FTW - I'll sign up too...If you thought this past Saturday was fun, you're gonna love Pacific Raceways - elevation changes, tight turns, long straights, wide sweepers. Before my 1st event there, I printed the map of the track along with someones comments on each turn (IIRC I googled it and found it on the local BMW site), I then watched as many videos as I could find...when I finally got on track, I had each corner memorized, and while driving it was obviously different from watching videos, I felt much more comfortable and well prepared.

**IMO the OE Potenza's aren't the most grippy tires for track/autoX days, but they're wonderful to learn on - they are responsive, give good feedback for how close to the limit you are, and they can withstand the heat. (they only break down if you start to drifting with them, at which time they start to chunk).

I'll try to get all my video stuff in order...hopefully we can get some good videos while we're there!

wonder if Jinging could just spray more meth or increase fuel pressures to combat the knocking...

 

Well once I get a new bumper so my intercooler is working to its potential, that should help by cooling my intake temps a lot, also I have been told to run race gas for track days if I'm FI. Where can I buy that stuff? I was only spraying about 25% mix of meth, as I just switched to washer fluid recently, so there was still about 1/3 distilled water in the tank. Should be around 38% when its all washer fluid

 

that reminds me, after last weekend, my front tires are pretty much gone

i don't think i can get another track day out of them, i'll take a look at them again, me signing up depends on how much tread i have left

 

PR has 100 octane and higher...but last year I think it was around $6.50/gal - just make sure you don't fill up on their leaded high octane stuff!

IIRC a shell gas station around the Drift Office carries 100 Octane fuel (you might need to go inside and ask for it...I don't think it's on their pump). Not sure how much that costs.

 

the Shell station at Thrasher's Corner sells Trick racing Fuel...at least they used to....used to run it in my bikes....its been a couple years though.....also, it ain't cheap!

 

I have an extra set of older Toyo RA-1's...they're bald, so if it's rainy you probably wouldn't want to use them. Also, most instructors say not to use R-compound tires when starting out on track days b/c they can mask driver errors and while they might lower your track times now, you're skills won't develop as quickly and in the long run, you'll be a slower driver b/c of it. (R-comps also have a smaller margin for breaking loose...so when pushing the limits, you'll be more likely to spin out )

 

jining:

1725 Auburn Way N, Auburn, WA

its actually a 76 gas station, not shell

they carry 102 octane and up, only the 102 is unleaded. i filled up there once when i went to the drag strip last year (didn't make a difference for me, but i'm stock, it will make a difference on any fi car). the price was either 6.25 or 6.50, i wanna say 6.25, but i'm not sure. the 102 was available at the pump, i didn't pay attention to any of the higher octane ones. that same day, 100 octane was 8 bucks a gallon at pacific raceways, so its much cheaper to fill up here, and its not far from the track.

as far as tires, i'm just gonna buy new one, i'll need new ones by summer anyway even if i don't go to the track at all, and with as much as it rains here, its better to have some decent thread on the tires. i think i'm just gonna buy the cheapest UHP tires i can find for the front, should give me decent performance without breaking the bank.

thanks for the offer of the r comps peter, but i don't wanna run r comps for all the reasons u said in addition to it being hard on my breaks, and that so far is my biggest concern. and i really really really don't wanna spin out into some tree's at PIR

 

Some people may be a bit confused. Higher octane fuel does NOT give you any hp gains. The only thing higher octane does is prevent knock, which can not only cause harm to your engine, but also may cause the stock ecu to retard timing, which will decrease power output.

Cars with F/I run higher octane gas to prevent detonation and protect their stressed motors. They see more power because the higher octane fuel allows them to run a more aggressive tune. The power comes from the tune, not the fuel.

 

^yeah i know that, but sometimes on some cars, higher octane will allow the stock ecu to run a bit more aggressive timing, resulting in slightly more power, such was not the case on my car

on *most* fi cars, tuned for pump gas, putting in some high octane and doing nothing else, will *usually* result in a bit of a power gain.

but aarons goal with the race gas is a bigger margin of safety anyway, not more power. he was running wastegate boost at bremerton, and i suspect he will do the same at PIR

 

New bumper + 100 octane and ill be there. Damnit that's like over 100 for a full tank lol.... What's the date again? Ill try and get a bumper fast. Any good paint shops around lynnwood?

 

april 24th

 

+1...so if your ECU is pulling timing (retarding) on normal 92 octane, going to 100 octane would provide slightly more power - guess it's just a matter of how you look at it...either making more power from higher octane, or just not loosing power from lower octane - but if your car is not having to pull timing at 92 octane, then bumping up to a higher octane won't help.

 

and remember, the bumper doenst have to be painted for the track, its not a car show after all

 

true that

 

Ha turns out my car will "break" if I try to do anything like this is what i've been told.....

 

ok...

 

Sorry, Random.... Just that this mechanic told me that my car wasn't made to autocross and that if I did I was going to break it is all he told me.

 

OMG... what is wrong w/ you? To believe that is bad enough. To actually state something like that here either leads me to believe that you are BS-ing or looking to start some kind of argument.

 

Haha, No argument. I was just stating something that someone told me which I thought was really funny.

 

Lol sounds like a good mechanic.... Noooootttt!!! (Borat voice)