Ewheels
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I had my very first track day this past weekend and thought I would share my thoughts and experiences to those of you who may be looking to do their first event as well and would like to know what to expect. I did HPDE 1 at Auto Club Speedway.
I'm sure many of you on this forum are in the same spot I was prior to this event. I had read through every article I could find about track days and what to expect. I had read the brakes over heat, the diff over heats, the PP suspension is still too soft, the stock PS4S tires are ok but not great, etc. I was looking into buying all these parts to prepare my car for the track and to make my car better. I was thinking I needed to change all my fluids and get better tires and all that....You don't need to change anything. Just go out there and drive. The only "performance" mods I had on my car for the event was a clutch spring and brake cooling ducts. Otherwise bone stock.
The first 20 min session I was very slow. I did not know how hard I could push the brakes and tires. I braked early and my turn-in was atrocious. That's ok, this is where we learn.
Second session, my in-car instructor told me to keep the go-pedal to the floor on one straight until he told me to brake. I thought I was going to go off the track. At the first of three braking cones, he told me to stand on the brakes....damn these Brembos work well! The car gripped well and stopped hard. After that, I knew what level of abuse the car could take and I kept pushing the car more and more.
By the end of the day, I was passing everyone. I was passing cars that, on paper, should be way faster than me. The PP trim is VERY capable for people learning.
So to those of you, who like me, have zero track experience and are reading all these posts about how the car needs all these parts to perform; stop reading the forums and go get on the track. The car is great as-is to learn on. As you gain experience and start getting faster, sure, you will need upgrades, but you don't need to buy anything as you're learning.
Some facts:
Ambient temps were low to mid 70s throughout the day.
Brakes never faded (maybe I wasn't pushing it all that hard or maybe my brake ducts do help)
Engine oil temps never hit yellow
Highest diff temp I saw was around 220
Four 20 min sessions went through a full tank of gas
Factory PS4S tires worked great, at the last session I was hitting the limit of the tires though. When you really push them, they do start sliding. Also, they do roll over onto the side wall on the front tires quite a bit. Camber plates would definitely help prolong the tires. I was at about 35-37psi hot.
Fun fact, following a Z06 with sticky tires can get interesting. A rock flew at my windshield at 140mph and cracked it.
Hope this gives a little insight to those who are looking into their first track day.
I'm sure many of you on this forum are in the same spot I was prior to this event. I had read through every article I could find about track days and what to expect. I had read the brakes over heat, the diff over heats, the PP suspension is still too soft, the stock PS4S tires are ok but not great, etc. I was looking into buying all these parts to prepare my car for the track and to make my car better. I was thinking I needed to change all my fluids and get better tires and all that....You don't need to change anything. Just go out there and drive. The only "performance" mods I had on my car for the event was a clutch spring and brake cooling ducts. Otherwise bone stock.
The first 20 min session I was very slow. I did not know how hard I could push the brakes and tires. I braked early and my turn-in was atrocious. That's ok, this is where we learn.
Second session, my in-car instructor told me to keep the go-pedal to the floor on one straight until he told me to brake. I thought I was going to go off the track. At the first of three braking cones, he told me to stand on the brakes....damn these Brembos work well! The car gripped well and stopped hard. After that, I knew what level of abuse the car could take and I kept pushing the car more and more.
By the end of the day, I was passing everyone. I was passing cars that, on paper, should be way faster than me. The PP trim is VERY capable for people learning.
So to those of you, who like me, have zero track experience and are reading all these posts about how the car needs all these parts to perform; stop reading the forums and go get on the track. The car is great as-is to learn on. As you gain experience and start getting faster, sure, you will need upgrades, but you don't need to buy anything as you're learning.
Some facts:
Ambient temps were low to mid 70s throughout the day.
Brakes never faded (maybe I wasn't pushing it all that hard or maybe my brake ducts do help)
Engine oil temps never hit yellow
Highest diff temp I saw was around 220
Four 20 min sessions went through a full tank of gas
Factory PS4S tires worked great, at the last session I was hitting the limit of the tires though. When you really push them, they do start sliding. Also, they do roll over onto the side wall on the front tires quite a bit. Camber plates would definitely help prolong the tires. I was at about 35-37psi hot.
Fun fact, following a Z06 with sticky tires can get interesting. A rock flew at my windshield at 140mph and cracked it.
Hope this gives a little insight to those who are looking into their first track day.
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