July 1st was a great day at the track, weather was great, lots of neat cars etc. 2 RX-8 club guys were there and both did really well. I did a small amount of one on one instruction with them and I hoped it helped them out. I hope more club members take advantage of these lapping days and see what your car was really designed to do. Maybe we can get some feedback from the people who brought there cars out. Our test in the race car confirmed that we need a bigger oil cooler, temps still way too high.

 

It was great fun. Will definitely go out again. Would appreciate people posting when the next track day event is taking place. The rx8 preforms pretty well on the track with my mazdaspeed suspension. The stock tires are not the best though. Will be ording some competition tires soon. THinking of the kumho v710's. It would have been nice if there were more 8's out there, maybe next time. THanks #84 racing for instruction laps, helped alot.

 

Im glad you had fun, thats what it is all about! What about your transmission? Is it okay? If your going to buy R compound tires, make sure you only use them on the track! I race on the V710 its a great tire, but it is A TRACK ONLY TIRE! The Speed Source RX-8's all run 17 inch not 18 inch, so you might want to look into that. We do sell R compound tires and Alloy wheels as well, so if I can help let me know!

 

Transmission OK. Have not taken it to the shop yet, Friday, but so far the car feels great no trouble shifting whatsoever. As for the tip on 17" that is exactly what I was planning to buy. I want light 17" wheels with 245*40*17 tires only to drive on track of course. I was going to buy from tirerack.com but if you guys can give me a good price would rather buy locally. Cheers.

 

As many of us have learned in the past, by the time you bring the stuff up here (assuming you do it legally) it will end up costing you the same or more. The nice part about buying here is you can deal with the people in person and see what your getting before you buy it! Call me if you want to discuss wheel and tire options. 416-752-0970 AL

 

July 1st this year was great.
Many thanks must go to #84Racing for his encouragement to come out, support, hospitality, and lastly tutelage.
Actually it turns out that most people there were very pretty friendly, helpful and offered tips, advice, or rides when asked to get acquainted with the track – lines, braking, etc.
There were a few guys who thought they had to prove something with their Honduh beaters; but there will be those types everywhere.
Thanks also go out to Jim with the 7 for the help and the wakeup call when you missed a shift into 2nd!
Cdove – good news about the tranny. Scary. I guess it was just me.
There have been many posts on 17" vs. 18" weights. When you factor in the tire+wheel, there didn't appear to be a savings in going with the smaller wheel, larger profile tire. Do some searches. I ended up going with the Volk TE37 18x8.5" all around. About 17.5 lbs/wheel vs. 22lbs stock. The Bridgestones are a bit heavier than most. I think the Toyos are some of the lighter tires out there. I think it would be possible to shave about 8-9 lbs per corner. You can get lighter wheels than 17lbs, but not by much.
For all those that missed it – your loss.
Temperatures were about perfect, and even though it was busy – no huge concerns.
Tires?
Even though the RE040’s aren’t my favorite – they did hold up well. Didn’t loose too much tread - right front took the most beating – lost about 2-3/32”. The rest lost less than 1/32”. There is an interesting Best Motoring Vol. 71 - comparison on the stock RE040’s vs, the Potenza RE-01R vs Advan Neova AD07 in 3 identical RX-8’s. Check it out – you may be surprised at how well the RE040’s do against the R-compounds.
They did heat up, and when I went off the racing line to let people pass would pick up lost of rubber, but the tread held and didn’t chunk up.


Notice the centre of the tire is a bit different.
Suspension?
The solo II guys complain about it being too soft. I’ll agree for crazy parking lot hairpins, but on the track the suppleness actually makes for a very forgiving platform with mid turn bumps. No need to worry about things getting sketchy. Does it lean too much? Define too much? I didn’t find I was bottoming out on the bump stops, but I’m sure my left front tire would have worn less with a bit more spring, and damping up front.
For Ontario’s 99.9% of straight road driving – I don’t think coilovers are warranted unless the car got a lot of track time. Our roads are just too damn straight.
Brakes?
1 word – Awesome. I was never wanting for more. Only hit abs one time when I had a brain fart and entered the last hairpin at ….too fast. No appreciable fade over the time.
Engine?
Never heard the rad fan come on. Hardly working the thing.
Although I was passed along the back straight by this blue/white corvette thingy that made me think my car was broken. Too bad he sucked out in the indy trans- am race.
Fuel?
How about close to 30L/100km of Ultra94?
Fun?
Lots.