David (Bottom) - glad you'll be able to make it. You're right; this will be really good opportunity to head to the track for the first time. You'll have a lot of fun and learn quite a bit about your car in the process.

There won't be any formal tech inspection before the event, but there are a few things to check & make sure are properly sorted before Saturday:

Brakes: The stock brake pads will take a beating at the track. It would be preferable to have some track (or at least high performance street) pads on the car. This will help to delay the onset of pad fade, and will make the event much more enjoyable. Also, upgraded brake fluid (DOT 4 - Valvoline Synthetic is a good choice here) that resists boiling and the mushy pedal that goes along with it would be a good investment.

Tires - Make sure your tires are properly inflated, that there is a decent amount of tread left on the tires, and that the wheels are properly torqued.

Motor oil - Check your oil level and make sure you're not low. If it's been awhile since the oil has been changed, it might be a good idea to change it before the track day. It's also a good idea to check all other fluid levels now and make sure that everything is topped off.

As for other stuff to bring, a good helmet will be a must. Also, bring clothes for any type of weather. La Junta is basically out in the desert, so it can be 90 degrees one minute, and 50 degrees with the wind chill the next. It could also rain on Saturday, so you might want to bring a jacket, too. A cooler with some water or Gatorade might also be a good idea, as driving on the track can be more tiring than you would think. You should also make sure you've got full tank of gas when we all meet at the rest stop in the morning. Finally, you might want to bring along a little extra cash, as we typically stop in Pueblo for dinner on the way back. This gives us a chance to relax at the end of a long day before driving the rest of the way back to Denver.

Any other questions, let me know.

Gary

 

Sorry posted twice

 

Thanks Gary. It's a good thing that you told me about the helmet. I wouldn't have brought mine other wise. It's a motorcycle helmet, I assume that's okay.

Everything else is good on my car except for the brake pads and fluid. Is there anywhere local where the Hawk, Redstuff, or any other high performance pads are in stock?

Another question, if you don't mind. I'm leaning towards getting the Redstuff pads. Do I need to get the front and rear upgraded? And with the front and rear will this be good for the track as well as normal driving?

Thanks again,
David

 

A motorcycle helmet will work for this event. It's not ideal, but for a first track event will be fine. If you get addicted after La Junta (like the rest of us,) it will be time to start thinking about buying a proper SA-level helmet.

I don't know of any local sources for performance pads for the car, but several online vendors should be able to express them to be here in time for you to get them on before the weekend.

If you're thinking about the Redstuff, you might try giving Courtesy Nissan in Dallas a call. The original Redstuffs don't have the best reputation, but Courtesy can get the newer Redstuff Ceramic compound, which is alleged to be more capable for the track. I'll be trying this compound myself on the rear brakes this weekend to see how they do.

For my first track day, I just upgraded the front brakes and was okay (although I was taking it pretty easy.) More experience has shown that the rear non-Brembos on this car will get cooked in a hurry, though. If you only want to do the fronts, just be aware that you'll be pushing the rear pads well beyond their anticipated limit. This means that you may have to take it easier, and that your brakes could go away earlier in the day. It might be a decent tradeoff to make, though, because it will still be worthwhile to come down and experience the track, even if you know going in that you'll be limited by your brakes, and will likely have to have shorter and fewer track sessions.

The question about leaving the Redstuffs on for normal driving (beyond getting to the track and back home again) is a trickier one. No company has come out with an ideal combination track/street pad that is fade resistant on the track, but quiet and 'grabby' at the lower temperatures that you experience on the street (there are some options for the Brembos, but fewer for the non-Brembos currently.) However, a friend of mine uses the Redstuff Ceramic on both street and track with his Audi S4 (a much heavier car,) and he uses the brakes as hard as anyone on the track. He's been satisfied with their dual-use performance so far, but it should also be noted that pads operate differently on different cars, so take this with a grain of salt when it comes to applicability to the Z.

Another thing to think about is that I have a couple of older and well-used front pad sets that are left over from before I upgraded the front brakes that could work for one or at most two more track days. I have a set of Axxis Ultimates (not really a track pad, but better than stock) with about 5/32 of an inch of usable material left, and a set of Carbotech Panther + (slightly better solution for the track) with about 3/32 of an inch of usable pad left. I would suggest going with brand new pads, but if absolutely necessary I could let you use these well-worn pads, if it came to that. These have both been severely overheated on numerous occasions, though, so they're not really going to be as good as a brand new set of pads.

As for brake fluid, be aware that you could easily boil the stock fluid at the track and experience a soft brake pedal. Again, if you go in with the expectation that your track time could be cut short (possibly by several hours,) it might be an acceptable tradeoff to make if you're not able to replace the fluid by this weekend. I would offer to help you (and anyone else) replace the stock fluid, but this is an unusually busy week for me and it will be tough for me to make the time for this in the few evenings remaining between now and Friday (it takes awhile for all of the fluid to bleed through the system, even when using a pressurized bleeder.)

I think the bottom line is this: the more preparation you can do, the more enjoyable the track day will be, and the more that you'll be able to learn about your car. There is definitely some routine maintenance overhead that comes with a track day, but most find it well worth the effort in exchange for the experience. I hope this helps, but let me know if you have any other questions.

Gary

 

David,

Some of the members from highaltitudeimports.com have expressed interest in the track day. I was asked to see if it was possible it they would be allowed to join the Z's on the track day @ La Junta, and if so what price what they be looking at for an entrance fee. I believe our track day got mentioned during the last cruise in Colorado I organized.

 

Justin,

GaryM05 is running the trip this Sat (19 Jun) to La Junta. I've already bent his ear pretty hard over bringing other kinds of cars along on our track days. There is much to consider when so many different kinds of cars come together and turn laps around a track in excess of 100mph. He is still deciding and will get back to us as soon as he can. Thanks for the post!

However, getting the kids off the road/street and onto a safer medium (the track) is just one reason Cyclemutt started the Colorado chapter of the BSpeed club. I was hoping to get you to come out and experience the thrill and excitement of a track event. It really is nothing like you've experienced before. Last Sat was fun (especially the part were we met Johnny Law with the spinner's on his cruiser) but we got lucky. With the number of other people on the road with us, the possiblity that an accident would involve them... it's just to great a risk.

Hope to see you at a track event soon. You really won't regret it one bit... and you'll come away wanting more and more... trust me!

You guys have a SAFE run this Sat.

Don...

 

Juztin - you addressed your question to David (and I'm sure he'll respond,) but I'm going to respond, as well, since I'm responsible for the event this weekend.

June 19th at La Junta will be a 350Z/B-Speed only event, for several reasons that have already been mentioned in previous threads (https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....0&pagenumber=1). We've all got friends with other types of cars who want to come out (myself included,) and it's always possible that future events might be more open. But this weekend will be for 350Z and B-Speeders only.

My suggestion to your HAI friends is to set up a track day of their own, and arrange for a member of the group with some track or road-racing experience to lead it.

I know that's not the answer you want to hear, but that's what we're going with for this weekend. So my question to you is: when are YOU going to come to a track event? Like Don already said, it's a lot of fun, and it's a good way to get some instruction from someone familiar with the Z on how best to handle it.

Gary

 

Thanks for all the info Gary. I'm looking forward to the track in a couple days. I should be set up by then. I'm getting the front and rear Redstuff pads this Friday. I'm planning on heading to Pep boys for brake fluid tonight. If they don't have any, I'll figure something out. A coworker who autocrosses told me about an alternative that many people like. It sounds funny and involves Ford. I'll let you know if I have to do this before I put it in my car to get your opinion.

I'll be putting everything on Friday night. I've never really took a good look at the 350z's brakes, but I've changed pads and bled a system on my old '89 Pathfinder. Since they're both Nissan, they should be the same, 350z's have rear drum brakes right?

David

 

David - I'd be curious to hear about the fluid trick involving Ford. I don't think you'll have much trouble finding the Valvoline SynPower fluid, though.

And the Z has disc brakes all around...no drums in the rear. The pad changing and brake bleeding process is pretty straightforward, so I don't think you'll have any problems if you've done it before on similar brakes. Just make sure you've got something to push the piston back into the caliper after putting the new pads on, or you may have a bit more trouble than necessary. And don't forget the most enjoyable part of installing new pads...bedding them in!

Gary

 

Bottom,
glad you're coming man. Ford Heavy Duty DOT3 has been used by many people for track use with pretty good results. By no means can it compare to Motul RBF300 or SuperBlue, but it holds up pretty well to the heat for limited track sessions, just make sure to bleed new fluid in afterwards.
For something in town, AutoSport Werks has Motul in stock, as well as helmets if you're so inclined. For an even better selection and much better service, however, go to Mortens Motor Sports Supply at 7200 E 54th in Commerce City. If you go North on Quebec from I-70, it's about two blocks past the second light on the left hand side, corner of 54 and Quebec. I highly recommend them for all your racing supplies.
I am also going to try and get the RedStuff pads by Friday, so we'll see how these hold up on the track. I'm going to bring my tire pyrometer as well. Anyone interested can use it, it's a pretty useful tool for reading just how hard you're driving the car and where any tuning should be done- whether to the car or your driving
Can't wait!
Will

 

Juztin-

I know both Gary and Peterputter replied to your question, but I thought I'd better resond as well. Mixing cars of differing speeds is always a tricky proposition (and that's not even counting driver skill and judgement). There's also the "red mist" factor when somebody decides they want to race different marques and starts writing speed checks that their skill can't cash! We can't afford to take those kinds of risks this time out. With my current injury, we're a bit short on instructors and I'd like to see a manageable group for Gary to take up south.

We definitely need additional time to noodle out how to run a mixed group.
In future events, we may well try to open the events up to FWD, AWD, turbo what-have-yous, but this LaJunta event is not the time to try. Sorry!

 

Gary-The Ford Heavy duty brake fluid would have been my last choice. I really didn't want to go to a Ford dealership and have them ask me what truck I have and what am I towing.

I am actually looking forward to installing the brakes pads. And also bedding the brakes just to annoy my neighbors.

Will-Thanks for the information on the Morten store. I think I'll go there today during lunch. I work some what close to I-70 and Quebec, so if anyone needs something from there this weekend for the track let me know. I'll be happy to run delivery for you guys.

David

 

Of course the weather forecast gets worse as the track day nears. The hourly forecast doesn't show any rain until 2pm, plus only a 30% chance of rain then that increases later in the day.

http://www.weather.com/weather/local...om=search_city

Gary, when do you plan on making a weather call?

My vote is for going down there with the current forecast, hopefully the track will dry fast, but I'm not the one running the show.

 

It wouldn't be a La Junta track day without unfriendly weather forecasts! It does seem that the forecast gets worse by the hour, though. Accuweather shows an even worse forecast:

http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/p...nt=11&metric=0

We'll still plan to meet at 8 am and make the drive down there, knowing full well that we may find a downpour once we arrive at the track. If that's the case, we'll then decide how best to proceed. Scattered thunderstorms would be okay, as the track is supposed to have pretty good drainage, and it might provide some nice variety to see how our cars handle in the wet. If that's the case, we'll obviously be bringing the speeds on the track down a LOT, but I'm confident that we can make it work in anything short of a multi-hour deluge.

Also, if anyone has one of those camping/picnic canopies, this will be the day to bring it. I had originally thought we would need one for shelter from the sun, but now it looks like we'll need it to provide shelter from the rain!

I'll see everyone at 8 tomorrow morning, and we'll talk about this some more at the rest stop, if necessary. Just be aware that, as with any outdoor activity, we will be at the mercy of the weather, risking the possibility of making a 200 mile drive for nothing. But even so, I think the risk is worth the payoff.

Gary

 

Definately worth the payoff... as you say Gary. Gesh, remember the last time we went... there was snow on the ground at the rest stop... and it was a bit tricky thru Monument Pass... but WHAT A DAY!!!

I'll be there... You got David's helmet for my son?

Cheers Alll...

 

Yep; I picked it up last night.

 

You the 'MAN'... see in the morn!

 

Seeing as to how I am in the Springs, I'll wait at the next rest stop down, between Interquest and Briargate exits, for the convoy to pass and join you all then. Rain or shine, what else am I going to do with my day off??? Gary, are spouses, aka track monkeys in training, welcome?

 

Resolute - That's a good plan. We'll watch for you to join up as we pass that rest stop. If for some reason we decide not to head down (unfavorable weather reports, road conditions,etc) I'll come meet you at that rest stop and let you know, so that you're not waiting there for a convoy that never comes.

And spouses/significant others/etc are always welcome! Just be prepared for the after-effects: either shock and disbelief at what you're doing with your car, or pleads of 'I want one too!'

 

Wow, what a great track day. The weather was fantastic, dry track all day and warm and sunny in the afternoon. Plus great instruction and tips from Gary and Don.

It was really nice having the entire track to ourselves with only 5 cars. It's a great opportunity to drive fast in a safe, controlled environment.

Again, thanks to everyone involved in setting this up, I'm looking forward to the next one.

Matt