track day $325.
being faster than a 911 turbo and dodge viper- priceless.

http://www.tracktimephotos.com/Galle...p=Intermediate

my first event with the post mod car (and scda). the 480hp 911 and 500 hp dodge pull 2-3 car lenghts from me but that evaporates under braking and in the twisties. after letting me by i pulled away easily. they were on street tires whilst i was on my yoke a048s.

my buddy ran his c55 in the advanced group. since this was my first time with scda i was fine with intermediate but next time round i think i deserve to be in advanced at this track.

the driver of the 911 TT came over and gave me a hi five. i had no small sense of accomplishment over that run- with myself as a driver and the performance of the car.

need lsd!!!

next- summit point in ~2 weeks.

 

Hey, great job! What a kick in the tail that must have been.

The photographer no doubt took notice of your pace, because he took a lot of good pics. I like the one where you're a corner ahead of the Audi, and ready to pounce on your next victim. The pic where you are hard on the binders is cool too.

Kudos to you for doing it on the track, and spreading the AMG gospel!

 

Yea I remember when LR was $250. Personally I like to kill M3. They are tough and I always get a hard-on after passing one with a good driver.

I did not see any photos of you at the top of the hill, which is too bad because they look very cool. Going uphill is my favorite part. How about you?

It seems you were in Intermediate-1. So if they bump you it most likely will be to Intermediate-2 rather than Advanced. However, Intermediate-1 has the best run schedule. So I would try to stay there as long as possible. I understand why you want to move up. At LR slower cars completely breakdown my rhythm, but at other tracks, as long as there is no train, I almost do not notice them. Plus passing always feels good.

Were you passed often? If you pass some and some pass you than you are in a right run group. If you did all the passing than it’s time to move up and say goodbye to a great schedule.

I wish I was there, but my car is not ready.

 

Thanks John. Indeed it was. the boosted c32 was MUCH faster than the rs4s- cornering and straight line speed....i have ~10-30 hp more and 400 lbs less. the caymans and elises also no prob. it's like i have an all new car. incredible. my tranny guy called me this am with a $2600 installed price on the quaife lsd. I'm working him down but will do that next.

also...i'm out of intermediate into advanced (at lime rock only). cool.

 

on my 2nd run i pointed the 911 turbo by. then noticed he was not pulling away. start of 3 rd run he was in front with an elise between us. i passed the elise and then tailed the 911 for 6 laps before he pointed me by. aside from me pointing the 911 by no i was not passed.

points taken re run groups. thanks. inter2 or advanced would work for me.

yeah- uphill. finally got it. brake , don't upset car, start accelerating as your turn in. G forces load front and you stick and rocket up. sweet.

i like bigbend, i was hard on brakes at 3 marker then trailing into corner. back end would squirm around a bit.

my downhill needs work.

opm, why don't you come to cartct.com open track event 5/11 at pocono north? $175.

 

Congrats AWDman! The pictures are great. I'm sure those guys in the 911 and viper were very surprised of your car and your skills.

Question. Did you guys time your laps? Or is it by just passing in a number of runs? How did you measure 'being faster'? Just curious.

 

Man, you and your C32 rock - period. That is amazing

It was humble of you to name this thread the way you did - can you change it so that it explicitly says what you did?

What is scda?

 

wow, that is incredible! congrats!

 

naw i'm sure there was a 250hp e36 m3 in advanced that would have spanked me....

i guess the thing i'm most happy with is the performance of the car.....heck i did drop $7000+ into it so you bet i'm glad she's running like a scalded cat.

http://www.scda1.com they put on HPDE's in the northeast.

yes, the 911 driver was very surprised. by the 3rd run folks were noticing the speed of the c32. staring at it like it was some kind of freak or something

 

Because I am an idiot. I had 6 months to get my car ready, but instead I played with myself, so my car is still not done.

Actually, IMHO, finding a proper line thorough downhill is the toughest part of LR. From my experience some instructors teach incorrect line for heavy street cars on street suspension. They make you apex too soon. The left portion of the track is not banked, on the contrary, it has negative camber. If you cross the middle too soon or at too great of an angle to the straightaway, the loaded wheel (front left) has the asphalt disappearing from underneath it. ALL street shocks have slow sleepy rebound so they cannot help you. End result – steering wheel goes light, your *** begins to produce diamonds as your only wheel that should have traction has none and then the 10 ton of weight, which we call modern day hi-performance German sports sedan, gently remind you that all these cup holders won’t help you to avoid those trees, rather they might save your family from buying you coffin, after all this “luxury” wraps around you so tight that no jaws-of-life we ever get you out. After 3 wheels cross the center ridge you begin to pray. By the time you close enough to the guardrail to see flies on it anally rape each other you are swearing to become celibate and join clergy. Finally when all hope is gone front shocks rebound, suspension levels out and tires begin to grip.

To avoid the drama, next time try to apex about 2 car lengths late. Stay on the right side of the ridge as long as possible while accelerating. Let the car drift across the ridge, but do not trackout across it. (I assume you know what I mean). As soon as the front right crosses the ridge, get off the gas. That will transfer weight to front and will help with steering, however, watch out for induced oversteer (so modulation, timing and good instincts are key here). When suspension begins to settles start feeding throttle. When comfortable go WOT hit the turtles and smile.

 

hahahah..man that's funny.

opm, u're wasting your time. you should be published. new genre "adult automotive literature"......kinda like x rated peter egan.

re downhill. i know exactly what you mean. i late apex just so i stay away from the off camber trackout. i've been watching cars bite the wall for 20 yrs........last was this past monday- the most expensive car at the event- a beautiful ferrari challenge stradele.

 

summit point - shenandoah circuit 4/21 time trials.

came back from Thailand 4/20. i had been unsure if i would be able to adjust back to our time (jet lag 12 hrs) but did ok with a sleep aide!

i had remounted the original OEM pilot sports -225/45-17 on the stock 17x7.5 fronts painted black to match the set of 4 (rears) 17x8.5. drove on the pilots in front with the DOT r comps in rear (the 2 front DOT Rs were in the trunk) from JFK to a friend's in south house nj then left early am sat for track.

got there late, mad scramble to change tires and get car teched but did it all in 20 mins to head onto track. having never been to shenandoah my intent was to find a nd follow a knowledgeable driver in a slower car but due to being late i couldn't make the arrangements. nonetheless, i tailed a miata to try to get the lay of the land which worked for a bit until he waved me by....turns out he was also new to the track! classic case of the blind leading the blind!!! anyway- shenandoah is tight and a very technical track. I was at sea and worried for the 1st session then gradually started getting comfortable. don't think the c32 was suited to track at all but that did not ruin my fun. by 4th session i was ok. started trailing brakes on off camber and figured out to use the dip in the middle of the carousel to tighten up my turning. ran with tc on the whole time until end of 4th session when i was low on gas. added 2 gals of 100 octane from the track pumps (btw- $4.00 @ gals cheapest i've seen) and lined up for my timed laps- tc off. car felt better and had bit more power. had a sideways moment after WOT through the corner onto front straight but backed off and straightened up. i did 1:37 and i'm happy with that.

the constant front end push prompted me to get some real rubber - hankook z214. cheaper than hoosier r6 but said to be as good and even a bit more durable. the rear R comps (yoke a048) did not handle the road mileage well so may have to go back to toting all 4 tires to track. front brakes getting low- spoke to the guys at porterfield and will try the raybestos hp41 (if i remember correctly) compound. as good as R4 but more durable.

next- i return to pocono south 5/5. i'd like to be one of the fastest cars there. i'll make sure i shoot some photos.

 

Nice work! Shenandoah is a fun track for an HPDE. Kind of tight for any passing. Theres that nasty, slow right-hander soon after the carousel that I never got right.

My instructor at VIR told me to learn left-foot braking, so I've been driving the past few days that way. I think it might really reduce lap times, particularly on tight courses. Using both feet, you eliminate the time gap created by moving your foot between pedals, plus the inevitable gap in throttle response. In addition, keeping the pressure on the gas will probably take slack/slop out of the transmission.

The only downside is that I won't be able to use my left foot to brace myself!

My instructor LOVED the C32. He was very impressed with the power, brakes and even the handling. R-compounds would make a profound difference, but I just don't track the car enough to justify it. Next tires are likely to be Yokohama Neova AD07. They seem to be as trackworthy as a street tire can be.

 

Hey fifth. guess you didn't have a chance to stop by.

i think i'll start digging shenandoah after 2 -3 events.

can we even left foot brake i thought the car kills power once brakes are applied.

i've heard good things re ad07. if you want to pay shipping i can send you 2 yoke a048 235/45-17 still good as it looks like i'm moving away from them. once you try the dot r comps you can't go back. it's ok to run then in the front with street in the back. the car will actually be evenly balanced.

 

Kind of hard to make the trip. Too many kids (3), too many wife (1), and I'm already in the doghouse for my 2-1/2 day excursion to VIR!

I'll pass on the R-compounds for now. I need an everyday 3-season tire. Even the AD07s come with a warning that they cannot be exposed to temperatures below 14 degrees! (Not that they can't be used at that temperature -- they can't even be exposed to that temperature).

So far, experimenting with left foot braking, I've not felt throttle cut out. That happened with my A6 (thanks "60 Minutes"!), but not the C32.

 

My C32's throttle cuts off after about 1.5 seconds of med to heavy brake application. Very frustrating. I though all C32's did this. Maybe you are the lucky one who car does not!

 

ok. the tires are here if you change your mind. (btw the elise runs on ad07 and the exige on a048s)

 

I gave it a go this morning, and I can press the brake as long as I want, and it does not cut throttle.

I'm still playing with left foot braking. It's definitely an odd feeling, and I suspect that when I use it on-track, it will make me wish I had race seats and a harness. My left foot currently does a lot of work keeping me in place!

 

There must have been a software update. You're lucky you can do that in your car. If you are serious about track work, do yourself a favor and buy a racing shell. I just sold mine, otherwise I would offer it to you and I had special German Recaro W203 floor bracket adapters. PM me and I will give you more info on how to install. You can swap seats in five minutes back to stock. I think the race seat is worth one to two seconds a lap on a road course. When I installed my Recaro SPG seat in the C32, it was a night and day difference. I was no longer worrying about how to hold myself in place. My legs, arms and torso relaxed and I could concentrate on driving rather than pushing myself away from the driver's side door panel with my left shoulder to get back to center in the seat. And buy a harness. This will also help keep you in place even in the stock seat. I had a custom set up from Schroth made for my car. It was a four point system with special bent hooks to secure all four points. I actually still have this if you want it. PM me.

 

Not only is it tiring to hold yourself into a stock, leather seat, but you're holding the steering wheel in a deathgrip, making it difficult to make fine, incremental and smooth moves.

With HPDEs, it's often necessary to match an instructor's seat/belts to the driver's, so you'd need two shells and race belts. I'll get there some day, but not in the near future.

My most recent instructor had some interesting info on the 4-point belts that work with stock seats. He indicated that some clubs were considering banning them. Without a "crotch" belt, the shoulder belts tend to pull the lap belt up, risking abdominal injury. Schroth has a system that allows one shoulder belt to pop loose, so the lap belt does not get pulled up. Seems like fix that undoes the benefit.

 

I've heard so many conflicting stories about harnesses that I did not install them on my C55, altho I used them on the C32. The cons that I have heard are that the seat belts are designed to coordinate with the air bags, pretension, etc, which is defeated when the seat belt is not used. Also, a harness that is installed with a rear angle of more than about 45 degrees can, in an accident, pull down in such a way that back vertebrae are broken. I also heard that the BMW Club does not recommend them in most street cars for these reason. I agree that it is a lot easier to drive with the harness than a seatbelt, and would like to hear more on this subject. How many of you are using a harness on the track?

 

This debate is like brake fluid, tires, coilovers, etc. Ask 100 people, get 100 answers. The key to safety is to buy a reputable product from a reputable dealer. There are many harness set ups that I have just cringed at with mounting points and angles that would make you dizzy, and you would never even think of driving in a car set up that way. On the other hand, proper installation and selection of a racing harness can prove to be a safety investment worth while. Do not attempt to install a typical 3" racing harness in a street car. 3" lap belts were not meant to be used in a four point installation. Those that think a 3" five point will be OK by wrapping the smaller sub belt around the thigh cushion and back under the seat secured to the seat rail are just stupid. There are very specific angles of harness attachments that need to be obeyed. And this instructions are very clearly marked in the instruction manuals of all reputable manufacturers. The C32 cannot accept a five point harness unless you have a racing seat with a cut out for the sub belt and this sub belt is installed and secured directly under the cutout through the floor board. Most will never do this, so don't buy a five point harness. Which leave most to buy a four point harness. Again don't buy 3" lap belts, but rather the safer 2" lap belts that were meant to be used in this application. 2" lap belts fit more snugly across your lap and can be tightened tighter than 3" belts. If properly snugged, they fit very securly across your lap even with the shoulder harnesses snug tightly. It is important that the four attachment points are installed correctly without any interference with the seat mechanism for the lap belts, and at the correct angle for the rear harness. There are only two acceptable ways to secure the shoulder harnesses in the rear. Mount a secure attachment point in the rear parcel deck with reinforcements so the harness are snapped into place with the rear seats folded down. This is an acceptable angle. Or mount the shoulder harnesses to the seat belt anchor points under the rear seat with the appropriate accessory snap in receptacle plates. Both of these points offer an approximate 45 degree angle of attachment. And remember to run the shoulder harnesses between the heat rests of a stock seat not around the head rest posts. I used in my C32 a Schroth Profil II ASM four point harness for $270.00 and it worked great. (This is for sale by the way). The ASM system is available on most of their harnesses and helps to reduce submarining whether a four or five point harness is used.

 

so....my idea to run hankooks z214 in front with yoke a048 in rear did not quite work. the hankooks have way more grip....i had a high speed spin (100mph) on front straigth onto banking. 180 deg - down to infield thankfully. no harm done. i put on the TC and ran at 8/10 for the bal of sessions. still, i managed to shave 1+ seconds from my time last yr. pocono south rewards low hp or cars with huge grip as it's difficult to keep throttle buried through the banking. not sure if i will run there again with the amg.

picked up 2 more z214 and ran pocono north 6 days later. will post when i get back home (i'm on the road) + i took some photos.

 

yeah i added a huge rear wing to my car see photo

 

Is that wing there all the time?