Hey guys, well I will be tracking my FD for the first time. 69k orginal miles. Wondering if you guys have any pre track prep work.

Things I done so far:
3" CSF race rad
Fresh Brake fluid (super blue)
New Halk HP+
Tein Flex aligned and corner balanced.
Fresh Motor oil/filter
New Coolant hoses.
Good tires.


Well was wondering what else is recommend? I have aftermark temp guage to monitor water temps.
First time tracking the FD and don't want any suprises.. plenty of track time on a FC though.

Thanks for any suggestions.. This is a touring so only one Oil cooler.. thats the next thing on my list. but won't be able to get one in time for the track.. 1 week.

Thanks for any input!

 

Oil temp gauge?

 

i like to use a heavy weight oil
the oil cooler is the weakest point obviously and you know this since you mentioned it. i noticed you didnt say oil temp gauge so i would suggest 2 laps of "spirited" driving and 1 lap of cool down...do not pull off the track when the car gets warm and park it with the hood open, bad idea. i recently tracked with 1 oil cooler and it took about 3 laps to get up to high oil temps according to the gauge.
the stock intercooler is fine for stock boost.

 

p.s. are you happy with your new flex's? i'd like to feel them in an fd.

 

You are pretty much set. Watch the water temps and watch those Hawk HP+. They don't give a lot of warning before fading badly -- in fact, I completely destroyed a set of them at Buttonwillow in less than one full track day. You will be fine unless you can't resist doing full threshold braking on every lap like me.

You mention being familiar with tracking your FC, so I don't need to get into what to bring to the track, in terms of tools and such.

One more hint -- pull the A/C relay and run the A/C while on track. This will kick the fans on HIGH speed earlier.

 

and make a vid if you got a carma

 

An oil catch can is a good idea, especially if you have track tires. Also, you might consider a main underdrive pulley -- that will keep your accessories running a little lower RPM and help your waterpump to avoid cavitating.

 

Thanks Mike, Will try to get a oil temp guage before the track day.. Where do you have yours mounted at? Oil pan readings okay?

The Flex should be on and corner ballanced this weekend.. maybe some time next month I'll let you take the car out for a drive so you can see how it feels.

Thanks for the advice! I would have never thought of that.. I was just going to keep the fans on (fan mod) but I think switch on, with AC.. so will keep highspeed fans the whole time I'm at the track.

Hey 1FunR1, forgot your name.. I belive we met at buttonwillow durring mazdafest.. I was driving a Red Super Charged FC.

I forgot to menition I have a underdrive main pully already.
I will keep the catch can in mind when I get a set of Hoosiers R6. But for this event only runing street tires so I don't think it will be nessary.


Thanks for the input guys!

Keep it coming.

 

I'll try to get some vids.

Here are some from Mazdafest at buttonwillow.

http://www.mirror.wreckedyouth.com/vids/mazfest/

Also, is anyone else running this sept 29th at buttonwillow? I seen a few Rx-7 on the list.

 

I was thinking about going but I highly doubt ill make it out, be sure to take some vids for me though so I know what I missed!

 

What's a 3" CSF race rad.?

 

Its a CSF alunuim radiator with a 2 15/16th inch core.

 

Yes definately monitor your oil temps if you have a single oil cooler. Wouldn't hurt to clean/straighten the fins on your oil cooler if you've never done that too.

As far as the temp probe, you have many options but if you're lazy like me and don't feel like tapping anything, you could get a replacement oil pedestal with ports like:

http://www.mrcmfg.com/respeed/catalo...c08ead24e39167

GReddy also makes an oil filter pedestal riser that does the same thing but causes some clearance issues with the TPS plug and the fast idle cam. I use this one because I wasn't aware of the REspeed one at the time.

 

This is my first year with an FD and every time I brought my car to the track this year I discovered a new oil leak. There's a whole discussion about how constant cornering and high RPM driving causes the oil to creep up into the filler neck. If your PCV system, hoses, oil filler neck o-ring, dipstick, etc. aren't well sealed you will be enjoying some nice smells and smoke from under the hood Bring extra oil and rags just in case. Also without a catchcan a lot of that oil will be pushed thru your intake and get in your I/C and burn off so you'll notice oil consumption goes up a lot at the track as well as any new leaks you might find

Also, if you have never tracked the FD before you might run into the problem of no head clearance with your helmet on (in sunroof models especially). Also the leather seats are super slippery. If you have head clearance and are slipping everywhere (bracking yourself with your legs while cornering sucks) try sitting on some of that toolbox liner foam sticky stuff. If you have clearance issues with the stock seats you could remove several inches of foam from them but they'll be terribly uncomfortable driving on the street and look all saggy if you do that. I did it with a badly ripped seat that I didn't care about and it works fine for now till I get a real seat.

 

A bolt on my filler neck got loose and I had a massive oil leak at an auto x. When I let her idle and the pressure went down, the leak was almost non existant. I don't know how mine came loose, but check yours before you roll. It gave me a hell of a scare.
You're forgetting one important piece of equipment: a camera so we can all watch an FD on a track.

 

That's a good basic list.

You may find that it doesn't take too much to overcook those HP+ pads though.

I see that you have tracked an FC so you may already know how far you can push them.

 

Well the car preformed verywell and had no problems...
Thanks for the pointer guys!

 

congrats man I hope to be doing the same thing in the future!

 

Those HP+ pads are not realy track worthy. IIRC they are low heat pads designed for use in Autox, where you are only driving for 1 minute at a time, so they have to function on very low heat.

Since it's your fist time, they might be OK in the begining, but you may find yourself with much less braking power as the event progresses. That's really not a fun feeling. If you elect to use them anyway, be mindful of the status of your equipment. It will not stay status quo. If you were me, you'd return those.

I have this box of Hawk Blues just sitting here. I should probably sell them. if you're interested in those, send PM. They are a high temp pad that won't fade much during a normal 2 day school event.

Other than that, more important than getting all those other gauges is to actually pay attention to the gagues you do have when you get there, even if you have just the stock coolant gauge. It's harder than most expect for the first timers.

Some advise on temps: If you start to run hot (i ran hot at watkins glen with dual mocal oil coolers and the competition radiator, neo keep cool and a high water mix) - just take it easy on the straights. This strategy will often allow you to stay on out on the track instead of coming into the pits. Let people pass you on the straights, it's no big deal. Spend your time working the corners, the line, learning the car, the course, and most importantly.. yourself. Eyes up and pay attention. Since you're not racing, using the straightaway is a great way to cool down a hot car.

Aftermarket gauges are better, but not a requirement. I'll be surprised if you come back and can tell your instructor your temps were coming out of say, turns 2, 5 and 8 on your first day. Just try to remember to at least check them when you get to the straight.

 

Everyone already chimed in, but I just want to reiterate how important an oil temperature gauge is. Thank goodness I put one on my car before I went to the track, otherwise I am certain my water temps would have been out of control before I could do anything to help. Oil temp appears to change much more rapidly than water and can give you a good bit of warning if you need to back off and cool down. It helped me keep my water temp down and my engine happy

 

Seal off the radiator if you haven't already done so...sides, and bottom especially since I'm not familiar with that brand radiator.

Tim

 

I guess widefoot swaybar mounts would come in handy also. Re-speed baffled oil filler neck may help or even get rid of oil leak problems.

 

Does anyone sell the wide foot pedal to make heel-toe shifting easier? I really need one of those for the track.

Tim

 

David does. Contact him directly at widefoot@comcast.net