I think Im going to make my first attempt at road course racing at the end of this month. Im from Toronto, Onatiro, so I think Im gona try out mosport or shanonville. Heres the set-up Im taking to the track:

2000 Civic Dx
97 jdm b18c5 (183whp)
Converted to obd-1
Jdm 4-1 header
Aem cold air
Clutchmasters stage 3 clutch and flywheel
Full 2 1/4" exhaust with a testpipe
Tein Ha's
Front and rear sway bars
Rear lower tie bar
4 wheel disk brake coversion
Powerslot rotors on stock pads

I hope this setup will work well when I head out. I raced alot of motorcross when I was younger in the cmrc circuit, so hopefully the adrenaline rush will compare. Any suggestions before I go?

 

your car should be fine.

 

I'd consider better brake pads. Carbotech and Cobalt are popular. What is the brake conversion from? The GSR/99-00Si brakes use a small, thin pad up front with poor life on track. A lot of people will say you will not overheat the brakes your first time on track, but that depends on your skill, experiance, and track. From the suspension and motor upgrades, you have way more speed potential than it started out with. Ask anyone who tried running a WRX on track with stock pads how well they work, even for a noob.

If you have the TypeR style front brakes, then not such a big deal, they have way more reserve power with much bigger, thicker pads.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by g2man &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I think Im going to make my first attempt at road course racing...

2000 Civic Dx
97 jdm b18c5 (183whp)
Converted to obd-1
Jdm 4-1 header
Clutchmasters stage 3 clutch and flywheel
Tein Ha's
Rear lower tie bar
4 wheel disk brake coversion
Powerslot rotors...
Any suggestions before I go?

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

You mean "racing" your car at a lapping day? If not buy a rule book and make sure the above mods are completely legal...

Where does the 2K DX fit in? SSB?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by g2man &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">...Any suggestions before I go?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah - remember that what you are going to be doing is not "racing" in the "go faster than the other guys" sense of the word, unless you have a rollcage, fire extinguisher, race seat and harness, and all of the other misc. safety bits.

If I'm wrong and you have all of that stuff and are running under a competition sanction, key advice is to keep your eyes WAY down the track and work on what you are doing with your hands/feet/eyes, rather than trying to make the car go faster.

If you are doing a "track day" thing - first and foremost - don't time your laps. As soon as you do, you have changed your entire focus, from learning how to drive a car at the limit to "going fast." If you have a hard time doing this (and some people do) buy all of those safety parts before you get on the track.

Have fun!

Kirk

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by g2man &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I think Im going to make my first attempt at road course racing at the end of this month. Im from Toronto, Onatiro, so I think Im gona try out mosport or shanonville. Heres the set-up Im taking to the track:

2000 Civic Dx
97 jdm b18c5 (183whp)
Converted to obd-1
Jdm 4-1 header
Aem cold air
Clutchmasters stage 3 clutch and flywheel
Full 2 1/4" exhaust with a testpipe
Tein Ha's
Front and rear sway bars
Rear lower tie bar
4 wheel disk brake coversion
Powerslot rotors on stock pads

I hope this setup will work well when I head out. I raced alot of motorcross when I was younger in the cmrc circuit, so hopefully the adrenaline rush will compare. Any suggestions before I go?

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

You are not ready. If you were ready you would know that car prep at the beginner level should consist of making sure the brakes can handle many hard stops (which yours can't) by putting on good pads, changing to fresh fluid and making sure its bled well.

You would also know that driver education is more important than car prep. And you would be talking about schools and HPDEs and not about "road course racing"

I don't mean to put a damper on your enthusiasm, but you must understand that what you are about to do is dangerous (both to you and others) and expensive and you should approach it with caution and respect.

Regards,
Alan

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 00R101 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

You are not ready. If you were ready you would know that car prep at the beginner level should consist of making sure the brakes can handle many hard stops (which yours can't) by putting on good pads, changing to fresh fluid and making sure its bled well.

You would also know that driver education is more important than car prep. And you would be talking about schools and HPDEs and not about "road course racing"

I don't mean to put a damper on your enthusiasm, but you must understand that what you are about to do is dangerous (both to you and others) and expensive and you should approach it with caution and respect.

Regards,
Alan</TD></TR></TABLE>

Couldn't agree more.

 

What experience do you have other then motorcross with racing?
If you've had some autocrossing experience, that's good
If you've had some car control education, that's good
Go-carting?
If you've read theories on road racing lines, braking, proper use of accelerator, etc.?
... this stuff will better qualify you as ready for a track day. The car is secondary but should be in good, working order. You don't need to have a fast car to do track days, but you do need a prepared mind. A good instructor will help you with your focus; the driver, not the car makes the difference.

Upgrade your pads, and your fluid! If you're not sure how to do this, please feel free to ask.

Doing performance stuff to make your car handle better, and go faster without paying equal or better attention to braking and safety is not a good idea. This may be fine for street or drag racing, but not for track days. Brakes are your friend.

If nothing else for lapping days, stay with in your limits. Don't overdrive and like one person said, pay attention to becoming a better driver, not going fast. The fast thing will come once you learn to look ahead, and drive a proper line.

Best advice I can think of, listen to your instructor and humble yourself before him/her. Be prepared to accept critism and learn.

Above all else HAVE FUN!!!

Hopefully you can find some substance in all this blabbing.

PS. Can't speak about motorcross, but yeah there's an excellent adrenaline rush.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by g2man &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">2000 Civic Dx
97 jdm b18c5 (183whp)
Converted to obd-1
Jdm 4-1 header
Aem cold air
Clutchmasters stage 3 clutch and flywheel
Full 2 1/4" exhaust with a testpipe
Tein Ha's
Front and rear sway bars
Rear lower tie bar
4 wheel disk brake coversion
Powerslot rotors on stock pads
</TD></TR></TABLE>

All this stuff doesn't mean squat. You'll find out what I mean the first time a 3 cylinder Geo passes you like you're standing still. As for advice, Kirk pretty much nailed it. Read the locked thread at the top of the page for more information, and remember, please don't refer to lapping sessions as "racing".

 

Where is your checklist?

 

Again stressing that this hopefully is a HPDE. You don't want to learn how to race a car in a real race situation. You will learn much more about how to be a better driver if you do it in a good learning environment. Based on the mods you made, it appears that you are talking about a HPDE.

The stuff you have done to your car sounds like fun stuff. If you want to get serious about racing, stop spending your money on go fast parts. You definately need to do something about your brakes. I used powerslot rotors on my prelude and cracked them pretty badly. They look cool but are unnecessary for a car your weight. You definately need to replace your brake fluid and at least get some high performance pads. You don't want to be coming off a straight without brakes!

I honestly believe that to become a really good race driver, it is best to start with a low hp car. When driving one of these cars, you can't afford to screw up. It is also a blast passing Porsches and other really modified cars. It is not about HP! I honestly have more fun going down a diving turn at 90 mph barely holding on than going 140 down a straight. And yes, I have driven a high horsepower car on the track and my current 110 hp prelude. The prelude is much more fun!

Best of luck to you. Definately take it easy your first event.