Thunderhill East Yesterday

[Davisca455]

Nice weather, my 4th time on a track, but the 3rd track day was the Summer of 2019, so a bit of a time gap.
First time out of the beginner class as well, which I'm not gonna lie, was pretty nerve wracking before the first session.
For the first session, my intension was to be at the back of the pack since this was my first time out with a next level group, but apparently lots of other folks had the same idea and hardly anyone was griding with just a few minutes to go.
I couldn't take it longer and decided to grid, and when I pulled onto the pit lane they had 2 lanes, Left was labeled "Slower", and the right was labeled "Faster".
There were like 10 cars in the Slower lane and nobody in the Faster lane, so I said "Screw it. I'll be the first one on the track, watch my mirrors and I'll just point the freight train by."
Shockingly, I didn't get passed, or even pushed in that first session?
After that I was relaxed the rest of the day.
Short shifting and gentle braking, just a new guy focusing on my lines, not beating on the car too terribly and having fun.
Second session, I gridded behind a couple of Porsche guys, one in a GT3 and the other in a GT4.
Two super nice guys that I visited after the session. (As it turns out, one of my favorite things about going to the track is meeting people and checking out cars)
The GT3 would be out of sight after a few laps, but the GT4 guy and I were a good match, so that was a blast to have someone to dice with.
He finally had to point the M3 by though, and I ran 2 seconds faster once I was past and gapped him pretty good.

This was also the first time I have timed myself (earlier, I just didn't want a potential distraction, and I really didn't care), and had a camera in the car, but I did want to get an early metric down, so this seemed like a good day for that.
It was easy to forget about the transponder and the camera though.
But it's not always good to forget about the transponder, I almost went home with the rented unit still zip-tied to the back of my car. Luckily I remembered as I was passing the gas pumps...DOH!

Fair amount of laps in the 2:14s and one in the 2:13s.

Tires:
Michelin PS4s, fronts 245/35/19 (33psi cold) and rears 305/30/19 (35psi cold)

Brakes:
Stock calipers/rotors, BMW DOT4 fluid, Hawk HP Plus pads

Suspension:
Stock EDC (tried full comfort and stiff), Alignment pins still in place

Underhood Mods:
Bimmerworld (Mororso) power steering reservoir, which was leak free at the end of the day.
G-Power SK2CS

Right front tire:

[dparm]

Glad the day was a success! The tires look pretty good other than some slight overheating at the outer edge (to be expected). It's always good to have a rabbit -- find someone just a tad faster than you and try to keep up!


A few quick suggestions, take them as you may:

1. Sit closer to the wheel. Your arms are almost fully extended while turning. This reduces your leverage and would make it very difficult to catch a slide or take evasive action.

2. Try to get more tire up front. 245/305 is an unusual stagger and this will lead to a lot of understeer. Also, drop your pressures. 33/35 cold is way too high, you want to end up near there when hot!

3. Looked like you were running with MDM, try to turn that stuff off soon. You risk learning bad habits because it masks mistakes.

4. Get a better track pad for your next set. The HP+ will be overwhelmed by heat as you get faster. If you like hawk, consider the DTC-60.

[Davisca455]

Originally Posted by dparm

Glad the day was a success! The tires look pretty good other than some slight overheating at the outer edge (to be expected). It's always good to have a rabbit -- find someone just a tad faster than you and try to keep up!


A few quick suggestions, take them as you may:

1. Sit closer to the wheel. Your arms are almost fully extended while turning. This reduces your leverage and would make it very difficult to catch a slide or take evasive action.

2. Try to get more tire up front. 245/305 is an unusual stagger and this will lead to a lot of understeer. Also, drop your pressures. 33/35 cold is way too high, you want to end up near there when hot!

3. Looked like you were running with MDM, try to turn that stuff off soon. You risk learning bad habits because it masks mistakes.

4. Get a better track pad for your next set. The HP+ will be overwhelmed by heat as you get faster. If you like hawk, consider the DTC-60.

Thank you Dparm!

1. YES! I was too far away in the first session, then when I moved the seat closer for the rest of the day, my right elbow would just barely dig into my side on tight right handers and visa-versa for tight left handers.
I thought it looked too extended as well, even after the seat adjustment, so I wondered if the camera being in Cinematic mode causes some weird distortion, but I don't think that's the case?
I'm only 5'6"/165lbs but with an abnormally short wingspan. (If you know old aircraft, think F-104 vs U2)
Couple that with my shoulders being pinned back because of the ASM 4 point harness, I think it's just a range of motion limitation?

2. Thank you! I brought my gauge, but just didn't use it. I was spending time between sessions watching how the fast guys were approaching turn 1, where they lifted/braked, where they turned in, when they picked up the throttle and where they apexed. Also did a lot of walking around "the car show" that presents itself at track days.
The lovely Suzanne is too good at her job of keeping an eye on the cash. She doesn't "get" the car thing at all, so you can see what I'm up against with a tires and rims purchase.

3. I agree 100%. I have never knowingly used the nanny features on track, not even in the rain. If you zoom in and look closely, you can see the warning triangle next to the gear indicator that is warning me the DSC is off. Even my daily driver setting is M mode with DSC off, clutch engagement at full, EDC on comfort.
Even then the car will still occasionally interfere with the throttle when getting into a corner too hot and trying to get back onto the gas. I don't know if the G-Power mods to the DME do anything weird, but I do know that the green MDM light on the dash doesn't ever show up until I replace all the stock engine parts and stock DME. Only the green M light shows up with the G-Power DME.

4. Even though the current brake setup can quickly overwhelm those front tires getting into 10 and 14, the entire front braking system is being addressed (every time I go to the store, I pull out an extra $100 to stash under the mattress).
The plan is to get the brakes in place prior to a tire upgrade.
I have zero experience with various brake pads so thanks for the tip. One of the track junkies at work called a friend at Hawk, told them I was a beginner, the car info, and then gave them to me two weeks before my first track day.

[spooni]

Looks like you're local!

Let's meet up sometime at T-hill. I'm about the same experience level as you, still learning lots.

Best thing you could do is get some better brake fluid(go Castrol SRF). If you can swing it, go with some 200tw tires, and even better, go to a square setup! I'm running the DTC-70 with RSpro 275s. I find myself getting to ABS a bit, so that pad is a little aggressive for a street tire. I'll try the PFC08 or DTC-60 next.

[derbo]

Glad you had fun Chris!

[Davisca455]

Originally Posted by spooni

Looks like you're local!

Let's meet up sometime at T-hill. I'm about the same experience level as you, still learning lots.

Best thing you could do is get some better brake fluid(go Castrol SRF). If you can swing it, go with some 200tw tires, and even better, go to a square setup! I'm running the DTC-70 with RSpro 275s. I find myself getting to ABS a bit, so that pad is a little aggressive for a street tire. I'll try the PFC08 or DTC-60 next.

Yep, I'm Davis.
I haven't had any braking issues yet, but I'm also not doing any eye popping braking maneuvers.
Yesterday was just to get re-acquainted with the track and my car, and to work on being consistent with my lines, so lots of short shifting and early lifting, but TONS of fun.
Not having the wife yelling "CHRIS !!!" from the passenger seat is such a treat. She's a white knuckle flyer, and does NOT appreciate me try to shave 30 minutes off a trip to Avala Beach.

[dparm]

Smart to watch the fast guys and learn from their technique. Maybe one of them can give you a ride-along next time.

[slcook54]

Nice job, Chris!

[Davisca455]

Originally Posted by dparm

Smart to watch the fast guys and learn from their technique. Maybe one of them can give you a ride-along next time.

Ya, on my first day on track, at the end of the day, I realized I wasn't actually looking forward to getting out for my last session, just too mentally fried.
So I took a ride along with a spec Miata racer that I work with in his track only turbo'd RX7.
In the moment, I remembered that it was really eye opening what he was doing with that car, but I was mentally DONE at the time, so it's questionable how much I really got out of it.
I'd like to think I would get even more out of it, now that I have a few more laps under my belt.

[derbo]

Originally Posted by Davisca455

Ya, on my first day on track, at the end of the day, I realized I wasn't actually looking forward to getting out for my last session, just too mentally fried.
So I took a ride along with a spec Miata racer that I work with in his track only turbo'd RX7.
In the moment, I remembered that it was really eye opening what he was doing with that car, but I was mentally DONE at the time, so it's questionable how much I really got out of it.
I'd like to think I would get even more out of it, now that I have a few more laps under my belt.

My wife likes to do the ride alongs in the 2-3 morning sessions so that she gets a sense of things to work on before she is fried like you were at the end of the day. It's a good tactic when learning!

[rhyary]

Can you share more how you fit 305/30/19?
I am about to experiment with that rear size

[kyrix1st]

305 rear is crazy. That's what a supercharged racer E92 in Japan runs square for qualifying laps for a 10 lap cup race.

Go with 285/30/18 square setup. It's a globally proven formula.

[Davisca455]

Originally Posted by rhyary

Can you share more how you fit 305/30/19?
I am about to experiment with that rear size

I bought the car the way it is from a good friend who was the original owner.
Shortly after he had the G-Power kit installed in early 2009, he realized the 265's weren't going to cut it, so he had the rear rims widened towards the inboard side.
The work was done by a shop in Southern California, Eric Vaughn Machine.
The car looks bone stock with the modified 220s.

[Move Over]

Looks like fun! Jealous of the 305 rear.

What was going on at :28-:30 in the second video? Was that the pit lane?

[derbo]

Originally Posted by Move Over

Looks like fun! Jealous of the 305 rear.

What was going on at :28-:30 in the second video? Was that the pit lane?

T11-T12 is paved so if there are no cones preventing it, people shortcut it all the time. It's just a known thing people do at Thunderhill East.

[Move Over]

Originally Posted by derbo

T11-T12 is paved so if there are no cones preventing it, people shortcut it all the time. It's just a known thing people do at Thunderhill East.

Ah, gotcha. I saw the GT4 take a different line (i think). Wasn't sure if that was off-limits or what

[Johal E32]

Nice! Maybe I'll see you at the track sometime.

I went to school in Davis, so I am very familiar with that small town. I miss my evening drives up to Lake Berryessa

[Davisca455]

Originally Posted by Johal E32

Nice! Maybe I'll see you at the track sometime.

I went to school in Davis, so I am very familiar with that small town. I miss my evening drives up to Lake Berryessa

Markley Cove is...GONE!

[s14_kev]

Nice job getting out there! If I may give some suggestions, I would recommend straightening the wheel for a split second between turns 3 and 4 to let the car settle. It makes a huge difference and you'll gain a lot of confidence in turn 4. You can track out all the way to the right before heading up the hill over the bypass instead of hugging the left side. Also, between 14 and 15 you can "straddle" the outside berm and get a better entry into 15 which you can carry all the way down the front straight. I was there the day after you so this is all still fresh in my mind, keep at it!

Not to thread jack, but here is my lap from Monday. I know that I can improve in some areas too, but hopefully you can learn some new lines from the video. I'm no expert by any means but I have a couple hundred laps of Thunderhill East under my belt.

[Davisca455]

Originally Posted by s14_kev

Nice job getting out there! If I may give some suggestions, I would recommend straightening the wheel for a split second between turns 3 and 4 to let the car settle. It makes a huge difference and you'll gain a lot of confidence in turn 4. You can track out all the way to the right before heading up the hill over the bypass instead of hugging the left side. Also, between 14 and 15 you can "straddle" the outside berm and get a better entry into 15 which you can carry all the way down the front straight. I was there the day after you so this is all still fresh in my mind, keep at it!

Not to thread jack, but here is my lap from Monday. I know that I can improve in some areas too, but hopefully you can learn some new lines from the video. I'm no expert by any means but I have a couple hundred laps of Thunderhill East under my belt.

Thank you s14_kev!
My turn 4 line has generated the most advice.
All the other Turn 4 advice exactly matches with what you are suggesting as well, so that gives me a good feeling about how solid the advice is.
I got advice on 14/15 as well.
My previous track day, I was turning in too soon on 14, so Sunday I was trying to work on turning in later and getting to a later apex, but it looks like I may have been over doing it, causing me to straighten out a bit between 14/15 and leading to a lift off the throttle in 15.
I like the way you put it "straddle the berm".
The verbal matches the video and I'm sure it will help me put some speed "into the bank" for the front straight.
I really appreciate the video.
It's good for me to see a demonstration of what you are talking about, so thanks for sharing. Very much appreciated!

[SAMM3Y]

Looks like soo much fun!! Nice driving very smooth!! 😎 that gt4 is nimble huh?

[Davisca455]

Originally Posted by SAMM3Y

Looks like soo much fun!! Nice driving very smooth!! 😎 that gt4 is nimble huh?

Thanks Sam!
That GT4 was a really, really nice car!
And the driver turned out to be a really nice young man as well.
I had gotten to him earlier in that session but didn't get the point by, so I just dropped back a bit for a couple of laps and went his pace. Closed up on him again and he finally gave me the go ahead between 13 and 14.
The transponder had us doing 2:16s, and when he let me by I went to 2:14s and put a little space between us.
He followed me in the pit after the session and apologized for holding me up. Said he didn't expect me to take off after I went by.
I told him no worries, and that his pace was plenty fun.
The guy he was piting with, also a super friendly guy, was in a GT3 and he was doing 2:01s, so the three of us developed our strategy to get to the front of the grid and go GT3, M3, GT4. We all had zero traffic the rest of the day.
Got a text the next day from the GT4 wanting to know if I wanted to join them at Laguna in April. It just astonishes me how friendly most people are at the track. We all come from different backgrounds, but we all have something in common with each other, so making connections is so easy. If only the rest of the world was into cars as much as all of us...