Track forum general chit chat.

[Cmassey3]

Originally Posted by kolosy

man i wish i had the space for a trailer and on-site track car storage. #firstworldproblems

My goal is to rent the trailer for the time being, it would take 4-6 truck rentals to total the cost it took me to get this one.

[kolosy]

Originally Posted by Cmassey3

My goal is to rent the trailer for the time being, it would take 4-6 truck rentals to total the cost it took me to get this one.

not sure what your home setup is, but i rented a few times (towed with my X5) and it just adds too much time to the process to be worthwhile for most days for me. it was adding an hour to each end, and with a typical 530AM departure time, 8PM return I just didn't want to deal with it.

[Cmassey3]

Originally Posted by kolosy

not sure what your home setup is, but i rented a few times (towed with my X5) and it just adds too much time to the process to be worthwhile for most days for me. it was adding an hour to each end, and with a typical 530AM departure time, 8PM return I just didn't want to deal with it.

I've definitely heard that sentiment before. Ideally I'd get my own flat trailer next season. I kinda have space for it, I could make it work.

[omgzirra_exe]

Just the thought of loading your trailer the night before, then driving to the track, offloading, then reloading, driving again, offloading once more, and parking the trailer just sounds like too much of a hassle for me. Thank goodness I live within a maximum of 2 hours from most tracks in SoCal.

Then I get anxiety from trailer theft these days...

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by omgzirra_exe

Just the thought of loading your trailer the night before, then driving to the track, offloading, then reloading, driving again, offloading once more, and parking the trailer just sounds like too much of a hassle for me. Thank goodness I live within a maximum of 2 hours from most tracks in SoCal.

Then I get anxiety from trailer theft these days...

well, kinda depends... i haven't towed to the track yet, but being able to prep the car and being ready to rock off the trailer is going to be nice. i store my trailer in my secured side yard and theft is an unlikely issue because my dogs would be losing their minds letting me know.
i learned a pretty good lesson last time i was out... i was rushing getting the front pads swapped and forgot to pump the pedal to seat them. first brake application on track was pretty scary. if i can take my time prepping the car and then have the f250 massage my ass on the way home, i'm going to go with that.
i think trailering is going to help reduce the overall fatigue of the day.

[omgzirra_exe]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

well, kinda depends... i haven't towed to the track yet, but being able to prep the car and being ready to rock off the trailer is going to be nice. i store my trailer in my secured side yard and theft is an unlikely issue because my dogs would be losing their minds letting me know.
i learned a pretty good lesson last time i was out... i was rushing getting the front pads swapped and forgot to pump the pedal to seat them. first brake application on track was pretty scary. if i can take my time prepping the car and then have the f250 massage my ass on the way home, i'm going to go with that.
i think trailering is going to help reduce the overall fatigue of the day.

i for sure see the benefits more than cons, im just lazy to do all of that. lol

plus after track days.. i usually zoom back home lmao i cant be bother to maintain what ever the legal limit is for towing 55?

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by omgzirra_exe

i for sure see the benefits more than cons, im just lazy to do all of that. lol

plus after track days.. i usually zoom back home lmao i cant be bother to maintain what ever the legal limit is for towing 55?

meh, you can go a little faster than that. i will admit, i have pondered whether or not towing is worth it... i could probably allocate more funds to actually tracking my car if i didn't have the truck or trailer, but its more of a long-term vision of mine.
as my kid gets older, tracking will become more of a family affair and towing would be the only way to do it. i think i just got the truck and trailer before i actually needed it.

[1FastSicilian]

Theres a speed limit for towing? LOL had cruise control set at 80 on my way to WGI

[kolosy]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

well, kinda depends... i haven't towed to the track yet, but being able to prep the car and being ready to rock off the trailer is going to be nice. i store my trailer in my secured side yard and theft is an unlikely issue because my dogs would be losing their minds letting me know.
i learned a pretty good lesson last time i was out... i was rushing getting the front pads swapped and forgot to pump the pedal to seat them. first brake application on track was pretty scary. if i can take my time prepping the car and then have the f250 massage my ass on the way home, i'm going to go with that.
i think trailering is going to help reduce the overall fatigue of the day.

yeah, the drive there and back was certainly a lot calmer and more comfortable than having the supersprint screaming in my ear for 2 hours.

if i had the room to store the trailer and car at home, i would jump on it in a heartbeat. you don't have to load up the car right before going, just prep it on the weekend and wait for the track day (i do mostly weekdays). same goes for unloading. if anything that's a plus. get everything prepped a few days early, get everything unpacked a few days late. morning of just jump in and go. it's only when the trailer, car, and home are in separate locations that it turns into a cluster.

[1FastSicilian]

Originally Posted by kolosy

yeah, the drive there and back was certainly a lot calmer and more comfortable than having the supersprint screaming in my ear for 2 hours.

if i had the room to store the trailer and car at home, i would jump on it in a heartbeat. you don't have to load up the car right before going, just prep it on the weekend and wait for the track day (i do mostly weekdays). same goes for unloading. if anything that's a plus. get everything prepped a few days early, get everything unpacked a few days late. morning of just jump in and go. it's only when the trailer, car, and home are in separate locations that it turns into a cluster.

thats pretty much what I do as I try to do week day events bc of work.. so I'll load the car on the trailer on sunday and throw all my stuff in my truck then hook up the night before.

Also, it's so nice to get into a comfortable vehicle after driving and sweating all day vs a long trip home from the track in the racecar..

lastly...if something breaks, you don't have to wait for AAA or worry about a way home.

[omgzirra_exe]

Originally Posted by 1FastSicilian

Theres a speed limit for towing? LOL had cruise control set at 80 on my way to WGI

i have no clue... i just recall signs of the highway saying Towing = x speed limit LOL

[omgzirra_exe]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

meh, you can go a little faster than that. i will admit, i have pondered whether or not towing is worth it... i could probably allocate more funds to actually tracking my car if i didn't have the truck or trailer, but its more of a long-term vision of mine.
as my kid gets older, tracking will become more of a family affair and towing would be the only way to do it. i think i just got the truck and trailer before i actually needed it.

Yeah, I get that. I guess my idea of 'arrive and drive' is just that - arrive and drive. Doing it in an E9X M3 is darn near stupid, but hey, it works. And in its current form, it's comfortable enough as I retain comfort amenities.

Also, I am due for a new car soon, and by 'I am due,' I mean my wife will be getting her own car soon. But if I play my cards right... (long tangent of random words coming up) maybe, I don't know, possibly could potentially see if I can work it in my favor to slightly convince her for a vehicle I could tow with, but at the same time get her something she likes and wants... lol.

I did go to visit to see if I can test drive the Ranger Raptor, which does have a decent towing package of 7500 lbs... and much cheaper than the Toyotas even with the markup... Although realistically, why would I not consider a 25' GX550 Prem+ w/the 9k towing rating...?? (probably cause of the mark up)

Anyways, I do have a shop where I can store a trailer, and my friend has an enclosed one he has offered to let me borrow as long as I have a vehicle to tow it.

Also, how the heck do you drive that massive tank of a truck around OC? I feel the parking lots are small.

[kolosy]

Originally Posted by omgzirra_exe

Yeah, I get that. I guess my idea of 'arrive and drive' is just that - arrive and drive. Doing it in an E9X M3 is darn near stupid, but hey, it works. And in its current form, it's comfortable enough as I retain comfort amenities.

Also, I am due for a new car soon, and by 'I am due,' I mean my wife will be getting her own car soon. But if I play my cards right... (long tangent of random words coming up) maybe, I don't know, possibly could potentially see if I can work it in my favor to slightly convince her for a vehicle I could tow with, but at the same time get her something she likes and wants... lol.

I did go to visit to see if I can test drive the Ranger Raptor, which does have a decent towing package of 7500 lbs... and much cheaper than the Toyotas even with the markup... Although realistically, why would I not consider a 25' GX550 Prem+ w/the 9k towing rating...?? (probably cause of the mark up)

Anyways, I do have a shop where I can store a trailer, and my friend has an enclosed one he has offered to let me borrow as long as I have a vehicle to tow it.

Also, how the heck do you drive that massive tank of a truck around OC? I feel the parking lots are small.

fwiw, my X5 MC did great towing. rented uhaul trailer is listed as 2500# and the car is another call it 36? so 6K-ish, no problems felt great. it's actually why i went F90 -> F95, to have my daily be fun and still be able to tow.

[sperkins]

Guys,
Finally getting ready to pull the trigger on a set of coilovers. Is it 100% necessary to replace the swaybar links with adjustable units? I'm reading that lowered cars need to have these adjustable links.
Thoughts?

Going with Ohlins "dedicated track" coilovers (BMU MU40) if that matters.

-Steve

[turbo_joe]

Originally Posted by sperkins

Guys,
Finally getting ready to pull the trigger on a set of coilovers. Is it 100% necessary to replace the swaybar links with adjustable units? I'm reading that lowered cars need to have these adjustable links.
Thoughts?

Going with Ohlins "dedicated track" coilovers (BMU MU40) if that matters.

-Steve

yes you want adjustable end links so you can properly corner balance the car

[sperkins]

Originally Posted by turbo_joe

yes you want adjustable end links so you can properly corner balance the car

Thanks- that answered it (need it for corner balancing).
Any recommendation of on brand? Any I should stay away from?

[kolosy]

Originally Posted by turbo_joe

yes you want adjustable end links so you can properly corner balance the car

can you elaborate on that? just trying to understand - adjustable links take preload out of the sway bar, correct? how does sway bar preload impact weight distribution?

[omgzirra_exe]

Originally Posted by kolosy

can you elaborate on that? just trying to understand - adjustable links take preload out of the sway bar, correct? how does sway bar preload impact weight distribution?

corner balancing is done with driver in car, which we all know (or you can use a ballast)

to process the corner balance you are adjusting the spring height per corner.. so the adjustable end links are needed. if you run OEM end links, you risk bending it when you are at x amount height.

typically its done with the end links disconnected.. to avoid unwanted preload.. once completed they will be shorted or lengthened depending if you lowered or raised the height and then re-installed.

[kolosy]

Originally Posted by omgzirra_exe

corner balancing is done with driver in car, which we all know (or you can use a ballast)

to process the corner balance you are adjusting the spring height per corner.. so the adjustable end links are needed. if you run OEM end links, you risk bending it when you are at x amount height.

typically its done with the end links disconnected.. to avoid unwanted preload.. once completed they will be shorted or lengthened depending if you lowered or raised the height and then re-installed.

oh interesting. i had assumed they just put you on a scale and do it by weight distribution, not ride height...

[1FastSicilian]

Originally Posted by sperkins

Guys,
Finally getting ready to pull the trigger on a set of coilovers. Is it 100% necessary to replace the swaybar links with adjustable units? I'm reading that lowered cars need to have these adjustable links.
Thoughts?

Going with Ohlins "dedicated track" coilovers (BMU MU40) if that matters.

-Steve

If you go SPL, they offer two different lengths.. Make sure its the shorter of the two.

[turbo_joe]

Originally Posted by sperkins

Thanks- that answered it (need it for corner balancing).
Any recommendation of on brand? Any I should stay away from?

I run SPL end links with the full SPL catalog and MCS coils. Main thing is making sure you get the correct length for your setup.

Originally Posted by kolosy

can you elaborate on that? just trying to understand - adjustable links take preload out of the sway bar, correct? how does sway bar preload impact weight distribution?

As already said. When you corner balance a car you disconnect the sway bar. Any preload on the sway bar will cause the corner balance to be inaccurate and cause issues once you track the car.

So you corner balance with no endlinks, then set the end link length with the car on the ground so the sway bar has zero preload on it. The odds of the links needing to be the exact same length (and oem length) are very slim.

[sperkins]

Originally Posted by 1FastSicilian

If you go SPL, they offer two different lengths.. Make sure its the shorter of the two.

Noted- thank you