How do i set my car up for a track day?

Im here to ask some more stupid questions everyone.

I have a trackday booked at Croft on Saturday the 3rd of september. Its not my first trackday but is is on my current setup. Was wondering if anybody had any pointers on how to set my car?

I have

standard 17" wheels with standard tyre sizes, Pirelli p-zero nero fronts and bridgestone potenza RE050 rears

What tyre pressures should i be running with for best grip?

Tein Super street suspension (adjustable height and dampening) with front and rear strut braces,

Whats my best setting? Do i lower them as far as i can and go really hard for the track?

RLTC,

If i can get it set up properly should i leave it off or just have it on 10%

Will putting the removable baffle in my exhaust effect the cars performance? I dont think im going to pass the noise limit as it is? 105db at 45 degrees with 3/4 throttle.

I think thats all for the min, I understand people will have different opinions but some pointers would be nice

Firstly, put plenty of petrol in Im sure the car will be too much for you to handle in standard form anyway - unless you're some secret race car driver Just go enjoy it

You could stiffen the suspension for a flat track, but it may cause handling issues.. dunno best let someone know how a car should handle test it for ya Stick with stock tyre pressures, maybe a little lower on the rears, much not much, otherwise you'll compromise the handling around the corners and for braking.

Cheers Bobbeh,

got plenty of petrol planned what would you say were standard pressures, ( i dont normally run on those wheels) about 36psi?

Like i say its not my first track day but i want my car to be at its best for it, i really dont know how my car will react if i adjust it. I suppose my best way is just to mess around a bit as the day goes on and make small alterations with the suspension to see how it reacts

Also if anyone knows, i have dot 4 brake fluid will it be ok? do i want 5.1 in?

Also if anyone knows, i have dot 4 brake fluid will it be ok? do i want 5.1 in?

Have you got J-spec brakes?

You'll need more than 5.1

Gaz.

With Jap Brakes you will need a miracle

Trust me I smoke mine regulary and Im on UK brakes !

 

Trust me I smoke mine regulary and Im on UK brakes !

They could've used your disks to cook the burgers on at Bovingdon!

lol, im on uk fronts and jap rears

lol, im on uk fronts and jap rears

Thats better

I'd get Goodridge stainless lines fitted and Motul 5.1 in there, will help a lot!

Are you on stock discs and pads? You'll kill those after a few hard laps.

Gaz.

Get ya burgers here !!!

Jap rears with UK fronts isn't ideal. You don't really gain too much with that setup, ask Chris Wilson he'll regale you the subject. If you have the time and money have your front camber setup to about -1 with a 5 degree caster and 0 toe and rear -1.5 toe in 1mm. That is mr lance w off mkiv.coms reccomendations. I'll verify that my car handled amazingly better with better turn in and more responsive steering and inspired big confidence than it does now. Downside you'll go through front tyres in less than 7000 miles so for daily use unless you have a bottomless wallet isnt great.

Trust me I smoke mine regulary and Im on UK brakes !

Is this around the 'track' they had or during the short acceleration bursts on the mini drag strip there?

I've been to Germany around the Ring twice and have had no 'smoking brakes'.. so if you took it on a propper track as this guy sounds like he might, I dont think he'll have any issues as they'll probably be cooled more as he goes around.

I have read all the stories about brakes and i understand from what mr wilson has said in the past that you get a bad bias with uk fronts and jap rears. I do plan on getting some in the future.

I have Goodridge stainless lines fitted front and rear with mobil dot 4 fluid. I have brembo drilled and grooved disks front and rear with Chris Wilsons race pads. Im hoping they will hold up quite well for me. The track itself hasnt got too many bad corners and there are some good size straights for the brakes to cool off (or so i think)

Dangerous brain, i dont think ill be doing the cambers for the moment but i have heard a few people say now it makes a good difference.

I think the best thing i can do is just see how it all goes on the day, knowing me ill be piled up on my first lap anyway so none of this will matter

I cant wait for the day to come to get a chance to really push the car and see what it will do. The last one i did was last year and i hadnt had the car long, i wasnt to familiar with how it drove and suffered on the day :thumbdown , however im hoping this one will go much better

Personally I would go for slightly higher than normal tyre pressure by a few psi. It will stiffen up the sidewall, which helps reduce overheating and blistering from the tread blocks and sidewall moving around. You might not have quite as good grip over 1 lap, but they'll be better over several, and you should get less wear too.

Well I think I may be able to answer your questions as I've done countless trackdays over the past number of years.... first of all if you have adjustable suspension don't set everything to hard. Take a soft setting first of all and then realise the limits of your car with that setup. If you're getting quite a lot of understeer then stiffen up the front and also the rear but not as much.... say if you take five turns of stiffness onto the front then put only 2 turns onto the rear.

If your getting too much oversteer (mid corner) then soften up the rear a bit (relative to the front). But also soften the front but not as much as the rear.

Suspension and the way it effects the car's balance is a front/rear relativity thing. It requires a lot of trial and error to get it right on any particular car.

I don't think you can predict accurately on any vehicle what it is going to do and what settings you need until you know the car's weight distribution, the tyre compound, the track conditions, the power delivery etc. etc. the list goes on.

As for tyre pressure, these are euqally as important to suspension settings. This is a case of monitoring your tyre wear throughout the day. I usually set off with higher than stock pressures. I have my fronts at 38psi and my rears at 36psi.

If you notice the outside tread wearing out faster than the middle then put a couple more psi into them. If you notice the middle tread wearing out fast than the rest then take a couple psi out of your tyres.

Also remember to take any uneccessary weight out of your car. If you have a mate who can bring a 'support' vehicle along to store your spare tyre and any other things like wheel brace etc. that would be a good idea.

A full tank of fuel should see you through the day.

Also remember that if you don't have a 2nd set of alloys/tread to drive home in then you'll have to leave enough tread so that the depth is more then 2mm.

Best thing to remember is to set off slow and build up speed. Croft is an excellent circuit and should suit the Supra well. Remember to give it plenty of power through the long 3rd right-hander before the straight down into Tower corner.