2010 XFR at Laguna Seca - should I or shouldn't I ?
#1
2010 XFR at Laguna Seca - should I or shouldn't I ?
Ok have the opportunity to track my stock XFR at Laguna Seca. Car has ~65k on it, good tires and newish brakes. I plan on selling the car in Oct. / Nov. have never tracked it. Anyway was wondering if this is a bad idea, i.e. car will take a beating and may break something? Car is a bit heavy compared to all the Miata's that will be out there. So anyone tracked their XFR on a road course like Laguna Seca - how did it go? How did car perform? Did car take a beating? etc. any info appreciated. Thanks.
#3
#4
don't forget to push DSC in for one second - this will allow for more slippage but not total reckless abandon.
i had chace to do 3 laps at watkins glen - a similar road course in upstate NY - and i found myself massaging my smile muscles in my face around the end of lap 2. it will be fun!!
#6
#8
The beating your car will take will be directly related to how hard you drive it.
I've taken my XFR to The Streets of Willow here in SoCal and it was a great time though I did drive my car rather hard. At the end of the day, the following things needed attention:
New tires all the way around. The tires were brand new upon arriving at the track and were completely shredded by day end.
New brake pads all the way around. Discs needed to be refinished.
Front drivers side shock absorber started leaking from a seal and needed to be replaced.
Front lower control arm bushing tore and leaked.
Many new rock chips in the hood, fenders, windshield, and mirror covers.
At one point in the day, I had a message saying "E-Diff Not Available" but a quick cycle of the ignition cleared the message.
Again, I drove my car rather hard but it has been many miles since my last track day and after replacing the aforementioned parts, the car does not drive any differently than before the track day. Though I will say to be careful if you decide to chase down a car...rock chips from track days can be brutal in terms of the size of the chips and the sheer amount you receive from following too closely.
I've taken my XFR to The Streets of Willow here in SoCal and it was a great time though I did drive my car rather hard. At the end of the day, the following things needed attention:
New tires all the way around. The tires were brand new upon arriving at the track and were completely shredded by day end.
New brake pads all the way around. Discs needed to be refinished.
Front drivers side shock absorber started leaking from a seal and needed to be replaced.
Front lower control arm bushing tore and leaked.
Many new rock chips in the hood, fenders, windshield, and mirror covers.
At one point in the day, I had a message saying "E-Diff Not Available" but a quick cycle of the ignition cleared the message.
Again, I drove my car rather hard but it has been many miles since my last track day and after replacing the aforementioned parts, the car does not drive any differently than before the track day. Though I will say to be careful if you decide to chase down a car...rock chips from track days can be brutal in terms of the size of the chips and the sheer amount you receive from following too closely.
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Jeff Murray (04-11-2021)
#11
#12
#13
The beating your car will take will be directly related to how hard you drive it.
I've taken my XFR to The Streets of Willow here in SoCal and it was a great time though I did drive my car rather hard. At the end of the day, the following things needed attention:
New tires all the way around. The tires were brand new upon arriving at the track and were completely shredded by day end.
New brake pads all the way around. Discs needed to be refinished.
Front drivers side shock absorber started leaking from a seal and needed to be replaced.
Front lower control arm bushing tore and leaked.
Many new rock chips in the hood, fenders, windshield, and mirror covers.
At one point in the day, I had a message saying "E-Diff Not Available" but a quick cycle of the ignition cleared the message.
Again, I drove my car rather hard but it has been many miles since my last track day and after replacing the aforementioned parts, the car does not drive any differently than before the track day. Though I will say to be careful if you decide to chase down a car...rock chips from track days can be brutal in terms of the size of the chips and the sheer amount you receive from following too closely.
I've taken my XFR to The Streets of Willow here in SoCal and it was a great time though I did drive my car rather hard. At the end of the day, the following things needed attention:
New tires all the way around. The tires were brand new upon arriving at the track and were completely shredded by day end.
New brake pads all the way around. Discs needed to be refinished.
Front drivers side shock absorber started leaking from a seal and needed to be replaced.
Front lower control arm bushing tore and leaked.
Many new rock chips in the hood, fenders, windshield, and mirror covers.
At one point in the day, I had a message saying "E-Diff Not Available" but a quick cycle of the ignition cleared the message.
Again, I drove my car rather hard but it has been many miles since my last track day and after replacing the aforementioned parts, the car does not drive any differently than before the track day. Though I will say to be careful if you decide to chase down a car...rock chips from track days can be brutal in terms of the size of the chips and the sheer amount you receive from following too closely.
#14
I raced full blown racing cars for decades. That was after crashing two expensive street cars at the tracks, one at Turn 9 Laguna Seca. I would NEVER take a street car on the track again. They are not built for that and when damaged, they loose a lot of their values. They also tend to be embarrassingly slower than low powered cars (Miatas, RX-7s) that are set up for the tracks.
#15
#16
check your pads before hand, make sure they are not too old because you are about to shorten the hell out of their lives.
Your brakes are going to be taking a lot more heat with less time to cool, our are ceramic so they are resistant to heat soak, you dont have slotted rotors so you brakes may feel spongy after they get real hot from the out gassing of the brake material.
(nice to have): top up the steering fluid or have a flush done, same with the brake fluid.
wash the tires and scrub the side walls but put NO shine or "wet" treatment on them, if you get onto the sidewall you WILL slide out.
Dynamic mode is a must, sports mode if you feel like it.
Your brakes are going to be taking a lot more heat with less time to cool, our are ceramic so they are resistant to heat soak, you dont have slotted rotors so you brakes may feel spongy after they get real hot from the out gassing of the brake material.
(nice to have): top up the steering fluid or have a flush done, same with the brake fluid.
wash the tires and scrub the side walls but put NO shine or "wet" treatment on them, if you get onto the sidewall you WILL slide out.
Dynamic mode is a must, sports mode if you feel like it.
#17
I actually replaced rotors and pads, so I do have drilled and slotted hardened rotors and EBC Redstuff Ceramic pads. All are quite new and in good shape. So hopefully these will help with braking. Good call on wheel dressing - will not do that. I will put in Trac mode. I did do the R driving school at Las Vegas speedway many years ago and the stock brakes held up really well. Hoping my new set up holds up even better.
#18
What got me in trouble in both instances were my competitiveness. Trying to turn in the Fast Time Of The Day! At Turn 9 I held off with braking too long and spun off the course damaging my Lamborghini.
At Sears Point, Turn 7, I was a few hundreds of a second from the Fast Time and trying to regain it. Coming out of the hairpin I gradually applied power, just a hair too much, and spun into the right guard rails.
No street car is truly set up for track driving. Street cars have to have a minimum degree of ride comfort that the racing suspension setup does not provide. Which is why those pesky little Miatas, RX-7s with their 130-some Hp and harsh racing suspensions will outlap Turbo Porsches and Ferraris.
#20
Example: For many years I used to race GT-2 and GT-3 classes where my car weighted 2100 lbs and had 245 rear wheel hp. There was an old, ex pro Trans Am race car with a big block Ford with 803 rear wheel hp BUT, weighted 4300 lbs. He always blew me away at the start but, if I wanted to be super aggressive I outbraked him into the first corner but, in the second corner, for sure. By lap 10 I lapped the car because his tires could not hold up to the weights.