On the topic of drivetrain lubricants, '03 Evos have a notorious problem with their t-cases burning up. The open diff seems to be the culprit, since the '04 RS with the same t-case but an LSD front diff doesn't have the problem. The solution seems to be flushing the gear lube regularly...like with every second oil change. You need to use a GL-5 lube of SAE-90 weight (Mitsu's own "DiaQueen LSD Gear Lube" is what everyone recommends).

People who have used other brands of lube have reported t-cases failing in just a few hundred miles. Personally, I've had TWO t-cases fail. Both were replaced under warranty because the DEALER used the wrong lube! Now that I'm running the DiaQueen, the problem is solved.

Anyway, considering how much strain the t-case and diffs endure on the track, it's probably a good idea to be **** about your drivetrain fluids. At minimum, you should follow the 15K mile schedule. But, if you have an '03 Evo, I would strongly consider flushing the t-case gear lube with every second oil change (i.e., every 6K miles).

Emre

 

Got that right! I read a nice article about preparing for your first track day and it basically ended with: You WILL be overwhelmed, you WILL make mistakes, but relax, think, and try to do the right things and you'll do fine and have a ball. The nice thing about being on a track is you pretty much know what the other cars are going to do and they're all going the same way -- unlike the freeways in Columbus! And remember, NOONE CARES IF YOU GO SLOW as long as you check your mirrors and don't hold people up forever.

Dave

 

However, having never had a car with brakes like the Evo, my quick, hard jabs were initially way too abrupt! I'm still learning how to roll on and off quickly but smoothly.

Dave

 

Or you can do what I did and get a Quaife installed. You get most of the handling benefits of the 05's without the complexity and unpredictability of ACD. I'm running Redline shockproof in my TC as per RRE's recommendations, and bg synchroshift in my tranny. Rear diff is standard redline 75W90 with the LSD additive. 25K miles, 4 track days, and no problems. I did notice that the drain plug on my rear diff had loosened to where it was leaking slightly, it was only finger tight, even though I had torqued it to spec when changing the fluid! So keep an eye on those drain plugs on the rear diffs.

 

Dave,

The basic idea is to use the brakes for as short a time as possible. You want to generate the maximum possible braking force over the shortest possible distance (obviously, you don't want to just slam on the brakes...you need to apply and release them smoothly). Not only is this MUCH faster than dragging the brakes, like you do on the street, but it puts a lot less heat into the brakes.

The other advantge of this is that you take one variable (braking force) out of the equation. Think about it. When it comes to braking, you have three variables: when to start braking, when to stop braking, and how much force to use. The trick to driving quickly on the track is to be smooth and consistent. It's really hard to be consistent if you're changing too many variables at the same time.

When you brake, you already know where you want to turn-in. So you know that you need to be DONE with your braking at that point. If you take braking force out of the equation, that leaves you with just ONE variable: where to START braking. If you always turn-in at the same place and always use the same brake force (i.e., maximum) you can adjust your entry speed by just moving your braking point closer or further from your turn-in point.

Emre

 

I understand that, but if you make a ham-footed jab at the brakes you'll bounce the car onto the front springs and that's not as quick a stop as a fast, but smooth, roll. You have to understand what I was driving previously!

Dave

 

djh,

Have you driven at Mid-Ohio? That's an AWESOME track. Maybe not the best for novices but definitely a track for grown ups.

 

Yes, love it! I think it's a good thing Mid-Ohio doesn't do open track days like Nelson -- you (by which I mean me) really want an instructor with you. T1 has the biggest pucker factor! I think I'm pretty wimpy but I see a lot of people brake hard for that one. Mid-Ohio is kind of like a good pinball machine, you can have fun just playing it, but it has lots of technical details that can make a big difference.

Dave

 

Thanks for all the replies!

I think I have a much better grasp on what I need to do to prepare my car for track days!

 

Agree 100%. I have a few vids of me lapping (in the novice group) in the 1:2x range. Not bad for a newb. It was fun to see me improve as the sessions wore on. A little irritating when autocross guys watch the vid and critique your driving by telling you about bad apexes, etc, when they just don't understand how damn scary that track can be. Definitely glad I had an expert riding shotgun...