Got a track related question? I'll try to answer.

[becauseracecar1]

Originally Posted by RehabJeff86

Sorry a lil off topic, i use RaceRender for track video, wonder wut r u using cuz i really like the turn number and cornering speed on ur track vid!

I used Harry's lap timer. I had to clear about 50% of my pictures on my iPhone 5s 64gig to have enough space for the videos. The data overlay kept freezing up when my memory was 80-90% used up, but besides that it worked great!!


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[TylerLieberman]

Ok, here we go.

I'm starting to get into track/road racing. I have limited experience in the subject and all the exposure I got to the subject was right after getting my license. I have a small bit of karting experience and have done a few driving schools/classes and other events such as BMW/Michelin ride and drive.

Since getting my license, my primary focus has been drifting. I have more events and seat time and driven more vehicles than I can count. Events ranging from basic skid pads at speeds of 30mph to full blown road courses where entries get up to 80mph+ across various different states. I've gotten the privilege to learn from and befriend people, who are now Formula D drivers, and still talk to a few of them on a frequent basis.

However, I have chosen to take a break from it and learn other forms of driving to improve overall. I've tried Autox and didn't care for it much. Also tried rally but with the costs being very high, and not having anything available within a reasonable distance, I decided not to pursue it.

I'll be moving back to California and plan to do events at the tracks there. I will be using my FRS as well as attending some of the SoCal GTR events with my Dad at WSIR to learn more. My car isn't exactly setup for the task of road racing though. I've been using 215/45 Federal tires on 17x9 RPF1s for drifting purposes with this car with an alignment of: -3/-1.5 camber, 0 toe f/r. While this may have worked well for drifting purposes, I know this isn't optimum performance wise at all and that setup compromised the capabilities of the car.

So. Changes are underway. I have 18x9.5 TE37SLs on the way and will be using a 255/35 square setup and the car is getting raised up a little bit. The car uses Stance Coilovers and LCAs, and yes I know, they are not the best product in the world. I have a great relationship with the people there though and since I've had them, they've done their job and have never had a single issue with any of their products. If I upgrade later on, it will be custom Stance 2-Ways or HKS Hipermax(had them on my old s14 and loved them).

Plan on doing some other small changes like brake pads, and fluid, steering rack bushings, oil cooler, and maybe one or two very small other things. That's it though. I like the way the car is now. Only big things I noticed I didn't like was the braking feel/power, and the slop in the rear subframe. Easy fixes though.

Anyways, I figured I'd give this thread a go and I'm glad I did as there is a lot of useful information to take away. I figured I can get some additional info on things once I start driving at the vents and learn what I can over the next few years with this car.

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by TylerLieberman

Ok, here we go.

I'm starting to get into track/road racing. I have limited experience in the subject and all the exposure I got to the subject was right after getting my license. I have a small bit of karting experience and have done a few driving schools/classes and other events such as BMW/Michelin ride and drive.

Since getting my license, my primary focus has been drifting. I have more events and seat time and driven more vehicles than I can count. Events ranging from basic skid pads at speeds of 30mph to full blown road courses where entries get up to 80mph+ across various different states. I've gotten the privilege to learn from and befriend people, who are now Formula D drivers, and still talk to a few of them on a frequent basis.

However, I have chosen to take a break from it and learn other forms of driving to improve overall. I've tried Autox and didn't care for it much. Also tried rally but with the costs being very high, and not having anything available within a reasonable distance, I decided not to pursue it.

I'll be moving back to California and plan to do events at the tracks there. I will be using my FRS as well as attending some of the SoCal GTR events with my Dad at WSIR to learn more. My car isn't exactly setup for the task of road racing though. I've been using 215/45 Federal tires on 17x9 RPF1s for drifting purposes with this car with an alignment of: -3/-1.5 camber, 0 toe f/r. While this may have worked well for drifting purposes, I know this isn't optimum performance wise at all and that setup compromised the capabilities of the car.

So. Changes are underway. I have 18x9.5 TE37SLs on the way and will be using a 255/35 square setup and the car is getting raised up a little bit. The car uses Stance Coilovers and LCAs, and yes I know, they are not the best product in the world. I have a great relationship with the people there though and since I've had them, they've done their job and have never had a single issue with any of their products. If I upgrade later on, it will be custom Stance 2-Ways or HKS Hipermax(had them on my old s14 and loved them).

Plan on doing some other small changes like brake pads, and fluid, steering rack bushings, oil cooler, and maybe one or two very small other things. That's it though. I like the way the car is now. Only big things I noticed I didn't like was the braking feel/power, and the slop in the rear subframe. Easy fixes though.

Anyways, I figured I'd give this thread a go and I'm glad I did as there is a lot of useful information to take away. I figured I can get some additional info on things once I start driving at the vents and learn what I can over the next few years with this car.

i dont have much experience (none with an frs) and im sure more experienced people will have input but right off the bat i would say you might want to hold off on getting that much tire and mechanical grip if your goal is to gain valuable experience. your rpf1s are probably a better wheel for the track than those volks. im constantly tempted to run 15x9s on my track car but then i get out there on my 7s and am reminded just how much time i leave out there. knowing im not using all of the 205s grip keeps me from upgrading as humbling as that experience is.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

If you're tracking with race pads, replace the rotors when the microfractures get big enough to make you notice.

From the CSG FB page:

I use my fingernails to quickly determine if the fractures are wide enough that the rotor needs to be thrown away. If a fingernail catches on a fracture, the rotor is done; if it slides over the fracture, the rotor is still good. On the AP Racing Competition Kit on my car, it takes awhile before the fractures open up to the point shown in the rotor on the right.

Originally Posted by TylerLieberman

I'm starting to get into track/road racing.

I have 18x9.5 TE37SLs on the way and will be using a 255/35 square setup...

That is a lot of tire for a ~170 RWHP car - you may find it useful to get a probe pyrometer and learn to use it. That will help you find out if you're heating your tires up to their optimum operating range. You can also use the temperatures you record to fine-tune your camber and toe settings.

[TylerLieberman]

Originally Posted by fatoni

i dont have much experience (none with an frs) and im sure more experienced people will have input but right off the bat i would say you might want to hold off on getting that much tire and mechanical grip if your goal is to gain valuable experience. your rpf1s are probably a better wheel for the track than those volks. im constantly tempted to run 15x9s on my track car but then i get out there on my 7s and am reminded just how much time i leave out there. knowing im not using all of the 205s grip keeps me from upgrading as humbling as that experience is.

Understandable. My RPF1s are already gone though. I'll be finishing up with school when I get to California, so a large amount of seat time isn't high on my priorities-as school is much more important that cars.

Ill have to see how it feels once the setup is on. I suppose that's the only way to tell, is from experience. I'm not one to just go out and drive past my limits on the first laps.

I also still have the stock wheels that I can use with some grippy 215s or 225s for track days. I just can't right now because I'm stationed in Oklahoma and those wheels make better winter wheels than fresh Volks lol

Originally Posted by dradernh

That is a lot of tire for a ~170 RWHP car - you may find it useful to get a probe pyrometer and learn to use it. That will help you find out if you're heating your tires up to their optimum operating range. You can also use the temperatures you record to fine-tune your camber and toe settings.

Interesting. I'll definitely have to look into that. I noticed that at one point in the thread, it had been mentioned that on tighter courses, where you're not having to worry so much about the rolling resistance from tire size, a wider tire can be helpful. Willow Springs and Laguna Seca (not exactly a tight course from what I remember) are the two locations I plan to drive primarily. I love both of those courses and am dying to drive them again.

Definitely appreciate the input though

[TylerLieberman]

Furthermore, what would be a good tire to run?

The car is daily driven and will only see a couple events out of the year so if I choose to use the same wheel/tire setup all the time, I understand compromises will be made. The question is what would be a sufficient track tire but also have a decent life span to where I'm not going through a set every few months..

Everybody I've talked to speak highly of the RS3 and RE11 tires. I've heard mixed reviews on the RT615K, and DZII. AD08s are a bit too pricey for me haha.

[fooddude]

Since skinnier tires are generally faster on the track (not autox) with a low hp NA car, is anyone running aftermarket wheels in 7" or 8" (excluding oem factory wheels though, and also excluding the 8" rpf1..since we all already know about those). If yes, what are you running?

Thinking of getting Rota RKRs in an 8" width with 215 or 225 tires. 8" = lighter, skinnier, no need to worry if roughed up during track/hpde sessions since they're cheap, they look nice and classic, etc.



Examples of what the lip-size and face-depth will look like in 8"et5 and 8.5"et10 (although, these are 15")

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by TylerLieberman

Furthermore, what would be a good tire to run?

The car is daily driven and will only see a couple events out of the year so if I choose to use the same wheel/tire setup all the time, I understand compromises will be made. The question is what would be a sufficient track tire but also have a decent life span to where I'm not going through a set every few months..

Everybody I've talked to speak highly of the RS3 and RE11 tires. I've heard mixed reviews on the RT615K, and DZII. AD08s are a bit too pricey for me haha.

im sure the stock rims will be fine for a while. if i ever end up using my brz for the track im going to be on the stock rims for at least a set of rs3. i have the re11s on my miata and i really like them. they are kind of expensive but they do really well on the street. very little road noise and not bad in the cold but i feel they are just a tick slower than some of the other tires. on bigger cars like the frs, it looks like the rs3 is still the tire to run in socal weather. on smaller cars the rivals are looking really nice.

Originally Posted by fooddude

Since skinnier tires are generally faster on the track (not autox) with a low hp NA car, is anyone running aftermarket wheels in 7" or 8" (excluding oem factory wheels though, and also excluding the 8" rpf1..since we all already know about those). If yes, what are you running?

Thinking of getting Rota RKRs in an 8" width with 215 or 225 tires. 8" = lighter, skinnier, no need to worry if roughed up during track/hpde sessions since they're cheap, they look nice and classic, etc.



Examples of what the lip-size and face-depth will look like in 8"et5 and 8.5"et10 (although, these are 15")

i dont know if i agree with that. skinny wheels are never faster. skinny tires can be on some of the bigger tracks but here in socal a 9" rim is faster than an 8" rim (on a miata) on all but maybe one track. i imagine the extra 70hp and several hundred pounds would be able to heat up a wider tire. the best way to go about it is finding the tire size you want and then getting the widest appropriate wheel size to match.

[fooddude]

Ah..good points on wider tires won't heat/grease as quick ..and heavier cars heat/grease up tires quicker.

[THEmailman]

Originally Posted by fooddude

Since skinnier tires are generally faster on the track (not autox) with a low hp NA car, is anyone running aftermarket wheels in 7" or 8" (excluding oem factory wheels though, and also excluding the 8" rpf1..since we all already know about those). If yes, what are you running?

Thinking of getting Rota RKRs in an 8" width with 215 or 225 tires. 8" = lighter, skinnier, no need to worry if roughed up during track/hpde sessions since they're cheap, they look nice and classic, etc.

I am running 17x8 Kosei K4R's with 225 wide tires. They are only $200/per wheel and they weigh just under 16 lbs each so pretty good value. They also are +36 offset so they line up nicely. I don't have a picture right now but the only color they come in is a painted grey. Some people might not like that but my car is black (not) and I really could care less about winning 1st place at a car show....look them up on Tire Rack.

[DatApex]

I have another question, apologies if this isn't the right place but seems like it's track related.

Since installing the cage in my car, the top bar goes right across my rear window in the factory rear view mirror, making it difficult to see out of the back. It's not a big deal tooling around town as I can just hunch down and look under the bar, but on track that could prove troublesome. I had [ame=http://www.amazon.com/E-Z-GO-603717-5-Panel-Wink-Mirror/dp/B00699X2H4/]one of these[/ame] in my old car, which was fantastic, but that was a convertible so it had proper mounting points, etc. So what are folks using for better visibility on track?

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by fatoni

i dont know if i agree with that. skinny wheels are never faster. skinny tires can be on some of the bigger tracks but here in socal a 9" rim is faster than an 8" rim (on a miata) on all but maybe one track. i imagine the extra 70hp and several hundred pounds would be able to heat up a wider tire. the best way to go about it is finding the tire size you want and then getting the widest appropriate wheel size to match.

But what size tire?

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by DatApex

I have another question, apologies if this isn't the right place but seems like it's track related.

Since installing the cage in my car, the top bar goes right across my rear window in the factory rear view mirror, making it difficult to see out of the back. It's not a big deal tooling around town as I can just hunch down and look under the bar, but on track that could prove troublesome. I had one of these in my old car, which was fantastic, but that was a convertible so it had proper mounting points, etc. So what are folks using for better visibility on track?

Move your mirror lower

[DatApex]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

Move your mirror lower

I've tried that. It's the factory home link, so adjustability/visibility isn't the best on it to begin with.

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