Second annual TST track day June 23-24 at NJMP

[oneday]

Originally Posted by piku

Justin, thanks again for taking care of instructing me. I'm not convinced I could have had more fun, this weekend was the best in a long time. Honestly I left with the feeling that you're an excellent instructor, but hopefully I was an easy student as well. I'm so stoked my car basically held up. Thanks for getting that clamp for me. I'm still wondering how Nick (tan E30) was able to take me in the last session. He was driving the hell out of that car in the same session that I was settling down for the day ;)

Nothing like pointing yourself backwards... on the track... in the middle of the line... with a race car barreling towards you. I was used to autocross where I had half a second to think about what I just did wrong ;)

My best time was like 1:23.6 which I feel was very respectable considering the tires. The car is so fast, that as I get more experience and then move to better tires, I'll be able to carry so much more speed through the corners. Don't get me wrong though, I'm so happy I had those tires. I learned so much about all the various feedback, trail braking, and balancing inputs through the corners. The slow cornering speeds gave me a ton of confidence to really push it. I was also surprised to see MANY 1:23-1:25 laps (when I didn't hit traffic). A lot more consistency in my driving than I thought there would be. I really feel like I have much more natural talent for this than autocrossing.

Anyway, I'm now negotiating with the wife and it looks like I'll be back for Thunderbolt in September and then 3+ days per year in the following years depending on how money goes.

Glad you enjoyed yourself! I called that 1:23 early on Sunday. The reason the E30 was quicker at the end of the day was probably all tires...your were done...the abuse of two days on the track took their toll and the result was a greasy mess that kept your foot out of the go fast pedal.

I think that your next step is to get some Star Specs/RS3 or similar tires...once you get a bit more seat time and are a little smoother still, then take the step up to RA1/R888/NTO1--especially since you can trailer the car.

Lightning is a very easy circuit to learn, it is probably one of the best for a new student to get into lapping on. If you make it to Thunderbolt, you will be able to make use of some more autocross skills (slow in, fast our; and throttle patience).

Originally Posted by Chris B.

It was good to meet everyone. My weekend was fun while it lasted. Thanks for the ride Justin.

Since the slave cylinder and throwout bearing were going bad, I decided I might as well replace the clutch since I had to pull the tranny to replace the bad parts. On the newer Mustangs the slave cylinder and throwout bearing are one unit on the tranny input shaft. I was dreading doing that in the driveway using jackstands on a warm sunny Sunday and Monday and ended up finding a local shop that gave me a great price on the clutch kit, slave cylinder/throwout bearing and installation. So I picked up the car earlier tonight with a new clutch and slave cylinder/throwout bearing installed.

I went a little overkill on the clutch(rated for 550 ft-lbs of torque) but now if I decide I want to upgrade the brakes and go with a turbo kit or supercharger, I have a clutch that can handle it without killing my leg in stop & go traffic.

Glad you enjoyed the ride and glad you got your car back so quickly!

[piku]

Yeah I'm going to hunt for maybe an 18x9 square setup with 245 star specs.

Oh and I am looking back over the data logs. Max coolant temp of 104C (but it mostly hovered around 100C) Considering my 540i maintains a coolant temp of 110C on purpose I guess that's ok. But the max intake air temp was 94C! That VF tune must be pretty good since the motor didn't blow up under those conditions.

[oneday]

Originally Posted by piku

Yeah I'm going to hunt for maybe an 18x9 square setup with 245 star specs.

Oh and I am looking back over the data logs. Max coolant temp of 104C (but it mostly hovered around 100C) Considering my 540i maintains a coolant temp of 110C on purpose I guess that's ok. But the max intake air temp was 94C! That VF tune must be pretty good since the motor didn't blow up under those conditions.

Is there a reason you want to go with an 18 over the 17? 245/40-17s are an easy fit on 17x8.5s and don't require massaging of fenders or radical offsets.

If you want Apex ARC-8s like I have let me know, I have a connection with a dealer that sells them.

[piku]

Originally Posted by oneday

Is there a reason you want to go with an 18 over the 17? 245/40-17s are an easy fit on 17x8.5s and don't require massaging of fenders or radical offsets.

If you want Apex ARC-8s like I have let me know, I have a connection with a dealer that sells them.

Someone on the m3 list (who autocrosses) told me it's a better bet to go with the 18's to allow a later bump to 255's (with flaring) without them being too tall and having less crisp turn-in. That was back when I took autocross seriously which I am now seriously reevaluating based on the dollar to fun ratio amongst other things. Your car had *substantially* more grip than mine as well. It was a real eye opener since you're on 245/40-17. I realize too that I need to focus less on times and more on the line and consistent braking and corner entry. I think I got wrapped up in the competitive fun and lost focus.

I'll ponder it and if I go with the ARC-8's I will let you know. The wife is trying to rope me into keeping the staggered setup to save money. I would be so stoked if I could find a pair of the 5 double spoke cheap and not have a $1000 wheel bill. If I can fit 17x9 with 245 on there and it fits alright without too much drama (I am alright with some rolling, the car is getting pretty old now) then that is fine... I hear conflicting opinions because some people say the 17 is better because it's lighter.

[oneday]

Yes, 17s are lighter...but you should also consider what tires you plan to run in the long run. Are you going to stay with ST style tires, or are you going to go all in and hit the purple or yellow crack [I am shopping Conti GA scrubs right now]. There are a lot of 18 scrubs these days since that is what the E46/92 GA cars run [the 17s I am shopping are from a Miata, go figure]. I opted for the 8.5 because it made more since for street driving, 9s require more pulling and camber all around to fit--especially in the rear, where you need to run camber arms to fit ($$$$). While I agree that an 18 with short sidewall will provide marginally better turn in, I question how perceptible that would be on an otherwise stock suspension--the added spring rate of a stiffer sidewall will be negated by the soft spring/damper.

As an argument for going square: You can rotate tires left to right [directional tires be damned as that only matters in the wet] and front to rear and get considerably more life out of them.

[piku]

Ok I've made up my mind. I am going to buy two used 17x8.5 LTW to create a square setup. I'll sell off my existing two front wheels maybe to help recoup some cost though they're pretty bad. I'll get 245/40-R17 star specs and drive it like that on the street. I'll shim and swap the strut hats and try that setup in September on Thunderbolt.

I also have to install my wideband and other bits that would have been very useful for keeping an eye on the car.

I have no business being on r-comps for the next few sessions so I think this is a good cost effective way to get some grip.

[DPancoast]

I hate that I missed this

[oneday]

Originally Posted by piku

Ok I've made up my mind. I am going to buy two used 17x8.5 LTW to create a square setup. I'll sell off my existing two front wheels maybe to help recoup some cost though they're pretty bad. I'll get 245/40-R17 star specs and drive it like that on the street. I'll shim and swap the strut hats and try that setup in September on Thunderbolt.

I have a pair of 8.5 Contours if you decide you want them...

Originally Posted by piku

I have no business being on r-comps for the next few sessions so I think this is a good cost effective way to get some grip.

I couldn't have said it better myself.