CAinCA said:Yea, if I wasn't tracking the car I probably wouldn't have done it so early. It wasn't cheap, but it was a lot cheaper than replacing the engine.
Supposedly I am someday going to receive what I spent back as part of an out of court settlement with VW, but I’m not holding my breath that I will ever see the $’s
einy (Forum Supporter) said:CAinCA said:Yea, if I wasn't tracking the car I probably wouldn't have done it so early. It wasn't cheap, but it was a lot cheaper than replacing the engine.
Supposedly I am someday going to receive what I spent back as part of an out of court settlement with VW, but I’m not holding my breath that I will ever see the $’s
Unfortunately, I found out about the lawsuit too late so I ate the cost. Good for you though.
I had a great day at Laguna Seca yesterday. I ran with the Point By group. Everyone was supposed to have 4+ days of experience and it showed. I lined up 2nd or 3rd in every session and spend the majority of the day badgering a guy in a C7 Grand Sport coupe. In the third session I was right on his tail and he got out of shape and decided to let me by. I was cackling like a madman. LOL!
In the forth session I was pushing the car pretty hard and the DSC was kicking in a lot. I got stuck behind a WRX for a couple laps and he wasn't letting me by. Then my oil light came on and the car went into limp mode. I pulled into the pits let it sit for about 30 seconds and the CEL went away. I did 2 more laps and the car seemed fine. After the session I checked the oil and it was in the bottom of the normal range so I added 1/2 a quart. I checked the OBD and there weren't any codes. I'm assuming that it was high oil temperature.
I had several laps in the 1:50:XX range. My PB was a 1:50:53. That's 2 seconds faster than my previous PB.
I ran 35 PSI HOT in the RS4s. I was getting even temps all the way across the tires. The fronts were in the mid 150s and the rears were in the mid 120's.
Yesterday morning at Laguna Seca the car went into limp mode about 1/2 way through the first session. I drove back the pits and waited for a minute and the CEL stayed on. I turned the car off and back on but it was still there. I pulled up the OBD reader and I had codes for misfires on 2 and 3. I had a feeling I probably should have changed the plugs before I went but never got around to it (I had installed a set of Autolite Platinums at 33,500 miles). I did some searching and found that the NGK BKR7EIX seemed to be the plugs to get. Luckily I found a set at O'Reilly Auto Parts in Seaside. I got back to the track about 10 minutes before the second session. By that time the codes had cleared so I decided to go out and see if it happened again. I made it through the second session without any problems but I went ahead and changed the plugs over the lunch break. Other than that my Porterfield R4 pads made it through 4 track days but they are done (2-3mm left). The Hankook RS4s I installed in July have 3 track days (120 laps at LS) and a couple thousand miles on them. They look like they should last another 3-4 track days.
I had 4 laps in the 1:51:XX range with the fastest being a 1:51:10.
A couple weekends ago I swapped the brake pads, tires and wheels on the car for the "winter" season. I installed the PFC Carbon Metallic pads back onto the front and installed a set of Porterfield R4-S pads on the rear. They are both aggressive street/AutoX pads. It's the first time I've done the rears but it wasn't too bad. While I was at it I removed the brake ducts.
I put the Michelin A/S 3+ back on the car but I'll need to replace them before it starts raining. I'm thinking about a set of PS4s or maybe a set of Continentals.
Over the last couple weeks I installed Koni Yellow Sports adjustable struts/shocks, new bump stops and replaced the SuperPro front LCA bushings with stock front and BFI rears.
Yesterday I had the car aligned and a new set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 4 in 235/40/18 installed (up from 225/40/18). The new tires look a lot better on these wheels. They are square with the wheels instead of being stretched. They also fill out the wheel wells a little better.
I could immediately feel that the car was more responsive. There was a lot of toe on the front end after I installed the struts and bushings (.67 degrees). I asked them set it to -1.8 degrees of camber and .2 degrees of toe front and rear. I wound up with .03 degrees of toe in the front and .16 in the rear.
Honestly, this has been the best set of updates I've done to the car. It feels totally transformed. It rides smoother, has less vibration, less head shake (side to side) and feels more responsive at the same time.
Thanks to everyone that responded to my thread about suspension questions.
Over the weekend I installed a new set of Porterfield RS-4 front pads, reinstalled the brake deflectors, set the sway bars to hard, and swapped the wheels over to the RS-4s.
Yesterday I hit Laguna Seca with NCRC for the eighth time. I was running in the Solo group (3-8 days of experience) with point by passing. It was cold and sprinkling when I got there. During the first session the track was WET. During the second session the track was damp. The last three sessions were dry except for a rivulet of water running across turn three which made for some interesting moments. DSC kicked in almost every lap at that spot.
The car is dialed in pretty well, to the point that I don't think I'll be making any changes to it for the foreseeable future. Lots of fast cars in my run group, Model 3, 911T, 981, M3s, Alfa 4C, Jag F-Type, but I'm outpacing almost everyone else in the group. The only car that was faster was a Model 3 with suspension mods. For the first couple sessions there was some hesitation to let me pass. Around the third session most of them let me by without a problem. There was a guy in a bro'ed out LE-1 Camaro that was tip toeing around the track like an old lady. Literally doing 25mph in 45mph corners but he would hold me up for 1/4-1/2 lap every time.
Anyway, I wound up with 3-4 clean laps per session. Best time of the day was a 1:51:28 (73mph average). Unfortunately Harry's didn't start my camera for the last two sessions so I don't have video.
I had another great day at Laguna Seca yesterday. They had two Point By groups. I opted for the faster group that had a 1:52 suggested minimum lap time and it worked out well. There were a lot of faster cars in my group but I was only passed or held up by someone a handful of times all day. The car ran great and most of my laps were in the low 1:5X range. I set a new personal best lap at 1:50.21 in the final session. At this point I think I'm running out of tire in the corners. The fronts were in the 150F range and even across the face. The rears are in the 120F range. This set of RS4s have 5 track days and a couple thousand street miles on them. I think if I want to go any faster I'm going to have to go to a faster tire like the NT-01. I'm open to suggestions.
In other news I ditched Harry's Lap Timer and tried out RaceChrono. I didn't seem to have the same problems with the OBDII data dropping in and out like Harry's did. I did have one session where the OBDII never connected to the app though. I figured out that I needed to go the BT menu on my phone and make sure that the GPS and OBDII connected BEFORE I started the app. Then everything worked fine.
I tried out mounting the camera on my helmet too. I think this gives a better feel for where I'm looking and what I'm doing.
I put the street tires, wheels and brake pads back on the car today. I have a couple months until my next track day.
The Hankook RS-4s have 5 track days and a few thousand street miles on them. I’m guessing that I can get 3 more days out of them.
I’m thinking about going to a slightly more aggressive alignment. I’d like -2.5 degrees of camber and .1 toe out all around.
In other news I’m heading to the Porsche Experience Center at the end of the month to spend some track time in a new Cayman S.
It's been a long time but I started 2022 off right with an amazing day on Sunday with my wife, son and nephew at Laguna Seca hosted by Turn8 Racing. The boys were great passengers and added to the fun. Check out the $#!+ eating grin on my nephew's face. I managed to shave over a second off my personal best time 45 minutes way through the hour long session at the end of the day. I wound up chasing a Mk7 Golf R (I thought it was a GTI) for the last 6-7 laps of the hour session. I'd start to catch him then make a mistake, fall back and start again. We were within a dozen car lengths the whole time. It was awesome.
I think it's time for new tires and more camber. What do you guys think? I'm currently at -1.8 and 34PSI HOT F/R.
I've always run -3 front camber on a track alignment
I'm going to try going to -2.5. I think that's all I can get with the camber plates. I also have a set of SuperPro adjustable ball joints that can add another -.6 degrees. I'm not sure I want to run that my camber though since this car is my daily driver.
If it's your daily, I'd leave the alignment where it is. That said, -3 isn't going to tear up the tires anymore than -2.5 will, which is to say both will do quite a bit more than where it is now, although toe seems to rip up tires more than camber does
I'm planning to go with -2.5F / -1.8 R with zero toe F/R. My street tires are Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4's so they should be a little more wear resistant than a 200TW tire.
I bought a set of VWR Racingline springs yesterday. They will lower the car about 1" and should be a little stiffer than stock. That should help control roll in the corners.
I really need a new set of tires before I can track the car again. I was hoping to go again on February 21st. I've been running 235/40/18 Michelin PSAS4s on the street and Hankook 225/40/18 R-S4s on track.
Bad news: Hankook R-S4s are out of stock in any size that would fit my car. I also realized that the 225/40/18 I've been running have a 88W service description. My car is spec'ed for 92XL. I do know quite a few people run them on my car though.
So now I'm looking at the following. Each has it's own set of downsides highlighted in bold:
Nitto NT01 - Size 225/40/18: 39% more expensive than the R-S4. Probably a little faster. 5-6 track days. Everyone I know who has run them like them though. 88W service description.
Yokohama ADVAN A052 - SIZE: 235/40R18: Almost 50% more than the R-S4. Seems like most people are only getting 3 track days out of them.
Falken AZENIS RT660 - SIZE: 225/40ZR18: 15% more expensive. 92W service description. I've seen a few pictures of delaminated tires. That doesn't inspire a lot of confidence.
SIZE: 235/40ZR18: Available. Same price as the 225. 95W service description.
Continental EXTREMECONTACT FORCE - SIZE: 245/35ZR18: 37% more expensive. Slightly wider, slightly smaller diameter. New to the market. Maybe not quite as fast or last as long as the R-S4?
Kumho ECSTA V730 - SIZE: 225/40R18: Slightly cheaper. Quoting the Ultimate tire guide article "nearly as quick as the Falken Azenis RT660 and almost as consistent as the Hankook Ventus R-S4". Anyone here running these yet? It seems like a good fit for my needs.
What say you GRM? WTH do I buy?
In reply to CAinCA :
I've chunked RS-4's like that as well, usually when they get towards the end of their life and I push them a bit too hard for too long.
I'm pretty cheap so I'd try the Kumho's and see how they do.
I *love* Nitto NT01's, they're my "Go To" DE track tire. They're sticky, wear extremely well and give very predictable handling. I've got a set for my 996 Turbo right now. So if it were me, those are the ones I'd buy.
You're not going to run those VWR springs with the stock shocks/struts right? Definitely don't, they'll kill the stock stuff in short order. I like the bilstein B8's, I've got the Bilstein B16 damptronics on my 19 R and they're awesome
docwyte said:I *love* Nitto NT01's, they're my "Go To" DE track tire. They're sticky, wear extremely well and give very predictable handling. I've got a set for my 996 Turbo right now. So if it were me, those are the ones I'd buy.
You're not going to run those VWR springs with the stock shocks/struts right? Definitely don't, they'll kill the stock stuff in short order. I like the bilstein B8's, I've got the Bilstein B16 damptronics on my 19 R and they're awesome
My friends that track prepped e46s love the NT01 too. I was a little worried about the weight rating, but the R-S4s had the same 88w rating and they held up fine.
No, I have Koni Yellow Sport struts on the car.
I went ahead and ordered the NT01s. America's Tire had a 5% discount for creating an account and a 10% military discount on top of that. Done deal.
berkeley! The NT-01s are now on backorder 90+ days.
My track friends have recommended the Nankang AR-1 as a replacement. The price with shipping an heat cycling seems pretty similar to the NT-01s. Phil's has them in stock too.
I've been very curious about those Continentals honestly. Since the RE-71rs are not longer available in the sizes I would run on my E30, I will probably try the Contis next.
The Conti's seem to be a good compromise tire. if they were available in a 225/40/18 or 235/40/18 I would try them. Phil's Tire Service said they run wide and GTI's are known for rubbing so unfortunately I'm going to try something else.
I bit the bullet and bought the Nankang AR-1s.
The car is going into the shop next Wednesday to have the VWR springs and SuperPro adjustable ball joints installed. Yes, I could do both myself, but honestly pulling the struts while sitting on the floor has killed my back every time I've done it. It's worth paying someone else to do the work. I also asked them to go over the front suspension to see if they can figure out where the popping I hear going over potholes is coming from. I'm 99% sure it's the camber plates but maybe there's something I haven't thought of.
I had the springs, ball joints and adjustable end links installed yesterday. The tech and I agreed that we should swap the camber plates side to side to see if the rattle I’ve had would move with the RF camber plate. He called me when he got the car done and told me that not only had it moved but it was worse now. WTH?
On the drive home there was a constant rattle. It didn’t sound like the rattle I had before. After a little investigation I found that the top of the LH end link hadn’t been torqued. 
The front tires were rubbing the fender liners over bumps too so I did the screw mod and a roll and pull on the front fenders.
After I torqued the end link down I took the car for a test drive. ALL of the rattles are gone! The springs feel like they are a better match for the Konis. The car feels taut and and more composed over small bumps but it is hitting the bump stops more often on bigger bumps. It seems better over potholes too.
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