Went to my first track day this weekend

"Decay buys too many beaters" (decay) 10/07/2013 at 15:08 • Filed to: Track day, FR-S

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And it was absolutely awesome! I had been meaning to get my FR-S out on a track ever since I got it, but work and other commitments kept getting in the way. Well, this weekend the stars finally aligned and I found myself with a free day that happened to coincide with a track day at Portland International Raceway. The weather forecast for the weekend was not looking great with a 40% chance of rain, but I decided to take a chance and hope the outlook improved.

Having never been to a track day before, I was obviously a little worried. I spent much of the night before changing my brake fluid, trying to memorize the track, and watching PIR lap videos on youtube.

When I arrived the track was covered in a thick fog which was apparently (according the a course worker) even worse around turns 4 and 5, but there was no real sign of rain. The day was divided up into 6 runs for each of 3 skill levels. The first run of the day was the advanced group so myself and a few other Toyobaru owners headed up to the stands to watch them start out. Standout cars in that group included two GT-Rs (one was Hennessy tuned), a track prepped Legacy GT wagon, a supercharged Miata, and a Ford GT. The first few laps were to be run under yellow so everybody could get a feel for the track conditions. Seconds (and I do mean seconds) after the last car got onto the track the red flags came out, then after a few minutes everyone returned to the pits. Turns out (and it pains me to say it) the Ford GT took turn 3 too hard and and ended up in the wall. the driver was fine, but I heard the car was pretty badly damaged.

The intermediate group then had a go and I went to my car to perform some final checks. I found an advanced driver (the Legacy wagon pilot) to ride along and give me some instruction. The voice over the PA then called the novice group to pre-grid, and I lined up with 4 other FR-S/BRZs in a novice group of about 12 cars.

The event staff were being especially cautious after the mornings incident, so most of the first session was carried out under a yellow flag. This was great for me on the first few laps because it gave me a chance to learn the course from something that wasn't a computer screen. My instructor was incredibly helpful in pointing out braking zones, turn in points, as well as the locations of the turn workers.

The second run allowed me to open up the car a lot more and had the car up around 106mph on the back straight consistently. Then near the end of the run, I started feeling some pretty scary vibrations coming trough the front tires so I pulled off into the pits lifted the front of my car and gave it a once over. Finding nothing wrong, and being unable to recreate the issue in the parking lot, I decided to go out for the third morning run. Again, as soon as I got to turn 1 I felt some vibrations coming trough the front end. Being confident in the inspection I'd done, I decided to say out a few laps and learn some more about the issue before pulling back into the pits.

There was then a break for lunch, and following the advice of a few more experienced people in the pit area, I decided to take off my wheels and give the tires close inspection. The advice was right on the money, as I found a huge deposit of tar stuck near the inside edge to my front left tire. I scraped it off rotated my tires and proceeded to get ready for the longer afternoon sessions.

The car then functioned flawlessly for the remaining 3 runs of the day. The first two runs of the afternoon session went off without a hitch, although I have a panic moment when a Ford GT40 (must have been a bad day for GT owners) went off front of me in turn 7. The last novice run of the day only had 5 cars, with 4 of them being Toyobarus. One of our group had to retire before the final run due to some backfiring issues, but he determined that the likely cause was fuel starvation.

In the end, I had a blast. I learned a lot more about my car, met some really cool people, and decided that the FR-S could use a bit more grip. All of the track workers were really enthusiastic about seeing a group of FR-S hitting the track all day and we had tons of people come over with questions (the most common was "what's the difference between the scion and the subaru?")

I'll definitely be going back a lot next summer.

TL/DR: Track days are fun mmmkay?

Z_Stig > Decay buys too many beaters 10/07/2013 at 15:10

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You have the bug now!

YSI-what can brown do for you > Decay buys too many beaters 10/07/2013 at 16:09

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What did you have to do to get to run on the track? Oil cooler, brakes, oils, fluids?
I want to take mine out but I don't want it to die on the track.

quarterlifecrisis > Decay buys too many beaters 10/07/2013 at 16:18

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I went to my first track day back in June at Putnam Park outside Indy. Ended up in the rain, which taught a LOT about running a smooth line, and ended up being the fastest car in the damp. The interesting thing about this was that I followed a BR-Z around the track most of the time because he ran a great line, and after having been the first car during the first session, it was a lot nicer to follow someone. Unfortunately...for now at least...my car is a lot faster than I am, which makes the learning curve a little steep.

Went to the ALMS race at VIR on Saturday, that didn't do much to help me not want to go back in a hurry.

whaden > Decay buys too many beaters 10/07/2013 at 16:44

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Congrats...it's a slippery slope now.

If you haven't already, invest in a good torque wrench. (Like craftsman - not harbor freight) and a good tire pressure gauge.

Then look for groups, like SCCA or NASA that provide instructors for the full weekend. You'll learn so much more than just a few pointers. As you progress there's always something to learn.

twinturbobmw > Decay buys too many beaters 10/07/2013 at 19:10

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Did that GT happen to be blue with white stripes?

Decay buys too many beaters > twinturbobmw 10/07/2013 at 19:13

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There was a blue GT40 with white stripes that went off in the 4th run around turn 7, then retired in the next run due to unrelated mechanical issues.

The GT that hit the wall was silver with white stripes.

Decay buys too many beaters > quarterlifecrisis 10/07/2013 at 19:15

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Yeah, for now my FR-S is certainly outperforming me and will probably do so for some time.

Decay buys too many beaters > YSI-what can brown do for you 10/07/2013 at 19:26

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I wanted to do oil cooler, but did not have the time (decided to do the track day on a whim 48 hours prior to the event) to implement it. I figured there are plenty of cars being run hard without oil coolers and I have yet to hear of an oil temperature related failure. It's still on my to do list (one guy who was there logged an oil temp of around 255 after the 5th run) but running it a few times should be fine.

I spent the night before changing my brake fluid and the car already had track pads when I bought it. One guy there with a brz was running a totally stock brake setup and was fine until late into the 5th run, when he started to get some fade.

I topped off on coolant as mine was one of the ones with the initial dissapearing coolant issue, but aside from that I left all the fluids stock (oil had been changed within 1000 miles of the track day). I plan to change the trans and diff oil over the winter.

The only other modifications I did was the clutch pedal adjustment (lowered the engagement point way down), and I added a brake master cylinder brace (which makes a huge difference)

YSI-what can brown do for you > Decay buys too many beaters 10/07/2013 at 21:06

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This is very good. I am planning on changing the pads on my brakes soonish, along with the oil in my transmission cause it sounds kind of crunchy. Good to hear that with a few mods the car can be used on the track! Now I can't wait til next year.

Decay buys too many beaters > YSI-what can brown do for you 10/07/2013 at 21:26

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And this was pretty much a marathon session as well. Most track days I've seen have 3-4 runs, this one had 6 runs. We had 5 toyobarus there and no one had any mechanical difficulty. The fuel starvation thing I mentioned one guy having was due to him not filling up his tank all the way in order to save weight.

No one had an oil cooler, and some of then have been to 4-5 track days. Like I said, still on my short list of mods, but not essential right now.

YSI-what can brown do for you > Decay buys too many beaters 10/07/2013 at 22:24

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Okay, so a full tank of gas is good. I usually go to autocross with 1/2 tank or less. Don't want to much gas sloshing around. You think a catch can would be a good idea? Also, why is a master cylinder brace helpful?

Decay buys too many beaters > YSI-what can brown do for you 10/07/2013 at 22:52

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Well, he was playing chicken with the empty line, but its a good idea to go to a track day with a full tank. You WILL burn through at least one tank (I topped off halfway through).

The master cylinder brace is a really useful add on for people who drive particularly hard. Basically, the firewall in the car is pretty thin (because lightweight). The master cylinder can flex the firewall under heavy braking, it almost feels like there is a little air in the lines all the time. What the master cylinder brace does is couple the strut tower to the master cylinder to prevent any flexing. I felt an immediate and noticeable improvement.

Decay buys too many beaters > YSI-what can brown do for you 10/07/2013 at 22:53

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You mean an oil catch can? No idea, mine did not seem to lose any oil.

YSI-what can brown do for you > Decay buys too many beaters 10/07/2013 at 23:42

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Funny you speak of that. I felt that exact feeling on a twisty road last week. I made sure to check the brakes, I guess it wasn't a problem in the brakes at all. Now I need to spend some money on that. I hate you for suggesting this.

Decay buys too many beaters > YSI-what can brown do for you 10/08/2013 at 00:03

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Only $60 for the Motive Autowerks one (the one I have)

It takes 10 minutes to install and uses pre-existing holes

YSI-what can brown do for you > Decay buys too many beaters 10/08/2013 at 00:08

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You have once again regained my trust. 60 bucks seems like a fair price for something really useful.

Decay buys too many beaters > YSI-what can brown do for you 10/08/2013 at 00:23

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You will certainly feel a difference. If you consider performance increase with respect to simplicity and cost, it is the best mod I've done.

graham > Decay buys too many beaters 10/08/2013 at 14:12

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I'd suggest joining your local BMWCCA (no BMW needed) and sign up for a few 2-day HPDE classes. The combination of classroom instruction and having an experienced instructor in the passenger seat the entire time will be a huge learning bonus compared to a typical "open" track day. You'll also have a much lower chance of someone else shunting you into the wall...

willkinton247 > Decay buys too many beaters 10/08/2013 at 14:23

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Am I strange in that I really want to see a picture of the track prepped Legacy wagon?

BeaterGT > willkinton247 10/08/2013 at 14:26

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You can find a bunch on the legacygt site

Decay buys too many beaters > graham 10/08/2013 at 14:29

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I'll look into it, I definitely learned a lot more when I had an experienced driver with me.

Decay buys too many beaters > willkinton247 10/08/2013 at 14:39

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Looked like a pretty standard Legacy, but the interior was stripped out, there was a hidden boost gauge in the center console (I think he said he was running 19 psi!). There was also little metal tab bolted on the left side of the accelerator to aid in heel toe downshifting.

Here is is harassing a corvette

There are a bunch of event photos here

Damasconian > Decay buys too many beaters 10/08/2013 at 14:43

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I cant wait to do one myself. Im curious as to the price of a day like that. Not counting gas/maintenance, what did the track charge for this experience?

Thanks in advance.

Raul > YSI-what can brown do for you 10/08/2013 at 14:51

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Brake fluid, brake pads, helmet. That is literally ALL you need. The need for an oil cooler will come much later when you're pushing the car harder. The car's oil system is large enough to keep it cool enough. I run my FR-S at the track now in the Solo group and with ATE Type 100 brake fluid, German Castrol 5W-30 and Project Mu Club Racer pads I have not run into heat issues at all running the car pretty hard at Sebring in the summer. The key to keeping your brakes cool is not to ride them. Don't slam on the brakes, but be smooth and swift getting on and off the brakes, the less time you spend braking, the less heat you're generating. Braking early and extending your braking zone will heat up your brakes too much. If you want to brake early for safety, get all your braking done way before your turn in point to maximize airflow to your rotors.

Decay buys too many beaters > Damasconian 10/08/2013 at 14:53

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Cost for the day was $195 for 6 sessions (about 2 hours total of track time). Most track days I've seen around me seem to hover around the $200 range, but usually have slightly less track time (usually they have about 4 sessions).

Of course there is also fuel, brake pads, and a helmet (I did not have a Snell rated one) costs, but the cost of admission is pretty reasonable.

UKPDXWRX > Decay buys too many beaters 10/08/2013 at 15:16

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Ahhh PIR, I've done 6x days around there on a motorcycle. It's a fast track. You haven't lived till you've hugged the wall on the back straight (which is really one giant RH turn) at 125 hanging off a bike and had the back wheel get airborne braking into T1 from 170.

That being said I want to get my car around there sometime too. It's just hard for me to justify the expense though when the bikes faster, more challenging, and cheaper to run.

The biggest problem especially with PIR is brakes. I cook the brakes on my bike - the brakes on my non STI WRX would 100% burst into flames at anything above sighting pace. How did the brakes on the FR-S stand up?

pfftballer > Decay buys too many beaters 10/08/2013 at 15:18

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Did you run the stock tires? The stockers on my FR-S are not track-worthy but would be fun to drift to death. Any brake fade? How much did this experience set you back?

graham > Decay buys too many beaters 10/08/2013 at 15:23

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And I'm not saying that regular track days aren't fun or useful...as your experience demonstrates they definitely can be (great write-up btw), but I found the more structured HPDE events helped me more.

Decay buys too many beaters > UKPDXWRX 10/08/2013 at 15:24

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Woah, 170? Is that with or without the chicane? The thing that scared (in a good way) me the most was seeing just how fast I could come off the back straight in to turn 10-11.

I'd love to try a bike around the course, but my 550lb bruiser of a motorcycle isn't exactly "track material"

Decay buys too many beaters > pfftballer 10/08/2013 at 15:30

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Yes I ran the stock tires, the guys on stickier rubber were running circles around me.

No brake fade, but I was on Project Mu pads and changed out to DOT 4 brake fluid the day before. I also installed a master cylinder brace which stiffened up pedal feel quite a bit.

Cost of admission was $195 for about 2 hours of track time, I burned through about 1.2 tanks of fuel, and had to purchase a helmet at around $160 (but that is a one time expense)

UKPDXWRX > Decay buys too many beaters 10/08/2013 at 15:38

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Without - I've run it both ways and it's more fun for me with it (more turns = more knee dragging!)

That's on a 600cc bike though (and we're talking 170 indicated, probably slower in reality.) The 1000cc race-prepped bikes hit ~160 with the chicane which is bananas.

What kind of bike do you ride?

Here's a little footage of me running w/ the extra turns:

UKPDXWRX > Decay buys too many beaters 10/08/2013 at 15:38

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Without - I've run it both ways and it's more fun for me with it (more turns = more knee dragging.)

That's on a 600cc bike though (and we're talking 170 indicated, probably slower in reality.) The 1000cc race-prepped bikes hit ~160 with the chicane which is bananas.

What kind of bike do you ride?

Here's a little footage of me running w/ the extra turns:

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Decay buys too many beaters 10/08/2013 at 15:39

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I had a sad.

And then another.

GT into the wall, and then a GT40 off-track?!

Glad you had fun - can't wait until my next time out.

Decay buys too many beaters > graham 10/08/2013 at 15:45

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Yeah, one of my runs was with an instructor from CSCC (they also run some local HPDEs), he was extremely helpful.

Decay buys too many beaters > UKPDXWRX 10/08/2013 at 15:57

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I ride a 1982 Yamaha XV750.

And nice video! I guess bikes are small enough that you can safely go wheel to wheel in the corners? For cars, they had a strict no passing except in the straights policy.

Decay buys too many beaters > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 10/08/2013 at 16:01

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The GT40 was fine, I imagine just a bit of grass and dirt in the wheel wells. He was able to get back on track and continue the run.

Damasconian > Decay buys too many beaters 10/08/2013 at 16:37

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Great info, thanks for the details. I guess its about what I expected, but its still not a cheap day out. On the other hand, not sure you could have more fun for $200 doing anything else for guys/gals like us. Heck, I spent $60 for an electric kart day with some buddies and its not even comparable. 2 races, 10 minutes each, $30/pop.

Keep these posts up!