Three good sessions this morning and then on the fourth one the gas pedal cable came loose on the track so I was done for the day.First time getting towed off of the track.And it was just a matter of the BMW being old and parts wearing out.

The good outcome of this weekend is I learned how to handle the track and it doesn't **** me off anymore. I figured out the best ways to go over the hills on turns three, five, and nine.

The Z3 is incredibly fun because like a Miata, I can hold momentum around most of the track.

The Hawk DTC 60 pads were amazing.Every single lap I was braking later. Any time I would brake a little too soon, there would be this ridiculous three-second period of getting to the turn. And if I felt like I was braking too late, the car never failed. The brakes held and didn't fade.

Good grief. I'm thinking now, what would the Cayman be like with 60s or any other race pads all around? Or the 350Z.Those pads alone totally changed the driving experience for me.

 

It's time to finally upgrade to a full race seat. A NASA official told me my helmet is iffy in line with the roll bar. I need to drop a couple inches. So maybe a planted mount or just a new seat with direct mounting to the floor.

these Corbeau models are more suited for a street car. Which was my intention when I bought them. Whatever seat I end up using in the Z3, I'll buy another for the 350Z. If I stick with the brand then I think the A4 might be a good choice. Or just go with a full aluminum seat.

 

If you choose a seat with removable cushions you can have best of both worlds. I usually remove the bottom cushion on my Sparco seat so I can sit low enough to be comfortable, but I have it in case someone shorter wants to drive the car.

 

I'm considering a Corbeau FX1 Pro (medium size) with a planted floor mount because the corbeau mounts are always too tall. I've got one in the 350Z also so I could try this seat in both cars before buying another. I'm getting side mounts for it, so it will be interesting to see how that fits in the 350z as well.

Hard to believe it's been three years already since I dabbled in seating issues. I bought the RRX seats for the Cayman and the 350Z because back then I was still flip-flopping on the street/track issue.

https://corbeau.com/products/fx1-pro

I've already started ordering parts for the Z3.Both the clutch and gas pedal broke on that last run. The clutch lost its floor spacer, so I ordered a new one that's adjustable, and the gas pedal just needs a new spring clip.

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Z1 has been busy since the last time I visited the site. They have three new structure bars for the front and rear subframes and a new full front bash bar that fits under the bumper cover and floor mount side mount adapters.

I have a planted seat mount that I bolt directly to the seat, but when I switch to the FX1 Pro, I'll need a side mount bracket to go onto the planted mount, and this sweet design combines them both for even lower stance. I just ordered a planted mount and side mount for the Z3 and will have to swap the FX1 Pro over to the 350Z this summer when I prep that car for fall. I'll eventually buy a second seat.

https://www.z1motorsports.com/interi...t-p-58439.html

And this full bash bar looks like it will meet my needs very nicely. It's a bit heavy, but I've shaved weight considerably, so I don't mind adding a bit more for something this useful.

https://www.z1motorsports.com/exteri...r-p-63099.html

I have five track days lined up in the Z3 next month and then I will focus my summer attention on the Nissan for fall.

 

Yeah, I looked at that front bash bar, but I wasn't sure what the weight is, unless it's substantially lighter than oem I have no good reason to upgrade right now.

 

It seems a bit over-engineered for a grip track car, but it's about the same price as a simple triangle bar with a jack point. It will definitely be heavier than the aluminum box. But I kind of like the idea of this thing saving my radiator and other parts from a wall impact. Right now, if I hit the wall, At Sonoma it would be an oh **** moment, but with this thing in the front, it might be more like a bumper car ride.

 

the oem bar does ok

 

Ack! That's an example of why I only give it 7/10.

 

I ended up ordering the front & rear bash bars from Enjuku Racing. I admit my biggest reason is for the jack points. I've got a lot of work to do on the 350Z this summer and it's going to be hot as hell in the garage. But it'll be fun to finally get the backup car put together and sold off and then focus my attention on the '04. Like last year, I'll leave the house door open with a fan to get chill air into the garage.

 

U-Haul failed me today so I'm not able to take the Z3 to the track tomorrow. I'm gonna have to take the Cayman. I had seating problems anyway and was going to have to put the Corbeau bracket back in because the Planted bracket won't fit on an adjustable seat. It's only made for racing seats and the new one won't arrive for two more weeks.
Like usual, the Corbo brackets are too tall. I could have done that if U-Haul hadn't failed.
Really frustrated that I've only gotten two days in that car so far, but I'll get this sorted out. The next event is in two weeks, followed by another one two weeks later, so the new seat should be here by then.
I wish I had put better brake pads on the Cayman. I really wasn't planning on ever taking it to the track again, but I think the oil starvation issue only comes up when using racing slicks.I'm not going to be putting strong enough G-forces on the car to starve it.
Kind of makes me reconsider prepping that car a little bit for days like this when I need a second backup.
I just need to install three eye bolts and a harness bar. I really don't want to put in a full roll bar because that will hurt resale value. The only way to install it is to cut up the shock tower mount covers.
Maybe I'll never sell the car, but I don't want to make that assumption.
After tomorrow I'll have two more full weekends for a total of seven track days this spring. Then two months off, preparing for fall season. That's when I'll be giving the 350Z some love.

 

8 20-minute sessions!?
I was just going over the OnGrid track schedule tonight and didn't realize this was arranged alternating between the two tracks. I figured I would choose one when I get there, but I'll be doing both.Two track days worth of sessions in one day.
Only 20 minute downtime in between each session And I'll have to drive across the paddock to the other track each time which will easily eat up ten minutes. Almost no time for me or the car to rest.
The most I've ever done on an open track day is an hour and a half, and then I was exhausted.
The good thing about this is I could just do four or five sessions and then quit at noon. Go get lunch and head home.
What sucks is I would love to do a stress day like this in one of the track cars, but I'll find out how tough the Porsche is. I'm not taking loads of tools, but am taking some coolant and oil.

 

Three sessions in with the Cayman and the shifter cable for second gear got jammed, so I called it a day. managed to limp into the paddock with third gear and then after stopping on a flat area I was able to get all six gears to work again. This has happened before at that very same turn, and I didn't have the $1200 for the numeric short shifter and cables and so I procrastinated. I'm still planning on getting that done.

The Enjuku front and rear bash bars for the 350Z arrived. I'll prime and paint them myself before install.

 

Yeah, the stock shifter on my 987 leaves a lot to be desired. Also, these cars are known to snap shifter linkages at random. I haven't done anything about it yet, but I think now that the Boxster has 60k miles it's time to address some of these issues before I get stranded somewhere.

 

I have heard that the numeric parts are excellent but a bit noisy. Mine has been mushy since the day I bought it, so a snappy short shifter and firmer cable ends would be really nice.

 

the FX1 pro medium seat arrived today. came with a cushion for use in street cars which is kind of cool actually but has to be removed for a track car.
I've got a planted mount now for both cars and side brackets for the seat. this is such a huge improvement for me. now I can just remove the seat from the side brackets and leave the planted bases alone. I'll share the seat between the cars for a while but do plan to buy another one.
kind of a flawed situation now though that I've got two sets of RRX recliner seats in storage. but it was a process getting here...

 

I am so extremely discouraged right now.
First three track days of this year had mechanical failures after only a few sessions.

Now I'm at Thunderhill with the Z3 and got f*cking black flagged because the seat is too tall. AGAIN. Why do I have such persistent GD headaches over seats? I bought this new seat just for this purpose and the f*cking thing is too tall even with no pad and a new planted mount.

Lead instructor took a look at it and said I need to get some custom fab work done on the Z3 to mount the side rails directly to the floor.

So that would be welding in some strips to level off the floorboard in order to bolt the side mounts directly. Even though the planted is lower than the corbeau, it's still too tall.
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He said I could go out for the rest of the day, but I'm deflated now and don't even feel like doing another session.
I am kind of exhausted from working on this car yesterday and just want some GD seat time but can't seem to get any this year. And it's too damn hot. I'm sitting in my truck with the windows open, drenched in sweat.

So, I'm struggling with a "cut my losses and buy a boat" argument with myself right now. Especially given that it's 104 degrees today. Not even summer yet. I'm canceling Thunderhill West and Sonoma coming up. It is too gd hot in addition to being sore and tired. And I feel like I'm wasting a lot of money.

Do I want to spend the money to get fab work done on the Z3? Or just floor mount it myself with reinforcement plates? I'm leaning toward that. Get it done enough to be usable finally. But even if I solve this problem, what will be the next?No point getting pessimistic about it but I am reaching a tipping point to where I'm just gonna say f*ck it and quit.

What I could do is just put the Corbeau mounts in with the RRX seats And treat it like a cool little roadster for street. It's hella lightweight now after all of the stripping. Either just keep it as an awesome little weird roadster or sell it that way and let the next owner deal with the helmet problem. Maybe someone who's shorter won't have that issue.

I enjoy the mechanical work immensely. It's more fun than driving on the track for me, so that's a key point. but maybe doing a purpose-built track car is not my thing after all. Like I gave it a shot and maybe I should just finish these two cars and then sell them. Just stick with a good street legal car and take road trips. I'm thinking out loud here, because these cars are fun and maybe a purpose-built track is not for me after all.

I'm definitely having a crisis over this hobby right now because of serial disappointments. After all, the whole point of buying several cars was to experiment and see what I really like, and I found out that a dedicated track car is too exhausting.

There are people out here today with stock Supras and E46s who are having a lot more fun without the headaches I've given myself. Yeah, I'm extremely leaning in that direction with the Z3 since it's still street legal. It's fine if you don't need a helmet.
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Are you saying you're still not passing the broomstick test? Where is the top of your helmet in relation to the top of the roll bar and top of the windshield frame?

 

It's about a half inch above the broomstick level. Could have crouched, but I was busy driving. With the rails directly on the floor, that cuts two inches and it works, except the seat doesn't fit the car that low. The shoulder bolsters are in the way of the door.
Now that I've slept and rested today, I'm Looking at it more pragmatically, and I need a different seat for this car. But I don't know if I'm gonna keep this hobby going.




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This is a medium FX1 Pro, but it's huge next to the RRX. Maybe it's intended for a GT class car like a Mustang or Camaro. Corbeau offered to take it back but I've already scratched up the fabric and fiberglass. So I'll just store it until I find a use for it someday.