Well, i finally got the chance to get out on the track and have some fun, and that it was, FUN. i went to willow springs on friday the 11th for the first time. it was my first ever road race event. all i can say is wow. a much better and different experience to drag racing. i used to have a turbo on the em1 but i took it off to start roadracing and im glad i did. it was a hot day, easily 100 degrees but we got a lot of track time. there were only about 40 cars. we got 5 run sessions of 1/2 hour. i learned a lot but i have much more to go. i cant wait to get out there again. everyone was so nice and helped me out a lot. im looking into new suspension. i was thinking of ground controls and koni yellows but im not sure. for a little more i could get a decent true coil over. suggestions of suspension setups would be appreciated. i drive the car daily and will attend road racing events once a month or so. thanks. here are a few pics of my car.
mods:
fujitsubo header
modified stock airbox
custom 2.25 exhaust w/ es muffler
progress 22mm rear swaybar
koni reds
neuspeed sports
spoon strut tower bar
racing hart cp-035
falken azenis

 

Allright glad you had fun. I was thinking about going to my first track this year out at Second Creek in Colorado.

And yeah autocross to roadracing is way funner than a day at the dragstrip.

 

I guess I'll be the first to say that you participated in a track day/HPDE rather than road racing.

And everyone will also tell you to drive the car as it is and shave seconds off through acquiring more driver skill rather than modifying your car.

Someone might chime in that "real coil-over" is a misnomer as well...

But congrats, and good luck in the future...keep the shiny side up.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RangerDan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> I was thinking about going to my first track this year out at Second Creek in Colorado.
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Should have gone I was out there. Placed first in STS both days.

 

true, it was HPDE, but i thought that was considered road racing. i know that learning to drive better is definately a better way to go instead of suspension but i was just curious as to what opinions everyone has. i will sometime upgrade the suspension.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by aesthetics82 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">true, it was HPDE, but i thought that was considered road racing.</TD></TR></TABLE>

It's not, because the E stands for Education. Your goal should be to learn to drive your car better, not be competitive in any way shape or form (which is the definition of racing). I'm not picking on you at all, it just disturbs me when people (not necessarily you) treat something that is non-competitive in nature as a race.

--buji

 

Glad you enjoyed yourself. It's always interesting to me when a drag racer tries open tracking...many think open tracking is awesome, but some don't. In what way did you think it was a "better and different expirience?"

You're right on, BTW, with your observation that the people are helpful and nice. That's a big part of the draw, and as you get more involved, you should return the favor.

With regards to the car...don't worry too much about it for a while. That said...Koni yellows are sure-fire winner. Durable, proven, and as you advance, they can be serviced to meet your exact needs. CRX Lee, a somewhat-regular on here, works for Koni and REALLY knows his stuff.

In the mean time, I suggest that, if you are going to pursue track events, think first about yourself (read: do more events), and then on safety equipment. As you get faster, things like proper rollover protection become REALLY important. At that point, if you want to change the car, do so one change at a time, so you'll have an idea of what the change did.

--Karl, who put a cage in his car one month after his first HPDE

 

Glad you had a good time d00d. The EM1 can be very fun to drive on-track. The number 1 thing to concentrate on now is to try to drive in as many events as possible... replacing tires, brakes, rotors, and oil as you go along. If you somehow have money left over, I wouldnt wander too far from the proven GC/yellow setup. I run 400/450 GC's with yellows and it feels great on the track. If I were to do it over again, I would drop each down 50 lbs (350/400.) It is sometimes a little much driving the car every day with those rates. I dont have much to say about the yellows, they are just great. Let me know if you have any other specific Si-realted questions and maybe I can help you out.

 

i thought it was better just because its more about the driver than the car in HPDE. there is also much more seat time in road courses. i enjoy going fast while turning instead of just going fast in a straight line.
in response to the road racing vs. HPDE: it definately is High Performance Driver EDUCATION, but i also beleive that its impossible to be out there on the track without racing. you race yourself and test yourself, trying to improve your skill. i think HPDE(R) might be appropriate. but it doesnt really matter. what ever its called, its fun, entertaining and a test of skill.

 

It would be nice to "spread the word," to other lists here. Ones like the Prelude group, Tech group, and yes, even the Drag racing group. Just let them know there's much more to the car world out there then just their little corner of it...