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03-21-2020, 06:26 AM
As much as it pains me, my car is going back up on the jack stands today. After a 5 month winter refresh, and being convinced that there was nothing left to do, I'm going to find something to do.
Depending upon how your DE car is set up, if its trailered and used exclusively for DE, now is a good time to look at how much weight you can take out. And you'd be amazed. Things that are not mission critical to a track environment all conspire to slow the car down. All the extra weight needs to be accelerated, cornered, and stopped. So look at things with a critical eye, and ask yourself, do I really need this _____? This is also the least expensive performance enhancement you can do. Basically zero cost.
A good rule of thumb, 100 pounds is roughly 1 second a lap, or anywhere from 7-10 car lengths per lap. Think about that the next time your friends go steaming by.
Track width plays a large role in limiting weight transfer ( a good thing). If you have two piece lower control arms, maybe consider some larger shims. Needless to say, any adjustment here will require a new alignment. And spacers, to the extent of safety, are a cheap and easy way to use the clearance your got under the fenders..
Have you looked at your tire wear over the last year or so, and if so, what do you see? Are there patterns of uneven wear that cause premature failure. Now would be a good time to investigate why, and what you'd have to do to make it stop. (Making it stop usually makes the car faster also).
And I've mentioned this before, but having enough brake pad to comfortably and safely make it through a weekend is smart. Changing pads at the track is fine, but not the same as in the comfort of a garage without time constraints. And if pads aren't lasting as long as you'd like, it amazing what you can do with a few dollars worth of silicone hose and zip ties, to route more clean air to the rotors and calipers.
All of these ideas are relatively inexpensive and easy to do in order to ensure a faster and safer outcome when we finally get back on track.
Depending upon how your DE car is set up, if its trailered and used exclusively for DE, now is a good time to look at how much weight you can take out. And you'd be amazed. Things that are not mission critical to a track environment all conspire to slow the car down. All the extra weight needs to be accelerated, cornered, and stopped. So look at things with a critical eye, and ask yourself, do I really need this _____? This is also the least expensive performance enhancement you can do. Basically zero cost.
A good rule of thumb, 100 pounds is roughly 1 second a lap, or anywhere from 7-10 car lengths per lap. Think about that the next time your friends go steaming by.
Track width plays a large role in limiting weight transfer ( a good thing). If you have two piece lower control arms, maybe consider some larger shims. Needless to say, any adjustment here will require a new alignment. And spacers, to the extent of safety, are a cheap and easy way to use the clearance your got under the fenders..
Have you looked at your tire wear over the last year or so, and if so, what do you see? Are there patterns of uneven wear that cause premature failure. Now would be a good time to investigate why, and what you'd have to do to make it stop. (Making it stop usually makes the car faster also).
And I've mentioned this before, but having enough brake pad to comfortably and safely make it through a weekend is smart. Changing pads at the track is fine, but not the same as in the comfort of a garage without time constraints. And if pads aren't lasting as long as you'd like, it amazing what you can do with a few dollars worth of silicone hose and zip ties, to route more clean air to the rotors and calipers.
All of these ideas are relatively inexpensive and easy to do in order to ensure a faster and safer outcome when we finally get back on track.