OK got a track day coming up which is Taupo Circuit which they use for the A1GP so i cant wait to get out on it, its a beautiful track which ive been around as passenger a few times.

ive been using my ITR a little bit on track but am wanting to step it up a bit for this track day in 15 days or so.

have got some brand new semi's which will be awesome and looking at getting an oil cooler so i can run competitively without backing off because of not wanting to overheat the oil temp. i usually do a couple of hard laps an then cool down lap with heater on etc.. never overheats on the water temp btw

ive seen on best motoring an itr gets too hot (oil temp) after almost 2 laps of Fuji Circuit etc 130deg celcius

questions..

the sessions will be 5 laps im guessing each category, should i bother with the oil cooler or should it be ok stock?

also would it be best to include a thermostat in the setup or not worry.. im planning to get a small one like 13 row..

also any tips on allignment settings?

usually set it pretty standard and seems ok with 0.3 deg toe in, dont have camber adjstment at this point, might look into it depending on funds..

any imput would be awesome, i know many of you hit the track alot more than i can afford

Racing the full track (3 tracks joined together)




Modified by ITR_cam at 6:39 AM 8/28/2008

 

What's the air temperature at the track? What is the track temp? Is 130C your oil or water temp? If it's oil, that's cool, if water it sounds a bit hot. Setting camber to two deg. will help a lot. Log your tread depth, outside, inside and middle and that will give you an indication of where you need to set your camber.
I'm guessing semis are Kiwi for tires? If you're not overheating, then the thermostat you're using should be O.K. I recomend adding Water Wetter to a fresh change of antifreeze. If it never freezes there, you can mix it with straight water.
http://www.redlineoil.com/products_coolant.asp

 

I would also change your oil before and after your 5 runs if its hot. Personally, if your car only has minor to moderate modifications, and is still NA, you shouldn't need to have an oil cooler.

That Best Motoring vid you watched is shot in Japan, and probably during the summer when temperatures are 90% with nearly 100% humidity.

 

the air temp will be around 15-17 deg celcius 50-60% humidity etc, track temp not 100% sure. its almost spring here now so its still fresh an cool and the sun isnt that hot yet. i think would see 20 deg celcious track temps (wild guess)

i dont have an oil temp gauge, but going from the water temp on dash (how correct) it always stays well below half, added help with no air con core etc!

im more or less worried about oil temps but water temp does effect this.. but it doesnt cool it like an oil cooler can

semi's are refered to as semi-slick tyres

thanks for clearing that up MIRAZ

pic of toyo R888

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MiraiZ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">That Best Motoring vid you watched is shot in Japan, and probably during the summer when temperatures are 90% with nearly 100% humidity.</TD></TR></TABLE>
90% of what, and humidity has absolutely nothing to do with it.

 

The stock H20 gauge on the ITR instrument cluster is not very accurate. If you are going to be tracking often, I would invest in a proper H20 temp gauge.

Track tires are always a plus but make sure you get the right compound tires. If you get something too soft, you'll probably go through them in just a couple of runs.

 

these are the hard compound type, they do last quite a while from what ive seen, ill give them a review after i have a play on them

 

What I guessed on the tires.
With such cool air temps you won't need an oil cooler at all. I'd run 1.5-2 deg. neg. camber on the front.

 

A little toe-in in the back is fine, but it won't be good for turn-in if you use that in the front. 0-2mm toe-out works well in the front.

 

thanks for all the advice guys

 

Sounds like you're set. Let us know how it goes and hope you can take some pics of the fun.

 

Btw, when I said 0-2mm toe-out that's total, not per side.

 

I'm running 2mm toe out and it's kinda ruined my front tyres

great turn-in though

 

yea will get lots of pics, track day 11th sept

got a bit of prep to do before then, fluids etc get wheels an tyres mounted an allignment done

on another note we have the WRC championship round here in NZ this weekend so will be an awesome 3 full days of action, pics to follow for the R family!!

 

I see my oil temps hit ~260-270 on the track with daily driving at ~200-220. You should be fine without the oil cooler. You could run synthetic oil(if you don't already) since it has a higher heat range and will withstand track temps without breaking down. Start the day with a fresh oil change and change it again after the day is complete or next day. Check the oil level after each session(wait for it to cool down as much as time will allow) since our cars are kinda thirsty for it. Even being slightly low can affect performance and possibly cause damage. I would recommend oil pan baffles from Heel Toe Auto or a baffled Mugen pan just to be safe.

As for alignment specs, I'm cambered at -2.5 in the front and -1.5 in the rear with 0 toe all around to not completely destroy my tires. My car has been totally fine with these specs and I'll see speeds of 215kph and 30 minute sessions.

GL out there. Have fun and be safe

 

thanks man, car always gets fresh oils! and yea i will get onto a sump baffle hopefully soon

 

Those R888 tires are great.
My set have lasted all season. Including several trackdays and driving it to work every day.
(might be because i drive like a granny though )

Good luck, and have fun!

 

ITRs have a factory oil cooler.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by P1_Variable &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">ITRs have a factory oil cooler. </TD></TR></TABLE>

technically yes there is a heat exchanger at the filter location but it is not remote and is only "cooled" by coolant flowing through it. a remote mounted oil cooler core is 1000x better than OEM ITR "cooler".

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ITR_cam &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">also any tips on allignment settings?

usually set it pretty standard and seems ok with 0.3 deg toe in, dont have camber adjstment at this point, might look into it depending on funds.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Positive Toe - Front of the wheel points OUT
Negative Toe - Front of the wheel points IN

Most R compound tires LOVE lots of negative front camber and about half of the front amount, in the rear, depending on the track. If you do not have front camber adjustment, you are really missing out on the effectiveness of the R compound tires.

The track you are going on, I would suggest the following.

Alignment Suggestion

<u>Front</u>
Toe +0.08
Camber -3.70

<u>Rear</u>
Toe 0.00
Camber -1.8 to -1.9

 

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

Positive Toe - Front of the wheel points OUT
Negative Toe - Front of the wheel points IN

Alignment Suggestion

<u>Front</u>
Toe +0.08
Camber -3.70

<u>Rear</u>
Toe 0.00
Camber -1.8 to -1.9
</TD></TR></TABLE>
I second this, but camber adjustment is really not necessary, especially for a street car. Anything over -2 up front and equal to a bit less in the rear and you will be very happy. Front toe out is a must IMO.

 

I would also recommend an oil cooler. If it's not terribly hot where you are then you won't really need one, but in 90F+ here I consistantly saw oil temps from 300-330F on the stock motor. A number of others have seen the same. Oil cooler is definitely worth it for me. 19row mocal and no matter what the outside temp, I never see over 260F.

 

Camber is VERY important and cannot be left out. With no camber, you are not even using your tires properly.

I run neg 2.5 camber even for street and 3.5 for track.

I guess you can start with 2.5 up front and 1.5 on rear and see how tire wear and temperatures are.

For track, oil cooler and radiator is a must if you wanna run lap after lap without having to back down. a lower thermostat wont really help.

 

migs, I believe positive toe is wheels pointed in,
and negative toe is wheels pointed out. This is from a Hunter alignment machine I use everyday at work.

I suggest:
F-toe -0.10 to -0.13 or -1/8 toe out (negative)
R-toe 0.00
F-camber -2.0 to -3.0
R-camber -2.0 to -2.5

 

Yes, +ve toe is pointing in. -ve is pointing out.