I want better handling

[908ssp]

Driving instruction ....then tires all the suspension mods in the world won't do half of what a good set of tires will do.

 

[Sleeper_08]

My comment "It is not cheap but money spent on seat time will probably produce a much bigger improvement in your driving than money spent on hardware, unless maybe you bought a GT3 RS" got the expected reaction.

I'm not the best driver by far but have managed to pass my share of Porsches, Ferraris, Vipers, a GT40 and numerous Bimmers.

I've also have had various other well driven but less expensive cars blow past me, including a Ford Lightening truck on Hoosiers!

What your comments all reinforce is that unless someone is an absolute natural talent then the best investment they can make to lower their lap times is to get good instruction and lots of seat time.

OP - it is also important to remember that it not the person who is fastest at any single point on the track that matters - it is the one with the lowest lap times.

 

[JesseW.]

what all these guys said^^^^^ and you can do better than the frpp suspension kit for the money.

http://www.stranoparts.com/searchbymodel.php?ModelID=5
and CALL HIM, don't order online. he can't provide tips and suggestions online

 

[argonaut]

To the OP - you live about 40 minutes from one of the nicest race tracks in the country - Road Atlanta. Opportunity is knocking.

Its really pretty easy to attend an HPDE. You can look up the Road Atlanta website and they have a calendar of events. A variety of organizations rent the track and then stage HPDEs, including the aforementioned NASA & SCCA as well as BMW clubs, Porsche Clubs, etc (yes they welcome all makes). Then there are the non-club organizations that organize events, such as Chin Motorsports and MVP Tracktime (the both have websites you can look up). All of them offer one-on-one insruction and frequently the same instructors work for all the clubs.

As mentioned - track time is expensive. But as Philo elegantly points out - its worth far more than the equivalent $ spent on hardware. A large percentage of enthusiasts who do a track day or two become hooked, it is incredibly fun - an adrenaline fueled, sphincter clentching roller coaster ride...20-30 minutes straight and doing that 4-5 times per day. If $ are a concern and if you don't believe that its really worth the money than NASA offers what they call a "Hyperdrive". Its basically a way to dip your toe in the fun without spending much cash. For $50 or so you get one 20-30 min on track session with an instructor. A helmet is about all you need and you can usually borrow or rent one of those.

Just do it! Come back after about 5 or so track days, then ask your hardware questions. You will have a whole different perspective on what it means to be a "good" driver.

 

[pcdrj]

I wish I had this advise when I was starting out. It would have saved me a great deal of money and I would be faster now as well.

 

[13726548]

In addition to upgrading the brake fluid to DOT 4 you will need better brake pads than stock for any serious track work.

I've already done the DOT4 swap. I'm running the store bought Valvoline DOT4 stuff. Are all DOT4s pretty much created equally?

What kind of springs do you have? FYI, most "lowering springs" are junk. They lower your car without an adequate increase in spring rate, causing your suspension to bottom out when cornering.

The stock springs are better than a lot of the cheaper lowering springs out there.

I agree. I wish my springs were linear rate instead of progressive. I'm on the FRPP K springs, which are supposed to be the ones used on the Shelby GT. What springs would you recommend?

A note on financials: NASA annual membership is $35, IIRC, and a weekend registration is around $300 or so, depending on the track. I don't know what the SCCA scheduling is like, but with NASA you'll get between four and five sessions a day, at 20+ minutes each, with an instructor as part of the package. That's close enough to three hours of one-on-one instruction, plus classroom time. That's pretty high value, when it boils down. Some tracks offer one-on-one instructors on a private basis starting at $900 per day. Yes, Autocross is cheaper in a bottom-line analysis, but on a per-hour basis, not so much. A handful of 40-second single runs does not give you the same learning opportunity as multiple laps back-to-back.

A friend of mine is an employee at Road Atlanta, which is about 40 minutes away from me like another member just mentioned. He said they offer "PDX" sessions through SCCA, and each session costs $100 which gives me 40 minutes of seat time with an instructor. I'd say that's a good deal, if I can find a way to avoid the $85 membership fee. I emailed the region administrator about "weekend passes," so we'll see.
I'd say another advantage of track time is I'll get the 100+mph experience and instructor critique, whereas in autocross I won't be leaving 2nd gear. Autox events in my area are composed of parking lot runs.

 

[Sleeper_08]

13726548 - Most of the people here seem to use Motul or ATE DOT 4 fluid.

The main thing with any DOT 4 fluid is to completely replace it on a regular basis. I do mine once a year. Depending on how hard you use the car and the rest of your set up you might want to bleed the brakes more frequently.

The reason is that DOT 4 fluid absorbs water faster than regular fluid and the more water in it the lower the boiling point. You don't want to experience what happens when your brake fluid boils. It has never happened to me but last year a fellow Mustang owner had it happen to him when braking from 100+ for a corner. Fortunately he got the speed down with the hand brake and down shifting so that it was a "mild" off track excursion.

Be careful - this hobby is habit forming. Last year I ran 10 track days!

 

[Pumpkinfish]

...The main thing with any DOT 4 fluid is to completely replace it on a regular basis....The reason is that DOT 4 fluid absorbs water faster than regular fluid and the more water in it the lower the boiling point...

To add on to this, do not open a bottle of DOT4, top off the resevoir then use it next year!