Track forum general chit chat.

[roastbeef]

redpriest what are you looking at for a tow rig? i saw a dodge commercial for a ram 1500 lease for $3k down, $129/mo, 10,000 miles a year. towing is more than enough for a track car. best thing about a lease, is when you bake the tranny wringing the piss out of the v6 coming through the pass to socal, you just give it back.

[redpriest]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

redpriest what are you looking at for a tow rig? i saw a dodge commercial for a ram 1500 lease for $3k down, $129/mo, 10,000 miles a year. towing is more than enough for a track car. best thing about a lease, is when you bake the tranny wringing the piss out of the v6 coming through the pass to socal, you just give it back.

Interesting - didn't realize the lease was that low - I might have to explore that, but the problem I'm facing is having 4 frigging vehicles in my cul-de-sac. I have the worst spot - one of the corners so I don't have a lot of street area.

I was gonna pull the trigger on Tahoe or Ford Expedition. Ford Expedition can tow more (9k) but it's in last model year before the new one. Not a big fan of the Suburban. This would be dual use vehicle though - I wouldn't be driving it at all except for track times.

[roastbeef]

we are in a similar situation. i have a two car garage occupied by a singe huge desert truck that is too soft to tow anything, and too tall to put a lift in the garage. i'm also near the end of a cul-de-sac. my driveway is longer because of it, but i only have room for ped gates on the sides of my house (no rv parking, etc.). driveway is taken up by three cars.

my smart car lease will be up in a little over a year, so i'm trying to game plan my next move. its very tempting to lease another one for the rebate, low operating cost, and solo carpool lane access. i'm also looking at porsche 964's, which isn't good for my mental health. this dodge lease is kinda cool, but i don't think i want to deal with a trailer yet... i'm not willing to pay for storage at this point.

[CorruptCommie]

Note on the Ergo - I'm 6'2 and found the Large fit my shoulders well, the M I'm too high with the HANS on. The HANS will add a bit of height to your shoulders so check with it on. I also thought I'd be swapping the halo's on/off for the track, but I've just been leaving them in. No issues with visibility with a wide angle rear view mirror and aspherical side mirrors.

[chamba002]

[IMG]Untitled by Chamba, on Flickr[/IMG]

Some reading material.... Rather improve as a driver then buy parts to cut lap times.

[roastbeef]

i wish there was an audio book version. i listen to a lot of stuff when i drive around town.

[admranger]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

at laguna, right? and by events, you're talking about hpde days? i just wanted to clarify that. i have heard of such a thing, but have never seen it. i know, it doesn't mean it isn't happening, but i figured someone would catch on and point it out or something.
how do people get away with "laguna pipes" then? are they simply on the cusp of a violation and its just enough to get them by?

Yes, at Laguna. Or was it an iguana? Hmmm... I get easily confused at my advanced age.

Yes it has happened. I don't know if they are still doing it, but they have in the past.

Laguna pipes can be additional mufflers or something as simple as exhaust pipes that point up (DTM tips are good for this).

As for tow vehicles, don't forget that you can rent F250's from enterprise rent a car if you have a business account. Having a big truck around is expensive. The rentals were pretty inexpensive, and you don't have to do any maintenance ($$$) on a big diesel engine, etc. Might want to investigate before buying, insuring, and finding a parking spot for a big truck.

[roastbeef]

didn't quite think of that. home depot has a max of like $40 a day or something like that. not sure if those trucks have tow hookups though.

[hayes180]

Originally Posted by admranger

They have the sound shack between 5-6 on the outside of the track. However, they also have a roving sound check at events. It's not a scare tactic.

yea I've run laguna a ton of times and got clocked in a 89.6 with a BimmerWorld Catback and Dinan Intake.. just trying to figure out how ill make sound at LimeRock when i move this fall to the east coast.

[hayes180]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

Right. That's the biggest problem I have in this car. I can't get into an optimal track seating position without my head hitting the A pillar. My shoulders are a couple inches above the oem seats.
And if I'm doing seats- they are going to be as light as possible.

Side note on a tow vehicle- I saw a dodge commercial that they are leasing the base ram trucks for like $129 a month. I forget the down. Maybe low mileage or something.

so i did the OMP seats WRX's (I'm 6'2) and you can remove the botton cushion of these seats so I have the shoulder holes where the need to be in relation to my back.

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by hayes180

so i did the OMP seats WRX's (I'm 6'2) and you can remove the botton cushion of these seats so I have the shoulder holes where the need to be in relation to my back.

cool. is it like sitting on a rock though? i'm a little over 6'03" i think. i haven't taken a good measurement in a long time, but its going to heavily dictate seat options.
i don't know if custom seat builders are a thing for weekenders like me. i haven't found anything useful by googling.

[hayes180]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

cool. is it like sitting on a rock though? i'm a little over 6'03" i think. i haven't taken a good measurement in a long time, but its going to heavily dictate seat options.
i don't know if custom seat builders are a thing for weekenders like me. i haven't found anything useful by googling.

its honestly not bad.. Ill take a picture tomorrow. I only do it at the track for the 20-30 minutes I'm out there. Wine Country Motorsports offered this foam padding deal that they said i could cut out and mold to the seat.. i passed..

[roastbeef]

is there such a thing as a scissor jack that i can connect to my impact gun to blast the car up quickly? seems like a convenient thing to do.

[scotty_miller]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

is there such a thing as a scissor jack that i can connect to my impact gun to blast the car up quickly? seems like a convenient thing to do.

Eastwood makes a mobile electric scissor lift. A guy I track with keeps one in his trailer. It has come in handy more than once. Here's a link to the company website

http://www.eastwood.com/quickjack-70...FY6KswodNvwCkQ

[roastbeef]

thanks, but that is too damn big. even for home use, i wouldn't want to mess with it. i'd rather pull out a floor jack and some jack stands. i'd have the car in the air before i had those things lined up and ready to go.

i'm thinking of something like a scissor jack, but i hate how they tilt when you get the car up high... something that moves like a floor jack but could be used with an impact would be ideal.

[okusa]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

thanks, but that is too damn big. even for home use, i wouldn't want to mess with it. i'd rather pull out a floor jack and some jack stands. i'd have the car in the air before i had those things lined up and ready to go.

No you wouldn't. I have them and love them. They take about 5 seconds per side to line up and the car is in the air in less than a minute start to finish.

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

redpriest what are you looking at for a tow rig? i saw a dodge commercial for a ram 1500 lease for $3k down, $129/mo, 10,000 miles a year. towing is more than enough for a track car. best thing about a lease, is when you bake the tranny wringing the piss out of the v6 coming through the pass to socal, you just give it back.

$129/mo? Wow!

[redpriest]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

$129/mo? Wow!

Problem is that version can tow 5,000 lbs max. If you want something that can do more, it's no longer $130 lease territory but $500-600.

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by redpriest

Problem is that version can tow 5,000 lbs max. If you want something that can do more, it's no longer $130 lease territory but $500-600.

That makes more sense.

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by okusa

No you wouldn't. I have them and love them. They take about 5 seconds per side to line up and the car is in the air in less than a minute start to finish.

really? i'll take your word for it, but every video i have seen seems to be really slow.

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by redpriest

Problem is that version can tow 5,000 lbs max. If you want something that can do more, it's no longer $130 lease territory but $500-600.

you're right. looking at the website again, it is very deceptive. they are gloating about another truck's specs right beside where they detail their lease deal. you really have to dig for the v6's towing specs because they bury it pretty good, but it is about 4,700lbs. or something like that. bummer.

[redpriest]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

you're right. looking at the website again, it is very deceptive. they are gloating about another truck's specs right beside where they detail their lease deal. you really have to dig for the v6's towing specs because they bury it pretty good, but it is about 4,700lbs. or something like that. bummer.

Looks like you can get a RAM 3500 lease for like $300 though ...