Has anyone ever used DOT3 brake fluid in an RX8 6MT at a track day with the stock pads/rotors?

I'm considering doing my first few track days with the stock setup. The first 2 days with be at Road America at WI and the next two will be at Gingerman Raceway in MI.

I'm just starting out so I won't be pushing too hard.

Has anyone ever boiled the DOT3 in their RX8?

most people don't swap out the DOT 3 for track days. My RX-8 been on Watkins Glen & Pocono Raceway bone stock with no brake problems.

most people don't swap out the DOT 3 for track days. My RX-8 been on Watkins Glen & Pocono Raceway bone stock with no brake problems.

Thanks. I didn't think there was a problem with the DOT3.

But if you look at this posts in this thread, everyone says I'm going to die in a ball of flames if I use DOT3 :D :
http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=57795

....if DOT 3 is stock, why are you going to hell?

:( S

I ran the RX8 at Gratten Raceway http://www.grattanraceway.com/ (2 mi road course) last fall without any problems. My car is completely stock including the breaks. I pushed it very hard, breaking very late (into the ABS) and trail breaking on some corners. FYI, I use to race RX7's 10 yrs ago.

I use DOT 4 all the time, you can even mix it with DOT 3 with no issues.

Never had a problem with the original fluid. After 3 track days I decided to flush it and I put in the ATE Blue fluid which is a DOT 4. THe origianl stuff worked just fine and didn't boil. Even didn't need to bleed after an event.

hmm, maybe i don't need to upgrade fluids/pads for VIR in June after all... :D

Well Mach, I just got back from a meet at Road America, I have Motul DOT 4 fluid in my system, I didnt experience any fade or boiling, however I would recommend getting more brake pads if you are going to hit up RA. A G35 that was running with me burned thru his brakes in about half the time we were out on the track. Also, I have StopTech slotted rotors and Hawk pads with SS lines, it seemed to me that I was outbraking many of the other cars out there in the turns.
My two cents

I guess some people have been upgrading pads but once again the stock pads have been fine. I got a replacement under the TSB but I had 3 track days on them and they were going strong. I guess Hawk pads are even better but you are gonna start going through rotors. If this is your first track event, go stock and decide from there. I think you will be very impressed with what this car can do. BTW - the Speedsource team uses stock rotors and calipers on their Grand Am RX8s. They use upgraded pads but these guys brake deeper and harder. I think that is testament to the stock braking system.

muhahahha, Corvette's couldnt get away, I passed a Firehawk and a couple M3's. muhahahah

From my motorcycle racing experience Road America is the hardest track on brakes in the Midwest and possibly the nation. Like others said, bring extra pads. I have not found the point of fade on my stock RX8 yet, but I think the pads will give up prior to the stock fluid being an issue.

If you get higher friction pads that are capable of higher temps than stock, that is the time to think about DOT 4 and or braided lines. Like every thing, when the total system is stock it all works well and is balanced, change one part (pad compound) and the next week link (fluid?) is likely to surface.

Thanks guys, I stop by the dealer over the weekend to pick up an extra set of pads to take with me to Road America just in case.

let us know how it works out for you Mach, the track is Very different at higher speeds than we had during touring. I put my car in the grass twice on Saturday :(

let us know how it works out for you Mach, the track is Very different at higher speeds than we had during touring. I put my car in the grass twice on Saturday :(

Did you have an instructor? Where did you go off and how fast were you going? How fast did you top out on the front straight? How fast on the back straight into turn 5? Any damage? Sorry to hear about the offs.

I'm going with the Windy City BMW club and will have an instuctor with at least 20 years experience. They also use the new chicane instead of the Kink and have a reputation for being very anal about safety, although that suits me fine since I'm a newbie at this.

I had my car tech inspected last weekend. The guy who took it for a spin during the inspection thought I'd made a good purchase and it would be a blast at the track.

I think the Kink has too much character to run without it, plus once you learn the line around the carousel its a blast to rocket down that screaming at 9k into the Kink.

I did have an instructor with me both times I went off, my problem was that I was turning too far in on the turns, then would have to correct midturn, which unloaded the rear and spun me. No damage, but I had to get the bead cleaned on my front driver's side tire. On the front straight I got up to about 115-120, I was right at 9k when I started to brake for the first turn out of the pits. Same speeds at the straight before turn 5, but I'm not comfortable heel-toeing, so I could have been going faster maybe, I didnt want to force myself to go down to 2 from 5 with the space that I had. Overall it was a blast, I ran down a M3 and a Firehawk in my group. Great fun!

I think the Kink has too much character to run without it, plus once you learn the line around the carousel its a blast to rocket down that screaming at 9k into the Kink.

I did have an instructor with me both times I went off, my problem was that I was turning too far in on the turns, then would have to correct midturn, which unloaded the rear and spun me. No damage, but I had to get the bead cleaned on my front driver's side tire. On the front straight I got up to about 115-120, I was right at 9k when I started to brake for the first turn out of the pits. Same speeds at the straight before turn 5, but I'm not comfortable heel-toeing, so I could have been going faster maybe, I didnt want to force myself to go down to 2 from 5 with the space that I had. Overall it was a blast, I ran down a M3 and a Firehawk in my group. Great fun!

Do you remember which turns you went off? And you better not say turn 10 (The Kink).

I'm surprised you couldn't get faster than 115-120. I was easily hitting 105 in my 325 convertible during touring and it's 700 lbs heavier and has 54 less hp. I wasn't pushing it too hard and was letting off the gas by the time the pit traffic entered back on the track.

I went off in 14 and the other I don't remember. I might have been going faster, but like I said I didn't touch 5th more than twice the whole weekend. The Kink was fun, there was a guy in a Gran Sport Corvette that went sideways into the wall there and broke out his rear windshield and twisted up his rear pretty good. Let me know how you fare out there tho Mach, it just stinks that they took the kink out.

Well maybe the others weren't going fast enough!

The DOT 3 fluid made my brakes feel mushy the whole time I was on the track.
In the end I only lost a little fluid.

I like to feel safe so, go with the better fluid. It cost nothing to replace.
Try http://www.porterfield-brakes.com/

These threads always surprise me. Sure, most people will be fine for a couple of track days with DOT3/stock pads. But, assuming you're getting better (meaning, among other things, going faster and braking later), the day will come (sooner rather than later) when DOT3 fluid and stock pads will not do the job.

Personally, I decided after two track days that I didn't want to find that that day had come the hard way--losing my brakes at 130mph into turn 2 at Pacific Raceways. :eek: I switched to ATE Super Blue fluid, and hybrid pads (higher temperature pads which you can safely run on the street). After a few more track days, even the hybrid pads started to break down, and I now run full race pads with the Super Blue fluid. And what a difference full race pads are!

Starting out on stock pads and fluid is fine. But, if you catch the bug, you will have to upgrade eventually; why not learn how to do it now (it only takes an hour or less for me to swap out tires/wheels and brake pads, before an event), rather than finding out the hard way that you should have done it?

I went off in 14 and the other I don't remember. I might have been going faster, but like I said I didn't touch 5th more than twice the whole weekend. The Kink was fun, there was a guy in a Gran Sport Corvette that went sideways into the wall there and broke out his rear windshield and twisted up his rear pretty good. Let me know how you fare out there tho Mach, it just stinks that they took the kink out.

I'll definitely let you know and hopefully get some pics too. Some of my friends are in more advanced run groups so we've made a pact to snap lots of pics of each other on the track since we won't be out there at the same time.
Sorry to hear about the Vette smashing up.

I guess I'm a big fan of the BMW club's safety record. I'd hate to smash up my car or have one of my friend's smash up their cars. So I'm willing to run without the Kink for this one. I'm going to do some DEs with other clubs and compare how well they are run and find a group that suits my style and skill level. From what I've seen, the BMW club is full of older drivers and instructors and most of those guys aren't as fearless as some of the younger guys. Some of those older guys have also learned their lessons from previous smashups at the track.

Did you get any pics of your car out there?

Personally, I decided after two track days that I didn't want to find that that day had come the hard way--losing my brakes at 130mph into turn 2 at Pacific Raceways. :eek:

What car did you lose your brakes in? Was it your RX8?

Pics

pics 2

pics 3

What car did you lose your brakes in? Was it your RX8?I didn't lose the brakes on either car; what I was saying, inartfully, was that, since one only finds out that one has exceeded one's brake's limits by having brake failure of some severity, I decided to get better brake pads and fluid before I found out the hard way that it actually is necessary to have better pads and fluid.

To answer the substance of your question, I cannot drive the RX-8 with a helmet. It has a sunroof, and I'm tall; my hair brushes against the ceiling, and I just don't fit in it with a helmet. But don't fret for me--the S2000 is ample consolation, especially with the top down. :p However, I'm quite certain that comparing stock pads/DOT3 fluid on the S2000 to stock pads/DOT3 fluid on the RX-8 is quite valid, especially since the RX-8 is heavier than the S2000. IMO, it's just silly to tempt fate by keeping the stock pads and fluid after a couple of track events--I fried my stock pads in two track days, and I fried the hybrid pads in three more track days.

The most likely places to lose one's brakes on our local track--Pacific Raceways outside of Seattle--would be on turn 2 (whose braking zone I hit at 130mph, braking down to about 55-60), turn 3a (whose braking zone I hit at 100, braking down to about 30), or turn 5a (whose braking zone I hit at about 100, braking to 55-60). They come in pretty quick succession (without a lot of cool-down time between), and any one would be a bad place to lose one's brakes! :eek:

However, I'm quite certain that comparing stock pads/DOT3 fluid on the S2000 to stock pads/DOT3 fluid on the RX-8 is quite valid, especially since the RX-8 is heavier than the S2000.

Actaully, if you compare the two the RX8 wins on all counts when it comes to braking.

The rotors on the RX8 are about an inch bigger at each wheel and the weight difference for a base 6MT vs. S2000 is less than 200 lbs...

s2000 rotors are 11.8 F/11.1 R, whereas RX-8 has 12.7 F/11.93 R.

Also the s2000 rears brakes are not ventilated whereas I think the RX8's rear brakes are.

The performance stats also show that RX8 has superior braking:

Braking, 100-0 mph, ft 338 (s2000) 318 (RX8)
Braking, 60-0 mph, ft 118 (s2000) 115 (RX8)


It's really a shame that you can't take your RX8 to the track because I'm sure you'd find it to be a much superior track car than your Honda. :p

I'll be running at Watkins Glen in May. Not my first time there, but the first time with my RX-8. I'll be putting in Ate Super Blue, as the Genesee Valley Chapter BMWCCA requires that brake fluid be less than 3 months old, and I don't want to chance boiling fluid for such a cheap upgrade. In the thread below this one, I'm asking about brake pads. I think that I'll be putting the Hawk HP+ on the front and leave the rears stock, holding my stock fronts as back-ups.

Is anyone ductuing air to their rotors? I see a piece of metal on the hub that directs air into the rotor, but no ducts from the front of the car. If anyone has done it, could you detail how? Thanks.

Actaully, if you compare the two the RX8 wins on all counts when it comes to braking.

The rotors on the RX8 are about an inch bigger at each wheel and the weight difference for a base 6MT vs. S2000 is less than 200 lbs...

s2000 rotors are 11.8 F/11.1 R, whereas RX-8 has 12.7 F/11.93 R.

Also the s2000 rears brakes are not ventilated whereas I think the RX8's rear brakes are.

The performance stats also show that RX8 has superior braking:

Braking, 100-0 mph, ft 338 (s2000) 318 (RX8)
Braking, 60-0 mph, ft 118 (s2000) 115 (RX8)


It's really a shame that you can't take your RX8 to the track because I'm sure you'd find it to be a much superior track car than your Honda. :p :)

While I'm not ready to cede braking superiority to the RX-8, I certainly know that its brakes are excellent (of course, overall track/autocross superiority is quite clear, isn't it? :p ). All I was really saying is that, if I felt uncertain about using a lighter, faster car on the track with stock brakes and pads, that concern should be at least equally valid for the RX-8, an argument made to counter those who seem to think that such a simple, inexpensive upgrade is not advisable.

:)

While I'm not ready to cede braking superiority to the RX-8, I certainly know that its brakes are excellent (of course, overall track/autocross superiority is quite clear, isn't it? :p ). All I was really saying is that, if I felt uncertain about using a lighter, faster car on the track with stock brakes and pads, that concern should be at least equally valid for the RX-8, an argument made to counter those who seem to think that such a simple, inexpensive upgrade is not advisable.

If it makes you feel any better, I think you've talked me into using DOT4 ;) .

If it makes you feel any better, I think you've talked me into using DOT4 ;) .Smart man! Now, if you really catch the bug, you will find that you fry your stock pads in no more than two track days. Be sure to examine them carefully before an event, and keep in mind that the last half goes much faster than the first half (a smaller pad to deal with the heat fries what's left more quickly). When you realize that you won't get through your next event on the stockers, upgrade to a hybrid pad, which you can keep on your car all the time, or to a full race pad, which you should not spend a lot of time using on the street (they need to be very hot to work right; it's always mildly alarming to hit the first braking zone after getting on with cold pads, and remembering that, no, I don't have very good brakes yet; that's another good reason to take it easy the first lap or two on the track each session).

It's a PITA to change pads (and fluid) the first time or two, but becomes pretty routine quite quickly.

Yeah, after this past weekend I have definitly got the bug for road racing. I can't wait to get back on the track with some better tires, and maybe a rear shock tower brace. It's just too much fun and a great way to relax.

Cool pics BlueRenesis82, thanks for sharing.

At the tech inspection, the BMW guys commented on my rear brake pads being very thin. I think that all rear brake pads on RX-8s must be thin because my car has only 2500 miles on it and only 30 autocross runs on it. Can someone confirm or deny that the rear brake pads are thin relative to other cars???

I don't see that being a problem, the fronts are what you should look at and worry about more....unless u like driving backwards :)

I do have some other pics, but they are huge. (shows me chasing down a Z28 and a Firehawk, with the M3 that I passed in the background)

I've got my Motul 600 in now....

Only 4 more days until Road America.

Zoom Zoom...

so you running motul 600 w/ stock pads? good luck at Road America, let us know how it goes :)

so you running motul 600 w/ stock pads? good luck at Road America, let us know how it goes :)

That's my set-up. I have an extra bottle of brake fluid and also an extra set of pads just in case. EDIT:: Also, 3 extra quarts of oil ;)

I'll let everyone know how it goes.

remember on the carousel you should be right down the center line between the 2 strips of asphalt, you can really get her screaming as you head towards what should be the kink :(

The Audi/Posche club at VIR "required" that you run a DOT4 fluid. It was part of the tech inspection actually. Sitting right there on the check list (DOT4 Brake Fluid __).

I think the real question is...given the ease of bleeding your brake system, why wouldn't you run dot4? Especially considering how cheap ATE Super blue, or Vavoline synpower fluid is. (Or you could run motul600 for a whole slew of events if you have the $$$).

I just got back from VIR in my 6, (which is heavier then your 8 with tiny front rotors of 11.1) with zero fade, and zero pedal issues running ATE Super Racing blue, and Carbotech XP9 brake pads. (T1-S Rubber)

http://www.glue.umd.edu/~greghess/vir/vir9.jpg

Here's a single lap video (I'm the silver car in front). I'm still a track noob, so excuse my poor lines.

http://www.glue.umd.edu/~greghess/virlap.wmv

Btw if you want to save money, don't ever go to the track...cause you will be going back again...and again...and again...and you'll suck all your friends in too.

Yeah, after my stint at RA, I'm trying to suck all my friends into coming with me, that way I don't feel so bad about them being faster in a straight line than me :)

Don't have much time. I'll post some more pics later. But RA was awesome and the car was great. It was my first DE but I think I did pretty good, by the end of the weekend, I was seldom getting passed and it was only by E46 ///M3 or the E39 ///M5. My instructor said he was going to recomend me for the intermediate run group next time (I ran in the novice group).

Weather on Sunday was crazy, rain, sunshine, snow, sleet all alternating at various times of the time and during each session and sometimes different weather conditions around the track since it is 4 miles long.

I was able to get my RX8 to 122 mph on the front straight into 1 and on the back into turn 5. I found with less than a 1/4 tank of fuel I started to starve the engine. I never went into 5th gear at the track and took almost every corner in either 3 or 4th (mostly 3rd).


Here is a pic of me chasing down my buddy in his cooper S.

http://www.e-owned.com/albums/userpics/10001/IMG_0525.JPG


Here is a pic of a bad day at the track. This car had 1300 miles on the odemeter when this happened. He was in the advanced group. Driver and instructor had minor injuries but were mostly OK.

http://www.e-owned.com/albums/userpics/10001/IMG_0516.JPG

awesome, glad you had fun, how did the stock pads hold up? any fading? sounds like no :)

Woot Mach! way to go! Lets see some more pics of the fun!

Great! Glad you had fun, but you're now starting down the slippery slope of the go-fast crack pipe. Beware!.

What did the Elise do, :eek: lift or brake in a high speed turn?

Thanks guys. More pics to follow once I get home tonight.

As for the Elise, I heard a few different versions of the story but basically the crash was 100% driver error. It happened on Saturday when the weather was fine, probably in that guy's first or second session.

He was coming out of the carousel (Turn 9) and going off the track or had one (or two) wheels off the track and instead of driving off under control he jerked the wheel to try to stay on the track and then the car spun toward the inside of the curve and hit a concrete barrier wall. It then continued spinning and then hit the barrier wall again. On the second impact, the car was 3 feet off the ground.

I heard he was going 120 mph when this happenned. When the track was dry, I was only doing about 80 mph at around that point so he was really flying IMHO.

Stock pads were fine. I was breaking much further in than most of the novice group (but hey they were novices) and had no issues with fade. I wasn't braking hard enough to engage ABS and I was also braking a little earlier than I could have because I had to downshift for most curves and I can't heel and toe so I had to give myself some extra space/time.

I never went off but did get sideways in turn 5 in the rain/sleet. Once it went sideways, I hit the brakes (which I later found out is the last thing to do) but I let off right away and pushed in the clutch so it didn't stall. I also had DSC on in the rain which helped there. My car then almost came to a stop (or a maybe a brief stop). Since noone was close I downshifted to 2nd and drove away. The next car was a WRX who almost spun off the outside of the track at the same time but he recovered. He saw my slide and recovery and was impressed. Turn 5 collects a lot of water since it is downhill from both the entry and exit. We were working the dry line when this happenned and I was only doing 35-40 mph when I went sideways.

Weather was so bad at one point (blinding sleet/rain) that my instructor told me "Okay, now we are just driving for survival".

Weather was so bad at one point (blinding sleet/rain) that my instructor told me "Okay, now we are just driving for survival".

must be really reassuring when your instructor says that :eek:

Im surprised they let you guys stay on the track with sleet out there.

Weather was crazy. My classroom instructor said he could tell how bad the conditions were by seeing everyone's expressions:

The students all had their heads hung low :( and the instructors were walking around with shite eating grins :D on their faces... I guess instructors like those conditions because it really forces people to be smooth.


I had an awesome instructor. He was an older guy (maybe mid 50s) with 20-30 years of instructing experience.
Great guy and I think I improved a ton throughout the weekend.
By the end, my cool down lap was faster than my hot laps when I started. My instructor was also very critical of my driving when I screwed up but was also inspiring me with confidence:
Everytime that we closed up on someone to pass he would say "be careful, that guy is not as good as we are"...

Here is another bigger pic:

http://www.e-owned.com/albums/userpics/10001/IMG_0522.JPG

Im surprised they let you guys stay on the track with sleet out there.Yeah, I was on the track a couple of weeks ago, when a heavy hail storm started. I got off, and a minute later, they black flagged the track. This is just for fun, and when it's not fun any more, I stop.

Here is another bigger picNice pictures; my wife went to my first track day and took pictures, but refuses to come any more, since she's convinced I'm going to kill myself. Fortunately, my son's girlfriend has come to some of our autocrosses and taken some pictures.

A tip on the pictures. Driving pictures look more "live" when you can see some evidence of motion, either from wheel-spin and/or background blurring. The way to do that is to set your shutter speed, if you can, at around 1/100 of a second. If you're following the motion of the car carefully and smoothly, you get a sharp picture of the car, but you get the evidence of speed, also.

Well, of course they weren't as good as you Mach, they were driving BMW's :)

Well, of course they weren't as good as you Mach, they were driving BMW's :)

That must have been it.
The RX8 felt very nice out there and I was the only one at the school (out of about 120 drivers + many instructors) who brought one out to track it. There was someone there with a red one but it never saw the track, probably friend or family of one of the students or instructors.

I must say that the STi, E39 ///M5, E46 ///M3 and S4s, were able to take me on the straight aways. One of the E46 ///M3 had a really good driver and the STi driver was probably better than me. The Evos had poor drivers so I owned them all day.

By the end of the weekend I was passing the E36 ///M3s and 330Ci ZHPs... ;)

It was funny when it started raining bad, I ended up passing all the E46 ///M3s. All that power is nice but only if you know how to control it...

Lucky! I was getting pwn3d by c5 vettes and z06's when I was out there, not a lot of lower HP cars

A good example would be the 500hp Mallet corvette, the 700hp MKIV Supra and a ton of well driven EVO's and STi's

Lucky! I was getting pwn3d by c5 vettes and z06's when I was out there, not a lot of lower HP cars

I was in a novice rungroup. Other first timers like me :o

A tip on the pictures. Driving pictures look more "live" when you can see some evidence of motion, either from wheel-spin and/or background blurring. The way to do that is to set your shutter speed, if you can, at around 1/100 of a second. If you're following the motion of the car carefully and smoothly, you get a sharp picture of the car, but you get the evidence of speed, also.

How's this :D

http://photos.e46fanatics.com/data/500/36955money.jpg

More pictures.

http://photos.e46fanatics.com/data/500/36955money2.jpg
http://photos.e46fanatics.com/data/500/36955money3.jpg
http://photos.e46fanatics.com/data/500/36955money4.jpg
http://photos.e46fanatics.com/data/500/36955money5.jpg

Nice pics. Did I mention that the Mallet and several of the Z06's were in MY novice grp? Talk about a unfair advantage

So what is a good track only pad for the RX8? Should I replace all four or just the fronts?

How's this :D Excellent!

I ran Hawk HP+ on my fronts, I havent found anyone who makes rear pads for the RX yet. I was very impressed with the braking performance of the Hawk's, they just dust like crazy and are very loud in street driving.

The EBC Yellowstuff R pads look like they would be good for the track. Looks like $200 for front and rear: http://www.perfectbrakes.com/products.asp?cat=2214







http://www.perfectbrakes.com/images/comparisonchart.gif

I think I need to get more tire and power before I need to do any more brake upgrades

I think I need to get more tire and power before I need to do any more brake upgradesIf you're working on stock brake pads and/or fluid, in an RX-8, and you have more than a very few track days under your belt, you're doing things bass-ackwards. It's more important to be sure that you will be able to stop that that you be able to go faster. Stock, this car is quite capable of going very fast, and it has great brakes, but the stock pads and fluid will overheat once you learn how to brake aggressively.

I have those Hawks and I'm running DOT 4 motul fluid

I have those Hawks and I'm running DOT 4 motul fluidThen I certainly agree that you don't need to worry about brake upgrades in the near future. If the Hawks are "hybrid" pads, you may find that you could brake more aggressivelywithout engaging ABS with full race pads, but hybrid pads and DOT4 fluid are good for a while.

must.....have.....more.....track......time

must.....have.....more.....track......timeYeah, I know the feeling. It rains a lot in Seattle (I know... Duh!), so my last three track days were on wet tracks. I know that you learn a lot of a wet track, but it's a lot more fun on a dry track. I have my next track day on May 17, and I'm looking forward to it.

But I figure that, between entrance fee, gas, some coaching perhaps, and amortizing expendibles like brakes, pads and rotors, it costs about $500 per track day, so I've got to ration them. :mad:

Wow spider, my track weekend cost me $350 plus whatever gas was. I can see how good of a deal that was.

Wow spider, my track weekend cost me $350 plus whatever gas was. I can see how good of a deal that was.Well, for me, the cost is something like this, for one day:

Fee: $175
Coach for an hour: $75 (this is optional, but useful)
Brakes: $60, more or less (brake pads cost something over $300 for a full set of race pads, and last no more than five track days)
Rotors: $30 (just a guess, since I've not yet killed a set, but I'm still fairly new at this).
Tires: >$100 (A set of track tires, mounted, costs at least $800, and lasts only a few track days.
Gas: I get about 8 mpg on the track, and generally get 150-200 miles in a track day (over 200 if the weather is good). At $2.80 a gallon, that's $.35 a mile :eek:

That all adds up! That's a big reason why I autocross--it's a lot less seat time, but it is challenging, and much less expensive for those of us who do it fairly casually.

by the way, my father used to have a few 124 spiders when I was a kid. He really loved those cars but has since moved on to his true love, Jaguar E types (and any Jag actaully).

by the way, my father used to have a few 124 spiders when I was a kid. He really loved those cars but has since moved on to his true love, Jaguar E types (and any Jag actaully).I love it when the guy who started the thread participates in the hijack of that thread. :p

My first car was a 1969 124 Spider, and I later had a 1978 (both very used when I bought them). They were great fun to drive, but an exercise in frustration to own (mostly because something was always broken).

At least I graduated to a Honda, which actually works; while I really love the old E-type roadster, I don't know that it was a paragon of reliability. :)

too bad all the tracks i really want to run on are very far away from WI. I would love to check out Laguna Seca, Thunderhill and Watkins Glen, but all over a day of driving away :(

too bad all the tracks i really want to run on are very far away from WI. I would love to check out Laguna Seca, Thunderhill and Watkins Glen, but all over a day of driving away :(

If it makes you feel any better, some people drive half way across the country to go to Road America which is practically in your back yard. We had a guy last weekend that drove a 2002 all the way from Huntsville Alabama. Lots of folks from Iowa and one guy from Portland Oregon.

wow. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side. Now all i have to do is find the time to go to sevenstock this year :)

i *flew* to Laguna Seca just so I can get to run at a track day event there, in a rental car too!!!

how is the track and what car did u take out?

guys I have the motul RBF600 brake fluid in my car. dry/wet boiling points are 312C/216C (594F/421F) respectively. Do I qualify for the track:o?
oh, and MS brake lines along with MS pads, which hold up to 550C... I haven't been to the track yet, but I will very soon...

how is the track and what car did u take out?

the track is amazing as I expected it to be, Corkscrew was unreal, the track literally falls off from you

i drove a rental Mazda6i automatic, with Michelin all season tires! making those tires screaming for mercy was fun :D

I wish I could have been there :)
Mach when is the next time you are heading to RA for some track time? I would like to come with if its a club thing if you can get me a little advance notice.