Taking my G70 to the track

[ephone1]

That sounds like a blast! Are the event organizers taking photos?

Not the event organizers, but there's a pro taking pics for sure. He was stationed in a prime spot, and took pics of everyone who went by - every lap. I'm going to buy a pic or two for sure. My wife got some pics with her iPhone, but you really need a zoom lens for a good shot.

 

[Husky]

That's awesome, glad it went well for you! Nice report, thanks.

 

[ephone1]

I got five 20 minute sessions in today. I took it easy on the last one, there were only about 10 cars on the track. However, there is section called the carousel, which is my favorite corner, since it's steeply banked and tight. I alway floor it about 1/2 way through. Well on my last run through it, I power oversteered. It didn't even feel like the back was out much. I thought, "no problem", so I corrected it. Then it oversteered in the opposite direction - way more this time. If you froze time and asked me how I was doing, I would have said great! I got this. Simple correction. Well, as I corrected, I spun out. Fortunately, there was no one behind me, and I stayed on the track. The flag station saw it happen, but I was back in motion so fast, they didn't even flag a yellow. I was a bit freaked out by it because I didn't expect it happen there.

I'm going to do another event at Grattan in three weeks. I'll have my exhaust on by then, and new rims and tires.

 

[Slip_Angle]

Your making me envious! Sounds like so much fun and the G70 does well. What cars would you compare to on track?

 

[ephone1]

Your making me envious! Sounds like so much fun and the G70 does well. What cars would you compare to on track?

The Cadillac ATS-V. It's similar size and weight, but has 100 more horsepower. There were at least 4 on the track today. One the guys I befriended ran his with only track pads and tires. It must come pretty with a pretty stout suspension from the factory.

 

[ephone1]

On thing I forgot to mention, the side bolsters held me in place perfectly. When I was at BMW M School, my biggest grip was the seats in all the M cars did not hold me in place, and I spent way to much time bracing myself with me legs.

 

[dareckibmw]

....However, there is section called the carousel, which is my favorite corner.....

Are you referring to the Road America race track in Plymouth Wisconsin? they have one, called carousel aka turn 9 and it's my favorite spot to take pictures while am there. for any events.

 

[ephone1]

Are you referring to the Road America race track in Plymouth Wisconsin? they have one, called carousel aka turn 9 and it's my favorite spot to take pictures while am there. for any events.

No, this is at Grattan, near Grand Rapids MI. Here's a pic of the carousel.

 

[dareckibmw]

No, this is at Grattan, near Grand Rapids MI. Here's a pic of the carousel.

Ah, ok....in that case, you're out of luck. Otherwise, you'd have have some good high res. photos from me, lol

 

[ephone1]

As much as I'll bitch about the OEM Michelin P4's on the track, they held up remarkably well despite the abuse I put them through. I thought they would be chunked out after 2 days at the track, but they still have a fair amount of life left in them. I'm still going to replace them before the next event, but they didn't fail me - and I thought they would. And to be clear, I understand they're not a track tire, and if I was never going to track my car again, I wouldn't hesitate buy them again.

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[Husky]

I got five 20 minute sessions in today. I took it easy on the last one, there were only about 10 cars on the track. However, there is section called the carousel, which is my favorite corner, since it's steeply banked and tight. I alway floor it about 1/2 way through. Well on my last run through it, I power oversteered. It didn't even feel like the back was out much. I thought, "no problem", so I corrected it. Then it oversteered in the opposite direction - way more this time. If you froze time and asked me how I was doing, I would have said great! I got this. Simple correction. Well, as I corrected, I spun out. Fortunately, there was no one behind me, and I stayed on the track. The flag station saw it happen, but I was back in motion so fast, they didn't even flag a yellow. I was a bit freaked out by it because I didn't expect it happen there.

I'm going to do another event at Grattan in three weeks. I'll have my exhaust on by then, and new rims and tires.

Whew! Glad you didn't hit anything when you spun. Things can go bad quickly on the track, ruins your whole day! Glad it turned out ok. It's good to know how your car and tires react in these extreme situations.
I too am curious to know how the G70 compared to other cars that were there (of course, the driver skill is a huge factor, so that makes it tough to compare).
Sounds like a great couple of days!

 

[Slip_Angle]

The Cadillac ATS-V. It's similar size and weight, but has 100 more horsepower. There were at least 4 on the track today. One the guys I befriended ran his with only track pads and tires. It must come pretty with a pretty stout suspension from the factory.

The ATS-V is an excellent handling car, so that is really impressive. I had a regular ATS 3.6 and it was pretty good as well. Whst spots were you faster and where were they faster?

 

[Aquineas]

On thing I forgot to mention, the side bolsters held me in place perfectly. When I was at BMW M School, my biggest grip was the seats in all the M cars did not hold me in place, and I spent way to much time bracing myself with me legs.

I am sure I'm not the only one that feels a slight bit of disappointment when I switch out of sport mode and those seats "let you go".

 

[ephone1]

The ATS-V is an excellent handling car, so that is really impressive. I had a regular ATS 3.6 and it was pretty good as well. Whst spots were you faster and where were they faster?

All the guys in ATS-V's were in more advanced classes than me. I don't think there is any point where I would be faster than one. They weigh about the same, and I'm betting that with equal tires (and sway bars on the Genesis), they would be matched in the corners. On the straights, the ATS-V would have a big advantage.

Grattan is a very technical course, and guys with Miata's and Volkswagen GTI's do very well there. The lightness of those cars is rewarded on that type of track.

 

[Slip_Angle]

All the guys in ATS-V's were in more advanced classes than me. I don't think there is any point where I would be faster than one. They weigh about the same, and I'm betting that with equal tires (and sway bars on the Genesis), they would be matched in the corners. On the straights, the ATS-V would have a big advantage.

Grattan is a very technical course, and guys with Miata's and Volkswagen GTI's do very well there. The lightness of those cars is rewarded on that type of track.

Makes sense. I the ATS-V is a bit lighter and more powerful. Competes with M3's. Glad you had a great time and the G was fun on course!

 

[ephone1]

I just finished another weekend at Grattan. I came this time with Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R tires upsized to 235/40 R19 and 265/35 R19 on Momo Rims that are about 8 pounds lighter than OEM. I also have Girodisk 2-piece rotors on the front. These tires were much more track friendly that the OEM tires I used three weeks ago, and I enjoyed driving on them much more. That said, this tire setup pushes the OEM suspension beyond it's limits. I have Eibach Front/Rear sway bars and a Mando controller, but stock springs.

There's a couple parts of the track that are high speed with curves, where the car compresses to the side as you accelerate through them. It's a bit unnerving because the weight transfer is building as you accelerate, and the tires griping hard, but you don't get a sense of their limits like other parts of the track. Saturday evening, I set my front sway bars to hard, and it did help, but reality is, the car needs to be lowered by a good inch to get the center of gravity down, and it needs firmer springs - probably firmer than anything offered by the aftermarket, outside of coilovers. I would really prefer using the OEM shocks with firmer springs, because the adjustability of the shocks is amazing. There was a lot of debate on the Stinger forum as to whether or not they adjust for just compression or rebound due to there only being one electrical control, but after reading Mando's unique shock patent and playing around with the settings, it clearly is both - which is something you can only get on K&W coilovers.

I have a lot of video to download and render in Harry's Lap Timer. I'm glad I have the equipment to record, but there's a lot of tech setup before each session. Everything has to be properly connected and checked before you start, so I would start prepping 15 minutes before my session. My best time was 1:39. The guy next to me had a custom Porsche Cayman S, with a full cage, dedicated track tires, and 12 years of experience. He was the fastest guy there today, and he was doing about 1:23 on an older set of tires. It's amazing how fast the top group gets around that track.

 

[Slip_Angle]

I just finished another weekend at Grattan. I came this time with Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R tires upsized to 235/40 R19 and 265/35 R19 on Momo Rims that are about 8 pounds lighter than OEM. I also have Girodisk 2-piece rotors on the front. These tires were much more track friendly that the OEM tires I used three weeks ago, and I enjoyed driving on them much more. That said, this tire setup pushes the OEM suspension beyond it's limits. I have Eibach Front/Rear sway bars and a Mando controller, but stock springs.

There's a couple parts of the track that are high speed with curves, where the car compresses to the side as you accelerate through them. It's a bit unnerving because the weight transfer is building as you accelerate, and the tires griping hard, but you don't get a sense of their limits like other parts of the track. Saturday evening, I set my front sway bars to hard, and it did help, but reality is, the car needs to be lowered by a good inch to get the center of gravity down, and it needs firmer springs - probably firmer than anything offered by the aftermarket, outside of coilovers. I would really prefer using the OEM shocks with firmer springs, because the adjustability of the shocks is amazing. There was a lot of debate on the Stinger forum as to whether or not they adjust for just compression or rebound due to there only being one electrical control, but after reading Mando's unique shock patent and playing around with the settings, it clearly is both - which is something you can only get on K&W coilovers.

I have a lot of video to download and render in Harry's Lap Timer. I'm glad I have the equipment to record, but there's a lot of tech setup before each session. Everything has to be properly connected and checked before you start, so I would start prepping 15 minutes before my session. My best time was 1:39. The guy next to me had a custom Porsche Cayman S, with a full cage, dedicated track tires, and 12 years of experience. He was the fastest guy there today, and he was doing about 1:23 on an older set of tires. It's amazing how fast the top group gets around that track.

That's awesome. What kind of cars were comparable to your time?

 

[Husky]

Wow, that sounds great. You have an awesome tire/wheel/rotor setup! Must have made a big difference.
I can imagine that at this point you really would benefit from stiffer, lower springs.
It sounds like you're doing really well, and the car is hanging in there.
Thanks for the update, keep it coming.

 

[ephone1]

That's awesome. What kind of cars were comparable to your time?

No one tracks time except the drivers, so I really don't know. Time-wise, people are all over the place. To put it in perspective, there were cars that I lapped. but they really weren't setup for the track, and they were probably new drivers. As an aside, there were several open-wheel mini-F1 style cars at the track, and I would have thought they would be the fastest, but they weren't.

 

[CVODON]

Be careful posting on Forums your trips to a Track Day. I know most of the major insurance companies, including the one I retired from, have a dedicated department researching individuals daily, both specific and randomly. You will have a hard time with rates if you are found to be a participant in an organzied activity such as this.
The IT guys/girls in this department are excellent at there jobs and know how to find names, compare vehicles being talked about and will note your file. You won't know until you get the "letter" and then go to another company who will have access to this information and also use it against you. Big Brother is Watching.