First track day coming up and I need advice.

[S550MG]

So I just pulled the trigger on my first track day!!! The Santa Run at Barber's December 17th. I'm super stoked right now. I have never done anything like this and I'm beyond excited!! December 17th can't get here soon enough.

So I'll start off by giving ya'll a little background about me and my car and then I'll open it up for suggestions. While I'm new to the track day scene I've had some decently fast cars through the years and I'm "decent" when it comes to spirited driving on the streets. My main focus of the track day is to learn better car control and be able to drive my car safer at higher speeds. That being said, I'll be driving my 16' Mustang GT with PP and few bolt on mods. I've only had the car for a couple months but I've put 3k miles on it so far.

Here's the mod list, nothing special.
Eibach Sportline springs
25mm spacers all around
Gibson Racing catback
BBK CAI
Wheels and tires, still undecided...
BG trans fluid

Like I said, my main focus is too learn to drive better/faster and learn better car control. So a buddy of mine who races SCCA suggested that I do a couple things before hitting the track for the first time. Primarily he suggests getting some racing gloves and boots. What do ya'll think? I wouldn't think these things would be 100% necessary but would it be worth getting some cheap entry level stuff? I would love to be able to heel/toe before the event but as it stands right now I can't really do that at all. I'm still trying to perfect rev matching on regular downshifts, lol. I'm a pretty big dude and with my big feet I can't seem to find a comfortable way to try to hee/toe. Can ya'll offer some suggestions on learning this skill? Gloves and boots worth it for a first timer?

Next question is about wheels and tires. I was already planning on upgrading my wheels and tires due to the fact that I don't love the PP wheels and they have crap tires on them, P Zero's up front with 18k on them and new Lexani's on the back, lol. Don't hate, ya'll know you want to run Lexani's. The previous owner just installed before I bought the car. At first I was considering going with 20's but I decided to stick with 19's for better tire selection and bigger sidewalls. So far I've narrowed my wheel choice down to the SVE S350 because of the low weight and low cost. I can't seem to find a comparable set in that price range. Does anyone have suggestions here. My plan was to do a 19x10 square setup and run 285's or 295's. I'm trying to decide on what tires to get.

Here's what's made the list so far.

Michelin PS4S 295/30 or 285/35
Hankook Ventus V12 295/30 or 285/30
Firehawk Indy 500 285/30 or 285/35

All the reviews, research, and questions I've asked point to the Michelins being the best and I wouldn't argue that. My questions is will the better grip be enough for a novice to justify the extra cost of the Michelins? I could pay for a couple more track days for the difference in price of the tires. I'm also interested in street longevity since this is my daily and I'll put about 15-20k on it per year. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect these tires to last me 50k or even half that. I would like to get 15-20k per set though if that's possible, including 2-3 track days per year. Next question, what size tires would yall recommend? Better tires or more seat time?

Last questions pertains to harnesses. Is this something I should be thinking about or worry about it later?

Thanks in advance for your opinions and help.

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[NightmareMoon]

Track days will eat up tires fast, so don't expect too much from them if they're doing dual duty. MP4S will do 20-30k on the street, but not if you track them too. I would expect less life from the Indy 500 than the MP4S, but they're still probably the best bargain, and if you're going to do a bunch of track days, keeping the consumables cost down is a good thing, and you don't need to be on the fastest tire as a novice. (Besides the MP4S will get spanked by faster max-performance or R tires anyway).

Harnesses are great, but with safety gear it all works as a system, seats, restraints, airbags (or not), helmet (or not), HANS, etc. You need a package that works together so do your research before buying anything and anything the driver get, so should the passenger.

 

[rodhx]

Since this is your first track day you could always just come out with the car as-is. Yeah, the tires aren't great but you're new and it's only a one day event. Take your time, learn the car and the track, get some use out of those cheap tires, then toss them for something better. ;) As NightmareMoon said, you don't need "the best" tires as a novice. If you absolutely want to get new ones give the Firestones a shot to keep costs down.

I'm with Alabama SCCA. We have an autocross coming up on Nov 19 at Talladega Superspeedway in the ARCA compound. If you're new to performance driving autocross is a great way to learn car control prior to heading to a track. Unfortunately I will not be able to be there, but I am going to Huntsville this Sunday (12th) for the TAC autocross.

Don't sweat the gloves, shoes, harness now. NightmareMoon's advice there is spot on also.

 

[Eritas]

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

 

[z31maniac]

While I'm new to the track day scene I've had some decently fast cars through the years and I'm "decent" when it comes to spirited driving on the streets.

Take this thought, and just forget it. Seriously. What you think is "driving spirited" on the street is maybe 3/10ths at the track, seriously.

Lose any and all thoughts that you know what you are doing.


Fresh fluid, good pads, good once over to make sure everything is in order and go. Basic set of hand tools and a torque wrench (for checking lugs after each session) are a good idea as well.

If no covered spaces are available a chair and umbrella are nice. Bring a cooler with LOTS of water, some lighter snacks (bananas, granola) and some stuff to make sandwiches. When you go to the afternoon sessions the last thing you want is some greasy cheeseburger sitting in your stomach.

Open your eyes and ears, lose your ego, listen to your instructor and what they have to say.

But mostly, it's supposed to be about FUN!

 

[Norm Peterson]

Since this is your first track day you could always just come out with the car as-is. Yeah, the tires aren't great but you're new and it's only a one day event. Take your time, learn the car and the track, get some use out of those cheap tires, then toss them for something better. ;) As NightmareMoon said, you don't need "the best" tires as a novice. If you absolutely want to get new ones give the Firestones a shot to keep costs down.

Don't sweat the gloves, shoes, harness now. NightmareMoon's advice there is spot on also.

This ↑↑↑

Drive the car the way you're familiar with it being; don't add the learning process for a recent change to car setup to all of the new stuff involved with driving at speed on a track. I don't know anything about your "spirited driving" experience, but chances are that you'll be driving a good bit harder than that by the end of the day (and using all of the pavement, not just the middle portion of your lane).

Don't worry about not being able to heel-toe your downshifts. It's not a necessary skill, and some people never learn how to do this very well. In fact, don't worry a whole lot about shifting at all on your first day (especially for the first session). Better in the very beginning to run with smoother inputs in a gear higher than the one you might be using once you've gained some experience. Temperatures are cooler now, so morning dew may take longer to dissipate. You won't want to be in the lowest gear possible for that condition, or if it rains.

But you will want to be able to rev-match your downshifts.

You might as well get your earliest learning done on the tires you already have, rather than tear up something newer and more expensive with driving that's less than smooth and car setup that's probably not optimal for tire life at speed on the track.


If you've already put those spacers on . . . lose them for the track (or just lose them entirely). Since you didn't mention longer wheel studs, that tells me they bolt to the hubs and the wheels bolt separately to them. There's no way to guarantee that both sets of fasteners will remain properly torqued without taking the wheels completely off.


Norm

 

[Eritas]

How do you rev match downshifts without heel toeing?

Heel toe is a pretty important fundamental technique to learn, and it's easy to practice on the street without going fast or breaking any laws.

 

[z31maniac]

How do you rev match downshifts without heel toeing?

Heel toe is a pretty important fundamental technique to learn, and it's easy to practice on the street without going fast or breaking any laws.

You don't, you just put extra wear on the clutch.

 

[Norm Peterson]

How do you rev match downshifts without heel toeing?

A lot like H-T except that you're not using the brake and clutch simultaneously. Yes, it adds a little to your lap time. But it's way better than no rev-matching at all. On the street, the risk of unintentionally hitting the brakes too hard goes away (more important if your pads have significantly stronger initial bite than what following traffic is accustomed to dealing with).

I agree that it's useful, but not that it's necessary at the HPDE level. At TT and W2W where you're actually competing, sure.

You don't, you just put extra wear on the clutch.

Nope. Gradually re-engaging the clutch so that the car's momentum drags the engine revs up to where they need to be is not rev-matching. What that is, is about the only wrong way to do it. And yes, I've witnessed people doing their downshifts this way first-hand. On the track, even.

There's a couple of ways to do it right.

Depress clutch pedal, shift to the lower gear, kick gas, let clutch up before the revs drop too far.

Or, depress clutch pedal, shift to neutral gate, let clutch pedal up and kick gas, depress clutch/shift to lower gear/let clutch up before revs drop too far.

The second of those is easier and faster than it reads, and is slightly easier on the synchros. Either of those methods (done right) results in no more wear on the clutch than a normal-driving lift-throttle upshift (also done right).


Norm

 

[Eritas]

You don't, you just put extra wear on the clutch.

As long as you're slow and don't drive near the limit, the shock on the drivetrain from not heel-toe rev matching shouldn't spin you out

A lot like H-T except that you're not using the brake and clutch simultaneously. Yes, it adds a little to your lap time. But it's way better than no rev-matching at all. On the street, the risk of unintentionally hitting the brakes too hard goes away (more important if your pads have significantly stronger initial bite than what following traffic is accustomed to dealing with).

I agree that it's useful, but not that it's necessary at the HPDE level. At TT and W2W where you're actually competing, sure.

I disagree. There no reason not to learn and practice on the street to become a better driver and to be more proficient on track.

If you don't want to learn, buy an automatic or a Camaro with automatic rev matching. I'm sure all manuals will have that soon. Screw talent, I want the car to do everything for me!

 

[Grafanton]

Just Go!

The one thing that will make you faster than anybody else on the track, is the mush between your ears. There is nothing more important that you can add to your car to make it faster than many, many track miles. Repair and improve as necessary.

You are headed in the right direction by doing research ahead of time, but at the same time, nothing will really prepare you for what you are about to experience. Before my first track day, I spent time on this site, surfed other sites, watched YouTube videos from my intended track. Several weeks before signing up, I visited an open track day and just observed. Then on the appointed day, I was still in way over my head.

Be prepared, opioids may be slightly less addicting than track days.

 

[Armen]

Lots of great advice in this thread.

1) Forget what you think you already know because of spirited street driving experience.

2) Just go and learn the basics. Don’t worry about gloves, boots, new tires, harnesses, etc.

3) Fresh fluids and a good once over of the critical components.

4) Don’t worry about speed or times. Learn the lines.

5) Listen to your instructor.

 

[z31maniac]

As long as you're slow and don't drive near the limit, the shock on the drivetrain from not heel-toe rev matching shouldn't spin you out

I know, I'm saying that slipping the clutch to let the revs come up, even slowly is just putting extra wear on the clutch.


Or commission someone to build a slipper clutch like we used on the sport bikes.

 

[S550MG]

Thanks for all the great advice so far. My comment about my driving may have come off as me being over confident but that couldn't be further from the truth. I know I'll have tons and tons to learn and I'll definitely be leaving my ego at home.

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.

I'm so pumped about this though. I've been watching youtube videos all morning trying to soak it all up. It looks like so much fun. I have never really considering do a track day before and now it feels like I'm waiting on Christmas to get here. I'm wondering if there are any local clinics that I'll be able to check into after my session, I know I'm going to be hooked, badly.

I have been practicing my rev matching, when I can remember. It's hard to remember when I've never done it. I'll be working on heel toe as well in the next six weeks leading up the the big day. The biggest problem for me on that is my big ole gorilla feet, (size 15 shoes) and the pedal position. I'm going to try to start doing the roll foot method vs the heel toe and see if that works for me. Thanks again for the advice and keep it coming.

 

[Norm Peterson]

As long as you're slow and don't drive near the limit, the shock on the drivetrain from not heel-toe rev matching shouldn't spin you out

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.

I disagree. There no reason not to learn and practice on the street to become a better driver and to be more proficient on track.

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

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