Well I finally bit the bullet.

Next Monday and Tuesday I will be out on the track for 8 hours a day doing HPDE's. Any advice from all you guys who are regulars? What to bring or not, pointers, etc? I have my big prep sheet from the event organizers that covers a ton of stuff, but I'm sure there are some pearls of wisdom from the Garage.

9/12/2008 4:21:05 AM

What club are you going with? Try to get a ride before your first session and don't try too hard.

9/12/2008 6:46:09 AM

wait, 8 hours of track time? are you the only one out there? is this a two day event?

1. LEAVE YOUR EGO AT HOME. you're gonna get run by little civics and ford focus' all day. its no big deal (like ahmet said, dont try to hard or you'll end up in a wall or off the track. and dont get all pissy if you do spin out, it happend to almost everyone)
2. TAKE PLENTY OF WATER TO DRINK...AND SNACKS
3. clean out your car, tools, spare parts, jack/stands
4. oil and other fluids, brakes and stuff. check your oil and bleed your brakes after each run (you probably dont have to, but might as well, you'll have enough time)
you can find little checklists online on what to look for.
5. if you can find and fix your flaws as you're going through the day, then thats a good thing.
6. dont be afraid to get a different instructor or even ride with bunch of different ones
take a tent and a seat. like i mentioned before (depending on how many people are there) you'll have a lot of time between runs.

[Edited on September 12, 2008 at 7:57 AM. Reason : ]

9/12/2008 7:56:34 AM

Quote :

"you're gonna get run by little civics "

9/12/2008 7:57:30 AM

What kind of brake pads do you run on the street? Might want to consider swapping them out for something more track oriented.

-flush your coolant system
-bleed your brakes/change out brake fluid

Yeah, definitely drive at your own pace and comfort level. At the only track event I've been to I whipped up on an Evo But its all about you, not anyone else.

[Edited on September 12, 2008 at 8:01 AM. Reason : k]

9/12/2008 7:59:14 AM

tr00..

after 1 or 2 events, you'll see what you need to modify.

its good to run stock, then you can see improvements as you ad parts. brakes--susp--power



[Edited on September 12, 2008 at 8:06 AM. Reason : but yeah, if you can get a decent pad/fluid setup before the event. that'll do ]

9/12/2008 8:05:46 AM

Quote :

"dont try to hard or you'll end up in a wall or off the track. and dont get all pissy if you do spin out, it happend to almost everyone"

I definitely fucked up my stuff when I was trying too hard. I was going real good, but no skill can overcome doing 120 on street tires in a turn designed for 100 on R comps.

9/12/2008 10:45:09 AM

ive seen it happen many of times.

once was this car in front of me was trying to catch another car, the one in front was another hype R, dont remember what the car in front of him was. but you could see him just trying hard. he eventually spun at the last turn at VIR.

same event we had a practice black flag, and some doof in a SE-R wasnt paying attn, he was paying attn to me and nearly rear ended me. the best part was that the instructor saw everything and called him out during class.

oh and drive your own line, dont follow anyone else. 'specially since you've got a wacked configed car,lol, you're gonna need different lines in wet and dry.

and you might want it to be a bit wet, maybe on your second day, the last 1-2 sessions. people always get mad when it rains, but rain is part of everyday life, and part of racing, so its good to know how to drive during rain. and it will be good with your car also.

[Edited on September 12, 2008 at 10:56 AM. Reason : ]

9/12/2008 10:55:31 AM

most clubs require you to get a tech inspection ahead of time.

the first couple of laps are warm up laps. use them properly. i went to one hpde and the only time i spun was the first lap on green.. my first session after my instructor signed off on me.

which brings me to the next piece of advice... DONT LIFT

[Edited on September 12, 2008 at 11:32 AM. Reason : .]

9/12/2008 11:29:44 AM

^oh yeah, definitely don't lift! I had to go in once and swap brake pads during a HPDE. I was pissed about it b/c I was missing out on my last lap session. When the pads were on I hurried onto the track and forgot about 1/2 of what I'd learned that day. On the 2nd to last turn I lifted in the wrong place, whoooooops got her sideways at 70mph Recovered though, hehehe.

9/12/2008 11:42:43 AM

Quote :

"which brings me to the next piece of advice... DONT LIFT "

hahahaha...beautiful advice.

I think that, on the track, our worst enemy is our ego. So don't be afraid to be conservative, feel the track out, feel your car out. I know that, when I last ran CMP, I was going way too shit hot and trying to late brake too late coming off of the straights...boiled my brake fluid that I hadn't bothered to flush, and had my instructor white-knuckled. He told me to slow it down, and my lap times actually improved quite a bit.

And yeah, you should be required to have a tech inspection by a qualified tech prior to the event.

9/12/2008 1:58:58 PM

Quote :

"drive at your own pace and comfort level"

9/12/2008 4:27:17 PM

Quote :

"wait, 8 hours of track time? are you the only one out there? is this a two day event? "

No no, 8 hours a day at the track. From my understanding there are ~25 people total signed up, and only 18-20 going to be there each day. Basically it's an empty session from what I heard.

This one is being run by the National NSX Club, it's 395 bucks for two days and that includes instructors, lunch and dinner both days.

They definitely required a tech inspection beforehand, I got my car back from the dealer today completely signed off and ready to go. AND THEY DIDNT EVEN CHARGE ME! I was fucking amazed. They'd quoted me $180 bucks for the safety inspection, but gave it and a hand wash to me for free (did I mention this is the best fucking car dealer I've ever dealt with EVER?).

baonest Dude, awesome pointers, thanks so much!! I will definitely be driving very easily this time. No track insurance + a pretty ragged track = no pushing to the limits. I don't have a tent, but I will definitely take a captains chair. I'm pretty limited on space for taking shit with me, right now I was planning on taking:

Brake Fluid, basic tools, engine oil, tire pump and Slime in case I get a flat. Unfortunately if much of anything happens to the car im fucked, as I need 4 jack stands and two jacks to get it up and do anything, none of which I can carry with the car (im sure I can borrow a jack from someone if needed though)

Quote :

"What kind of brake pads do you run on the street? Might want to consider swapping them out for something more track oriented."

I run Pagid RS-14 pads, they are the highest bite track pads available. The squeal like hawks on the street, but dear god if I don't stop like a brick wall.

Thanks guys!! And if you have any more advice really lemme know

9/12/2008 11:08:40 PM

get some baller ass drivin gloves. bitches love drivin gloves

9/12/2008 11:41:27 PM

For what it's worth, I've never done an HPDE but I have twice done parade laps at VIR on the full course, and once was directly behind the Pace car (CTS-V) in my turbo Rx-7. I think the hardest thing is braking. You've gotta have a lot of balls (the mechanical health of your vehicle is on the line, also your ego is fighting any sensible decisions you want to make) and a lot of skill to brake at the right time and heel-toe into the next corner, especially coming off the braking zones from the straights.

9/13/2008 10:00:12 AM

Quote :

"get some baller ass drivin gloves. bitches love drivin gloves "

thats not a bad idea actually... a decent set of gloves and shoes really helps you feel the car better.

specially a little car like that

9/13/2008 10:21:46 AM

Quote :

"At the only track event I've been to I whipped up on an Evo"

that guy must've sucked.

i know you're a good driver, but the performance disparity there is pretty substantial, and an Evo is SUPER easy to drive really fast.

9/13/2008 11:56:11 AM

What does bleed your brakes mean and how do you do it?

9/13/2008 12:27:11 PM

I hope you're kidding.

Just in case you aren't.. first result from google:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/how_to/4213448.html

9/13/2008 12:30:40 PM

Quote :

"I hope you're kidding."

hey ive never heard that term either

9/16/2008 8:11:39 AM

jesus, both of you out of the garage

9/16/2008 8:25:02 AM

9/16/2008 8:55:25 AM

i've heard that phrase, and i don't know jack

9/16/2008 10:09:02 AM

Quote :

"that guy must've sucked. i know you're a good driver, but the performance disparity there is pretty substantial, and an Evo is SUPER easy to drive really fast."

Thanks Duke. And yes, that guy wasn't a good driver (from what I could tell), nor did he know his limits or the cars limits.

9/16/2008 10:28:04 AM

see, thats the best part.

well all know, on paper, an evo would rip a lot of cars apart.

but when you run a car that is 10X the cost of yours.. it feels nice.

although you know that equal drivers, you'd get romped. but still.

honda 4 life y0!

9/16/2008 10:34:51 AM

There was a new Evo, and a 2000-2001 Impreza WRX out on the track today. They got slaughtered by almost everything else on the track.

About 80% of the cars were Acura NSX's, with one full race-prepped, and two running monsterous superchargers. The race prepped on was putting something like 380hp to the wheels, and the two monsters were dynoed at 440 and 490. Needless to say, they were fucking FAST.

Mr. race prep passed me on lap 2 of my very very first session ever, and then again on lap 10 or 12. flyiiiing

The only "shitty" cars that did outstandingly well were an old Porsche 911, and an 07 Nissan 350z, both drivers were really fucking good and ran down a lot of cars.

9/17/2008 3:24:52 AM

Quote :

"jesus, both of you out of the garage"

i really have no interest in cars, but i wander off in here every once in awhile

9/17/2008 7:55:05 AM