i finally took the plunge and went out on the track with my own car, instead of watching and sitting with people =P

this was the first time i ever driven on a track, and actually the first time i drove the car hard (just got it tuned couple days ago)

one of the biggest disappointments was tires, i was supposed to run on a set of falken azeni's but they were at my cousin's and he was out of the city that night so i couldn't grab them, i had to use what i had...my yokohama es100's

some specs on the car
-1994 honda civic sir-ii
-koni yellows, one turn from full soft all around
-ground controls 450f/500r
-ground control top hats
-stock front sway bar
-jdm itr 22mm rear sway bar w/ asr brace
-5 lug CTR brake conversion, using hawk HPS up front, stock in rear with autozone rotors all around
-k20a, transmission has obx lsd, made 230whp and 165 wtq

i know i am a noob, but it was so fun out there, i'm definitely going to sign up for another one soon

here's a video of my 2nd lap still warming up and getting used to the track
http://youtube.com/watch?v=SyarTYTnoAw

also, maybe someone can help me with this, as i was braking for turn 2, my steering locked up and was jerking to the right as i was fighting it the whole time trying to go left, it eventually let go and everything was fine, does anyone know what might have happened? i double checked all the bolts on my suspension and axle nuts, everything is tight, wheel bearings are good, everything seems fine, the only thing i can think of is the obx lsd might have locked up for some reason
http://youtube.com/watch?v=piwEtlRGLjQ

 

Glad you had fun out there . Sounds like you had a killer setup! Watching your vid reminded me of my 1st days on the track a couple years ago.

I had a similar steering lock issue with my car due to a bad axle. I'd check those out too.

 

Looks good...but no instructor. Is that a West coast thing?

Hopefully that lock up won't happen again....

 

Sweet man, I cant wait to get out on the track this year, Be my first time to..

About your brake lock up are you running a 40/40 prop valve??

 

looks like a lot of fun. Try putting a piece of tape over your cam's mic next time. The buffeting of the wind, some have speculated can lead to mic failure.... true or not, it would be nice to hear more of the motor anyway

 

Nice, i can't wait to get on the track

 

Thoughts:
1. Take off the goddamn scented air leaf.
2. Have someone who knows what they're doing inspect your diff. OBX has been known to come assembled incorrectly, with parts installed backwards, nuts/bolts finger tight, etc. It would suck to trash your tranny because of a poor diff choice.
3. Get an in-car instructor next time. There's a TON you could be doing better that an in-car guy could've brought to your attention immediately. That leads to the rest of these observations...
4. Those HPS pads absolutely will not be enough for your car/engine. The K-cars can reach some very significant straight-line speeds, and the HPS are totally a street pad. Once you actually start getting fast, you'll cook them within 3-4 laps.
5. You're pussyfooting it and coasting through pretty much every corner, and then slamming down the gas after you're all done and pointed straight. While ES100s might not be great, they can take a hell of a lot more abuse than that. Next time you go, keep this in mind: you should almost never EVER "coast". The fast guys are on the gas or on the brakes, sometimes even both. But never are they just rolling along That doesn't mean 100% pedal-to-the-metal acceleration, but a lot more than what you're doing there.

#5 is not a criticism of you exactly, as I know this was your very first time. I thought you'd want something to work on, given that almost all the other responses were "looks good." I can go on with a good number of other things, but I think that's the one that stood out most to me. If you had an instructor (can you request one?) he/she could say, "WTF are doing, get on the f'ing gas!" Without that instruction (or at least something here or whatever), you're going to develop a lot of bad habits that'll be a pain in the *** to break later.

Edit: I just noticed the title of the vid was "Warm Up Lap something something" Was that actually the first lap out? If so, post a different damn vid, warm-up lap is worthless!


Modified by Stinkycheezmonky at 11:21 AM 2/9/2008

 

get an instructor definitely will be alot better, but seems u r first time with the car. it's good to try/test out first. I still test the car every time I went on track for couple laps

and you can try to follow some faster guy to see their line, brake point, gas point. you definitely will learn alot. trash the HPS if you on track, they are pretty much street pad and it's not very suit your car setup(above said). you will easily cook them if you go faster. you should consider at least HP+(I still cook them in 4 laps on a tide track)

glad you enjoy, I miss track time.....i hate winter here..

 

I see you guys saying hps pads are not a good track pad, I will soon have my first track day as well. What kind of pads do you guys recommend?

 

HP+ is a much better pad overall. What kind of car and motor do you have though? How about tires? All these things matter in pad selection.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Stinkycheezmonky &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">HP+ is a much better pad overall. What kind of car and motor do you have though? How about tires? All these things matter in pad selection.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I see, 98 coupe,ctr motor, azenis right now. Looking into some AO48s, A032R, Proxes R888 for track use 205-50-15

 

HP+ and Azenis will most likely be your best bet. Cobalt GT-Sports would work ok as a pad too. That's for the FRONTS ONLY. In the rear you want either stock or Axxis Ultimate (my personal preference).

 

Id hold off on purchasing pads until you have the tires youre going to run.

 

Other than Azenis, any of the tires he listed would be a really bad idea for his first day on track.

 

Yeah I dont have any insight on that.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Stinkycheezmonky &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Other than Azenis, any of the tires he listed would be a really bad idea for his first day on track.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Are you stating the tires are no good i listed or that they just aren't necessary since its my first track day?

Thanks

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B16B_coupe &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Are you stating the tires are no good i listed or that they just aren't necessary since its my first track day?

Thanks </TD></TR></TABLE>

Run street compound tires until you gain enough experience. You have a lot to learn from them. The only thing the R-comps are going to do is give you confidence in grip and correct your mistakes which you would not want in the early stages of learning how to drive. Get a good instructor who knows the track and lines and learn from them. Get ride a longs as much as you can.

 

good times..

sorry i didn't take you for a ride along albert.. i was too tired to go out in the 6th session.. didn't feel like making errors, and my brakes were glazed.. it was a long (but fun) day..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B16B_coupe &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Are you stating the tires are no good i listed or that they just aren't necessary since its my first track day?

Thanks </TD></TR></TABLE>

Not necessary, and as OC said, they'll cover up a lot of mistakes. Stick with Azenis for at least a few events. What I tell my students is to stick with a street tire until they can consistently drive at the limit of the tire. Until they can do that, they won't really need an R-comp. FWIW, I was on Azenis for 3 1/2 years before I stepped up.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B16B_coupe &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I see you guys saying hps pads are not a good track pad, I will soon have my first track day as well. What kind of pads do you guys recommend?</TD></TR></TABLE>

I love my project mu pads (max900)...a lot better then the carbotech i use to run (1109).

 

Legitimately, the XP9s were pretty crappy

 

Nice video, next time cover the mic though. Track days get addicting real fast

 

damn I love the sound of those 20's. Nice vid. Is that an OMP steering wheel your using?

 

i seriously have problems with a FIRST TIME TRACK person being on track without an instructo.....A SERIOUS PROBLEM!!!! if this was a NASA event I would like to know!

 

Thanks for the heads up guys, Really appreciate it. Hope to have my first track day video soon.