Taking My Skyline To The Track

[shaunzo101]

Hello fellow sau members..im planning on taking my r33 s2 to lakeside raceway at the end of the month. Im just asking what should i do to prepare for this, and what could possibly go wrong? It's circuit racing just best time so it's guna get a bit of a beating. I plan to change my oil a few days before and that's about it. Can i get any advice from people who have taken their r33 to the track before?

Cheers!

[geraus]

Oil Cooler, brakes, Coolant, make sure there all toped up. You coilovers? any suspension? sway bars? ... Is your car stock? you got good tread bro? this that i duno what..

[Moodles2]

Take the numberplate off, get more air on the rad/intercooler. Take the coil cover off, so you dont cook the coils. I recommend a oil catch can or a oil/air seperator. A radiator guide is always nice to divert the escaping air back on the radiator. Half a bottle of Nulon Pro strength octane booster for some engine insurance. Depending on the current state of the brake fluid i would flush it and put new fluid through. Start the day with about 40psi so you can let air out during the day. Oil cooler would be great addition, and some front brake air deflectors as well.

[shaunzo101]

i looked at oil coolers but i cant afford one at the moment but is definitely a future plan. I've never touched the coolant over the year i have owned it and it's never gave me any problems, so i think i'll leave it untouched. My brake pads are good, but the brakes aren't as good as my friend's silvia they are really solid. But still the brakes do pull me up, that and my temperature rising will be my main worries. I have aftermarket suspension of some sort but they aren't coilovers, but they are very stiff. And not sure what the sway bars are but i do know i have a strut brace.

Mods:

fmic

turbo-back exhaust (no aftermarket cat)

strut brace

pod

thats all i can think of..

[vidospace]

Tyres and brakes are the most important things to consider on the track. Engine insurance is important but if you cant stop, or turn, your engine wont matter much as you plow into a barrier at 60...

[badhairdave]

Don't make setup changes. If you haven't been to a track you don't know what your car will do and what needs changing

Do the maintenance items like oil change, flush brake and clutch fluid, flush cooling system and replace coolant, check brake pads.

I would suggest a full synthetic oil as it can protect up to a higher temperature and you have no oil cooler.

Start slow and learn the lines and braking markers/points, then gradually increase your speed.

Have a think between sessions about where you were losing time and go out with a plan, whether it's changing a braking point or a line through a corner or 2.

Let faster people past and follow them to get a better idea of the correct lines.

After the day is done, check the car over, have a think about what it was doing and where it could be improved for next time. I can pretty much guarantee you'll have some form of over or understeer issues (or possibly both) that can be improved for next time. Check your tyres and have a look at how they have worn. It's a pretty easy way to determine if you have enough camber.

[shaunzo101]

im guna look into those radiator guides and brake deflectors and im going to use that octane booster. also i forgot to mention im taking off my front bumper to allow much more airflow to my intercooler and radiator behind it. the brake fluid was changed about 2 or 3 months ago so it's good. that full synthetic oil i think i will purchase that instead of my usual motul 4100 turbolight im sure its not full synthetic.

and i will be running 10psi through my bleed valve (which is only 10psi max. anyway) is this a safe boost configuration?

[Strik3r]

lakeside is a tough track if its your first time racing. QR is a better starting track as its much more forgiving if you make mistakes (long run off areas, big sand traps)

Having said that, if you drive within your (and the cars) limits, no reason why you cant head straight out to lakeside. If your not quite sure about doing all the mechanical stuff yourself, talk to Dan @ Elite Racing Developments about his pre-trackday service. (http://www.erd.com.au). His workshop is located down at Yatala (just south of Beenleigh) so shouldn't be too far for you to go.

[GT-RZ]

If your brakes are squishy then before you go out on a track do yourself and others a favour and get them blead!! check all your brake pads too and ensure all your fluids are up to scratch!!!!

I think common sense prevails here. if you don't have enough money for an oil cooler then you don't have enough money for any upgrades as of yet so just ensure your car is in tip top shape as it is!

Have fun.

[paulr33]

turn the boost down 1-2 PSI

run 100 ron as extra insurance if you can

make sure you have good fuel

check tyres

dont be a stupidhead

drive sensibly

[fatz]

my tip is petrol

you will need it for the day

[MrStabby]

IMO No need to worry about all the suggestions on making the car go faster before your first outing.

1. Flush the brake fluid and replace it with a dot 5.1 or better. If your brake fluid boils you'll push the pedal to the floor but it wont stop the car....

2. Brake pads; you dont know yet whether the ones you have now will be any good. They will perform differently at track temperatures, so you'll have to try them out or get something suited to track work. You might find they get chewed out quickly so keep an eye on then.

3. Oil starvation; On RB26 you fill the oil up to the bottom of the top bump in the dipstick (above the H mark). I think its the same on RB25s

4. Oil Temperature; if you havent got an oil temp gauge you're in the dark. Since you havent got an oil cooler either there is some risk. Good synthentic oil will stand up better under high temps. Maybe only do 6 back to back laps at full tilt.

5. If anything's not quite right dont push through it

[some_cs_student]

As an alternative to dot 5.1 you might want the Motul RBF600 its a Dot4.0 or 4.1 or similar rated to 600 degrees fahrenheit, commonly sold at bike stores...(not that cheap though)

[beehive]

even if u havn't had any probs with the coolant in the last year, its a good idea to change it hey, going hard out on a few laps on a track is alot different to flogging on the street

[shaunzo101]

Yeah i think im going to change the coolant. im not getting the uber expensive stuff but not the cheapest stuff, just long-life will do it i suppose.

i'm going to get an oil temp gauge they are a small investment and i think i will also get a water temp gauge too as it is much more accurate than the one in the dash cluster. My friend's got one in his 180sx and it proved the dash cluster one is not very reliable at displaying the true temp.

I will wind it to 9psi just to be safe as recommended by paulr33. But i don't know how you make it 100 ron? The volume of octane booster used?

My brake pads are bendix brand which ive been told is a very good manufacturer of brake pads and they are a few months old so i should be right with that.

[jutstar]

Lakeside isn't a high horsepower track, its lowspeed, just don't crash like me and about 3 others when I did it. (I only broke the front bar) .

I hear they've re-surfaced it, so have fun.

[doo doo]

im guna look into those radiator guides and brake deflectors and im going to use that octane booster. also i forgot to mention im taking off my front bumper to allow much more airflow to my intercooler and radiator behind it. the brake fluid was changed about 2 or 3 months ago so it's good. that full synthetic oil i think i will purchase that instead of my usual motul 4100 turbolight im sure its not full synthetic.

and i will be running 10psi through my bleed valve (which is only 10psi max. anyway) is this a safe boost configuration?

I'm thinking leave the bumper on as it'll direct more air into the cooler/radiator. With it off it's more likely air will simply go around it. (according to Corky Bell) Ducting and sealing the air passages to the cooler would make it more efficient. I wouldn't do too many laps in a row, bring it in to cool (with a cool down lap) every 3 or 4 (?) laps. My tuner reckons with the resurfacing Lakeside is one of the better tracks in Oz, I'm going to have to check it out sometime soon too...........

[DaGr81]

Bendix have lots of different pads, if you got general cts, they won't survive, if you got the track one they have it will be much better, have you looked at your brake rotors lately? If you do decide on new pads QFM make great ones which suit street and track

What brand and sizes of tyres are you running? What kind of wheels also?

Edited September 4, 2009 by DaGr81

[shaunzo101]

damn i cant remember. I do remember there were cheaper ones and dearer ones and i got the dearer ones. They weren't that expensive only just over 120 i think.

My wheels aren't really desirable for track the are 18's but they got good tread compared to my standards i got with no tread. They are Marshal 235/40/R18

And that does make sense to leave on the front bar as u said doo doo. and just take off the number plate as moodles2 said. I will see one of my mates and see what junk he's got lying around to use as ducting to the intercooler.

If any of you fellas happen to be there that day, come and say hi my car is white with a gt-r spoiler.

Edited September 4, 2009 by shaunzo101

[Guilt-Toy]

i cannot believe no one has given him the most important advice.

make sure you run very good engine oil. Motul 300v chrono is a must for a track day. if you don't chances are you will spin a bearing