First Track Day
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marcinr, thanks for the videos. I did not have a spin at the track but came close. Got into the gators coming out of a fast 72 degree turn. It kicked the rear end out but I got it straightened out.
I did have one off track excursion. I'd just made a fast pass through a 'kink' in the middle of a long straight and it was the first time I'd done it really well and the instructor was yelling 'beautiful, beautiful' when a train of cars got bunched up in the hairpin up in front because someone else had spun. I lost focus had too much speed and didn't react quick enough. I knew I couldn't get it slowed down enough so I drove it off into the grass. No drama. Didn't spin on the grass. Got waved right back on.
They say CMP is a technical track and hard on brakes but most turns have a lot of run off so it is a good track for beginners too.
I did have one off track excursion. I'd just made a fast pass through a 'kink' in the middle of a long straight and it was the first time I'd done it really well and the instructor was yelling 'beautiful, beautiful' when a train of cars got bunched up in the hairpin up in front because someone else had spun. I lost focus had too much speed and didn't react quick enough. I knew I couldn't get it slowed down enough so I drove it off into the grass. No drama. Didn't spin on the grass. Got waved right back on.
They say CMP is a technical track and hard on brakes but most turns have a lot of run off so it is a good track for beginners too.
Sounds like a gas, glad you had fun. I agree some handling mods would make it even more interesting. Sadly our local track is shutting down, this was its last season. Kicking myself that I have never gone.
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I did have one off track excursion. I'd just made a fast pass through a 'kink' in the middle of a long straight and it was the first time I'd done it really well and the instructor was yelling 'beautiful, beautiful' when a train of cars got bunched up in the hairpin up in front because someone else had spun. I lost focus had too much speed and didn't react quick enough. I knew I couldn't get it slowed down enough so I drove it off into the grass. No drama. Didn't spin on the grass. Got waved right back on.
They say CMP is a technical track and hard on brakes but most turns have a lot of run off so it is a good track for beginners too.
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I don't know what kind of temps I was getting out on the track but after a cool down lap and then back into the paddock they were typically no more than 350 degrees F, usually closer to 250.
What orientation do the cracks appear in? Are they like the grooves on a record or are radial (coming out from the center)?
What orientation do the cracks appear in? Are they like the grooves on a record or are radial (coming out from the center)?
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From: Orlando,FL
That's it. Hard, hard, braking (right up to the point ABS kicks in). Down shift, up rev. Off the brakes before you start your turn in. Turn in much later than you initially feel like you should. Unwind the steering wheel more than you think you should and back on the throttle to 'steer' you through. Then you have to learn to do it smoothly.
The problem is that once you get on the track (if you have never done it, and yes, motorcycle experience would be a big advantage) all that stuff happens so fast and you forget everything you read because suddenly it doesn't make sense anymore. Its right, but it doesn't seem right at first. You just have to listen to the instructor and keep doing it over and over again. And no matter how many videos I watched, and I had the course memorized, the first few times I was lost and was not anticipating which turn was coming up next. Trying to react to a turn without knowing which one it is is simply useless. But within a few laps....okay 10 or 12... I was able to know where I was and which curve was coming up and what line I needed to take.
I botched it so many times early on the instructor had me leave it in 4th gear for a good many laps so I wouldn't focus of shifting and botch everything else. This made corner exit fairly slow but it worked and things finally came together. By the end of the weekend I was getting it all of the elements together and it felt great. I was still inconsistent and still didn't have that smoothness. Will work on that next time.
Anyway, I'm primarily sharing this experience not to bore everyone but to get people out there and give this a try. There are tracks almost everywhere. Carolina Motorsports Park is in the middle of NoWhere South Carolina but is only about an hour from my house.
http://www.carolinamotorsportspark.com/
Check with NASA in your region.
http://www.nasaproracing.com/
There are lots of 'Z' clubs (that include G35s) in most larger cities that do track events. You can go out with Porsche or Mustang clubs too. Also, a good many tracks have their own high performance driver education days as well.
Just do it.
The problem is that once you get on the track (if you have never done it, and yes, motorcycle experience would be a big advantage) all that stuff happens so fast and you forget everything you read because suddenly it doesn't make sense anymore. Its right, but it doesn't seem right at first. You just have to listen to the instructor and keep doing it over and over again. And no matter how many videos I watched, and I had the course memorized, the first few times I was lost and was not anticipating which turn was coming up next. Trying to react to a turn without knowing which one it is is simply useless. But within a few laps....okay 10 or 12... I was able to know where I was and which curve was coming up and what line I needed to take.
I botched it so many times early on the instructor had me leave it in 4th gear for a good many laps so I wouldn't focus of shifting and botch everything else. This made corner exit fairly slow but it worked and things finally came together. By the end of the weekend I was getting it all of the elements together and it felt great. I was still inconsistent and still didn't have that smoothness. Will work on that next time.
Anyway, I'm primarily sharing this experience not to bore everyone but to get people out there and give this a try. There are tracks almost everywhere. Carolina Motorsports Park is in the middle of NoWhere South Carolina but is only about an hour from my house.
http://www.carolinamotorsportspark.com/
Check with NASA in your region.
http://www.nasaproracing.com/
There are lots of 'Z' clubs (that include G35s) in most larger cities that do track events. You can go out with Porsche or Mustang clubs too. Also, a good many tracks have their own high performance driver education days as well.
Just do it.
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One of the stranger things my instructor taught me was using the throttle to get you through the turn after the apex. I just had to trust him because it did not make sense until it actually worked.
If you've never done it it is hard to imagine but essentially halfway through the turn the instructor tells you to unwind the steering wheel which is the first hard part because you still see the rest of the turn in front of you and straightening the wheel is not intuitive. And you have to roll into the throttle at the same time. But when you finally do it right you can feel it and it makes sense. The power from the rear wheels 'steers' the car through the rest of the turn even as you straighten the steering. It technically isn't drifting but it is a sort of controlled mini-drift.
That was one of the more eye opening techiques that just don't sound right on paper.
If you've never done it it is hard to imagine but essentially halfway through the turn the instructor tells you to unwind the steering wheel which is the first hard part because you still see the rest of the turn in front of you and straightening the wheel is not intuitive. And you have to roll into the throttle at the same time. But when you finally do it right you can feel it and it makes sense. The power from the rear wheels 'steers' the car through the rest of the turn even as you straighten the steering. It technically isn't drifting but it is a sort of controlled mini-drift.
That was one of the more eye opening techiques that just don't sound right on paper.
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One of the stranger things my instructor taught me was using the throttle to get you through the turn after the apex. I just had to trust him because it did not make sense until it actually worked.
If you've never done it it is hard to imagine but essentially halfway through the turn the instructor tells you to unwind the steering wheel which is the first hard part because you still see the rest of the turn in front of you and straightening the wheel is not intuitive. And you have to roll into the throttle at the same time. But when you finally do it right you can feel it and it makes sense. The power from the rear wheels 'steers' the car through the rest of the turn even as you straighten the steering. It technically isn't drifting but it is a sort of controlled mini-drift.
That was one of the more eye opening techiques that just don't sound right on paper.
If you've never done it it is hard to imagine but essentially halfway through the turn the instructor tells you to unwind the steering wheel which is the first hard part because you still see the rest of the turn in front of you and straightening the wheel is not intuitive. And you have to roll into the throttle at the same time. But when you finally do it right you can feel it and it makes sense. The power from the rear wheels 'steers' the car through the rest of the turn even as you straighten the steering. It technically isn't drifting but it is a sort of controlled mini-drift.
That was one of the more eye opening techiques that just don't sound right on paper.
Oh, and in my other post, the heat induced cracks I was referring to are spider web like, radial cracks which connect to each other. Little ones are ok, but if you can feel them or see through them, change the rotor. You have a newer G than mine, tho, and Infiniti improved the brakes after '04. The '03's and '04's are pathetic.
Good luck, and keep it safe out there. It sounds like the world gained another track addict
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From: Mountains
I'll be going here: MillerMotor someday.
I think i will wait till spring, but i want to upgrade my sways, suspension and brakes first.
I think i will wait till spring, but i want to upgrade my sways, suspension and brakes first.
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Since track threads are so preciously rare here, I thought I'd hijack your thread a little and post some video from a track day I just did at Laguna Seca. It's awesome to score a track day at this amazing track that I only live 90 minutes from. Here's the vid:
This is an addictive, expensive hobby
This is an addictive, expensive hobby
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Cool video. I'm assuming that's the Lotus.
I do wish there was more talk about track days, autocross and time trials on this site. I know that the G35 is not an ideal track car. On the other hand, it is still good enough to be a great deal of fun and has potential to be a better track car with fairly minor modification......which cost far less than what a lot of mod addicts spend on bolt on engine and body mods that really don't do much in terms of performance.
Also, the G35's out there are getting older and cheaper which make them more attractive as track cars.
I have thought about possibly buying a dedicated track car but concluded that it really does not make sense. My G35 coupe is pushing six years old and 90k miles. It will be a lot cheaper to slowly modify it and transition it to a dedicated track car and pick up a new daily driver when the G no longer works as a DD. Better shocks, sway bars, camber arms and some weight loss measures would transform the car pretty cheaply without making it useless as a DD. It wouldn't have to stop being my DD until I started gutting the interior.
There is a lot more discussion about track use on the my350z forums.
I do wish there was more talk about track days, autocross and time trials on this site. I know that the G35 is not an ideal track car. On the other hand, it is still good enough to be a great deal of fun and has potential to be a better track car with fairly minor modification......which cost far less than what a lot of mod addicts spend on bolt on engine and body mods that really don't do much in terms of performance.
Also, the G35's out there are getting older and cheaper which make them more attractive as track cars.
I have thought about possibly buying a dedicated track car but concluded that it really does not make sense. My G35 coupe is pushing six years old and 90k miles. It will be a lot cheaper to slowly modify it and transition it to a dedicated track car and pick up a new daily driver when the G no longer works as a DD. Better shocks, sway bars, camber arms and some weight loss measures would transform the car pretty cheaply without making it useless as a DD. It wouldn't have to stop being my DD until I started gutting the interior.
There is a lot more discussion about track use on the my350z forums.
