Renntag Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 ... What a shame. ... Its a waste of metal ... only to polish it. .... Thats whats great about this country. You can tell the guy standing there proud of his new shiny car that he's a dipsh*t for not driving it on the track. He can sign a petition with the rest of the community activists and put the end to any more local tracks being built. Who cares if these guys have nice cars and want them to stay that way. I think thats great. How boring would car shows be if everything was all beat up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10Hondas Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 If you are fanatic about rock chips and rubber/tar marks on your car, you may not want to track it. I have spent the last week cleaning all the clag marks from my car and inside my wheels. That said, the amount of fun I had at VIR far outweighs the chips in my windshield and front end, and all the cleaning. If you can accept the track will be hard on your car, then track it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renntag Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 ... If you can accept the track will be hard on your car, then track it. Amen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STRINGER Posted August 5, 2007 Share Posted August 5, 2007 I will second that amen... I have to buy a new windshield for the miata, clean off all the rubber marks, do an oil change, do a brake change... BUT I LOVE IT! There is no better feeling then pushing your car to the limit and have it stick. NONE... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon dawes Posted August 5, 2007 Share Posted August 5, 2007 There is no better feeling then pushing your car to the limit and have it stick. NONE... . . . um, i can think of several but they are not appropriate for this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Corkran Posted August 5, 2007 Share Posted August 5, 2007 There is no better feeling then pushing your car to the limit and have it stick. NONE... . . . um, i can think of several but they are not appropriate for this forum. Haven't done your first HPDE yet, have you Jon? And before you try to pull a switchback move on my argument... I was married to a very "fun loving" woman for 15 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renntag Posted August 5, 2007 Share Posted August 5, 2007 There is no better feeling then pushing your car to the limit and have it stick. NONE... . . . um, i can think of several but they are not appropriate for this forum. ok, well keeping things IN CONTEXT. .....there is nothing better. Once your driving gets to this level...you'll be saying the same thing....and some wise guy will make you remember this thread.... [toast] cheers getting there safely [/toast] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gut Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 I take my daughter to school in my dd 93 cobra and in the same car I went to my first HPDE event at Cal Speedway this past March. I'm going to my second event this coming up weekend at Willow Springs. Same car. Of course - my dd is a 120,000 mile no payments car . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STRINGER Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 (edited) I hear ya there. over 193,000 miles on my miata. No bank payments, but there is always some sort of paying involved every month to keep it in shape. And when its not sweltering hot I drive it back and forth to work. But on days like today when its 99 degree's...The Leather Captains chair and a kick butt AC makes the comute to work a lot less wet. EDIT: in the Truck that is Edited August 8, 2007 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon dawes Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 I hear ya there. over 193,000 miles on my miata. No bank payments, but there is always some sort of paying involved every month to keep it in shape. And when its not sweltering hot I drive it back and forth to work. But on days like today when its 99 degree's...The Leather Captains chair and a kick butt AC makes the comute to work a lot less wet. WOW! you have leather captains chairs in your Miata??!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STRINGER Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 I wish...they are in the Ford Lariot...otherwise known as Lariot Suites at the track weekends. The accomidations are great. Open rooms, flexible hours, cheap rates, OPEN BAR lmao... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shotgunslade Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 I have now put 14 track days on my daily driver, and expect to put about 5 more before I start trailering a street legal but track-dedicated machine. My modified Subaru SVX has been a great track car, forgiving, pretty fast, and a great learning machine. I have driven back from the track wounded several times, however, and that is very hectic, no to mention less than safe. I also have been without a daily driver a number of days due to maintenance necessitated by track abuse. Track days are an enormous stress on a car with almost 100,000 miles. I've cracked a brake rotor, had my timing belt slip a cog, had a hemorrhaging power steering pump, and a split power steering return line, leaking radiator lines, general overheating problems, and blown a tire. All of these lead to apprehension and the necessity to ask my wife to give me a ride to the train for some number of mornings while my daily driver is being fixed. I guess I'm just ready to be confident that my return ride and my commuter daily driver will be available no matter what happens on the track. I also am lookng forward to driving a much simpler car with fewer non-track systems to go wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon dawes Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 . . . and in my EXTREMELY humble opinion, as much as i think the SVX is a cool and unique ride, there are only so many of them and the reliability issue is just as you stated. miatas, mustangs, 944s, E30s [see the trend here] are plentiful not only on the market, but AT THE TRACK. for example, at VIR a few weeks ago, one of the CMC guys driveshaft BROKE. not just damaged, BROKEN IN HALF. so he walked around and found a guy with a mustang with a broken motor, said 'can i borrow that driveshaft' and he installed it and raced the next day! anyways, i'm just piggy backing on what you basically said already in so many words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STRINGER Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 That was something that impressed me so much about the NASA drivers as a whole. If you break something...chances are there is someone there that either knows how to fix it or has the part on hand. I carry all my spare parts I have picked up with me to track days. Drive shaft, control arms, bushings, hubs, axels etc You never know when someone is going to break something and with your part can finish out the weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RACER-X Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 What does everyone think about taking their daily driver for HPDE? I drive a 04 GTO, 5.7L/Manual. In no means do I "beat" on the car, however just wondering if its worth taking it out to the track as I never have before. Is it better to just buy a "beater" and use that? If I eventually want to work my way to TT one day, what path should I take? Buy a cheap car now, take it through HPDE, build it up then race it....or use my DD then once I am through HPDE think about a car to use for racing only. Thanks for everyones help, the members here are so helpful! First off, Welcome fellow GTO owner. By all means, track the GTO!! I can't tell you how much fun this car is!!! In HPDE 1 & 2 you will not use all of its potential. The first thing you must do to your GTO is upgrade to SS lines, flush the fluid and get something decent in there and install a set of racing pads!!! This is the bare min. that you MUST do before it sees track duty. A set of BFG's TA KD's would be nice... http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/overview/g-force-t-a-kd/21.html and the Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R Would be even better... http://www.bridgestonetire.com/tireselector/GlamourIndex_BS_EN.aspx?productID=1111 If you have any questions, PM me. Now get out on the track and have fun with your GTO!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gut Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Got back from Willow Springs yesterday with my second event/weekend under belt now on my daily driver. It was pretty hot out there but no problems with the car. Started the trip from san diego with 121000 miles and finished the weekend with 121451 before getting back to san diego. Not a peep from my car. 1st day i lucked out and got the same instructor i got at Cal Speedway - Dan Rose. 2nd day i lucked out again and got AIX champ Ernesto Rocco as my instructor. I let him drive my car the 2nd session of the day. Man! What a blast - I had no idea my car could do the things he was doing with it. Definitely re-iterates that the limitation on the track for me right now is not my car, but me. DO IT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTTBSS Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Well you can, I did and so have many others. But things have changed some. When I started the car was under warranty. That warranty paid for a new engine (oil pump pick-up fell off), a rear-end, and a couple of power steering pumps. My auto insurance did not exclude HPDE events, so if I had wadded the car up insurance would have paid for the repairs. Today, Insurance in most states will not cover any activity on a racing surface so you will suffer the total financial loss if you bust your car. Manufacturers are looking for ways to void your warranty and many events are over subscribed leaving the tracks very crowded. Still, you can probably/most likely hit the track to see how you like it and come away unscathed. The potential down-side is just more expensive that it used to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbright007 Posted August 24, 2007 Share Posted August 24, 2007 it will be a real pain if anything bad happens. My plan is to do a couple of HPDE events and if I like it, buy a track car. Expressing opinions that are already out there.. I tracked my nice DD a couple times, but by the end of the second weekend when I was chunking off tire and pads, cleaning rubber off the hood/windshield, and examining where all the chips and debris were landing... Got a 3k beater that is alot cheaper to maintain/upgrade. It's slower, and that sucks. But I can have fun and not sweat it as much. Breaking/denting the DD would REALLY suck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon dawes Posted September 4, 2007 Share Posted September 4, 2007 just an update. went to VIR with my 07 mustang rather than the track car [94 GT] cause it's not reliable enough to get around in [yet]. let's just say thank god that VIR has plenty of "room" if you go off! ok, so maybe i was a little beyond my limits. but it happened [several times i hate to say]. and a few of the more advanced folks wrecked: one cobra flipped [driver was ok] and another bashed the tire wall [very nice late model porsche]. what's my point? i guess it's if you want to risk damaging your nice car, and can afford to, go for it! my 07 mustang is loads nicer, comfier, faster, has better handling, etc. than the 94. . . but god forbid i wreck the 07! the 94 is more 'disposable'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodeoFlyer Posted September 4, 2007 Share Posted September 4, 2007 NORTHY! first I will say this..... HA HAHA HAHAHAHAHAHA Actually, the fact that you did it MULTIPLE times, and at least in the picture with an instructor on board - well that is pretty much unacceptable. First get a new instructor if the same guy let you put yourself in a situation that caused an off MULTIPLE times. Second - SLOW THE HELL DOWN! The S197 is very docile and gives little to no warning before it lets go, which means if you arent prepared for it you shouldn't be pushing it that hard. She does look purdy out there mowin though don't she? ROFLMAO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon dawes Posted September 4, 2007 Share Posted September 4, 2007 (edited) [minor hijack]hey, what can i say! my tires weren't up to the task and my brakes don't work good actually, i was going to tell you somehow my REAR, yes REAR, brakes totally cooked. all the way down to the backing plates!!!! the fronts were just fine. i don't get it! my instructor rocked: he swapped the pads for me right there as i stood by looking stupid. anyways. i figured out what i was doing wrong in the different sections that i screwed up on and don't intend to go off at VIR any time soon! Summit Point main is next and rather than get booted for speeding i think i'll tone it down a bit so i don't look like a COMPLETE idiot [just a partial one].[/minor hijack] Edited September 5, 2007 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan_Wolfe Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 That's because the ebrake is only supposed to be engaged when the car is stopped, or when you are trying to get around the oak tree in a big hurry. Sorry, couldn't help myself. Alan p.s. Seriously, you need to have someone knowledgable look at your brakes. That is one badly functioning brake system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon dawes Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 i really don't get what happend to my rear brakes. i had the TCS turned off. i was REALLY getting on the brakes [at least that's what it felt like to me and as confirmed by my instructor] just about the entire time, but that would cause the FRONTS to go i would imagine, in such a heavy car. all i can think of is that something is either "over" functioning or not functioning properly. this car has more gremlins than an AMC junkyard. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonz Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 i really don't get what happend to my rear brakes. i had the TCS turned off. i was REALLY getting on the brakes [at least that's what it felt like to me and as confirmed by my instructor] just about the entire time, but that would cause the FRONTS to go i would imagine, in such a heavy car. all i can think of is that something is either "over" functioning or not functioning properly. this car has more gremlins than an AMC junkyard. . . LOL. took me a 1/2 second to get the joke about the Gremlins. Funny. My brother had a similar experience with his rear brakes on his 99 GT a few years ago. Wore the rears to the rivets and the fronts were fine. Rears were stock/generic and fronts were HP+, on RA1 tires. You might need a better pad, or some kind of cooling. Maybe remove the brake dust shields. Oh yeah; keep it out of the grass, it will stop better! On a side note, I just bought a track/weekend car on Saturday. It's a 95 GT. Hopefully I can get it ready for OCT 13/14 at Summit Point. It will be my first day in HPDE3, and I hope I don't have to take my daily driver ( 2002 WRX) out there anymore. I bought a 90 Miata last year with the same plan of having a beater to drive by the time I got to HPDE3. Everyone was so enthusiastic about the Miata as a track car, so I rushed into buying one. I figured out pretty quickly it just wasn't for me. So I went back to tracking the WRX. But I've seen too many treet/HPDE cars wreck out there to be comfortable risking it any longer. I had a 1990 5.0LX before buying the WRX in 02, so I think it will be fun (and cheap) to be back in a V8 Mustang. Hope to see you you out there. Gonzalo. HPDE # 71 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimgood Posted September 5, 2007 Share Posted September 5, 2007 Jon, at least you kept the shiny side up. Don't feel too bad about the offs. As long as you know, or figure out, what you did to cause them and how to correct the problems, you'll do better next time, even if it's just a matter of better prep. My last trip to VIR I had 5 offs, 4 of them backwards or sideways. It actually took an autocross to finally figure out what I was doing wrong because it was kind of subtle. And I didn't have the 'excuse' of mechanical problems. It was all me! Next time out (Aug Summit Point) I never put a wheel wrong and was faster than ever. Go figure. Sounds like you made the decision to get a dedicated track car. That's awesome!! Are you planning on the NASA Summit Point event in Oct? If so, see you there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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