Going to a track this weekend, looking for tips/advice

So there's a driving school and open track 2 day event i'm heading to this weekend. I'm a noob at this, so is there any advice from people that have done some go-fast on a track in their GT?

Off the top of my head:

It's usually hard to shift into first, is it just a matter of rev-matching better? Anyone mess with tire pressure? Any problems encountered while on the track?

rev-matching while shifting into first? what do you mean...

rev-matching while shifting into first? what do you mean...

 

i think hes talking about blipping the throttle to increase rpm when he down shifts into first

you probably won't need 1st gear once you are running

 

talk to your instructor about tire pressures...he'll make a recommendation based upon the conditions

i think hes talking about blipping the throttle to increase rpm when he down shifts into first

 

 

Yes, matching engine speed for the gear to wheel speed.

I was playing with it a little while ago, and when the engine speed is right, it pops right into 1st. I guess it will depend on the track whether I need 1st much.

you need to drive smooth out on the track

Check your oil a lot. Bring a lot of oil. Subaruys burn massive amounts on the track. Seriously, bring 3 quarts.

Check your wheel lug torque after every session

Raise your tire pressure a bit

You won't ever need 1st after starting.

Focus on your line before shifting.

If you get sideways, the legacy is extremely easy to control if you don't panic. You will go sideways at least once in the rain. Calm countersteer, don't lift throttle (if you lifted a bit befoire, give it a bit more).

Change your brake fluid.

If you can source some track pads by then, do it. I like carbotech XP10s. I'm 99% sure they ahve some in stock if you call tommorow. You may ahve to pay extra for shipping.

If you can't get track pads, watch your brakes. And bring a back up set of pads.

An AWD car doesn't handl like a RWD car. For example, compared to an RX-8 you cannot enter a corner as fast. However, you can get on the power much much sooner.

Check your mirrors and wave people buy.

. . . . evne if it is some douchebag in his mom's station wagon

Smooth. . . .

Late apex.

Brake in a straight line. For now.

Good tires.

Brakes are the most important part of the car.

Listen to your instructor.

Don't expect to be a driving god. I've done a number of these even and I still suck. I suck less, but that is besides the point.

It is easier to get faster than to get slower.

Don't ******* tailgate

. . .especially if the car in front of you is bedding brakes

sunscreen

cash

know where the nearest off-site fuel is

The legacy guzzles fuel on the track. I see 6 mpg average.

Fillup at 1/4 tank. On straights under WOT you will get fuel starvation before the ga slight comes on. This is very bad.

If you have oil temp/oil pressure/boost guages, watch them in the straights. (Get some gauges if you plan on tracking more often)

Don't use your e-brake after finsihing a session

Let your car cool down a bit before turning it off

The lap after the checker should ideally be done with no-brake, or at least as little brake as possible.

Pay attention to flags and passing rules.

Better to drive slower and drive your car home then drive balls out and have your car come home on a flat bed.

Rain is ******* sweet and forces you to be a better drive.

Learn how to control and use your lift-throttle oversteer. In the understeering legacy is is very useful. It can also **** you over if you don't know what to do.

It is better to go off straight on than try to save it and possibly go off sideways.

Slow the **** down for yellow flags.

Truely inspect the hell out of your car. Pay special attention to brakes, tires, and suspension. If you don't really know cars, have a mechanic do it. Tell them why. The track is seriously hard on your car and will create failures that just wouldn't have happened on the street.

I still can't heel-toe the legacy. The pedal arrangement sucks.

DO NOT SPEED ANYWHERE NEAR THE TRACK The cops know you're there. Also, the speed limit will feel really really slow when coming off the track. Drive much slower than you think is safe after leaving.

If you have to drive more than say 3 hours to the track, get a hotel room for the night after.

 

Have fun!

Don't use your e-brake after finsihing a session

 

Why's that?

 

Good luck and have fun Coupon!

Here's some info from a couple posts I've made in the past:

 

Don't focus on speed, focus on smoothness. If you never upset the balance of the car with sudden steering, braking or acceleration inputs then you aren't wasting time and energy fighting a vehicle that's not 100% under your control. Concentrate on hitting all your marks: braking, turn in, apex, exit. Slow down some if necessary to accomplish a smooth flowing execution.

 

If you just can't seem to get a particular corner right even with the instructor's guidance, try having a different instructor ride along for the next session to get another viewpoint. Sometimes what works for one person and their vehicle is totally wrong for how you and your car interact.

 

Fast in often does not translate to fast out. Carry too much speed into a corner and you'll spend a lot of time scrubbing it off, you miss your apex, and your exit will be messed up. This can domino by throwing you off for the next corner. Get in smooth and with our AWD you can often get back into the go pedal quite early in the exit so you are already building speed on exit instead of still trying to recover from a botched entrance.

 

Look where you want the car to go, but remember to look "long". At turn in you should already be looking through the exit, and at the apex you should already be looking for the entrance to the next turn.

 

Forget about trying to catch or keep pace with somebody ahead of you, or about trying to stay ahead of the car that's starting to loom in your mirror. You're on a track, but you're not competing against the other participants. If you do you'll loose your focus and will be prone to making mistakes.

 

Your only competition is yourself, and the game is to see if you can link together more and more fluid movements, following your perfect line, until you can do it for a full circuit. Then it's to see how many laps in a row you can do it. You'll be making quick laps without even thinking about speed.

 

An instructor once suggested this to me about seating position: You should be positioned so that with your with your legs fully extended the soles of your feet are flat on the floorboard behind the pedals, and so that you can turn the steering wheel 90 deg left and right without lifting your shoulders off the seat back and without moving your hands on the wheel.

 

Since the Legacy doesn't have a telescoping steering wheel I move my seat a little forward and the seat back more upright along with tilting the wheel up a tad more than my normal daily driving position.

Since the legacy uses a drum style parking brake and not the rear calipers, the rule about not applying the e-brake after a session doesn't apply. The caliper brake pads don't contact the rotors when the e-brake is engaged so there is no concern about creating hot spots under the pads and warping rotors.

Since the legacy uses a drum style parking brake and not the rear calipers, the rule about not applying the e-brake after a session doesn't apply. The caliper brake pads don't contact the rotors when the e-brake is engaged so there is no concern about creating hot spots under the pads and warping rotors.

It's terrible for the center differential though..... don't do it.

It's terrible for the center differential though..... don't do it.

 

Using the e-brake when the car is stopped is not bad for the center differential.

 

 

#1 tip? Don't drive faster than you can handle. The last thing you want to do is crash. Go slow, and build up.

if it's coming down to the time when your day is over and you think you might be able to squeeze in one last run, don't.

 

I've seen too many guys try to fit in one last run, make it they're "best" of the day, and they push it too far and wreck.

Using the e-brake when the car is stopped is not bad for the center differential.

 

 

#1 tip? Don't drive faster than you can handle. The last thing you want to do is crash. Go slow, and build up.

Well obviously.... I for some reason took it as yanking the e-brake while in motion. That's the bad choice.

I'm doing a track day at the end of the month, so this is great info!

 

Also, make sure all the necessary maintenance is done. Change your brake fluid with something that has a high boiling point. Valvoline Synpower is cheap and available at most auto parts store. Motul and ATE is better.

 

If you're coming up on 60k, like me, it's a good idea to change your trans and diff oil. Get some Redline 75W90. There's a picture extensive guide in the Detail/Maintenance forum.

 

I rarely had to downshift to first when autocrossing - I doubt you'll experience any turns on a road course where you will need to.

 

And as said before, don't worry about being fast - worry about being smooth. The one thing I learned from autocrossing is that the faster the run feels, the slower you went. "Go slow to be fast"

sticky!!!!

Thank NM+, TRS, and everyone else for all the good info! My car has less than 12K on it, so im not too worried about the fluids right now, but ill definitely check to see if they are full, and bring extra oil. I've been to a few motorcycle riding/race schools so i have the basic idea of what a race line is, brake markers, slow is smooth smooth is fast, be in the right gear for the corner before entering, etc. The track is 2.5 miles and has a few straights. I know the feeling of 'the more i learn the slower i go'.

 

Right now im planning to bring:

oil

torque wrench

helmet (just in case they require it)

full size extra tire just in case (for the trip home only)

air pressure gauge

...?

 

 

If anyone else has more advice I'd like to hear it!

No, you need to do brake fluid if it hasn't been done within the last few months. Miles don't matter. Also, the subaru OEM fluid is crap for track work.

If you told them you were running factory brake fluid on an (at least) year old car you'd fail tech on the spot.

Nobody mentioned bringing a folding chair, possibly an umbrella, towels, and lunch. Oh, and lots of $$$ for gas. Your car will drink gas like it's going out of style.

Nobody mentioned bringing a folding chair, possibly an umbrella, towels, and lunch. Oh, and lots of $$$ for gas. Your car will drink gas like it's going out of style.

I mentioned the gas. Seriously, at 1/4 tank, leave and top off.

I think I used 4 3/4 tanks of gas at my last MAM track day. That weekend, I killed my 6/32 set of RE-01Rs, a full front set of XP-10s (though thatw as because I was a dumbass and didn't bed them right). And it was still sweet (but $$$). The second day after about noon I had the whole track to myself

(Yes, another piece of advice, like 1/2 the people seem to leave early on track weekend, so you'll get much more track time on Sunday afternoons.)

^Videos . Great advice in this thread. I want to track my car at some point.

Coupon, which track are you going to? Im attending the Trackdaze event this weekend at Summit Point.

 

And I just bought a Go Pro so I will post videos as well.

A track in lewistown, montana. It's being put on by the montana porsche club. I doubt anyone else on this forum is going.

 

I was going to have my girl shoot some pics, maybe video. I dont have any way to mount the camera in the car.

Nobody mentioned bringing a folding chair, possibly an umbrella, towels, and lunch. Oh, and lots of $$$ for gas. Your car will drink gas like it's going out of style.

Depending on the avail amenities at the track, you may also want to bring lots of water for drinking. Yes, you can get dehydrated driving on the track. You will need to stay hydrated so you can be mentally focused while driving. A cooler with ice to cool your drinks would be nice too.

I also bring a blue tarp to put all the stuff on the ground next to where I park. You don't want things flying around in your trunk or cabin while driving. I bring a second tarp plus weights to cover my stuff in case in rains.

Like others have said, you will find yourself pushing a little harder and making littler mistakes here and there. That's okay, the LGT is very forgiving and intuitive to control and you learn by correcting your mistakes. Have fun!

^ +1 of water. I remember my first track weekend, the classroom instructor made a point of telling everyone not to drive onto the track unless thier piss was clear.