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1st time on track with my NSX looking for advice

Joined
25 August 2016
Messages
145
Location
St. Louis area
So, a car club I belong to but don't really fit in with, rented out the Gateway track in St. Louis. Drag race and road course. I have never been on this track before, or any track with this much room(limited to Scca solo2 parking lot in my 72 240z).

So looking for advice, tips and hints. This will not be all out racing but I want to at least make it look good.
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We are also drag racing after. Guess who has the slowest car.
 
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- top up your oil level. Check frequently.
- check the torque of your wheel nuts (seems stupid but...), especialy before returning home.
- check your tire pressure (release air with the increasing temperature). Do not forget to reinflate before returning home.
- good alignment.
- good tires.
- good brake fluid (RBF 600 for example) and pads.
- gain confidence and after that, increse the rythm. No confidence = stupid decisions.
- be smooth, look as far as possible, look where you want the car to go.
- have fun.
 
forget about what other people are doing...this is not a race.....try to get an instructor in the car with you.If this is a one and done for you and you have no other track events in your future then hack away:tongue:
 
forget about what other people are doing...this is not a race.....try to get an instructor in the car with you.If this is a one and done for you and you have no other track events in your future then hack away:tongue:


I think ink this is something the club does every year, since most have been on the track 1x or 2x before.
 
All went well, no accidents. Was able to test the limits of the car and my self pretty well. The tires started to give out after about 10 laps on the road course.
 
All went well, no accidents. Was able to test the limits of the car and my self pretty well. The tires started to give out after about 10 laps on the road course.

What do you mean by the tires started "to give out after about 10 laps"?

I have done 100 laps at Watkins Glen (350 miles) on a typical weekend and driven up and back (another 520 miles) with no issues with my tires.
 
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I was running street tires. The rear end was getting loose in the turns. It wasn't me...lol.
 
what where your tire pressures?
 
Kept them at 51 did not know any better....1st time running a road course...

With those tire pressures it's no wonder why you lost traction! You're lucky you didn't blow a tire! I just ran Sebring at 32-34psi in Nitto 18" Neo-Gen's and 19" 555's which are not very sticky tires, and the the only time I lost traction was due to my lack of driving skills.
 
Kept them at 51 did not know any better....1st time running a road course...

Is this a typo and you meant 31? If not, now you know not to do that. Happens to the best of us. Glad you had fun!
 
Kept them at 51 did not know any better....1st time running a road course...
51 psi is WAY too high for any condition for the NSX. 51 psi is probably the max PSI the tire is rated for. Please do NOT drive with tires inflated that high!!

Stock pressures (for any brand and model of tire installed) should be 33 psi for the front and 40 psi for the rear cold on the street (they're printed on the inside of the driver door). Use 33F/40R as the cold pressures going into the first session. Once you finish the session, immediately check the pressures and notice how much they increased due to the heat (I usually see an increase of ~3PSI all the way around). Then deflate them back to the 33F/40R (except this time the tires are hot). When you start the 2nd session, you're tires will have cooled down and the pressures will be around 30F/37R. This is fine because after a few laps they'll be right where you want them.
 
I was running street tires. The rear end was getting loose in the turns. It wasn't me...lol.

This is because as the tire heats up, the PSI increases. Decrease the tire pressures for better grip. Shoot for 33F/40R measured when the tire is HOT. If the rear still gets loose after doing that, just drop the rear PSI (don't touch the front) by 2 PSI increments until it handles like you want it.
For my setup I found that the hot pressures of 32-34 PSI front and 38 PSI rear work best.
 
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