Track Days at Pocono
 

Just came back from a weekend at Pocono with two days on the track. Was really pleased with how the SVX handled. Thanks to everyone for the advice on putting the tranmission in 2 and letting it do its thing. We were on the north infield course, and I was hitting just a little over 100 at the end of the speedway section where you turn into the infield. The transmission reliably shifted from 2nd up to 3rd at about 6400 rpm, or just a little over 80 mph. Stayed in 2nd the entire rest of the course. Cant say enough good things about how the old girl handled. The Eibachs really made a difference, almost no lean, very forgiving. The back started to come around a couple of times when I screwed up a turn, went in too hot, and was still braking when I started to turn in, but it came around very slowly, really easy to catch and all it required was some throttle to straighten it out. Really like the sound of those BFG G-Forces screaming in a fast turn with the hammer down. I spent a lot of time in one session hard on the heels of an NSX (with another novice driver), and another session parked in the back seat of an MR2. He had just about as much oomph as did I on the straightaway, so I couldn't get around him, but I could stay with him through the twisty bits, and in some places, really needed him to get out of my way. Big thrill was passing a Porsche RSR that was being driven by a real novice, who couldn't handle the power. Anyway, it was a great thrill for my first track experience, and the SVX had a lot to do with it. Very well-mannered car, no nasty tendencies, forgiving, very communicative, a real confidence builder, and if I break it completely, I'm out less than $10k, rather than the $50-100K that some people have tied up in their cars. Will certainly go back again and again.

One disappointment. I couldn't go out on my last session, because I had some wetness in my left front wheel well. It was coolant. checked and I was down about a half pint or so. Seemed to be coming out near the bottom radiator hose. Was worried it might let loose before I drove the 100 miles back to Princeton, but when I got home, everything was dry. Figure the old hoses have stiffenend up and may be leaking around the hose clamps when the engine is pulling high rpms and the water pump has a high flow and the pressure to push it around. Will have all the hoses checked before I go out again next spring. Anybody else had this problem?

Pictures later this week :D :D :D

Looking forward to them!! :cool:

-Chike

P.S. Nice race report btw... :)

Glad to hear you had a great time at the track. I did that two years ago in a time trial with EMRA on the South loop at Pococno. The fastest I hit was 80. What group was this with?

Yes I've had that problem...it seems to come from the overflow tank.

We have the same thing with our race car. No clue where it is coming from sorry to say. It'll drip down the center of the engine after she cools though.

Couple questions for you Shotgun...

I was looking over the mods in your sig:

"94 LS-i Emerald Pearl, 84,000, Smallcar shift kit; ECUTune Stage 2 v4; Green Air Filter; Flowmaster SS cat, resonator, and Bullet muffler; Race Concepts drilled and slotted rotors, semi-metallic pads and SS brake lines; Summit Racing transmission cooler; Phenolic spacers; Rota Boost 17x8; 245/40-17 BFG g-Force T/A KDW-2; Koni inserts with Ground Control coilovers; Urethane Swaybar Bushings; Dayle's inlet B pipe, insulated."

Seems like you've upgraded your car quite a bit. Have you ever taken it to a drag strip to know what it'll do in a straight line? Have you noticed any major differences following the installation of the Stage 2v4?

Also, how long were each of your on track sessions? Did you notice any brake fade with the drilled/slotted rotors and SS brake lines?

Have you gotten any rubbing with the 17x8" Rota Boosts and 245 sized rubber?

-Chike

Chike:
To answer your questions one by one.
1. Never had it on a drag strip.
2. The butt dyno says that there was a big difference when I put in the Stage 1v4 chip. The engine is much more responsive to pedal input, especially in the mid-range. I can't say I noticed much difference between the Stage 1 and the Stage 2 chips. I'm hoping to identify some mods that will take advantage of the higher airflow capacity of the 300ZX MAF with the Stage 2 chip.
3. The track sessions were 25 minutes, maybe 12 to 13 laps. I didn't notice any brake fade at all. I was standing on the pedal at the end of the straight. The second day, I was getting a lot bolder with brake input on other corners, but still no fade. I noticed as I was driving home Sunday that pedal travel was a little long. Might have worn pads down a lot. Getting Axxis Ultimates for the front and Metal masters for the rear.
4. No rubbing on the tires, ever. Not even close. Great tires. I think the car is "over-tired", which is good for a novice driver. Makes it very hard to break loose completely. The 245/40-17 tires have almost the same diameter as the stock 225/50-16 stock tires.

On the coolant leak, it wasn't coming out of the overflow tank. We first saw wetness in the left front wheel well, none on the right. Then, looking under the hood, there was wetness on the frame under the battery and just behind the radiator hose connector to the engine.

SVX Commuter:

I was there with PDA, Performance Driving Association. Good group, pretty laid back. They have a website, www.pdadrivingschool.com

Shotgun,

Sounds like your car is set-up for some serious track duty. :cool: I plan on getting the 17x8" Rota Torques with 245/40/17 high performance rubber. With the mods I'll be doing in the next couple of months, I'll need my car to be "over-tired"! :p

I wouldn't be surprised if your brake pads are seriously worn down. Most drivers who track their cars typically go to the track with an extra set of pads. It's actually quite impressive yours lasted two days of hard driving...

-Chike

Wait...wait...just...a...minute...WHAT??????

I live less than 4 miles from the Pocono Raceway, right off Long Pond Road, IN LONG POND.

You...you can run cars on the track? I just moved here, so I'm learning all of the rules and stuff. Talk to me, Goose.

The Goat:

Yes, you can run on the track. Probably any weekend there's not a race, some group or other rents the track for track days. Performance Driving Association seems to have Pocono as their home track. They probably run four or five weekends there a year, but they are done there for this year. Just Lime Rock and the Glen left on their schedule:

http://www.pdadrivingschool.com

Cost per day is about $220. That gets you 4 sessions on the track at about 25 minutes each. If you are a newbie to performance driving, as am I, they will put an instructor in your car. I had an instructor all four sessions last Saturday, but they were short on instructors Sunday, and they let me run alone. You really need the instructor your first few times on the track. If you've never been on a track before, you have no idea how different driving at speed is from street driving.

To drive, you'll need a Snell 2000 rated helmet, and you should take your car to the shop with the Tech inspection list, to save time at the track, and to prevent the unpleasant surprise of their finding something and barring you from going out. They bounced me Sunday afternoon for a coolant leak that came up that afternoon. Last thing they want is someone dripping on the track and cutting into track time while they fix it.

I wouldn't drive there with stock SVX brakes. They are not good enough. You'll warp the rotors right away. Similarly, I would not recommend stock SVX springs. You would really wallow through some of the tighter turns. All that said, it is fantastic fun and I can't wait till next spring.

Chike:

I need to know about those mods you plan. I'm wondering how I'm going to exploit the increased volumetric capacity of the 300ZX MAF and the Stage 2v4 chip. I dont want to go forced induction, so I was thinking about porting and polishing. Maybe slipping the cam timing as someone suggested in the Stage2v4 thread. Guess if I can get more air through it, I'll need more fuel. Once again, from the Stage2v4 thread, sounds like injector change-out is more compatible with the chip than a higher pressure FPR. Like to know what you're thinking about

I'll reveal my next mods in the coming months. I just don't want to talk about upgrades when they haven't gone into my car yet. I'll say this, I've owned turbo-charged and s/c vehicles before, and I only want n/a upgrades for my SVX. :-)

My goal? 270+hp.

-Chike

P.S. Btw, you got it backwards. With the Stage 2v4 chip & Z32 MAF, you can upgrade your fuel pressure and fuel pump - however, the chip was tuned ONLY for the stock injectors. Maybe LAN will eventually offer a Stage 2v5 tuned for the 370cc injectors from a Q45/300ZX TT.

Stock brakes are just fine! I'd say we're stopping around 145-150ft from 70 with absolutely no fade and our ancient rotors aren't warped in the least. You just need to have it go on a diet!!! :D Would love to join ya up there but they have a funny rule that the instructor needs the same protection as the driver and I'm not about to by a 6 point harness and racing seat for a few track days. Besides, by spring we'll have a bar where the pass. seat is supposed to be.

So this was just a driving school right not a time trial/track event?

If it was timed what kinda laps were you turning?

Benebob:

I can see how cutting 900 lbs from your SVX would make the stock brakes work fine.

The event I was at wasn't timed. But, I was regularly passing a guy who was timed by his buddy at 1:23 around the 1.35 mile north infield course at Pocono. So, I would guess I was doing maybe 1:20, maybe 1:22 laps when I was in good form, more when I screwed up.