I am attending the HPDE event on Feb. 26th at Thunderbolt in N.J. I was wondering if I should do any preperation to my vehicle before hand. I know as a beginner I will not be pushing the car that hard but was curious if I should do anything? My maintenance on the car is up to date and mechanically it is running good. I was curious about the tune though. I have a remote tune by mellon but its certaintly not geared for rr. Is this something I should address? Any other advice?

 

For maintenance, just make sure all of you fluids are good, clean, and topped off. Brakes should be in good working order, and sufficient life. Wheels are torqued. Clear out the car of any moving items, including stuff in center console, glove, and all floor mats. Trunk should be clean out also. Tighten down any loose objects in the engine bay, making sure nothing flaps around. Turn down the boost a few lbs, and make sure spark plugs are good. Being this is winter, make sure you bring warm but comfortable clothing. Dont forget your helmet. Other than that, you should be good to go!

All of us attending chat up the Philly thread, so stop in! See you on the 26th!

 

Ditto everything the chu said. Your tune is probably ok but it won't hurt to turn the boost down a tad if you have a manual boost controller. Otherwise, don't worry about it.

For future reference, once you get over the first day jitters and get infected with the racing bug, the first thing you need to upgrade is your brake pads and fluid. I ran my MR in completely stock form back in '07 and managed to completely use up the stock pads and boil the brake fluid in 1 day. They were never meant for repeated 30minute sessions at race speed. I use and recommend AMSoil fluid and Hawk HPS pads. This will get you through your first few events. And you can still use the pads on the street.

 

Cool! I have sst lines, motul fluid, and a pair of ****ty Racing brake ET500 on the front. I think I should be somewhat ok for the first day. I was also wondering about tire pressure? I have hankook evo's in 255/40?

 

How about adding 100 octane fuel or octane booster to prevent knock?

 

I'd say start with the normal pressure you drive on the street for the first 2 sessions and see if you gain any. But thats something that you should not worry about. As for adding 100 octane, don't be too concerned about it. Chances are you won't be driving hard enough first time out. Just turn the boost down, focus on learning the track, the proper line, and having fun! All else will come with time!

 

Thank you!

 

Good advice and most importantly, have a good time and don't worry about your car. Even in stock form, the evo is well prepared for track days.

 

Hey Eric, I don't know if you've changed mods/boost/octane since we last spoke. If you have it would be wise to get the tune updated. If you have not, it would be wise to shoot me over some updated logs to review. You wouldn't want to hit the track not knowing that there's a mechanical problem going on. Also when you go to the event you might be able to secure the laptop in a way that allows you to log your runs. Those would be extremely valuable to us so that we can further improve the tune for what you're doing if necessary.

TLDR: I'm here to help!

p.s. copy this conversation in your email to me chris@mellonracing.com so I'll have the context.

 

Hawk HPS? Sure you don't mean HP+?

OP, I don't mean to scare you, but I was told a while ago, don't take it on track unless you can afford to walk away from it. Whether it be mechanical failure, or someone dropping coolant in front of you, or some mistake you can make, it's always a possibility. There is HPDE insurance which isn't that expensive (Lockton Affinity, maybe others) so you may want to see if that's available for your group.

 

Make sure your oil is on the full side...poor mans dry sump.

 

...and then there are always the negativity.

It only takes a resonable person to make reasonable decisions about his/her own safety. Like most clubs, we want to promote safety. I have all the confidence that the instructors attending this event will make sure each new driver is safe in everyway. Everyone should just come with an open mind, be ready to learn, and leave their egos at home! We all have to start somewhere...

 

Thanks Chris! No I haven't added mods but we need to probably finalize my tune. I will send you some updated logs as well via email. Thanks for looking out!

 

awesome sounds good, I want you to have a great time out there

 

Lots of good advice here... I'll throw in my 2c.

Before you attend the event, make sure you bring some bottled water (not gatoraid... real water), and something to munch on throughout the day. I bring Clif bars myself. Go through your car before the event and remove all extraneous stuff from door panels, floor, glovebox, and center console. Remove the spare tire donut and jack from the back and the floormats. It's easier to just get all of that crap out of the car before you go to the event so you don't have to worry about where to put it all and remembering to put it back in the car.

Wear comfortable shoes and jeans, don't wear shorts. Check with the event coordinator to see if short sleeved shirts are acceptable. In terms of car preparation I recommend turning your boost control down a couple of clicks your first time out if you are on a MBC. You won't need the extra power at first and its easy enough to turn it back up if you start feeling comfortable. If you plan to run a street tune that is aggressive (26+ psi on a stockish turbo) I would consider putting a couple of gallons of 100 octane in the tank when you get to the track. Yes, it probably won't be necessary, but depending on track temperatures it can be very effective at warding off detonation. Most street going Evo's are not tuned to handle the temps you get while road racing.

The biggest thing you will want to check prior and after the event are your brakes. The Evo isn't exactly a feather weight and street brakes are garbage on track. You won't be pushing hard enough your first time out to really worry about it, but make sure you have plenty of meat left on your pads before the event as they can burn through very quickly.

I also highly recommend HPDE insurance. I use http://www.ontrackinsurance.com/index.aspx and they are awesome. The guy who started it drives as well, and is really cool about answering questions and the rates are very good. You can get total coverage on your car for $100-150 an event depending on how much you are insuring it for. This will give you some peace of mind to go out and have fun, so even if someone else does something stupid or you have a freak accident you are covered. I also recommend removing your street tags before going on track. Some insurance companies will immediately drop you from coverage if you are caught on track, even if you have supplemental insurance. It's a huge hassle that is easily avoided with a screwdriver and 2 minutes.

Once you are out on track, focus mostly on the basics... getting around the track/traffic safely. Do not get wrapped up in going fast initially as there is so much going on, you want to concentrate on learning the corners, staying on line, and watching corner workers/flags. Once you feel that you are able to effectively see the flags, and navigate the track without thinking about it consciously, you can step it up a bit and start compressing your braking zones. Remember, SLOW in, and fast out is the best way to start getting fast. Above all, just have fun! Driving on a racetrack is about the most fun you can legally have.