Club G40 Forum
Club G40 => General Chat => Topic started by: dub-disaster on July 16, 2013, 02:18:45 pm
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So got my first trackday booked on Saturday.
Anyone got any advise one what to take, what to keep an eye on and what tyre pressures to run?
Also any tips in general. There is also the weather which is set to be a scorcher I will only be takong one set of road tyres with me on the car which will be almost new yoko A539s are these likley to just fall apart. I dont have an oil temp guage but do have a pressure one is there a minimum pressure which would indicate over heating anything else I should watch in the heat??
It will be at castle coomb if any one was wondering.
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take plenty of water to drink!
Tyre pressure is a personal preference thing but you want to be looking at mid 20s really to start with. Then lower or raise as you wish.
Because of the heat you'll need to keep a very careful eye on your engine temp, your tyres will be OK but the car will get hot. Usually you are looking at 20 minute sessions and then you & the car will need a rest. It hot weather this will be lower, you'll know yourself when you've had enough and need a rest.
I don't think there's anything that'll catch you out, it's only a bit of fun don't forget, it's not Le Mans ;)
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Always leave it in gear. Your hand brake will loosen off when your rear brakes cool and likely send it rolling other wise.
Take it easy and build up speed. Get your lines right first before piling on the speed.
Make sure you do a warm up lap or two to get everything up to temp. Short shifting a bit before using all the revs in later laps.
Make sure you do a cool down lap or two to get everything settled before pits.
Don't feel you have to use all the rev range and stress the car. Short shifting by 500rpm most laps would be ok.
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I'd definitely advise a warm up lap or two, remember a very scary last corner incident on cold tyres a few years ago in a friends Alfa! What sort of day is it over at Coombe? Just a general track day or a club thing? Will be over that way and twiddling my thumbs most of Saturday, might come and have a watch.
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All of the above^
Second of all HAVE FUN, drive to around 85% of your limit especially at first to get a feel how the car reacts, driving on track is a total different experience, and make sure you stay cool mentally, dont be baited into tailgating ect, it just causes stress to you and other drivers.
You will love it :)
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- Oil catch tank contents (on track they breathe a lot)
- Tyre wear / pressures, start at 26psi and check when you come off track what they are hot
- Oil temps, I usually stop when I'm at 120'C+ in the sump
- Keeping yourself cool, drive with the window cracked (if they allow) or vents on full blast!
- Half fill the tank MAX, anymore and they have a tendency to empty it onto your rear tyre
After the first session, I'd come back in, check the above and wonder about, they're supposed to be fun!
No on expects you to be quick in a Polo- which can be frustrating, but great fun at the same time ;D
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Thanks for all the information guys, I will ensure I do all of the above, Yoof do you mean half fill the petrol tank yea?
Its a VW Audi day and if any one is in the area come on down there's some other stuff going on few stalls and a show and shine usually I wanted to have a go last year but the car wasn't ready so I thought it would be rude not to !
Really looking forward to it now!! I will hopefully get some pictures and report back on sunday
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Defo get some pics Anthony, there is barely any of your car on the forum, and you've posted more than most!
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Defo get some pics Anthony, there is barely any of your car on the forum, and you've posted more than most!
Got lots of pics on my computer keep meaning to write a build thread but never get round to it maybe oneday !!
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One more thing is a towing eye required as I cant find mine!! Also anyone know what thread they are looks to be m12 but super coarse pitch as ive got a towing eye from a golf I can make an adaptor to fit if I know the thread.
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You'll be told to put one on, not sure if they'd refuse to let you on track for not having one though, it's more so they don't fuck your car up if they have to drag you off the track then anything else as far as I'm aware.
Not sure on the thread pitch but to complicate things more, some polos have a right hand thread and some have a left hand thread, seems fairly random.
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If you don't have one in, and go in the gravel trap, they'll drag you out by any means possible, usually a wheel, although wing mirrors, wipers etc all become fair game. :D
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(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d122/mat138l/7e950297-1.jpg)
Buy one of these, it lets everyone know how race spec you are ;D
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haha... or you could go for the honda look:
(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh44/Keifer1903/VSM%20EK/430639_351146244907880_100000375220971_1127205_1673033451_n.jpg)
Antony, use mine mate. Will pop it round tomorrow evening. Also you wanna use my gopro for video? Also if you really want to i could lend you my pro stepper oil temp gauge.
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you could do but you'd then look like a massive twat :D
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you could do but you'd then look like a massive twat :D
you not feeling the ricerness then paul?
never know it may weigh the back of the polo down abit and add some traction :P
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actually I was replying to yoof's post but you posted yours in the time since I read his reply and posted mine!
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Think ill get a couole of those aluminuim ones shown on the civic and one of the straps and as yoof suggested leaving it on at all times is definantly the way to go .... :D
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I've interviewed someone who had cable tied the tow strap (which they called a toe strap) to the front of their car. Just to make sure it's COMPLETELY useless. ::)
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its all about scene! :P
do you even have stance bro!!!!
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I've interviewed someone who had cable tied the tow strap (which they called a toe strap) to the front of their car. Just to make sure it's COMPLETELY useless. ::)
LOL makes you wonder what goes through some peoples heads!
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Be amazed if you find a gravel trap at Coombe, a crop field maybe.....
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That's true, it's basically grass + tyres :D
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Combe is a fantastic circuit in a Polo. Take it easy @ Quarry corner until you get some heat in the tyres ;)
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Ok so I had three sessions at coomb and what can I say it was amazing fun the car coped fine no problems at all can't wait to do it again. I will make some minor suspension tweaks for next time and I will try and get some negative camber swell and a bit more castor.
One thing I would say is next time I will re torque my wheel bolts after each session as I pulled of from the last session I noticed a knocking noise later found out it was all front wheel bolts had come completely undone :S
My driving needs some work but I wasn't expending to be amazing from the get go. There was a couple of dodgy over takes by others mainly by people driving mk2 golf championship on corners which put me off. All in all excellent day defiantly better than a day at the pod in my opinion!
(http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv92/antywill666/VWAUDI200713637_zpsaac44973.jpg) (http://s673.photobucket.com/user/antywill666/media/VWAUDI200713637_zpsaac44973.jpg.html)
(http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv92/antywill666/VWAUDI200713627_zps5ef3a65a.jpg) (http://s673.photobucket.com/user/antywill666/media/VWAUDI200713627_zps5ef3a65a.jpg.html)
(http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv92/antywill666/VWAUDI200713626_zps03c78a18.jpg) (http://s673.photobucket.com/user/antywill666/media/VWAUDI200713626_zps03c78a18.jpg.html)
(http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv92/antywill666/VWAUDI200713591_zps4e1fa1af.jpg) (http://s673.photobucket.com/user/antywill666/media/VWAUDI200713591_zps4e1fa1af.jpg.html)
(http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv92/antywill666/VWAUDI200713559_zpsde5ad38e.jpg) (http://s673.photobucket.com/user/antywill666/media/VWAUDI200713559_zpsde5ad38e.jpg.html)
(http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv92/antywill666/VWAUDI200713137_zps44b483a0.jpg) (http://s673.photobucket.com/user/antywill666/media/VWAUDI200713137_zps44b483a0.jpg.html)
(http://i673.photobucket.com/albums/vv92/antywill666/VWAUDI200713116_zpsb851aa67.jpg) (http://s673.photobucket.com/user/antywill666/media/VWAUDI200713116_zpsb851aa67.jpg.html)
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Awesome photos!! Love the top one :)
whats the spec of your car? Looks some serious cornering!
i reckon more negative camber the outside wheel on one of those photos is so banked over its inverted to positive camber lol
Cant wait to track day mine
thanks for the photos
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Steve Millo's old car! Great to see it's still about. Got loads of old pics of this if you want them.
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Cool piks mate. Loving the white on white theme looks cool
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Wicked pictures, looks a lot of fun too!.. your door handles look quite smart, they off an audi?
how did the polo stack up against the other sort of cars there? or did you just cruise around at your own pace?
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nice pictures! Cool how the same old cars keep popping up again.
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I have steve milo to thank for the audi handles I do realy like them. I have done alot to the car since I bought it pretty much rebuolt the whole thing and replaced most bits with go faster items. The diff really helped me on the track as did the subframe and the stiffer springs in my coilovers overall handled realy well.
It was quick but not as quick as some of the mk2 boys that new the track and where running slicks. I managed to keep a nissan 350z at bay and hax a tussle with an audi coupe not sure what motor he was running though.
As for old cars popping up I agree nice to see they dont just get scrapped or strilled this one has just been reinvented I made it for weekend fun and track/drag days and its does that well although it is a compramise as is as any car you use on track and road.
My next things to do would bit of paint some suspension and geometry revisions some sticky tyres followed closley by some more abuse !!
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Looks great dude, nice to see some photos of the motor after all the threads about it!
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And you need to get the TCA's fitted!
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And you need to get the TCA's fitted!
I know I'm lazy though!!
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Its not that hard....... :D
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Did you record any of your lap times?