Hey guys, I've been wanting to hit the track for ages, and now that spring is here a lot of the tracks in NorCal are starting to have track days and such. I am curious if anyone has tracked stock, or nearly stock, coupe. I don't have too many mods, but my 6MT has JWT pop-charger and Z-tube, brand new Falken FK452s, Project Mu NS Pads (also practically new) and stillen sway bars set on med/med. I am curious if my car will hold up because I can't afford to destroy my stock suspension or anything of that matter. Let me know what you guys think!

Thanks

 

Car should hold up fine. Depending on how you drive, your tires may get pretty thrashed. I've tracked on my 452's a couple times now, and they start losing small chunks of rubber as they get hot and you start driving more and more aggressively.

 

Should I be concerned with shaving thousands of miles off my tires? I'm a poor college student and dished out a bunch of money for new tires and pads so I gotta consider all these things lol

 

Your tires and brakes will definitely get beat up a lot faster on the track then they do with normal driving on the street. I finally just got a set of dedicated track wheels for this very reason, buying new street tires after every couple of track days sucks. Tracking isn't cheap... so if you're concerned about the money, it might not be the best decision to start because it's addictive

 

That sux, you totally but I am very interested in pursuing this, and I am worried about the addictive aspect!

 

Don't forget about the clutch. That takes a beating as well depending on how aggressive you drive.

 

I'm pretty aggressive on the street when I choose to be, but have not been out on a track yet. I feel that i might be a bit of a pansy, at least the first couple of runs, but will eventually get the hang of it. You guys run with VDC on or off?

 

I would seriously hope with it off. You should be able to gauge when you are about to lose traction. You want to push it close to that limit on the track anyways, because that will get you faster times. If the VDC is off, you are going to seriously bog down and lose power while turning and thats the last thing you want on the track

 

Definitely not trying to burst your bubble man, tracking is the a hell of a lot of fun... since you were asking though, I just wanted to let you know what to expect. Go out there and have a good time, take it slow and learn the track, and by the end of the day you'll be much improved. If you aren't comfortable with the possible loss of traction, drive the first few laps with the vdc on, it'll slow you down, but might save you. Once you get comfortable, vdc off for sure... it really does get in the way on the track.

I started on Auto X and drift courses (drifting in my 240sx), and only late last year started going to the full on track days. In my opinion the auto x events are good learning days, the courses are small and technical, and usually the only thing you can hit is a cone. Great for learning the capabilities of your car and getting a feel for high performance driving.

Either way, be safe and have a great time!

 

I'm fine with the VDC off, been driving with it off every now and again to improve my feel of the car and its thresholds (while keeping it relatively legal ) Was looking at a bunch of norcal events, most are full, and the soonest one I can really make is in June which BLOWS!! Gonna keep looking for other tracks and organizations, I am now determined! BTW, if I do manage to give my car a bit of plow experience would there be any serious damage if I get off pavement, or just rock chips and such?

 

Zack hit many great points.

And yes, dedicated track wheels FTW. Cheaper, stickier rubber and less expensive wheels to worry about trashing.

 

Mmmm track days FTW

 

i tracked my then bone stock G at Laguna. It was great until my brakes imploded. If you go to Laguna, or another brake intensive track, you may want to get some race pads. the Mu's would likely be fine on another less demanding circuit, but they will take a beating. i now have a stoptech BBK and will get race pads prior to my next tracking.

 

Just bought a G and thinking about heading out to some tracking events...

I have never raced before, so what do you guys think about bone stock? Or should you definitely get racing break pads?

And for dedicated track wheels... I have the 19 inch rays, are 18's better for track? I know they're cheaper, and tires are cheaper as well, but if I eventually get to the point where I am good enough to need a BBK, will that limit my choices?

 

Agent F, If this is your first time tracking the car, I would not worry about upgrading parts. Just make sure you check brake pads, rotor, fluids, etc (basic inspection) to ensure that your parts are safe. First time tracking would be a humbling experience as you have to learn so many things. Mostly you want to really focus on learning the line and hitting the apexes. My mostly stock car survived without a problem with stock brakes/suspension. It actually handled pretty darn good stock.

If you are in Norcal, I would recommend going to Thunderhill rather than Laguna seca since its much safer there. You cannot hit anything if you are doing things properly in Thunderhill because there is only one wall near the pit. I know because I actually went off the track Go to Laguna Seca once you have few track days. Below is the pic I had at Thunderhill awhile back. Fun times