inVision Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 Hey guys, I'm hoping to participate in my first HPDE event next month (at Cal.Speedway). I live close enough to drive there and back with the same car I'm running at the track. I am more or less a complete newbie. Do you think I can handle 2 days or will I be completely exhausted after 1? Also, it is a rain or shine event? If by small chance it rains that day and I don't feel comfortable driving out there, can I get a refund or at least credit? (I read the refund policy but was hoping bad weather would be an exception) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
99HOSS Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 Contact the director for the region and email your question. You'll be fine doing 2 days, just make sure your cars fluids are fine, you're hydrated and rested. And don't be afraid of rain. It is the ultimate leveler. It'd be a good experience to drive in the rain in a controlled environment, with an instructor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slammed_93_hatch Posted February 2, 2005 Share Posted February 2, 2005 i love to do two days, i just never get enough with one. Defently if its a new track 2 days is a must. If its your first time id say 2 days. Just don't put a nijia death grip on the stearing wheel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papajohn55 Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 Two days - one is never enough. Be prepared though to possibly do some brake bleeding and/or replace pads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inVision Posted February 3, 2005 Author Share Posted February 3, 2005 Two days - one is never enough. Be prepared though to possibly do some brake bleeding and/or replace pads. Yeah, I've never done that before. I'm asking some of the Cobra guys to show me how so I can practice before the event. I hear the pads are easy but the bleeding can get you into some trouble if you do it wrong. Hopefully stock tires are okay for 2 days? I don't have room in the car for spares. They are BFG KD's with about 1K miles on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Corkran Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 Pick up a spare E-clip for the front caliper lock pin. You don't want to lose one and be stuck. Since you'll be flushing the brake fluid before the event anyway, you might want to remove the calipers and pads, push the pistons in and put the pads back in. Don't forget to pump the pistons back against the pads BEFORE you start the car. A little practice at home could save problems when you go to do it at the track. If your new pads you bring to the track come with new metal clips on the ends, you might want to put them on the pads at home - they can be difficult to get on. While you have the current pads out you might want to bend in the tips of the anti-rattle clips on the pads to make them easier to get out. These clips fit into the pistons and holes in the caliper. This would also be a good time to bend in the tips on the new pads so they pop in easier as well. Getting the pistons in can be difficult as well, you either need a large pair of pliers or a pad spreader tool. Someone recently showed me a great way to do it. Remove the outer pad, then put the caliper back on the rotor. Now you can pry the caliper outward with a nail remover pry bar, using the rotor hat as a fulcrum. The rear brakes require a tool to rotate the pistons back in. If your rear pads aren't too worn they should last the event. There are some fancy tools, then there are tools that fit on the end of a socket extension. They can be a bit more difficult to use, but are cheap, small and light. I use the KD Tools round disk on an extension, it seems to fit the piston better than the super cheap cube that works on many different pistons but seems to require a little grinding to work well on the Ford piston. The most important thing is to NEVER let the caliper hand by the hose. If you should accidently drop the caliper so it hangs by the hose, even for a moment, do not go back on track until the hose is replaced (preferably with SS lines, which Ford recommends for Cobras used on track). The hose may seem fine, but it could fail catastrophically later. KDs are great track tires, they should hold up well for you through several events. I second the sentiment that rain shouldn't be feared. You'll learn more about your car, the track and smooth control inputs in one rain session than in 10 dry sessions. Your instructor will keep you from getting over your head in the rain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inVision Posted February 3, 2005 Author Share Posted February 3, 2005 Pick up a spare E-clip for the front caliper lock pin. You don't want to lose one and be stuck. Since you'll be flushing the brake fluid before the event anyway, you might want to remove the calipers and pads, push the pistons in and put the pads back in. Don't forget to pump the pistons back against the pads BEFORE you start the car. A little practice at home could save problems when you go to do it at the track. If your new pads you bring to the track come with new metal clips on the ends, you might want to put them on the pads at home - they can be difficult to get on. While you have the current pads out you might want to bend in the tips of the anti-rattle clips on the pads to make them easier to get out. These clips fit into the pistons and holes in the caliper. This would also be a good time to bend in the tips on the new pads so they pop in easier as well. Getting the pistons in can be difficult as well, you either need a large pair of pliers or a pad spreader tool. Someone recently showed me a great way to do it. Remove the outer pad, then put the caliper back on the rotor. Now you can pry the caliper outward with a nail remover pry bar, using the rotor hat as a fulcrum. The rear brakes require a tool to rotate the pistons back in. If your rear pads aren't too worn they should last the event. There are some fancy tools, then there are tools that fit on the end of a socket extension. They can be a bit more difficult to use, but are cheap, small and light. I use the KD Tools round disk on an extension, it seems to fit the piston better than the super cheap cube that works on many different pistons but seems to require a little grinding to work well on the Ford piston. The most important thing is to NEVER let the caliper hand by the hose. If you should accidently drop the caliper so it hangs by the hose, even for a moment, do not go back on track until the hose is replaced (preferably with SS lines, which Ford recommends for Cobras used on track). The hose may seem fine, but it could fail catastrophically later. KDs are great track tires, they should hold up well for you through several events. I second the sentiment that rain shouldn't be feared. You'll learn more about your car, the track and smooth control inputs in one rain session than in 10 dry sessions. Your instructor will keep you from getting over your head in the rain. Frank, thanks for the detailed advice! Hopefully it will make more sense to me when I actually try it this weekend (cuz at this point you lost me at E-clip). And I will be very cautious about letting the caliper hang, would not want to deal with replacing the hose! I'm also ordering an extra set of replacement rotors. It seems a lot of guys also change out their rotors between events? Since I am gonna do 2 days, I figure I'll be prepared just in case. Is this something that is very difficult to do? Any special tools required? Besides being a track newbie, I'm also a mechanical newbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inVision Posted February 3, 2005 Author Share Posted February 3, 2005 Oh yeah, where can I get a spare E-clip? My car uses 4 piston Brembos (stock 2000 Cobra R). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra-R Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 Oh yeah, where can I get a spare E-clip? My car uses 4 piston Brembos (stock 2000 Cobra R). You don't have e-clips on the Brembo's. Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inVision Posted February 3, 2005 Author Share Posted February 3, 2005 Ok, thanks Brian!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Corkran Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 My description of the front brake procedure was for the Cobra PBR calipers. The Brembos will probably be easier. I don't think you need to remove the calipers, just pry the pads back against the pistons until they are seated, remove the cross bolts and pull the pads out the top. I haven't looked closely yet at the ones on the AI car I bought, so I have no definitive tech for you. Most of the AI racers seem to run the Brembos, so you know where to go if you need assistance at the track. As for the rotors, it's unlikely you'll need to replace them. They should be nicely seasoned from street driving and your first few times at a track event you simply won't be as hard on them as the advanced folks. Depending on how often you go to the track, rotors should last you about a season. The folks who change rotors at every event are swapping between street rotors/pads and full track rotors/pads. Switching between pad types on the same rotors usually requires re-bedding of the pads. If you do change rotors it's fairly easy, just remove the caliper (and mounting cage, if it has one) and the rotor pulls right off the hub/studs. Just be sure to tie the caliper up out of the way securely so it can't stress the hose. Good luck and have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
National Staff Greg G. Posted February 4, 2005 National Staff Share Posted February 4, 2005 Sign up for both days. You will definitely want more after the first day. Also, I would sign up ASAP, because the California Speedway event is a premier event in our region that can sell out--especially for HPDE 1 and 2. Don't worry about rain. Mother Nature wouldn't dare rain on our season opener racing points event. And, if for some reason it does get a little wet, it will actually help you to learn how to drive better (albeit it won't be nearly as fast as when dry). Also, if you look at the prices for one versus two days, the second day reg. fees are only $80. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inVision Posted February 5, 2005 Author Share Posted February 5, 2005 Hi Greg, just signed up! Looking forward to the event! BTW, what is a transponder rental? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
National Staff Greg G. Posted February 5, 2005 National Staff Share Posted February 5, 2005 A transponder is small electrically powered box that gets attached to a car and then sends out a signal to a receiver that is placed at the Start/Finish line. The transponder tells the timing computers what car just went by the finish line, and what the lap time was. Most racers buy a transponder, but a lot of HPDE and TT drivers just rent one at the track. You will not need to worry about it in HPDE 1 and 2, because those groups are never timed. The HPDE 1&2 drivers need to concentrate on improving skills, becoming smooth, learning how to find the right line on a track, managing basic traffic, learning to look at corner workers, etc., etc., etc. So, there is already enough stuff to worry about, without having to worry about how fast you are going or what your lap time is. In the SoCal region, we do allow our HPDE 3 and 4 drivers to get lap times, although some other regions don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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