hot time on the streets

[nostatic]

DE with Speed Ventures at Streets of Willow today. Ya know...the desert gets hot in the summer. Peaked at somewhere between 105-110 I believe. At any rate only one other p-car, a very nice guy who runs with POC


Mostly import stuff...a couple of Mazda 6s:


A very fast Miata:



And some eye-talian thing:


All dressed up with somewhere to go:


So Streets is very fun. We ran clockwise with the bowl, and the first time out I went solo. The second time out I had an instructor (he was in one of the fast S2000s). I was already strapped in when he walked over, so I got out and he drove a few laps. I asked him if he had driven many 911s and he kinda frowned and said he didn't really like rear engined cars, although he drove a GT2 that was nice. Then he complained about an "older turbo" that he had to instruct in yesterday...said he couldn't find any of the gears, etc. I commented that my 915 tranny was pretty well sorted. We headed out of the pits and after 2 shifts he said, "yeah, this shifts pretty good." He then showed me some of the various lines (we had a small headset/mic setup that made talking really easy). About midway through the second lap of driving out of nowhere he said, "this car handles really well." I told him it was TRE's doing.

Then we switched places and I got to miss the lines, early apex, yada yada. Although by the end of the session I hit a couple of the corners pretty well, and the chicane section that the other p-car owner warned me about felt pretty good. My instructor had what he called a "weird" line for the bowl, but I liked it.

My pucker moment came with him in the passenger seat...and on the skidpad no less. There was an M5 in front of me (holding me up actually), and entering the skid pad he eased off and wide, but didn't signal he was going into the pits. I expected him to get back on the gas so I started into my turn and he decides to dive in and *not* accelerate. So I had to take my foot out of it mid-turn...and we know what happens next. BUT, the rear stepped out, I corrected, corrected back, then one more squiggle and I stomped on it, coming out of the turn...no spin. "Nice recovery" my instructor said. I'll take my victories where I can...

Next two sessions were solo, with a few laps where it all clicked and the car was dancing. But she started running really hot (not into the red, but moving that direction), so I shut her down early in the 3rd and 4th sessions...then headed on home, having gone through 3 quarts of water, 3 juice boxes (thanks Calvin), and a lot of sweat.

Oh yeah...and here's one for the "don't try this at home" files. Red group was first out in the AM, followed by white (intermediate). about 5 minutes in I see the red flag come out at the start finish, and black flags waving everywhere else. So everybody comes off the track, and we're wondering what the story is. Here's what the story was:


2nd lap of the day, he decides that since the bowl is banked, he should be able to charge in full speed. So he goes over the ridge, onto the dirt, and through the fence. This is not how you want to go home:

[Jim Richards]

Sounds like a fun day at the track, Todd. Especially when you can keep the rear of the car where it belongs. Good recovery!

[nostatic]

I almost forgot the obligatory JO shot:


and the Toyota Vibe that passed some Vettes:

[pookie]

You said the Miata was fast, but it looks like something out of a Mad Max movie.

Also was that a A4 or A6 Audi that had to be trailered out of there?

[}{arlequin]

good to see you're still riding that slippery slope

[nostatic]

S4...new version.

Yeah, the Miata was wacky. It had a plexiglass rear wing and these huge diffusers in the back. But it was pretty quick. There was some fast S2000s also...they seemed like very competent cars. I'm not sure about their longevity though...anyone know? The Evos were fast (I pointed a couple by), but they didn't seem as fast as they should have been considering their numbers. But driver, driver, driver...

[1973911s]

The S-2000 has a good rep, the problem is they don't fit the larger guy like me. I was after one for a long time, and wife finaly said, "honey you can't breath in there, open the door before you turn blue".

Michael

[moazam]

How in Lords name did a Toyota Matrix/Vibe pass by Vettes???

[JeremyD]

Yeah - the S2000 is a capable track car - just not for us "super sized" guys...

[Doug E]

Just curious but at 105-110 degrees how hot did your car run and were you running anything other then the factory loop cooler?

[nostatic]

I have a Carerra cooler up in the front fender (no fan) with Elephant lines. I don't have numbers on my guage, but at the peak it was up at about 9:30 or so. When it climbed up to 10 (still under the red, but getting near), I pulled into the pits to let it cool down. To run in those conditions I think I need some more cooling power.

On a related point, will pulling the AC condenser from the rear deck and adding a tail help cool things?

[Bob's Flat-Six]

Originally posted by nostatic

On a related point, will pulling the AC condenser from the rear deck and adding a tail help cool things?

I would think so, The more unrestricted air the better, A tail would help direct it in to the motor, I would think?

Thanks for the pic's

[Zeke]

Given your penchant for *not* having a tail, I would think you would like a 964 deck lid. Ryan and Jack can fill you in if they haven't already.

In the 80's when I had a '77S, I questioned the wisdom of the condenser under the grille. Nearer the compressor is my best answer, but we all know there are other places.

[nostatic]

yeah...seems like the 964 tails are starting to get a bit harder to come by though...

But I've decided to ditch the AC, so I could run one.

[KobaltBlau]

since it's only 110 out...

[DanTheCat]

I was out there karting saturday, and it was definitely hot. I was worried a bit on the drive back home, only having the factory loop up front, but she never got above 220-230.

Sounds like a fun day. I need to get my 911 out to a track one of these days.

Oh yeah, no AC for me either! Wasn't really all that bad. I mean, it could have been worse. At least it wasn't humid...

Dan

[Chuck Moreland]

Sounds like a fun time, heat excepted.

How does a Vibe pass Vettes? Don't forget the three most important things that make you fast on the track are - driver, driver and driver.

For oil temps, it's a pretty tall order to keep it cool in 110 temperatures. And the Streets of Willow is especially tough because it's a short track. You don't have the long straights that cool the oil.

I'd recommend you cut out the headlight bucket and remove the light on these hot track days. Combine that with boxing in the bottom of the cooler such that ALL the incoming air is forced through the cooler, not beneath it. This is good for 10+ degrees.

[GettinHeadStuds]

[nostatic]

Originally posted by Chuck Moreland

For oil temps, it's a pretty tall order to keep it cool in 110 temperatures. And the Streets of Willow is especially tough because it's a short track. You don't have the long straights that cool the oil.

and made worse becuase of my skill level (or lack thereof), I spent a lot of time at high revs in 2nd, being inbetween gears on some of the turns. On the straights and one of the turns I'd get it into 3rd (with the occasional short shift to 4th), but that would rev up quickly too. In the afternoon I started short shifting some of the sections to try and keep it a bit more cool, but it seems like it really is a high rev course.

[cegerer]

Is there more than one track layout at the Streets of Willow? Motor Trend ran a stock Cayenne S there at 1:09 (5-6 seconds faster than the BMW X5 4.4). In the rain. How does that compare with some of the stock 911/996/Boxsters?