I'm thinking about doing my first track day....the car is completely stock....I was wondering if you would recommend keeping the VDC on.

Any other tips/recommendations?

 

I recommend VDC on. Bleed the brakes!Keep no loose stuff in the car.

 

You are going to have a lot of understeer, but make sure to press the break firmly before every turn. And easy with the gas. If you do that, you'll be just fine.

 

you will be fine I cant wait to go

 

You enjoy your first track day (I'm assuming it was last weekend)? I just did a track day at NHIS. What a blast, my break fluid is now shot though so I'm going to put in some synthetic and hopefully that'll hold out a little better without going 100$ a bottle for the break fluid on CRACK stuff.

VCD is good for track days I left mine on the whole time and only noticed it kick in once or twice. It's all about being smooth so it shouldn't have to come on really.

 

I had a blast! I've always been a little timid with my car because the RWD kind of scares me. I figured out the answer to my question about the VDC....leave it on until it starts slowing you down. I noticed that there were a couple corners that the VDC kicked in, but my car was definitely not going to come out on me beyond what was easily controllable....so I ran the first two and a half sessions with it on, and the last one and a half with it off. I played it conservatively at first and began to push it a little more toward the end. Overall, it was an amazing experience....I feel much more confident with my car, and the instructor said he was impressed that I was holding my ground when the intermediate guys came out and played!

I'm excited to do the next track day! I don't think upgrading anything in my car is going to help me all that much....I think going out and running another track day is going to help me more than anything else. No need for more power until I can use all that I've got!

 

i ran my car for the first time last weekend on 20's and i took home 1st Place for the NA Bracket and then won 1st Place for the Bracket Finals =0)

i ran my car a few dif ways

i found out if you have a auto

turn off VDC
dont not go thru the water and spin your tire, go around it because rad tires dont need to be heated up
i help the brake and gas at the same time and had the rpms above 2000k+ at the line and went on the 3rd yellow light "our lights went red,yellow,yellow,yellow,green"
and try to shirt right before you hit your rev limiter

IMO this is how i won and seemed to work fine

Joe

 

I'll just leave the VDC on untill my instructor goes "Why the Fack do you have the VDC on? Whats wrong with you boy?" or something along those lines.

As far as AutoCross and The 1/4 mile. Yeah turn that VDC off. The sharp turns in the autocross will just confuse your computer wheelspin or not. And for the 1/4 mile a little wheel slip can provide an optimum launch and a good 1st to 2nd shift without killing the acceleration.

Edit: Yeah Scootch try to beat me while not just going in a straight line. You'll see where your slush-o-matic can stick it then .

 

Challenge Accepted, time and place "Sept Northeast Mountain Run IV" this time i get to drive and not be a passenger

man o man was this past weekend a blast and this weekends dub show and nopi is soon

 

If this is your first ever event at the track, here are some recommendations...

1) Bring water. Lots of it. Drink a bottle every hour, on the hour. I live in the area and go to all the local tracks (Willow Springs International Raceway, California Speedway, Buttonwillow, Laguna Seca, Sears Point, Thunderhill, Las Vegas Motor Speedway...etc) and every single one, especially this time of the year, is brutal on your body. If you get dehydrated, you lose mental focus. You lose mental focus, even for a split second, you're in trouble. The high speeds at the track requires 100% of your concentration at all times.

2) VDC on absolutely. Again, if this is your first time at the track, you're going to be processing SO MUCH information that one less thing to worry about is one less thing to worry about. You're going to be concentrating on learning the line, learning braking points, learning visual skills and hand skills, you will not have time to worry about VDC being on or off. And also, at this point I don't think you'll be familiar enough with the car at the edge, that having VDC to catch the car when a slide is imminent will be re-assuring for you and your instructor.

3) This may already be too late and a moot point, but make sure whatever event and organizer you're going with, has competent instructors and instructors available for the whole day. It makes a huge difference, especially for a beginner, even all the way up to advance level driver, to have someone sit in the passenger seat that knows more. I've seen drivers who has done 2-3 BMW CCA events drive faster than drivers who's had few dozen events but without any proper instruction. Basics and fundamentals is so vital in this sport that if you don't pick up the right habits early, you'll bound to wad up your car sooner rather than later.

4) You should consider doing a Car Control Clinic and/or some Autocrosses first. Slower speeds in a more confined environment with fewer things to hit. Something to allow you to explore the limits at a more comfortable setting. I don't want to scare you off, but there are certain risks that you should minimize by learning all the proper car control skills prior to taking it to the track.

5) Make sure you bring a tire pressure gauge, and check your tire pressure throughout the day. If you're autocrossing, check and make sure your tires are inflated properly and check after every session. Your "hot" tire pressure should not be over maximum inflation pressure stated on the tire. For track events, measure your tire pressure and make sure it's between 38psi-42psi HOT after a cool-down lap.

6) Talk to people. Make friends. Enjoy.

 

Oh and get plenty of rides from instructors. E-Ticket rides are fun.

 

For autocross I run 47.5 Front and 38 Back hot. I don't have a road course setting because I've only done it once so far but I imangine it's only slightly lower. Tire pressure is definatly something you don't figure out in a day. Took me about 4 autocross events to hit a sweet spot. Now I need to get a pyrometer and get even closer to a optimum pressure.

 

Setting cold tire pressures for a road race track is vastly different than an auto-x. With auto-x you don't have much time for the tires to warm up so initial settings are generally a lot higher. On a road course you're normally out there for 20-30 min sessions at a time so plenty of time to get the pressure up.

 

It also depends greatly on the track and the ambient air temps. Laguna Seca is not so tough on tires as contrasted with Reno Fernley, Spring Mountain Pahrump, or Buttonwillow. Also depends on the brand of tire, camber settings, driving style, and speed/laptimes. Just hang with people that know their stuff, listen a lot and do not be afraid to ask questions. The comraderie tends to be very good and folks are very willing to help you out and learn. Be safe above all else. Fast will come in due course.

 

G35/350Z cars love trail braking. All it is, is braking during a turn to keep the front end loaded. It's the cure for understeering, unless your countersteering. G35/350Z love that too But your lap times wont. Also, dont get too greedy on the throttle when youre exiting turns. If your VDC is on, it will bog the car. If your VDC is off, the car tail wagging all over the place...either way, you'll lose some time.

Other than that..it's about about having fun and making new friends.

Sounds more like drag racing, not HPDE/Road Course type venues.