blu3dragon

iTrader: (1)

All set for my first track day with the RX-8. I think...

2010 SII with ~24k, completely stock.

• Fresh engine, gear (GL4) and diff (GL5) oils. Engine was changed twice to get 85% new oil.
• New plugs, engine and cabin air filters installed.
• Fresh brake & clutch fluid and track only pads will be installed at the weekend.
• Ordered some premix to use on the day.
• Track alignment done with me in the car.
• Going to get a dyno run next week and will keep the stock coils and cat as long as the dyno looks good.
• Trackday insurance (hpdeins.locktonaffinity.com)

I'll most likely run with the factory fitted tires (3 years old and 24k so although there is plenty of tread I expect they are past their best)

I do have some new Direzza ZIIs on 17 inch wheels on order, but they might not be here on time and in some ways I'd rather try the stock tires first and keep the Direzzas fresh for later in the year when I also plan to run a stiffer suspension.

I'll be taking tools to set tire pressure, change brake pads and fluid, along with my street pads, spare brake fluid, engine oil & premix.

Did I miss anything on the car?

In terms of driver prep, I've started reading GGR's track guide from HERE, watching youtube videos, and practicing the line from those on iRacing (which I suck at since I have no concept of speed on the TV screen).

I'll also be taking water, snacks, suncream, umbrella (just in case), a folding chair and a video camera.

If anyone wants to meet up there, let me know. Event details are here: February 9-10, 2013 - NASA @Sonoma Raceway (Infineon). They still have some "Hyperdrive" slots available which is a relatively cheap way to get a taste of driving on a track if you have never done it before, although I would actually recommend doing the HPDE-1 over that since you get ~4x the track time for 2x the cost. EDIT: Hyperdrive is now full and I found out it includes a 45 min session at low speed as well as a 20 minute session at speed.

EDIT: I don't want to turn this thread into a discussion on what type of oil, pads, etc, to use since there are plenty already on that. I picked some I think will work for me & my driving. For reference, I went with: ATE Super Blue brake & clutch fluid, Hawk DTC-60 pads front and rear, Idemitsu premix and all Amsoil synthetic oils: 75W-90 GL4 gearbox, Severe Gear 75W-90 GL5 for the diff and 5w30 Signature series motor oil. I'm planning to get an oil analysis done to help me decide if I should run a heavier motor oil at future events. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions on why I chose any of these.

My alignment with me in the car ended up as:
Front: -1.1 camber, 0 toe, ~6.5 caster.
Rear: -0.4/-0.7 camber, 1/16" toe in (Looking at the results now I think it might be 1/16" on each side, but I was expecting 1/16" total)

My car was limited by camber at the rear left. I could not get any more than -0.4 at that corner, and the rear right would not go below -0.7. This may be due to a bent camber arm, see posts #14 and #15. The front camber and caster are both maxed out. There didn't seem to be any point removing caster to gain more front camber given the rear camber.

UPDATE: The rear camber issue has now been resolved. After lowering the car 1 inch on coilovers I loosened and then re-tightened every bolt that goes through a bushing on the rear suspension with the suspension pre-loaded (using a jack to raise the hub to the correct height). I also now have much less rear toe in (which allows more rear camber); 0.04 each side or ~1/32 total. There is now more than enough rear camber adjustment.

j9fd3s

i'd say you're pretty set, totally stock car is actually a lot of fun, and plenty fast.

since there are other cars on track, you should think about you you deal with race traffic.

i'd say come by, we'll be there too, but we're playing upstairs with race control.

have fun!

Heeroguy

if your stock tires arent starting to dry crack then they should be fine but a set of better tires will server you much better even with them being new. as the new tires will start to grab better as you drive more where your stock ones will probaly start to fail faster as you go just imo

TANKERG

If the old tires have been repaired, don't run them. The plug will melt/get pulled out and the patch may not hold.

I would suggest making a list and scratch things off as you gather stuff. Nothing worse than getting to the track and finding out you left your helmet at home

Also check and top off your oil after each run. Great habbit to get into; will keep you from forgetting to check and oil starving your engine. I use just a little less than a pint every 30 minutes.

When you top off your fuel reset your odometer, I wouldn't push 95 miles on one tank. I've run out at 100 miles. The turns kept the needle artificially high haha

Good luck and have a great time

yale02

iTrader: (16)

Sounds like you're well prepared. The factory street tires should be fine for HPDE 1.

Have fun!

cwatson

iTrader: (1)

You'll learn a lot more on the street tires. Run them if they have not been repaired. Loud street tires give you an audible feedback that you won't get from the Star Specs.

I'm not sure what pads/fluid you are running, but be aware of brake fade. It's not just your ankle getting tired! edit: I remember you got the DTC60s. You should be good but they'll take a couple of laps to heat up. Be square and firm on the brake pedal. Don't bother trying to blip the throttle unless your confident you can apply uninterrupted brake pressure. Downshift in a straight line at the end of your braking.

Focus on your instructor, your line, traffic, and the corner stations. As a general rule of thumb, if you see someone in your rear view that you did not see before, let them by ASAP.

Don't forget to breathe.

Check engine oil after every session. You won't burn any oil your first few sessions. Don't get complacent, you can burn 1/3-1/2 quart during a 20 minute session of high rpm hot laps.

Watch your temp gauge on the straights. Take a cool down lap if you see it moving towards the halfway mark. Don't just pull in and shut the car off or it will heat soak. The SII do have an upgraded fan schedule and waterpump but there's no need to pop a motor.

Shift slow and deliberately; no need to wreck a gearbox. Shift at ~8500 unless you're near a braking zone. Don't bother shifting to second if your apex speed is >~40-45mph, it's more important to brake hard then trail brake smoothly to the apex than it is to keep the revs up. Downshifts come last - I wasted half of my first day doing downshifts when there was a lot more to be learned by driving smooth in third.

Be aware that the cat won't last. You'll be fine for the first day but consider getting a midpipe. My cat went from a 'like new' inspection to destroyed in four track days.

Most of all: have fun, get comfortable, then drive the **** out of the car.

blu3dragon

iTrader: (1)

Cool, thanks for all the input, especially the detailed post above. I did do a few HDPE events last year, but this will be my first time with the RX8, NASA and this track, so I'll definitely be building up slowly and trying to focus on the important stuff. I'm hoping to be reasonably smooth with heel&toe by the 2nd day, but we'll see. The pedals are fairly close compared to what I am used to and I need to be careful not to hit the throttle during normal braking! I am a believer "in slow is fast", and shifting is a big part of that.

I better have a close look at my current tires. I don't know if any have been patched or not, but I do know the rubber is showing some very small surface cracking in between the tread blocks due to age.

I was hoping to avoid all the emissions issues of a mid-pipe but it seems like I might not have a choice unless the s2 is a bit easier on its cat.

Alignment is now done. I also had them weigh the car while I was there (my curiosity got the better of me). It turns out Mazda got the cross weights almost spot on and an s2 sport weighs just under 3000 lbs.

I missed trackday insurance off the list above. I'm going to go and get a quote for that...

olddragger

iTrader: (3)

you didnt mention what type of brake fluid you installed? Be sure to get the right type in there as you probably did--just didnt mention it?

If you are going to be tracking some--get
the syncro saver for the trans-
-install redline fluids in the trans and diff--you need synthetics in the drivetrain as those areas really get hot,
and at least get a gauge that can read your water temps.
They make some pretty good ones that get the info from the obd port--less than $100 I think. One like this:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...L0trRXOc0FffKA
Do not run it with coolant over 220F period. Try to keep it at 210 or so.

You didnt mention the wgt of your engine oil? At least a 40wgt oil is needed --dont run on track with a 20wgt or even a normal 30 wgt motor oil. you will also need to change your oil after the event because it gets diluted with fuel.

I would also premix 1 oz per gallon while on track. Get some protek from Pettit. Its the best I know off--but to each his own.

pay attention to your instructor and have fun.
Welcome to the addiction

blu3dragon

iTrader: (1)

Oh, I'm addicted already. I have an Aim Solo DL that I can set up to show water temp. The hard part is going to be remembering to look at it while driving, but the good thing is I can check the data after a run so at least I will know if I am running close to the danger area.

I was trying to avoid listing the precise details on the oil, fluid & pads in this thread as I wanted it to be more a checklist of things for future reference. The important point being that these are all fresh and selected with track driving in mind. I'd like to avoid a long discussion of 30wgt vs 40wgt or synthetic vs non-synthetic since there are plenty of thread on that.

With that disclaimer, here is what I went with: ATE Super Blue brake & clutch fluid, Hawk DTC-60 pads front and rear, and all Amsoil synthetic oils: 75W-90 GL4 gearbox, Severe Gear 75W-90 GL5 for the diff and 5w30 Signature series motor oil. I'm planning to get an oil analysis done to help me decide if I should run a heavier motor oil at future events.

And my alignment with me in the car ended up as:
Front: -1.1 camber, 0 toe, ~6.5 caster.
Rear: -0.4/-0.7 camber, 1/16" toe in (Looking at the results now I think it might be 1/16" on each side, but I was expecting 1/16" total)

For some reason my car was limited by camber at the rear left. I could not get any more than -0.4 at that corner, and the rear right would not go below -0.7, so that is where it ended up. The front camber and caster are both maxed out. There didn't seem to be any point removing caster to gain more front camber given the rear camber.

Also, the weight with me in it and ~1/3 tank of gas was 3125 lbs, with 53% over the front axle and cross weights within about 1.5% of each other. I didn't need to weigh the car, but could not resist my curiosity while I was at the alignment shop.

dannobre

iTrader: (3)

Do you have a bent rear arm on the -.4 side...I have seen a lot of 8's with the camber arm on the back bent...

cwatson

iTrader: (1)

I wouldn't mind some cracking on the tire tread. Don't run on them if there are big cracks in the sidewall.

Lockton Infinity should be able to help you with insurance. I'm guessing it will be about $150 for the event. I did once find a company that would insure NASA (and others) events at $45/event if you signed up for at least ten events. Single event insurance was not significantly different. Shoot me a PM if you want their information.

olddragger

iTrader: (3)

sounds good man--you have prepared your rx8 very well.
Now have fun and dont get lost in a LOT of details concerning tuning --suspension, wgt etc etc.

track insurance doesnt cover any mechanical damage--like to the engine/trans etc--only comestic like when you hit a guardrail--another car etc. if anyone finds another kind--let me know!

j9fd3s

it might be, and for just the one track day you should be fine, but long term the best way to keep the cat in great shape is to leave it in the garage...

i wouldn't worry about it the first session, its going to be cold, there will be traffic, you should be totally fine, maybe later in the day...


that is very cool, the 8 is a ton of fun on track.

oh and just fill the gas tank up on the way to the track, full tank = one less thing to think about

blu3dragon

iTrader: (1)

Interesting, thanks, I'll have a look. Is that the rear lower link? (No. 10 on this pic: http://www.partswebsite.com/mazmart/...magecallout=10)

dannobre

iTrader: (3)

I'ts the #9 on the left of the diagram....

blu3dragon

iTrader: (1)

^Thanks!

Idemitsu premix now ordered. I've edited the first post to reflect the latest status for future reference.

etzilon

If you own an iPhone, get Harry's GPS Lap Timer and a bracket for your phone.

EDIT: Never mind... Just noticed you have an AIM Solo

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

you need to put the car up on jack stands, disconnect the swaybars, loosen all the control arm bolts, going from corner to corner put a jack under the spindle and jack up to compress the suspension until the car lifts up off the jackstand at that corner, then *fully* tighten all the control arm bolts at that corner, proceed to the next corner & repeat, again, and again.

then go back for another alignment

TANKERG

+1

Try to avoid having a death grip on both the wheel and shift ****. I am still working on this one. A loose grip will telegraph more information through the wheel and with a loose grip you have more control to make tiny/precise corrections. With a death grip on the shifter, mistakes can happen.


Please let me know how close the real track is compared to the iRacing track. I know you can't compare the two experiences, but have always wanted to try that.

04Green

iTrader: (1)

Looks good:

Suggestions:
Tire pressure, try 2 psi lower in the rear than the front. I have gone to 4 for balance, but 2 is good.
Traction control on, if it bumps and engages, figure out why the car thought you needed saving.
Torque wheels at the beginning of the day, and leave them alone.
Air pressure before and after each run, write it down, show instructors.
At the end of the day, after tires cool, take them back to street pressure for driving off track. Or you will wake up in the morning with 25 psi and all the TPSM sensors tripped.
If stock tires are above 300 treadware, watch them for chunking. They can only take so much.
Keep tank over a quarter tank.

you will love this car on the track. just listen to what she says.

j9fd3s

i haven't tried iracing, but the real track is like falling down the stairs, the hills are steep! it feels like you're either going straight up or straight down in real life.

TANKERG

I'm going to have to come on down one of these years and try it out!

blu3dragon

iTrader: (1)

So I just got an email with a discount code for the aforementioned "Hyperdrive" to bring it down to $49. I'm not sure if you still need to pay for a NASA membership though which would add another $45. PM me if you want the code...

Comparing the videos to iRacing at Sonoma it looks pretty similar. There is one entry kerb missing (turn 4 I think) which presumably was added after the track was mapped for iRacing. The speeds seem reasonable too, which is not the case in most games. The thing that is missing from the game is the detail. You don't get the visual surface detail like cracks or change in texture that can be used as reference points in real life. You obviously don't get the sense of touch or balance you would in real life so I find it is harder to judge speed or grip. I also don't think you get the same variations in grip due to surface changes although it does model camber. It is a useful tool, as long as you keep in mind it is a tool. If you're trying for all out speed in the game I'm sure you can find tricks that would not work in real life (cutting kerbs is the most obvious one).

04Green

iTrader: (1)

TANKERG

It's amazing how much control and grip you have shifting gears through a corner too in iracing haha.

It was funny, I got to drive Portland Intetnational Raceway last summer, and during lunch at various tables I overheard people talking about how uncomfortable it was shifting gears in the back straight. The back straight has a slight bend to the right so your left hand is about 10-10:30 while grabbing 4th. It didn't feel right haha.