44 replies to this topic

[Tom Hampton]

There are a couple places at MSRC where it is hard (I won't say impossible) not to shift mid-turn: turn 1 through Waggon wheel is 4-5 turns without any true straight. Again, based on instructors advice, I experiement with it a lot....short shifting, banging the rev limiter, and shifting at normal shift points. I'm sure you could grab 2nd during entry into 1, and just hold that until the exit of waggon wheel...but, I'm guessing that would cost at least, 5 tenths.

[Alberto]

My first few race weekends at Thunderhill in March and April, I started pressures as high as 33 psi cold at 50-60* ambient temps so that I could see 39-40 psi on my 6/32nd shaved RA1 when hot on track. As I got faster during a session and pressures (and tire temps) crept higher than 40 psi, I could feel the difference in the way the tire responded and the car handled and adjusted them accordingly when back in the pits. Good learning experience. Don't be afraid to try different pressures and feel the results firsthand at practice days and HPDE days.

Johnny D shared some good tips with me when I was starting for getting the tires up to temp. Instead of swaying back and forth (which really doesn't seem to do a whole lot for tire temps), when in a corner, enter slow and be aggressive with the throttle to scrub them and get heat into the tire while going through the turn. Obviously don't jab the throttle but play with it so that you can scrub them and get them warmed up.

Too many times I see guys swaying back and forth across the track going into the marbles, kicking them up and getting their tires packed with dead rubber that doesn't grip.

Also, I understand that hard accel and decel will get heat into the tires quickly as well.

[MPR22]

In my limited experience at the track, a 2/3 shift is required at the top of Wagonwheel. CNJ or Brett Gabriell will be able to give a definitve answer. The 99 might be able to grunt through that area in third gear. The 1.6 does not like it.

To your point about listening to instructors, not all instructors are created equal. You strike me as a guy who tries to get a miata pilot to show you the ropes when you go to the track, that is important. HPDE instructors are not usually racers, they tend to have lots of laps at one track and don't understand the absolute edges you must take your car in a race. They will constantly have you late apexing turns to keep you on the track. When I got a real SM pilot to take me around the track in my car, I finally understood what the car could do. I have been trying to duplicate that ever since.

What everyone has said in this thread is:
You will never be able to take the car to 9/10ths of its limits until the correct tires and pressures are utilized. All the other alignment tweaks will get you the last 1/10th.

If you have not gone to TWS yet, try to make that trip sooner than later. More races in our region take place at that track and they have some excellent instuctors on how to get the Miata to go.

[tLinder]

In my limited experience at the track, a 2/3 shift is required at the top of Wagon Wheel. CNJ or Brett Gabriel will be able to give a definitve answer. The 99 might be able to grunt through that area in third gear. The 1.6 does not like it.
Tom, your shift points will change as you pick up the pace. Michael is right, Wagon Wheel requires the 2»3 as does Horseshoe. These two corners are not easy to master (I'm still trying). They are critical to lap times since you'll eventually be full throttle from Wagon Wheel to Little Bend and from Horseshoe to Big Bend. I believe YouTube / Vimeo videos are good learning tools. Here's a link to Gabriel's just keep in mind he's doing 1:26's, so he's shifting sooner than you'll need to be at this stage. (99's and the 1.6's use the same gears at MSRC, not the case at TWS). (My YouTube channel is embedded in my signature. The laps times for "Inside View" were mid 1:27's)

To your point about listening to instructors, not all instructors are created equal. You strike me as a guy who tries to get a miata pilot to show you the ropes when you go to the track, that is important. HPDE instructors are not usually racers, they tend to have lots of laps at one track and don't understand the absolute edges you must take your car in a race. They will constantly have you late apexing turns to keep you on the track. When I got a real SM pilot to take me around the track in my car, I finally understood what the car could do. I have been trying to duplicate that ever since. See if you can do the The Driver's Edge (TDE) event on Feb 4/5, or least one-day. (They don't show a one-day option, but Rick will typically work with you) If you can let me know before you sign up, I'll check with Gabriel to see if he'll be there instructing. He knows that track like a "rat in maze".

What everyone has said in this thread is:
You will never be able to take the car to 9/10ths of its limits until the correct tires and pressures are utilized. All the other alignment tweaks will get you the last 1/10th. Yep, 4/32" will work. Since MER did the alignment, I would not worry about it. (Unless you think you've knocked it out of whack or are seeing some funky tire wear).

If you have not gone to TWS yet, try to make that trip sooner than later. More races in our region take place at that track and they have some excellent instructors on how to get the Miata to go. I know that isn't an option until you get your towing package sorted, but I'd make TWS your first "out of town" track!

[Cnj]

Tom,

I could not view Brett's Vimeo video on my IPad (too lazy tonight to break out the computer) but his lines will be very good. Note however that he will enter the corners earlier than you might want to try and will still get through them (he trail brakes like crazy so the car rotates in a way you will not achieve yet). Incidently pole lap times at that track are typically in the low 1.26's or upper 1.25's. Jason Saini and Eric Foss have both done 1.24's unofficially. (Annoying that they are that fast actually).

If we do get together at my office, bring your data as well as a video. Send me uncompressed video (via FTP or Dropbox) so we can watch it on large screen and I can look at it before we meet.

Cnj