Darren,
Streets of Willow is simply too short and tight for my personal taste in the G. It doesn't flow particularly well to me.

I like big tracks with stretches that allow you to wind her out and get that, "ahhhhhh" feeling. 100 … 110 … 120 … 130 … you get the idea. I also like to be on the edge of losing control, the kind that keeps you on your toes and reflexes sharp - for that I feed off the medium to high speed sweepers and transitions again the big tracks provide.

For nearly the same cost and driving distance, I’ll take Buttonwillow over Streets of Willow any day any time. Buttonwillow is like a man’s version of Streets of Willow. It is every bit as technical only longer and faster. Porkers such as the Gs & Zs tend to fair better at Button than Streets too. Leave Streets to go karts such as Miatas, S2000s, and Elises (*grin*) to shine. I do recommend everyone to try Streets of Willow at least once or twice - the track will still humble you as a driver.

my .02

 

Yup, nay to the Mary Go Around Infield only Cali Speedway. We're definitely shooting for the ROVAL version on July 21 with Speedventures.

We'll see you there.

 

Gotcha. I agree with your assesment Clint but since I'm a relative newbie to the world of tracking I still find it very enjoyable after two times. But you are right, I would take Buttonwillow any day of the week over Streets, especially for the same price. The stretch from the Star Mazda turn all the way to Sunrise is my particular favorite.

As for Cali Speedway I'm definitely tempted even though its pretty far for me. Will my stock rotors and Hawk HPS+ pads be enough though? Or will I cook them quick from the high speed stops on the ROVAL? I plan to have R comp tires by then.

 

Darren,
Yeah, those are just my personal feelings after having sampled various types of tracks over the years. It's not all bad, I remember my very first visit at Streets and loving it then. Definitely try it out once and decide for yourself. You should make it your goal to try Laguna Seca and Cali Speedway ... it may open your eyes.

You will love Cali Speedway tremendously. It's another one of those easy tracks on paper, because there aren't many turns to remember. No surprise blind turns that'll catch you off guard either. You're stock rotor on Hawk HP+ pad combo will be just fine, so long as you have upgraded your brake fluid too. Cali's actually easier on the brakes than Laguna Seca and I had no major issues then when I was on the same brake pacakge you were on (back in the days).

Edit: What R-compound r u going with? RA-1s? and w. which wheels?

 

I'm already looking to upgrade my brake fluid to prevent it from boiling over like it did in LS. I will change brake pads as well. I already change my sway settings to stiffen the car a bit. Hopefully it would be a better run for me at Cali Speedway.

 

^Which StopTech package do you have?

 

I'm currently using 13" front & rear Stoptech BBK. My brakes are infused with Motul RBF600 DOT3 brake fluid.

I use to run the following pads:
Track: Cobalt SpecVR (F), Hawk HP+ (R)
Street: Axxis Ultimate (F), Hawk HPS (R)

Now I'm running these:
Track: Carbotech XP11 (F), Carbotech XP10 (R)
Street: Axxis Deluxe Plus (F), Axxis Deluxe (R)

 

Clint, I've ran Streets twice already... once last Nov. I guess I need to run Cali and definitely Laguna Seca to open my eyes and get a taste of the finer stuff.

Anyways I was thinking of getting RA-1's since those are so loved and popular. Do I need to get them heat cycled and shaved to 4/32"? If so what places will actually do this work? I have a set of stock Mitsu EVO 8 Enkei wheels I'm going to put them on for dedicated track use. Going with 235/45/17 which happens to be the stock size of the EVO tires. Specs of the wheels are 17x8 5x114.3 +38.

Also it says that R compounds work best at negative camber of -2+ degs. Does this mean I NEED to get aftermarket pieces to allow for more negative camber front and rear? What are the consequences if I ignore this and run with my current settings?

Front Camber L/R: -.9/-1.2
Rear Camber L/R: -1.3/-1.3

 

RA-1s rock! Since you're also bless with real seats at the back (), meaing you'll be shuttleling them and rolling on your street tires/wheels to and from the track, I would highly recommend having those RA-1s shaved. They'll last you much longer. Heat cycling is not necessary with the RA-1. Where are you getting the RA-1s from? Ask your retailer about having them shaved.

More negative camber is a definite plus, especially for the fronts! Aside from performance benefits, you'll experience dramatically less unwanted outside tire wear. Premature chording of a set of R-compounds is no fun and costly. Aftermarket adjustable camber front A-arm is the only real rememdy. Otherwise look to have them rotated (via dismounts ... PITA) left-to-right every track event to spread and delay the wear issue.

Your current camber settings definitely don't look R friendly. For your reference, here are mine:

Camber:
Front: -1.8* (street), >-2.5* (track)
Rear: -1.8* (street and track)

Toe:
0* for all.

 

Sweet.. you da man Clint! Invaluable advice. You have any suggestions on where to buy RA-1's? I found one place on the net... http://edgeracing.com/ I'll try looking for any local shops that can get these.

As for the camber I'll definitely get Cusco A-Arms for the fronts. Read that they were easy to adjust from street to track mode. I think I can get -1.8* or close in the rear with the stock adjustments. Thanks dood!

 

Your welcome.

As for where to get the RA-1s ... I did a froogle search:

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=...&lmode=unknown

btw, you'll be running 235/45-17, that is the closest match to the oem diameter. They'll work just fine, specially when you're going non-staggered (VDC friendly). There's also a slight increase in your net final drive ratio could help a little at the track.

Here's Toyo's spec sheet on the RA-1s:
http://www.toyo.com/tires/tire_specsheet.cfm?id=1

Believe it or not, that 235/235 non-staggered setup of your will actually be more capable than my current 225/245 staggered setup. Because our car is nose heavy and tends toward understeer, front rubber size is the limiting factor. 225 > 235 -> less push and able to get on the power earlier!

I would love to step up to 245/275 maybe later on this year, but that'd require a set of new wheels. Ugh! My current tire size's holding me back in keeping up w. some of the big boys at the track, albeit still down on power compare to them. No worries though, that's where the skillz kick in.

 

... just finished editing this pic. You like?