keep in mind too that the Z is all of 6-7 months old, excpet for the fewthat preordered early. most people, even hard core track guys have a hard time taking a car with just a few thousand miles on them to the track, i know of ALOT of people who are barely past the breakin period. When the first s2k's debut'd there werent immediatey 100's of them swarming the tracks either. i think this thread proves that there are those of us who have and do go to the tracks, give it some time!!

 

I have never tracked my car but I do plan on doing so in the future.

I will not be available to do it until October or so, I am in a really long, hard project (literally building a house for myself) so I cannot devote a full day to going to the track until after the home is completed and I can move in and get comfortable.

After that I do plan on tracking.

I do have a question, for all of you who have tracked there Z, it seems that now thru sept all of these so-cal tracks will be REALLY HOT, I mean like 90+ degrees, so how is it when you take your car to the track on such a hot day?

Does the car perform different on such a hot day? (just curious)

 

This is a question that comes up all the time with any group of owners of high performance cars. It happened with the BMWs (my original group) and it happens here. I used to wonder about it a lot in my first few years of tracking but now I tend to let it go as a "fact of life"

What bugs me most is that the ratio of "show" to real performance enthusiasts in the Z community is higher than I am used to. This bugs me because as a result, the aftermarket community is more in tune with the latest style mods than what actually cuts lap time at the track. I know many reputable tuners in the BMW world who will not sell you a part that won't make you faster. They race themselves and they know their parts, I can trust their advice and I know that what I buy from them is real, not hype. I have not been able to find that in the Z community and that is a disappointment. Ultimately, I don't really care if anyone buys a Z to look cool and has no idea how to drive, but it bugs me when there are so many of those that when I call an aftermarket supplier, they are baffled that I may want a 17" lightweight wheel to mount r-compounds on and not some chrome 19" POS 35lb wheel.

Maybe we should create a little sub-group of Z owners who track their cars and have no interest in aesthetic mods. Having a sub-community of knowledgeable members could be cool. Who's with me?

Jason

Btw - My quick CV is that I am a track instructor with BMWCCA and have been tracking my cars since 2000. I am on the verge of purchasing a Formula Continental to enter racing.

 

One of these days when I get more time in life I may race the Z but many of us don't have the time. And there are not tracks near were I live. Maybe one day.

 

are no tracks near where I live.

 

Jason Bourne, it is so true what you said about the 17 inch wheel thing. With my R, I bought stock size 15 inch SSR Competitions for use at autocross and track events. Ricers would laugh at my 'little' wheels and ask me why I don't buy 18's. Big, heavy, bling-bling 18's. I just rolled my eyes and walked away. The Type R was not desiged for bling. Now, I'm about to buy 17 inch SSR Comp H or TE-37's for my Z. Yet, all the classifieds I see with wheels for sale, vendor or private, are for 19 inch wheels. "19 inch Volk TE-37's in stock!" Who cares? People love to put heavy plastic body kits and chrome wheels on their sports cars...damn, did I just rant? Sorry to those who run those heavy pigs, i'm into go, not show.

 

One of the best road tracks in the country is VIR, in Danville, VA. It's about as close to you as it is to me!

http://www.virclub.com

 

3 hours is close? I grew up in Charlotte NC now that is close to a speedway.

 

Yeah that's pretty close. The tracks I go to most are:
- Limerock - 2.5 hrs
- Watkins Glen - 4-5 hrs
- Sumit Pt - 5-6 hrs

I WILL go to VIR sometime and that is around 8-9 hrs for me.

 

I have run the Z at Buttonwillow a few times now in 100+ degree heat. I thought I might die, but the Z's temp needle never even rose at all. Ran like a champ.

 

Sounds like a description of SCCA, Jason, or it would be locally.

And I think that's the answer to the whole misguided premise of raceboy's semi-tongue-in-cheek question: racers are a "different" breed (lovable, I think ) in that they count laps and time rather than coats of Zaino. Most people who want a race car like to be seen in it and to own it and ... not to race it.

Personally, I autoX almost every weekend. I don't think that's what raceboy and you are getting at, though, and personally i don't think of it as tracking or racing either -- I think a track experience means you have to use all of the gears and run 9.5/10s of the car at speed. And I don't do that, and have no plans to do that.

In spite of what racers say, it's expensive and, actually, I'd rather crew, flag (next year!?), or watch. (Need any help?) I can afford the time more than the money.

And I think that's true with the buyers of almost every marque, including the S2k. I helped one Honda driver change his tire -- couldn't figure out the jack. I was at Ferrari Days at LimeRock today and while there were a lot of those wonderful red and yellow and silver machines on the track, most of them were tended at dealers' trucks and the great majority of the individual owners had their pride and joy glistening in the show line in the sun up next to the parking lot. Also In the parking lots there were all of those wonderful Zs -- none of them racing today (see the photos in a separate thread) -- and there were also dozens of S2ks, and Maseratis, and Porsches, and Vettes, and every other car that "should" have been on the track.

People want to drive cars that could race. I don't think most people actually want to race them.

That's a shame, maybe. And I agree with you that all the emphasis on cosmetics is silly and a waste of time and money, but my wife (ah ha ) thinks that about racing, too. Don't you guys know .... cars are for transportation. Get a Camry!!

Enjoy. J

 

HEY all this is my first post, i HAVE to go to another SCCA and do the whole adrennaline rush track time racing thing. Hopefully next time i go .... there will be a 350Z there , and we will see who gets through the saloms and straights faster I have fallen in love with the 350Z ... but i must resist it and defeet all of you with my GT-S, by the way, are they fixing the hole paint problem in the 2004 line? I have heard the paint is WAY to soft on the Z's

 

Very good points Jason!

I go to the "Racing" forum, and 99% of the posts are street kills or drag racing....neither is my cup of tea.

WE NEED A SEPARATE FORUM! Some of us are passionate/sick about putting their Z's on a Race Track. Nothing beats drifting in 3rd (or 4th!) gear! Well, MAYBE a 6th gear full drift would be cool Can someone say "Functional" wings & Lips?

Jason, do they ever let you run the FULL track at the Glen?

 

I agree, other forums I have seen divide the racing forum into three, one for street another for drag and the third for road courses/autox that way we can discuss things that are pertinent to each category.

But I do want to address that you can only be into having a nice looking car or track it, I think I do both, I don't have the billion Zaino coats but do take car of it, thankfully I have a clear bra so the front end is flawless and have also don;t some esthetic mods like the grill, clear corners, painted engine covers. I think you can have both.

You also don't have to be a mechanic to do this and keep costs down, I had never done a brake job but now can do all four almost with my eyes closed and in between sessions to get back out on the track, just got a set of front Brembos from a track model owner and will be putting those on next.

Trakcing is addicting not just because of the speeds but you see how you improve over time and bringing your times down.

 

I personally like the Kumho 712's. They stick pretty good, and are super cheap. I've been using them exclusively for a couple of years now, especially since I started tracking my car those two years ago. I don't know about the rest of you, but I go through a good 1/3 of my tire tread after a full day at the track.

For what it's worth, the only track I've driven at is Thunderhill up in Willows, CA. It's probably a 6 hour drive for me to get there. We just get there the night before, and rent a cheap motel room.

 

Yep, all the events that I have been to at the Glen (BMWCCA, TracQuest, PDA, etc...) have run the ful 3.45 mile course. I've never run the short-course version. The only tracks that I have done different configurations on are Pocono (north, South and East - I think) and Jefferson circuit at Summit Point which you can run clockwise or counterclockwise.

 

Keep in mind that many (if not all) tracks require an approved (usually SCCA) roll-bar installed in a convertible in order to drive it on the track. Just something to keep in mind if you plan on getting the convertible 350Z (or a Miata, etc.)

 

Cool, Jason!

I went to an F1 race mid 70's, second year of the ****OLES burning cars, when they ran the full course. All events I've seen recently on the Boob Tube have been on the short course. Glad they let you run the full course. I did my 2nd SCCA drivers school there about then, and it was only on the short course. Fond memories, other than almost rolling over in 1.

MAYBE.......a trip east next year.........

This year I'm psyched for Road America!

 

And drag racing is also boring as hell.


Notice, I'm not saying it doens't take skill to time everything right and what not. It's just hella boring to watch and do.


You also mentioned it safer. Driving around my nieghbrohood is safer than driving around in the twisty mountain roads, but again, TOTALLY BORING.

The limit, and getting to operate near it, is part of the excitement.


Ryan

 

I think I take excellent mechanical care of my cars, but that is the extent of it. I don't get emotionally attached to them. They are a tool with a purpose to me. That is why I never keep a car for about more than 2.5 years. I think at that point they are used up in my eyes. That way I can sell it still under warranty and it will probably provide it's new owner with years of trouble free service and I can be on to my next one. Kinda the same way an NBA star goes through women!!

My Z will be one year old next month and it only has 10,000 miles on it. Probably close to 2000 of those miles are track miles and 2500 of those miles were driving to and from the track. The front of my car looks sand blasted from following R tired cars at 100+ mph speeds as they kick up everything on the road. None of that bothers me because that is the cars purpose, it's raison d'etra (sp?). Just like a man that works with his hands shouldn't have no calousses and a manicure.

If I had a Ferrari F360, I would treat it the same. Sure it would be cool to be seen in it on the street, no doubt, but I would spare that thing no mercy on the track. If the front end looked sand blasted, I wouldn't care. I would wash it and put it away.