Track Days, Where to Start?

Wacky Racer · Post by **Wacky Racer** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:19 pm

I'm thinking of specing up my s2 for track days, can anyone give me an idea where best to start?

mckeann · Post by **mckeann** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:21 pm

have you done many trackdays already??

thinfourth · Post by **thinfourth** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:22 pm

crash helmet and an SIDC day

Check the fluids and tyres before you go

not much more until you get seriously into it

Wacky Racer · Post by **Wacky Racer** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:26 pm

thinfourth wrote:crash helmet and an SIDC day

Check the fluids and tyres before you go

not much more until you get seriously into it

Where do you start when it starts getting serious, I've got a 120bhp standard car?

deano15482 · Post by **deano15482** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:27 pm

http://www.scottishelises.com/phpbb/vie ... php?t=6251

http://www.scottishelises.com/phpbb/vie ... php?t=6250

this might be useful mate

Dean

Post by **campbell** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:27 pm

There will be a list somewhere already, do a bit of Googling, but here's my experience:

- Improve brakes (braided hoses, "fast-road" pads, don't go overboard beyond that initially though)
- Check suspension truly OK, consider improving (though S2 is good gear to start off with I think)
- Decide tyre type...cut slick great for dry days, useable in wet but annoying when you are a novice...so...
- Consider set of "track" or "summer" wheels so that you have a tyre choice
- Maintain the car properly, ie oil changes at least as per manual and preferably a bit more often if you do several TDs in a year
- Also brake fluid will go off a bit faster with higher brake temps, be prepared to replace more often too
- Learn to drive properly on track...get some instruction (usually a freebie instructor at the very well organised SIDC days, or private tuition from Walshy or KH instructors)...get out for pax laps with the Meisters...get the Meisters to sit in with you
- Don't try to hang onto faster cars for dear life, will end in tears
- Don't try to hold up faster cars, will end in tears
- Warm the car up properly at the start of a session
- Cool the car down properly at the end of a session
- Don't park in the paddock with handbrake on afterwards

Enjoy!

Campbell

PS - I got onto speccing up the driver there...that's cos that is the most important part, you should see what some of the SE lot can do with a standard Elise on track...

thinfourth · Post by **thinfourth** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:30 pm

Wacky Racer wrote:
thinfourth wrote:crash helmet and an SIDC day

Check the fluids and tyres before you go

not much more until you get seriously into it
Where do you start when it starts getting serious, I've got a 120bhp standard car?

Are we talking first trackday or the dribbling tarmac whores that frequent here?

If first trackday which i guess it is then the car is more then suited in standard form.

Post by **campbell** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:38 pm

Wacky Racer wrote: Where do you start when it starts getting serious, I've got a 120bhp standard car?

You can be very serious in one of those. Almost all of us were, at one point or another. Lawrence probably lasted best in a standard car and was always able to prove how much they can really do. For my own part I didn't have the talent nor the budget to go much further, but I have recently taken the plunge to add a little "something" after nearly 8 years, all I need now is a bit of extra tuition to get the best out of it!

120bhp is plenty in an Elise. It's the corners you need to get right, first of all.

Campbell
(standard faction)

Wacky Racer · Post by **Wacky Racer** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 12:03 am

campbell wrote:
Wacky Racer wrote: Where do you start when it starts getting serious, I've got a 120bhp standard car?
You can be very serious in one of those. Almost all of us were, at one point or another. Lawrence probably lasted best in a standard car and was always able to prove how much they can really do. For my own part I didn't have the talent nor the budget to go much further, but I have recently taken the plunge to add a little "something" after nearly 8 years, all I need now is a bit of extra tuition to get the best out of it!

120bhp is plenty in an Elise. It's the corners you need to get right, first of all.

Campbell
(standard faction)

Here's the situation, I've spent a few years doing hillclimbs and spints however the girl friend got a little upset with me putting all my spare cash into cars which could only be used on the track.

The elise was the compremise. However, I had a look at the hot marques day a K/H last week and while there decided to have a go. BIG mistake, all I could think of all the way round the track was "How can I make this go faster". So in reality if i could make it handle better and understeer less i think i'd be quite happy.

Post by ed » Tue Mar 06, 2007 12:05 am

Sounds like you need oz rims, 48s, upgraded toe links and some 1 way nitrons. Not cheap though! HTH cheers Ed

robin · Post by **robin** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 12:56 am

Out the pitlane, turn left

Wider front tyres make a huge difference to the whole understeer problem.

But so does technique. It's a tedious cliche, but improving the driver is usually the first place to start in terms of lowest cost per tenth of a second improvement.

So practice and get some tuition if you think you can benefit from it.

Specifically for S2 understeer, if you haven't tried it already, shifting your braking point further down the track (takes guts!) and braking deeper into the corner, then let it turn without touching the throttle (tiny bit might be required if you approach lift off oversteer point) until you are at the apex, then feed in the power as you unwind the steering. The faster you go in/harder you brake, the more the car is going to be turning with minimal steering input. If you go in too hot, the car will lock the fronts and understeer - you need to know that you won't cock this up massively should this happen to you, so best to have tried this out somewhere safe first

What I tend to do is to brake too soon, find myself approaching the corner at a speed lower than I know the car will go round, then apply the throttle to try and make up for it and cause the car to understeer *before* I've even got the car properly turned in. Now I've convinced myself that the limit for the corner is much lower than it really is, and that sets up a vicious circle of early braking and understeer.

A048s/R888s make that problem much easier to drive around without having to be a total hero on the trail braking ... but then that's cheating

Cheers,
Robin

alicrozier · Post by **alicrozier** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 9:49 am

Tweaking the geo also helps, more neg camber on the front...

mac · Post by **mac** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 10:04 am

I've done pretty much all that can be done on an S2 with the exception of some really pricey stuff (like Honda engine swap)

I'll drop you a PM tonight when I've got time to go through it rather than looking over my shoulder for the managers return

thinfourth · Post by **thinfourth** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 10:16 am

mac wrote:I've done pretty much all that can be done on an S2 with the exception of some really pricey stuff (like Honda engine swap)

I'll drop you a PM tonight when I've got time to go through it rather than looking over my shoulder for the managers return

Type it in word then copy and paste

mac · Post by **mac** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 11:27 am

Good idea

Mac