Rusty Shackleford

i wanna do a course where you pay $200 and you drive with a instructor to teach you the bascis of track racing..at my local shop they told me that when they go to the track they recamend me using HP brack fluid so mine doesnt boil...what else should i have handy???? before i go im gunna be getting a higher compound brack pad....ST springs,,tokico blue shocks

grafddrx7

Ummm... Good tires...

Make sure all basic maintenance on the car is up to date, all suspension bolts are accounted for and torqued correctly, no play in your wheel bearings, suspension bushings in good condition, fresh underwear...

Basically just make sure that everything about your car is sound, cuz you don't want any unexpected surprises when you're on the track... While I don't know who you're gonna be running with, they should have at least a rudimentary tech inspection where any glaring issues will keep you off the track.

Black91n/a

Get good high performance "track day" brake pads. I like Hawk HP+. Get good brake fluid. Ford DOT 3 is a good deal. As said before, make sure the car is in good running condition, as you'll be putting it under alot of stress.

Rusty Shackleford

i forgot to add that im gettin new rims 15x7 and Kumho ECSTA supra 712 tires on the reveiws from tirerack.com they have 3 reveiws from 2-1985 rx7's and 1-81' rx7 that said they were a good tire for the price but one guy said that he had problems with the tires when accelcing from a corner.. i gusse some lose traction??

obviousboy

ive been reading up on this crap for awhile now....

read up on the hpde forums...
just do good front pads....
have decent tires (nothing fancy)
change your engine oil
change your brake fluid (dot4)
dont have cross drilled rotors

keep your cars suspension, brakes and tires stock until your ready to move on.

Rusty Shackleford

i was gunna plan on changing that out (tires,rims,shocks, springs,pads) now since i still have like 8 months till i can even ry to auto x cuz of my age

Rusty Shackleford

my shocks and springs are origanal with 140,000 miles on them i think its about time for new i feel EVERY pebble and trans in the road

REFLUX

I was in the EXACT same position as you a few years ago, this is what I learned from my experiences:

-Just make sure the car will be able to handle a lot of punishment without failure.
I.E. all wear & tear items should have a good amount of life left (brake pads, rotors, fluid, oil, coolant, tires, etc)

that's about it


do NOT bother modding your car for you FIRST time on the track, it isn't often that a newbie pushes the car hard enough to require mods BEFORE they even know where the car is lacking.

I made that mistake but it's good they were things I was going to do anyways.


Most importantly is to have fun. Don't get pissed at your car, at the beginner's level massive amounts of improvements are made in the driver, not the car.
Example: my 2nd time at the track, an instructor rented out an automatic Chevy Impala....he was passing EVERYONE. 350Zs, Viper, S2000...only guy he couldn't pass was a RUF Porsche 911.

Rx7@Rocketship.com

You may want to read the "School Tips" offered at the following site. You would find that in the left hand menu.
http://www.bellmotorsports.com/

David

DamonB

Just make certain the car is mechanically sound. If you haven't flushed the brake fluid in the past few months do it. Brake fluid absorbs moisture and any fluid with much moisture in it will always be worse than "cheap" fluid that is dry.

Rusty Shackleford

im gettin ford racing brake fluid that boils around 575 or somthin like that but what kinda rotors should i get my brakes are my biggest worry since the stock pads and rotors arent that good even when street driving

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

Just use Super Blue ATE for brake fluid. It's a good track/street fluid. As for anything else, check this thread:

https://www.rx7club.com/race-car-tech-103/track-check-list-so-speak-254212/

macdaddy

First time on track, you're not likely to push your car to the point of needing anything special. Change your brake fluid just before you go, and have decent brake pads (and perhaps an extra set of fronts). Ford brake fluid is great if you change it just before you hit the track - cheap, high dry boiling point, but it will absorb moisture fairly quickly, so plan on changing fluid at least before every track event. Good street/track pads like Hawk HP+, Carbotech Panther Plus, Axxis Ultimate are plenty. Definately want street, not R-compound, tires until you have accumulated some decent experience on track, and half-worn ones are best. New tires may have enough tread thickness to overheat and "chunk." Most events will require a formal pre-event tech inspection, but even if they don't, a thorough "nut and bolt" check to make sure everything is torqued to spec is important. You'll want a good tire pressure gauge, an air source (not all venues have a compressor) - cheap tire inflator that plugs in your cigarette lighter is fine. Torque wrench and appropriate sockets for your lug nuts is very important - borrow one for the weekend if you have to. Appropriate clothes for all conditions, plenty of fluids. Most events require long sleeves and pants of natural fiber. Thin soled shoes - either real driving shoes, or wrestling shoes - really help with heel-toeing. And, of course, you'll need a helmet. See the Tarheel Sports Car Club FAQs for more advice (note the info is specific to THSCC, but it is fairly typical of other clubs): http://www.thscc.com/timetrial/faq.htm

obviousboy

just get new stock crap for now...or atleadt stock rotors and nicer pads...
these are wear items that gonna burn throw...also many racers/instructors have told me that its much better to learn how to drive with stock brakes..how to deal with greasy tires and what brake fade feels like...

This well help you improve greatly in understanding the limits of your car..and from there how hard you can push it and what you will need to go faster....

Rusty Shackleford

sweet now i just need to get my lisence...........i could have it but i have to wait for drivers ed...stupid new state law

speedturn

iTrader: (1)

What everybody else said, plus:

Make sure your battery is bolted down firmly. No rubber bungee tie downs allowed. Make sure your exhaust system is firmly mounted.

Make sure you get a good night's sleep and that you have a clear head when you hit the track. It takes a lot more thinking than it does a heavy right foot in order to be fast on the track.

grafddrx7

Speedturn had pretty much the best advice so far... Get good sleep, and when you get to the track, Think... You'd be amazed how many forget this part of the equation!!!

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

lol, I'm usually too excited to sleep.

cpa7man

iTrader: (2)

Yea, I popped up at 5:00am Saturday after going to bed at 1:00am.

My advice is if your going to drive the car 8/10 or more, trailer it to the track. Or have someone who can drive you home and come back for the car later. ALso if you get serious you need to develop a portable garage. This weekend at the track we changed an intake maifold gasket -new o-rings. Set the camber and toe, chaged the oil and a bunch of other stuff. The guy to my left threw a belt, flat spotted his tires. He went to the Hoosier track support and got new ones. The guy to my right just had to reset his timing.

I know this sounds extreme but a lot of the guys running HPDE do amazing stuff in between sessions. You really don't have any idea what your getting yourself into. but, go for it.....

macdaddy

Don't scare the kid to death, man - he doesn't even have his license yet. If he has the $ and the parental support to get on track, the best advice I can give him is to start out with a solid street car and a helmet and learn to drive with a reputable organization (safety oriented, good organization and instruction, etc.).

Once he has the time and the disposable income to burn, then he can get into performance driving as an obsession - I mean habit - I mean hobby. By that point, he won't need our advice, he'll have been there, done that.

One point - most organizations and/or tracks don't allow drivers less than 18 yo - they typically blame their insurance policy. This isn't universal, so check the specifics of any particular event. Yeah, I know - you can race in SCCA @ 16, but most of the marque clubs won't let you on track until 18.

And a final piece of advice - if you don't have the time, $, parental support, etc. to get on the track, you can learn a lot doing autocross - a lot less seat time per day, but a lot cheaper, a lot easier to get started, and you can typically participate as soon as you have an unrestricted license. Check out the SCCA SC Region website for info: http://www.scr-scca.com/modules/news/ There may be other organizations doing autocross (Solo II) near you as well, but I don't know the scene in the Holy City well enough to know. Might want to ask in the SE forum?

Black91n/a

When I've been to the track for driving schools I haven't seen people doing any repairs to their cars. Just changing tires from street to R and back and checking pads, etc. I did witness a couple accidents and some spins that resulted in little to no damage, but all were caused by the drivers being over exuberent. Take it slowly and work up to the limits gradually, don't worry if you never get to the limits of the car, you're there to work on the limits of your driving. Work on being smooth and speed will come all on it's own. Don't worry too much about traffic, you'll be passed alot, but it's not racing, so let them by when there's a good spot. Point them by when you want them to pass. Most of all HAVE FUN. It's not a competition, just concentrate on your driving and have a good time.

Rusty Shackleford

yea i wanna do auto cross and me and my friend are setting up a club at my school (along with the many other car kids who know nothing and bought their cars the way they are with rims and body kit and there AWSOME!!!NOT) and we are only gunna let people in that can work on there cars not take it to the shop people....and then set up cones at a old parking lot as long as we get clearance from cops (i alot are friends of famlily) but mostly the cops that mess with us at the lot are folly beach district and we are in charleston so...they cant do anyhitng but know i know every folly cop cuz i work with them and stuff so yea alot of u are gunna shoot me down on that....watch

edmcguirk

Unless you own the parking lot there is going to be an issue with insurance. Even if you do own the parking lot it's a good idea.

If you want to set up cones and drive it's probably a good idea to get in touch with one of the local autocross clubs. They would probably be willing to do a special event for you if you have the right permissions. (but it'll cost money)

The cops can only look the other way as long as nobody notices what you are doing. No matter what good friends they might be.

ed

Rusty Shackleford

i know 2 years ago corvette club of america would hold races there with cones and drag races.....but since then kids just randomly go there and have fun since its BIG and open with no islands or close light poles