questions seem redundant, I used the search function but I feel that my versions of these questions warrant personalized responses so I can feel special.

 

[PaddyPrix]

Back to topic, the Base GT is not a track car and limits will be reached quickly and it’s dangerous as #67 video proves. Period the end of this thread.

Good luck if you track one and be safe.

It'd seem that you picked out what you wanted to support your argument, but somehow were blinded to what the tone and intention of my overall message was. Yes, on a brutal braking course like ACS, or any F1 or NASCAR course, any car can be put to its limits, as those are designed for speed and much more purpose designed racecars. The base is a piece of clay that can be molded into whatever you want, some might add a big supercharger or turbo and whomp people on the strip. Some might add e85, longtubes, suspension, and brakes to beat anything on the track that isn't a prototype or 700+ hp road racecar.

With not much more than those mods, a little aero, and some seat time, not only did I win my class, but I won the whole damn event -- https://racehero.io/events/socal-nasa-aaa-speedway-march-2022/results/536871769

Could I have done it in a Mach 1? Sure.
Could I have done it in a GT350? Yeah.
Could I have done it for under $20k with either of those? I strongly doubt it... but that is something that I did do with the Base GT I got from a salvage auction. Not everybody has big bones to go plunk down.

The amount of money saved by making a few tasteful modifications will still put you well under the other editions, and the brakes are among one of the easier modifications to do. Who cares about the stereo or leather seats after that.

 

[PaddyPrix]

So anyway, I have a few more questions:

1. Can I run 87 octane or do I need 93 on the track?
2. What oil should I use? Do I really need synthetic?
3. Who makes the best oil filter?
4. What tire pressure should I use?
5. Do I need a catch can?
6. Will I need a tune if I install LTH’s?
7. If I crash on (off?) the track will my car be totaled?
8. If it is totaled should I keep it and build a track-only beast?
9. What’s the best spoiler for the track?
10. Can I use wheel spacers on the track?


Sorry if these questions seem redundant, I used the search function but I feel that my versions of these questions warrant personalized responses so I can feel special.

1+2 - You'd be best with whatever the best (non-race) gas is, it's more of a safety/quality thing. Pinging/Pre-detonation is what destroys motors as it generally happens at the top of your powerband when you're making all your power. Similar for oil.
3 - Debatable, strange that people always want the best, and ask an audience who all have different experiences. Do some research and watch some youtube videos. Some people swear by the factory ones only, I use Mobli 1 extended filters, some use Wix, ... different folks, dfiferent strokes,
4 - Depends on your car, depends on your tire. If you look at your tires, they usually have some sort of triangle indicator where the sidewall shoulder meets the tread, and you want to come off hot on the track with the wear line almost hitting that. You'll want to get a tire pressure gauge, could be all of 20-30 bucks (Joe's on Amazon works nice), but definitely something to check. Do a session or so, and check your pressure and where the line is. On street tires, that number is generally 34 HOT, and depending on the tire, that growth is generally +6 from cold, with R-Compounds and Slicks growing say, 8 and 12. Try going out at 28 cold and seeing what that gets you, reading that line on the tire, and then what that pressure is. If the line is still not yet there, then take 1# out of the tire, and run again. With enough experience and track time, you'll begin to know your tires exactly what's right for you, your driving style, and your track.
5 - Not really on the 18+'s, I ran one and got nothing on it.
6 - Yes, you will.
7 - We're not your insurance adjuster, some will total a car at 70% of the value, some have to exceed 100%. So, might as well not crash it, you drove it there, you drive it home. Look into track day insurance, there are a few providers, and ask them those questions, then decide if you want to risk it or not. I've never used it, but I've got confidence in myself and don't drive my daily to the track.
8 - That's up to you and your accountant, and perhaps what the insurance adjuster gives you, and how that relates to the buyback price/option. Do you know how to work on cars, have space, or are willing to do so? I had no idea, but I had a garage, and figured it out over the past 2 years, saving plenty of labor charges, busting many a knuckle, and learning all about it, so I've got a slight bias.
9 - Doesn't really matter at this point. If you have the world's best and biggest spoiler, just starting off, you wouldn't yet know the difference of it, or how your aero balance yet works enough to know what and when to adjust it. Not being a dick, but if you're just starting off, it's money that isn't entirely well spent.
10 - Who said you couldn't? However, there are two big, big differences. There are two main types, wheel centric, and hub centric. Wheel centric usually uses a plate, and already has these tiny extension type lugs pressed into it, so you can push the wheel further out, and use these tiny lugs to hold the plate to your hub. Then there's hub centric which is just a plate that goes between your hub and the tire. Hub centric assumes that you've also bought some much stronger and extended lugs, so when you're turning super hard and whatnot, now that you've pushed your wheels out an inch, those fancy lugs can handle the abuse. Some cheap auto parts store for the stance crowd is going to be as cheaply made as can be, and so those lugs are just another stock set of lugs designed to push your tire out, nothing more, and let's be honest, they're generally not going to be driving it 120mph in a hard turn.

 

[EFI]

7. If I crash on (off?) the track will my car be totaled?

Kinda getting off-track here as most of your questions probably deserve their own thread. But I'll bite on this one:

Your road insurance is for the most part null on track, very few if any will cover any sort of damages while you're on track. So the question on what will total it or not is kinda pointless as they will just tell you nothing is covered and you pay out of pocket. It also depends on what you hit...if you graze a tire wall and make a dent in your fender it's probably not a big deal. If you hit a solid concrete wall head on at 100mph it's probably a bit more of an issue.

 

[Marsalad]

I appreciate the serious responses to my failed attempt at sarcasm. I was trying to lighten the mood by asking questions that have been asked and answered countless times on this and every other forum I’ve been on.

Thank you to those of you who took the time to read through and thoughtfully respond. I feel almost as embarrassed as Chris Rock did on stage

 

[Fastoldman]

No problem, and remember to always pee before you spend 25 minutes at speed on track!

 

[nbjeeptj]

No problem, and remember to always pee before you spend 25 minutes at speed on track!

Yep drink one bottle of water and if your old like me pee twice between each session. There is something about being at the track that causes me to have to pee more than anything else I do.

 

[PoCoBob]

Back in the day when Indy car used to come to Vancouver Bobby Unser would take some of the local media around the track in an off the parking lot rental car. He could run laps faster with that rental car than some of the guys in the local car club could run with their modded out cars. So sure you can always improve the performance of any car, but the right guy driving the car makes a much bigger difference than how many pistons the front calipers have or which radiator your car came with. Most of us will never get anywhere close to taking our cars to their limit, regardless of which version you have. Take what you have to your track day and have fun.

 

[2BigPups]

Back in the day when Indy car used to come to Vancouver Bobby Unser would take some of the local media around the track in an off the parking lot rental car. He could run laps faster with that rental car than some of the guys in the local car club could run with their modded out cars. So sure you can always improve the performance of any car, but the right guy driving the car makes a much bigger difference than how many pistons the front calipers have or which radiator your car came with. Most of us will never get anywhere close to taking our cars to their limit, regardless of which version you have. Take what you have to your track day and have fun.

First time I took my 2017 Lincoln MKZ (400hp/AWD/Torque vectoring rear diff) to an HPDE event at Club Motorsports in NH I was fortunate to have a really good driver, Mike Ruggiero, as an instructor. I asked him to drive the first session so I could learn his line around the track. In the course of 5 laps, I lost count of how many point bys he got from Porsches, Audis, a GT350, and a GT500.

My lesson learned... a really good driver in a slower car is much, much faster than an average driver in a fast car!

I did notice, however, the drivers of the GT350 and the GT500 refused to acknowledge me or my hot rod Lincoln the rest of the weekend. LOL

 

[Fastoldman]

nbjeeptj,
You must be a young man NB, as I am lucky if I don't pee 3 times between sessions, but drinking a ton of fluids is super important. I push this advice on to every student I have since I have seen a couple of 20 year olds actually pass out on the track at speed over the years. In both cases they said they did not need a lot of fluids. Luckily both went off in big run-off areas.

Chat later , I have to go pee again , now. Hey, stop laughing, wait till you are my age .......

 

[sigintel]

Inline, Assuming trackday use of Mustang:

1. Can I run 87 octane or do I need 93 on the track?
93, the added heat load leads will result in more timing or power reduction. This is determined by the ECU cycling in and out of detonation. Using 87 simply risks way more detonation.
2. What oil should I use? Do I really need synthetic?
Yes synthetic because you will get less coking of oil if you do make a lap before noticing CHT 245. Oil at 260+ on cylinder walls is getting degraded rapidly and you dont want chunks of carbon to build up in heads and end up run thru pump and into bearing feeds when filter is bypassed at high rpm.
Full synthetic:
target CHT 235 F:
5w40 Castrol Edge A3/B4 (Euro)
5w40 Pennzoil Euro A3/B4
Above CHT 240 continuous
5w50 motorcraft
Trying to ruin motor above 245:
10w50, 25w50, 10w60

3. Who makes the best oil filter?
Ford performance fattest filter
4. What tire pressure should I use?
Goal of learning and maximize tire life for learning:
add +4 psi above door, decrease to 42/38 hot F/R
Over ride w instructor direction if they drive and set balance and pressures on your car.
After 1 track weekends or 8x 30 min sessions, lower to 40/38.
Front grip will come up along w ability to trigger oversteer.
Watch your wear, trail brake balance, mid corner balance.
You wont get maximum lateral without roasting the outer shoulders until you change suspension to Ford Track Suspension package.

5. Do I need a catch can?
No
6. Will I need a tune if I install LTH’s?
Maybe? Skip LTH if you want to focus on learning road course
7. If I crash on (off?) the track will my car be totaled?
Possibly. Get a good instructor to teach you how to approach limits safely.
8. If it is totaled should I keep it and build a track-only beast?
Of course
9. What’s the best spoiler for the track?
When the 4 month old PBJ sandwich some kid left in back slides forward under drivers seat and behind pedals and the swollen bag full of fermented bread death satan stink gets popped open behind brake pedal.
Also, got flashed by a hottie once, or what I thought was one and uhhh... best spoiler ever. That was TWS (RIP_).
10. Can I use wheel spacers on the track?
Learn on stock wheels first if on stock suspension since they are tuned together with ABS. Any else is way more likely for you to wreck the car.
Absolutely no "Adapter type spacers", Only spacers where the stock lug bolts go all they way thru the spacer and wheel as one piece. Never use a setup where you have to remove the wheel to check the spacer nuts are still holding torque: this places spacer material in cyclic bending instead of pure compression sandwich.
Revisit spacers and other wheels issue only after 5x track weekends. By then you will meet enough instructors and highly experienced drivers.
By far, the worst thing to do for your first track day is start learning on a setup other than the stock wheels and tires. Everyone wants to show up looking like super boy racer cause they are afraid of swallowing ego to get that first day done.


Hope that helps.

 

[cth777]

ewheels has the common sense route to take and frankly as a Novice the main things you really should look to initially is a high quality DOT 4 racing brake fluid ( like Motul 600 ) , some more aggressive brake pads, and a simple mod for where you likely run. I noticed you are from Salt Lake , so Utah Motorsports Campus is your home track and what has not been addressed is the likely heat caused from the high altitude of the track. Having run there twice, and a couple of tracks in Colorado over 5000 ft. many of the drivers in those locals will drain a bit of antifreeze ( use a turkey baster ) and fill it back up with 2 bottles of Water Wetter. Not a cure all , as brakes , engine and more do need more airflow to stay cool at altitude, but I have found it to be a benefit when I raced at all the tracks I mentioned. You are just beginning , and NASA runs at UMC quite often, get in with them, you will get an Instructor for your HPDE, and that will give you the chance to focus on the track and learn your Mustang at your pace. I do find some of the dire warnings a bit humorous , as the base Mustang would romp over some of the quote/unquote performance model Stangs of years past. Go out and have fun and check out drivenasa.com for the schedule of the Utah Region. I envy you being so close to Miller , er, UMC , and I still think Ford made a huge mistake moving to North Carolina. UMC was a track where a mistake meant flying in the dirt and killing a few small cactus, and this helped new drivers push their limits without fear of destroying their ride.

Hey, I know this is years later. But any recommendations for a more aggressive pad for a similar use case?

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