Just signed up for my first HPDE event!

[dparm]

Originally Posted by spooni

Update: loved the pads held up really well, and once I got a feel for them I was in love.

Had some fun at the track, and a really good pucker moment

https://youtu.be/Gu4cMovX1EU

https://youtu.be/ucTVbAPhWQ0

Definitely found the limit of the RS-pros. I'll run them for a few more sessions, but for next spring I'll be going with something much better.

That spin could've gone way worse!

[dparm]

Originally Posted by spooni

Update: loved the pads held up really well, and once I got a feel for them I was in love.

Had some fun at the track, and a really good pucker moment

https://youtu.be/Gu4cMovX1EU

https://youtu.be/ucTVbAPhWQ0

Definitely found the limit of the RS-pros. I'll run them for a few more sessions, but for next spring I'll be going with something much better.

One suggestion I might make, which is based purely on the video and not on telemetry, but don't be afraid to short shift for certain corners. Keeping the engine very high in the rev range will make control more difficult and it will feel twitchy. Even coming off the gas 10% at 7k will be a huge amount of weight transfer.

Sometimes it's safer to just short shift and go WOT in the higher gear.

[slowdown_dan]

One can find the limit of any tires, regardless of compound. That alone doesn't mean it's time to take the next step as far as tires are concerned. It's my understanding that sticky tires will cover up bad habits. Those rs-pros might force you to keep the line smooth and the car balanced, and that should pay dividends down the line.

[spooni]

Originally Posted by dparm

That spin could've gone way worse!

Originally Posted by dparm

One suggestion I might make, which is based purely on the video and not on telemetry, but don't be afraid to short shift for certain corners. Keeping the engine very high in the rev range will make control more difficult and it will feel twitchy. Even coming off the gas 10% at 7k will be a huge amount of weight transfer.

Sometimes it's safer to just short shift and go WOT in the higher gear.

Yeah that makes sense! I'm still learning lots. Riding with an instructor for a while helped a lot. Built quite a bit of confidence that day, as well as learned some lessons about limits.

Originally Posted by butte2butte

One can find the limit of any tires, regardless of compound. That alone doesn't mean it's time to take the next step as far as tires are concerned. It's my understanding that sticky tires will cover up bad habits. Those rs-pros might force you to keep the line smooth and the car balanced, and that should pay dividends down the line.

I would agree. Instructor did say something with a better compound will help no matter what though. He said a combo of me just being a faster than the rubber's limits, and the heft of the car; made him think something better should be on the horizon.

I'll likely wait until spring for that.

[dparm]

Running something like an NT01, RR, or Hoosier is going to be a waste until you're comfortable taking the car to the limit and balancing it on that edge. You won't be able to maximize the grip those tires can provide and it'll be money down the drain. Plus, they like lots of camber.

Managing the available grip and keeping it on the limit will be something to focus on, and that is way easier to do on a more mundane summer tire. Something like an RS4, RE71, etc is fine for now, IMO.

[DRLane]

Originally Posted by dparm

Running something like an NT01, RR, or Hoosier is going to be a waste until you're comfortable taking the car to the limit and balancing it on that edge. You won't be able to maximize the grip those tires can provide and it'll be money down the drain. Plus, they like lots of camber.

Managing the available grip and keeping it on the limit will be something to focus on, and that is way easier to do on a more mundane summer tire. Something like an RS4, RE71, etc is fine for now, IMO.

@spooni

As someone that's also fairly novice (< 30 track days), it's important to accept and sit on this concept.

All the talk about the car or tire's "limits" should be digested as your "driving ability induced limits". Poor skills will overpower a tire and have you believing you're at the "limit". When in reality you've simply limited the tire from ever reaching its actual capacity for grip "the limit".

Strongly encourage resisting the urge to go with an R compound too early. I nearly totaled my car when I put it into a wall by mistaking my ability to discern available grip on stickier tires.

Also, if you're going for lap times. I guarantee you'll be faster on a high performance street tire vs R comp.

[slowdown_dan]

That's it^

I'd suggest if you haven't, grabbing the book "Ultimate speed secrets" off amazon. Dig into even just the first few chapters and I think you'll find it's not the tires that are holding you back, but the skills that would be nearly impossible to acquire after just a handful of track days.

[rhyary]

For an economic max performance tire check out the Ecsta PS91. It is a very economic way to get into a max performance tire category with very little down side. If any.

[Tommysalami]

First track day is in the books! Took me long enough to finally make it out to one, but years of having my head stick up over the roll hoops on the convertibles I owned kept me away until now.

I made it home in one piece and the M held up like a champ, so that's a success. Managed to put in about a 1:28.9 lap at the clockwise config of Streets of Willow in my final session.
Joined Speed Ventures out at Streets of Willow and had a blast! The track is a lot of fun, and feels basically like a really fast autocross event. The fast right hander of turn 1, and the "chicane" at the end of the back straight are both pretty hairy coming in at 100+ when I don't know how the car's really going to handle. Since my #1 goal was to be able to drive the car home, I always lifted early for these and left time out there, but NBD.

Being my 1st track day, I was put in the beginner group and went through the first two sessions just doing parade laps around to learn the line and passing etiquette. Third session was open for us to finally push the car, but I spent the whole session stuck behind people doing 1:45 laps who refused to give me a point-by, and the marshals didn't give them blue flags which was really frustrating.

Got moved up to an intermediate group for my final session, passed a couple people at the start, and then had clear track pretty much the whole time. It was nice to end the day being able to push it a little and explore the car at higher speeds.

The car held up really well. Oil temp crept up to just under the third dot and stayed there. The Endless RF-650 fluid and Hawk DTC-70 pads gave really consistent feel the whole time. The DTC-70s were a bit aggressive though, and it may be better to go with DTC-60s, but then again this track doesn't seem that hard on brakes. Goodyear Supercar 3 tires felt good from start to finish, never felt greasy, and wore pretty well.

I left the traction control on M dynamic mode, and it felt okay and wasn't overly obtrusive. There were only a couple times I'd get on the gas and have it dial me back slightly, otherwise I didn't even notice it was doing anything. Just noticed the light blinking a few times when reviewing video, mainly as I was going over some bumpy sections. It's still awful and completely useless for autocross though, as it doesn't let you rotate the car on power at all. There was some time to be gained on track by turning it off and powering out a little more aggressively, but I just left it on the whole time to be safe.

Definitely going to have to get out to Chuckwalla and Buttonwillow which are nearby, and make it up to Laguna Seca as well sometime soon. I was a little nervous going in, but it was a chill atmosphere and was quite easy to drive when keeping it under the limit.

[dparm]

Glad to hear it was a success, Tommy. I was watching your hands in that video, nice job feeding the steering in and making small adjustments throughout the corner.

[spooni]

6 track days done now

I put on Falken RT615K+ last day, and had few complaints(especially for $800 a set)

Recently added JRZ RStwo coilovers. Bought them used, one blew right after install.. Had them all rebuilt and put on this last week! Also, picked up a Recaro SPG XL, but the planted mount with the recaro sliders it was too tall. New mount solution needed

Going back out to Thunderhill West in 2 weeks. Last PB was a 1:29.182.. If I can break into the 1:25 range I will be over the moon. Even though I still lots to learn, I have been enjoying the hell out of challenging myself some laps.

In need of a BBK. Leaning towards the PFC kit, but man that kind of coin hurts.

[spooni]

One of my PB laps from 1/10 at T-hill east

[tsk94]

What's leading you to think you 'need' a BBK, or do you just want one? Until you're running a stickier tire, stock brakes with DTC70's all around should be more then enough. Are you experiencing brake fade? TH appears quite easy on brakes.

If you want the PFC kit you'll need to look for them when they pop up used.

[spooni]

Originally Posted by tsk94

What's leading you to think you 'need' a BBK, or do you just want one? Until you're running a stickier tire, stock brakes with DTC70's all around should be more then enough. Are you experiencing brake fade? TH is pretty easy on brakes.

If you want the PFC kit you'll need to look for them when they pop up used.

Some fade towards the end of sessions, having to put a lot of effort into the pedal towards the end of the day.

Also, it's in stock on their site.

EDIT: not anymore

[tsk94]

Originally Posted by spooni

Some fade towards the end of sessions, having to put a lot of effort into the pedal towards the end of the day.

Also, it's in stock on their site.

You could add ducting or deflector to get some additional cooling, both cheap options that will solve slight fade issues.

Whos site?

[spooni]

Originally Posted by tsk94

You could add ducting or deflector to get some additional cooling, both cheap options that will solve slight fade issues.

Whos site?

Explain deflector?

I was thinking ducts as well.

It was on BW's site yesterday "in stock", but not today. Maybe I was delusional because it is most certainly DC'd

[tsk94]

Originally Posted by spooni

Explain deflector?

I was thinking ducts as well.

It was on BW's site yesterday "in stock", but not today. Maybe I was delusional because it is most certainly DC'd

Something like this: https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1406400

Or traditional ducting will obviously work. It's much more effective but more of a pain to install and route properly.

BW had 1 in stock yesterday, someone snatched it up

[dparm]

I would've done BBK before coilovers. Brakes are a safety item.

[spooni]

Originally Posted by dparm

I would've done BBK before coilovers. Brakes are a safety item.

Just worked out that way I got the JRZs for (what I thought) was a screaming deal at the time, used.

I'm ready for a BBK ASAP, but getting a few different answers for options.

[redpriest]

Brakes were one of the first things I modded but I was more interested in the saving money down the road cost. Like most people, I started with just adding PFC pads to my stock brake system on the E92 but I killed the rotors after 5-6 days. Also it sounded like a dump truck coming to stop on the street which was somewhat embarrassing.

My priorities were longevity, ease of pad change-out, and safety (little to no knockback, proper piston torque/brake-bias setup, little to zero fade). There's a variety of kits that accomplish this.

Just don't do what I've seen a ton of people do which is buy mismatched calipers from other cars expecting it to just work drop in. Unless someone's done some extensive testing you can run into issues.

My #1 problem with my E46 right now is that I do not trust the brembo BBK on it. If I brake too hard on initial entry, the car goes into an anti-icing mode which completely eliminates any stopping power I've had. Before I go into braking zones I have to tap on the brakes to eliminate knock-back (the pedal goes to the floor at bus stop at Buttonwillow unless I do this).

[roastbeef]

@redpriest is your brembo kit on the e46 one of those retrofits?

[redpriest]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

@redpriest is your brembo kit on the e46 one of those retrofits?

I don't know since I didn't order it - but it certainly doesn't feel good lol.