Looking for some feedback from others that have tracked or taken High Performance Driving courses.

I took a course this weekend outside of Atlanta. It consisted of Class time, Wet Skidpad, Autocourse, Threshold Braking, then in the afternoon 4 20 minute sessions on the race track. The first session is a ride along with the instructor then follow the leader. The last three were solo with the instructor watching from the tower and providing feed back after each session.

After the follow the leader session, when we pitted, I noticed some very faint smoke coming out of the driver side hood louver. I opened the hood it looked like it was coming from an area in the red box in the picture. At first I thought it may have been the brakes but there was a strong rubber smell, like a cable cover or hose was melted.

The instructor came over and thought the same thing and had me take the car to a small mechanic center they have on track. they looked it over and did not see any fluid leaks and by that time the smoke had dissipated. they thought it may it may be some rubber kicked up onto the braking system or manifold that was smoldering, or it was burning off of residues on the engine from the factory since the car only has about 6.5K miles on it. During this time no engine warnings were ever triggered.

At this point we had taken the engine cover off. They advised let it cool down and to give it another try in the next session but not pushed as hard. Which I did in session 2 and got the odor again so dropped into the mechanic area again for them to get a firsthand look. This time there was the smell but no smoke and they all agreed it seems to be burning off engine residue.

So I do the last two sessions and the smell is still there in session 3 but not as strong. In session 4 I didn't notice it at all.

This is the first time the car has ever been pushed this hard and it was an extremely hot day in Atlanta.

I would like to know have any of you noticed anything like this to first time you did a track day or HPD class?

Thanks for reading thru this and for any input you folks can provide.

PS
I drove the car home have after the class and did not notice anything out of the ordinary. It was about 130 miles mostly interstate.



Robbie

 

-How many miles on the car?
-V6/V8?
-When did you take delivery?

 

The car was around 6.5K Miles at the time of the HPDE class. It is a 2016 V6 S AWD. I took delivery of it in late February, 2017. This was a leftover car the dealer had on their lot and was ready to move it when I bought it from them.

 

Sounds like it may be an oil leak, perhaps off the supercharger.

 

I recommend taking engine cover off on the track as it helps keeping engine temperature down.

As to smoking in the pits, did you let parking brake auto-engage? If so, that likely what was smoking. I always take cool-down lap and leave it in neutral when in the pits.

 

Bingo. Pads clamped on molten rotors.

edit - not sure that explains the smell

 

If you haven't yet, take it to a dealer or mechanic to have a look. It could be something minor, but I seriously doubt it was your brakes smoking. I would wager it was something burning off which could have just been from assembly (sometimes people don't get their cars warm enough just driving on public streets).

As for the smell, that's a little harder... It could have been normal "track brake smell" or it could have been something else. That is hard to diagnose without having been at the track with you.

FWIW, I've tracked my F-type before and I know others who have theirs many times without issue (no smoking or anything).

 

Thanks everyone. The had an onsite team of mechanics that work on race spec Miata's that they race at this facility. Had a group of about 5 of them look at the car. we never put it on a lift but they did have lights and were looking down in the engine bay and could never identify any type of leak.


The second time I brought it over to them they all seemed to think it was burning off assembly oils/protectants. Mahjik, you almost quoted them verbatim. With me having only about 6500 miles and mostly doing daily commuter driving I would not have got the engine up to temperatures I was running during the 20 minute track sessions.


I did take the cover off after that first session and it has not been on the car since. In fact it is on a shelf in my garage.


A appreciate ya'lls feedback so please keep it coming. I am thinking about taking this tracks, Track Day Trainer course. I thoroughly enjoyed this and the car did fantastic other than what I described above. I will say this was one of the better braking cars on the track.


As I stated no warnings were every kicked up and the temperature stayed rock steady in the middle of the gauge. Checked oil level when I got home and again this morning and it states it is ok and seems to be at the same level.


Robbie

 

Tell us more about your day, did the Jaguar feel good on the tracK, how did you like the event?

Regarding the smoke, it meant something was burning. It is near the oil fill so it could have been some previously leaked oil that finally burned off when you super heated the engine pushing it hard. If it was a hose, or rubber, there will be visual evidence. Or, 1 of 1,000 other things too.

But, not likely the emergency brake as it has an auto feature to unclamp if rotors are too hot. Nevertheless, good advice to never use your e-brake after coming into the pits because the rotors could be crazy hot. Also, I like to let my engine run for a a little while even after I stop to insure steady rate of cooling.

 

The day started with the wet skidpad and Ice Hill. This was geared to correcting and controlling over steer. We first went around with instructor in to watch and have him talk through key points. Then we each went through with our personal car with the instructor in the passenger seat. We started off in the Jag and that did not go to well from the instructors perspective. This is all done with the traction control completely turned off. Since I have the AWD I could snap the gas to get the backend to break and start coming around then the computer would shift traction to the front and I would have very little effort needed to control the skid. so we switched to his RWD BMW and then that was a different animal. It seemed I was spending more time doing doughnuts than controlling the over steer, but by the end of the session I seemed to have a good handle on it.


The second item of the day was doing a tight autocross course. this was meant to teach you looking through the curve and expanding your vision further and further down the course. Here the Jag did ok but the tightness of the course, for me, made the car feel large. In this session the two Subaru's looked to be the tool of choice. Don't get me wrong the car braked strong and accelerated great, ran the whole course in 2nd gear in sport mode. It was just in the two quick chicanes where you would feel the weight of the car.


Third was threshold hold breaking. First three runs was accelerating to 50 then getting on the breaks to induce the ABS. Then the remainder of the runs were breaking such that you get just to the point of ABS wanting to start but did not. Here to me is where she shined. This car seemingly stops on a dime and had did not notice any fading in the brakes during the course of the day.


Next were the track sessions. Here I thought the car handled very well. This course is 1.7 miles and has 16 turns with 2 being tight slow speed turns where you are scrubbing off a good bit of speed before turn-in. This track is actually private and is a membership only course. I was taking the course as I have some interest in joining and was using this to see if it is something I would really like to do.


I completely enjoyed the class and feel I learned some things but know there is still a lot more that I could learn. After doing this, I will say I was not prepared for the amount of effort that goes into driving at a high level (at least for me probably not so much for others) and the stress you are putting on the car. So this will take some getting used to. I could see me doing some track days but probably no more than once every couple of months, but who knows the more I do it the more I may want to do.


Right now I have to convince myself I have not done any damage to the car and gain confidence that the car will hold up. After all this is a daily driver for me and do so love it.


I would be interested to know what some of you have done to prepare your car for the track. I have the F-Type tack day flyer but do you do just that or is there other things you would recommend to do.


Thinks for all the replies and I would like to learn form the knowledge and experience for others who have already traveled this path.


Robbie

 

As a side note, I was running new Pilot 4s tires. I was really pleased with them. the instructor came and looked at the tires after track sessions 3 and 4 and was really pleased with the way they looked and how sticky they felt. I may should have lowered the PSI a little more that than the 36PSI I set them at but they held up very well.

 

Sounds like you had a great day. As you describe the instruction and the sequence of the "learning" it was spot on for track work.
I throw in a caution for you....it is wonderfully addictive....but then, what a terrific addiction.
Alan
ps: you won't harm the car ( assuming you stay on the track

 

Thanks for the detailed report Robbie. I can tell you that you are learning correctly. A class like that gives focuses on building skills that you will need when tracking and doing it correctly right from the start is a HUGE advantage that many of us who started did not have. I am still looking for some skid pad time!

And, yes, even experienced drivers are 100% exhausted after running - it is the most focus your eyes, muscles, and mind will have ever done.

Regarding confidence in the car - what I did was to seek out a competent tech. I visited the service department of several Jag dealers and asked if any techs were into tracking. These are car guys and inevitably you will find one that is passionate about the sport. He is your guy. Then, I bring the car into the dealership and pay to do a pre-track tech inspection. Each time I have him do specific pre-track items which for me include; closely inspect the tires, torque the lugs, bleed the brakes, and change the oil every other visit. I tell him time is no issue, take your time and look at everything. They particularly like not having to flat rate the work order. This becomes you crew chief. My guy takes it seriously as he wants me to be safe and succeed.

I get it - the smoke would have me thinking whats wrong too.

The one thing that got me past worrying about the car was taking a hot lap with a race driver driving my car. Once you witness what the car is capable of, and know that you are not anywhere near those limits, you will get over it quick. In my case, first day of owning a Porsche GT4, a racer took me around Nurburgring at 7:45 which is insanely fast. He said he was taking it easy as it was his first time in a GT4 HA!

Find your Crew Chief, find your Racer, and enjoy the learning process.

 

One of the most fun things I'd ever done in my '99 FRC Corvette was take it to a HPDE (High Performance Driver Education) event with the local Porsche club at Summit Point Raceway. We had classroom time to discuss vehicle dynamics and then track time with an instructor in the car. What was different from your experience is that we didn't spend any time on a skidpad or autocross.

Driving in this environment is extremely exhausting, both physically and mentally. I slept like a baby each night.

Tech inspection is critical to safe enjoyment of the sport. Agree with the recommendations above on finding someone to help with that. For the event I participated it tech inspection was required to run with the group and we all brought our cars to a local Porsche dealer garage and used their bays to cover the club tech inspection check list.

At the end of the first day I was very pleased with the capability of the Z51 equipped Corvette and thought I'd ever reach the cars potential. By the end of day three I was already pushing the car past its limits; brake fade, more body roll than I liked and realizing the standard seatbelt was useless in keeping me and my passenger in place. By the end of the event I had already mentally spent money on better pads, sway bars and racing harnesses.

I rode with one of the instructors in his purpose built 944 track car and that was insane compared to the speeds/cornering I was doing in my Vette.

The F-Type is a much more capable car than my old Vette, I'm sure there's much more room for you to grow into it. That event was the best time I ever had in that car.

 

The first time I tracked mine, I ended up with bits of rubber stuck all over the car (mostly inside the wheels) from other's track tires. I could see a bit of rubber getting into the engine compartment. Hopefully, it's something like that.

 

I just picked up my near zero mileage Convertible 2016 R late June and have been looking into a track day with SCCA at Summit Point or Dominion Raceway. Then I started reading about rocks, rubber, lights cracked, since I don't have that inevitable first scratch I got cold feet. For those that have done it, did you tape/wrap? Also, track insurance seems to be about $525 per day with a SCCA discount and about $250 for the PDX (Performance Driving eXperience). I'm sure I'd love it but hate to spend a bunch of money then be mad at myself for trashing my car. Thoughts? The DC Region SCCA chapters website pictures had some nice cars on their track day though so maybe at the novice level it is not so extreme. I like the idea of learning what the car can really do and being a better driver at speed plus getting to go at speed without seeing blue lights would be great!

 

I'm sure each of us has a different comfort level with driving our car. Some park at the rear of any parking lot, some don't drive in the rain, on gravel etc.
I have not experienced a SCCA PDX but have PCA/BMW/Alfa .....the odds of a "crash" are all but non existent given the instruction and "point to pass" or restricted passing depending on run group.
If a car has dropped a wheel off the track, gone off the track there has always been a clean up before the session was revived....not a big likelihood of stone chips.
About the only thing that regularly occurs I'd bits of rubber and so rubber "spots" on the front end, windshield...easily removed with spray wax/cleaner....
Goes back to comfort level.....I have gone to every HPDE event I could and throughly enjoyed every one. I have seen a very few crunched cars, if your car is mechanically sound the only thing to worry about is a lapse in your skill...

 

Yeah, LT I get it - she is a new car and the possibility of damage is real. But, you can mitigate it. I recommend you have Expel protective wrap installed - which will help with possible chips. Also, you can start at the back of the pack and give the other cars a bunch of room before rolling out on the track.

For those of us who are already infected with the need for speed, it is really not a choice. Like a drug addict, we pay what it costs and that includes going through tires, brakes, oil changes, entry fees, and track day insurance.

Perhaps a good idea would be to hunt around for a rental race car and lap with someone else's car until you feel comfortable to let the cat out of the gage.

 

I have a wrap on the front half of the car to minimize scratches/dings from debris. It also helped with the cleanup of the rubber bits that Awd mentioned.


I am already looking forward to the next time I can get her on a track and let the cat run free.

 

I regularly track and daily drive the car. Here is what you want to do differently due to track use:

1. Upgrade tires to MPSS or MP4S, stock tires are garbage in track use. After installing Michelin tires you will immediately regret not doing it sooner.

2. Half your service interval for everything. I have under 20K kms on my car, and already I am on forth oil change, changed my gearbox fluid, changed brake fluid. I also did intake cleaning (chemical), as blow-by at WOT is more likely. Alternative to intake cleaning is to install oil catch can.

3. Get clear film bra installed on front end and behind doors. Rubber chunks on the track have a small chance of pitting your paint when you drive fast. Most of the time you can wash them off, especially if you have good coat of wax... but not always.

Last but not least, don't talk to the dealer about track use. They could use it to try to deny any warranty. Unless you have a dealership full of ex-racers, then they will take extra care of you, because they get it.