First track day coming up and I need advice.

[z31maniac]

As far as the tires and wheels go I still think I'll upgrade those before hand. The main reason is the front tires are getting pretty worn, especially on the outer edges and I'm worried about that being a safety issue.

How thin?

You may want to reach out to your organizer and see what, if any, tread depth limits they have.

No fun in getting out to the track only to fail inspection.

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[Eritas]

I wouldn't downshift without rev-matching even in mild street driving unless I'd dragged the rpms down so far that the correct lower-gear rpm was curb idle speed.

Too many things you aren't considering here that might be different from your own situation. Many downshift situations in street settings don't need you to be on the brakes at all and pedals being poorly positioned being big ones. Or that in my individual situation, 45 years of having all the weight of my right foot/ankle/calf weight carried directly through the right heel (firmly indexed on the floor) is highly likely to end up with a big unintended stab on the brakes just from lifting the heel.

I still think it's a little better to have some feel for rev-matching separate from doing any braking. Adding in the braking a little later would likely be easier for those without 45 years of muscle memory (and those who stick to street pads). As of today, there isn't a salesman on the planet who could convince me to buy an automatic, and if I was to pick up a Camaro tomorrow I doubt I'd ever use its ARM (didn't use it on the 2017 1SS that I got a chance to drive earlier this year even after being informed of its existence).

Norm

Sounds like a lot of excuses to not practice or try to improve your driving ability. That's like saying "i've had the same poor golf swing for 50 years and keep slicing the ball, but i'm not going to work on my form or figure or swing because that's what i've always done". -Some people have this mindset and they'll never change, nor will they get much better.

When exiting an offramp, coming to a stop light or stop sign, it's not that hard to practice resting your foot on the brake pedal (with minimal brake pressure) and work on heel-toe technique by blipping the throttle while separately focusing on maintaining constant brake pressure. People come to stops thousands of times when theyr'e driving. So that's thousands of opportunities to practice. No reason not to.

 

[Grintch]

Shoes would be a good idea. Just have an open mind and have fun. Also work on heel toe downshifting on the street every time you need to slow down. It's not something you only do on track and the more you practice on the street, then better you'll get and make it second nature.

Any of those tires would be a good option and as far as sizing goes, make sure the tread width is correct for the wheel width. Use this as a guide

http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArtic...LY-select-and-size-TIRES-for-PERFORMANCE.aspx

You only need shoes if you have BIG feet. In which case track shoes are trimmer helping with heal & toe.

I have them for my race car but don't bother with them (or gloves) for track days in the Mustang (size 11 feet). I do run a Schroth 4 point harness, but it's not something you need for your first time.

Might want to consider the BG Diff fluid and bleeding the brakes and using a better brake fluid. Though with the PP brakes, it's not a must do.

I have seen crap street tires wear very fast on track. So better tires might be worthwhile. And/or a track oriented alignment (helps with tire life).

 

[Grafanton]

Personally, I would avoid the Michelin Pilot Super Sports or the 4S. Awesome tires, but I have corded the outside edge on two sets in as little as two track days. Given that you have noticeable wear on the outside edge of your current tire even without having been on track, I'd look for something else.

There are numerous options. What is on my car currently is the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500. This is not a track tire, but they have worn extremely well and have very predictable handling characteristics. Not a lot of grip, but predictable and gentle breakaway. I think it's great novice tire. They will allow you to explore the handling limits of the car at measurably lower speeds. Yes, R-compounds will gain you three seconds a lap, but you really won't be able to fully explore the limits until you have much more on track experience. Oh, and the Firestone's are fairly cheap for what you get.

IMO...burn through a set on track and you won't be disappointed.

 

[S550MG]

You only need shoes if you have BIG feet. In which case track shoes are trimmer helping with heal & toe.

I have them for my race car but don't bother with them (or gloves) for track days in the Mustang (size 11 feet). I do run a Schroth 4 point harness, but it's not something you need for your first time.

Might want to consider the BG Diff fluid and bleeding the brakes and using a better brake fluid. Though with the PP brakes, it's not a must do.

I have seen crap street tires wear very fast on track. So better tires might be worthwhile. And/or a track oriented alignment (helps with tire life).

I have big feet, size 15 shoes. That's one of the reasons I'm wanting to get some driving shoes. Barely have enough room down by the pedals as it is now. I'll be switching all my fluids to BG but I was planning on waiting till after the event, I'm expecting the current fluids to be toast at that point.

Personally, I would avoid the Michelin Pilot Super Sports or the 4S. Awesome tires, but I have corded the outside edge on two sets in as little as two track days. Given that you have noticeable wear on the outside edge of your current tire even without having been on track, I'd look for something else.

There are numerous options. What is on my car currently is the Firestone Firehawk Indy 500. This is not a track tire, but they have worn extremely well and have very predictable handling characteristics. Not a lot of grip, but predictable and gentle breakaway. I think it's great novice tire. They will allow you to explore the handling limits of the car at measurably lower speeds. Yes, R-compounds will gain you three seconds a lap, but you really won't be able to fully explore the limits until you have much more on track experience. Oh, and the Firestone's are fairly cheap for what you get.

IMO...burn through a set on track and you won't be disappointed.

My current front tire wear is normal outside edge wear from lack of rotation. Another reason for me to get a square set up.

How thin?

You may want to reach out to your organizer and see what, if any, tread depth limits they have.

No fun in getting out to the track only to fail inspection.

The center is about 4/32's and the edges are worn furthers than that.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Personally, I would avoid the Michelin Pilot Super Sports or the 4S. Awesome tires, but I have corded the outside edge on two sets in as little as two track days. Given that you have noticeable wear on the outside edge of your current tire even without having been on track, I'd look for something else.

I really think that any street tire needs to have at least a few hundred miles of street driving put on them before hitting the track, easy driving at first followed by gradually increasing intensity/enthusiasm. That's even if the camber settings are somewhat further negative than OE preferred.


Norm

 

[S550MG]

I really think that any street tire needs to have at least a few hundred miles of street driving put on them before hitting the track, easy driving at first followed by gradually increasing intensity/enthusiasm. That's even if the camber settings are somewhat further negative than OE preferred.


Norm

I'll be getting my wheel and tire setup during the black friday sales so I'll probably have about 1000-1500 miles on them before the event.

 

[qtrracer]

Do the autocross on the 19th. That alone will confirm what most are saying here. The car is way more capable than you are now. But learning the car's boundaries takes seat time.

Practicing certain techniques on the street will pay dividends on the track and A/X. First, the brake and throttle are not on/off switches (think drag racing). In this new environment, they are rheostats; easy on and off - or smooth. We want to keep the suspension at max grip; on/off upsets the car and the suspension, and the physics of it causes loss of grip. Try not to upset the chassis. Likewise, jerking the wheel around upsets the chassis. Again, smooth inputs.

For braking, practice the "limo stop". At first just work on not allowing the car to rock at full stop. This will teach smooth pedal action. For steering, practice the hand shuffle when cornering, keeping your hands near the 9/3 position and not crossing over center (forming an "x" with your arms). This will teach better wheel control and finesse. For throttle, try maintaining a particular distance behind leading cars with just the throttle, avoiding the brake as appropriate. While not event seat time, practicing this stuff during your commute will eventually make it second nature.

I like driving gloves - personal preference due to my hands sweating. I use driving shoes but more so on O/T events than A/X.

I haven't worked on heel/toe preferring to work on smoother steering/braking/throttle inputs. There is so much happening during an O/T event (other cars, point-bys, learning the line, not scaring your instructor and listening to their advice), that heel/toe seems more advanced than I need. I do agree with down-shift rev matching. I was in a fast banked sweeper when I went to 3rd and just let out the clutch. Rear tires locked, car bounced sideways, nearly lost it. Lesson learned. This can be practiced on the street too without knowing how to heel/toe.

The most important advice has already been said but warrants repeating: stay open to suggestions, ride along with your instructor and have fun.

 

[wildcatgoal]

I would take off the spacers if they are the sort with extra lugs built into them.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Practicing certain techniques on the street will pay dividends on the track and A/X.

I'm going to add "following an outside-inside-outside line through corners and curves" here. You can still do this within your lane if it's not a single lane situation; the idea is to think in terms of "the line" not always being at the center of the lane or pavement.

Most people tend to stay pretty close to the centerline of their lane or pavement through a highway ramp. I've seen this carry over to driving on the track (not going to identify the guilty party or the car being driven).

Or worse, turn in too early and do a mid-inside-way outside/panic job of it.


Norm

 

[NightmareMoon]

Even if you're not using the entire lane practicing your lines, on the street you can still practice doing the (vast) majority of braking before turn in, and starting to get on the gas slightly before the apex of the turn. (Late apexing)

I practice heel toe and shifting to neutral before blipping with the clutch engaged (aka double-clutching) on the street daily. When I started trying to practice rev-match heel toe downshifts on the street, it took about a year before I felt I was proficient enough to pull off a downshift while threshold braking or cornering without upsetting the car.

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