- Thread starter
- #161
Well this passed weekend didn't go the way I wanted it to.
Back at Buttonwillow and was hoping to finally get that elusive sub 2:00 lap or even at least take a second or two off my previous 2:03 time but instead I got 2:04's all day long.
These Toyo RR tires really do feel grip limited but that seems like an easy excuse. After watching my lap videos, there's a couple corners I was messing up but correcting those alone won't take 4 seconds off my time....I need coaching cause whatever I'm doing, isn't working.
On the positive side: the Xineering blip unit works phenomenally! Holy cow this thing is great! I was in a rush to get it set up the night before so I had set it to 25% throttle and 200ms duration which seemed fine on the streets around my neighborhood but on the track, it needed a bit more throttle. I loved being able to simply plant my foot on the brake pedal and not have to even think about maneuvering my foot over to blip the gas. It definitely allowed me to focus more on driving.
Though I have removed the need to heel-toe (and my embarrassing tendency to fat-foot the gas while braking), I am still experiencing some weird brake behaviors. It seems the first lap is fine but once things get hot, the brakes seem to lose their bite. I hit the brakes and the car just doesn't slow down. I guess that would be glazed pads but I would think these DTC-60's would hold up. I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong or this is typical for these pads.
Lastly, shifting. I think the bad shifting all along is in fact MT-82 related. I had recently read into faceplated transmissions and their benefits. This clicked for me on why I have been having issues getting into gear. High rpm and high G loads (exiting off ramp at BW) are known to lock out gear selection in street-car transmissions - this is exactly what is happening to me. The only time I'd miss a gear is in this exact scenario.
I'll be sending my lap to Blayze/Racers360 but if anyone wants to give their input, it would be greatly appreciated. I can use all the help I can get.
Best lap of the day
From what I can see:
- royally messed up Sunrise
- lost the rear end a bit in Cotton Corners
- little squirrely coming to the braking zone in Bus Stop
- turning in too early at Sunset
- I think I'm lifting in a few spots when I should be flat on the gas
Will correcting these things and getting grippier tires equal a sub 2 lap? I have no idea but I sure hope so.
***In hindsight***:
After processing my thoughts and talking with mentors and friends, I think this weekend did more good than I initially thought; not what I wanted but absolutely what I needed.
Looking back, I was humble and accepting of my pace and experience as a driver UNTIL I got that podium finish in my very first timed event. That definitely got to my head. Seemingly all events after that, I was so focused on bringing my lap times down and chasing trophies that I lost sight of what I really needed: true driver development.
I think the best thing for me is to take a step back, away from timed events and focus on improving the driver rather than lap times. Corner entry, proper braking, smooth steering inputs, smooth throttle application, staying on throttle.....future self, focus on these things; lap times will come later.
Back at Buttonwillow and was hoping to finally get that elusive sub 2:00 lap or even at least take a second or two off my previous 2:03 time but instead I got 2:04's all day long.
These Toyo RR tires really do feel grip limited but that seems like an easy excuse. After watching my lap videos, there's a couple corners I was messing up but correcting those alone won't take 4 seconds off my time....I need coaching cause whatever I'm doing, isn't working.
On the positive side: the Xineering blip unit works phenomenally! Holy cow this thing is great! I was in a rush to get it set up the night before so I had set it to 25% throttle and 200ms duration which seemed fine on the streets around my neighborhood but on the track, it needed a bit more throttle. I loved being able to simply plant my foot on the brake pedal and not have to even think about maneuvering my foot over to blip the gas. It definitely allowed me to focus more on driving.
Though I have removed the need to heel-toe (and my embarrassing tendency to fat-foot the gas while braking), I am still experiencing some weird brake behaviors. It seems the first lap is fine but once things get hot, the brakes seem to lose their bite. I hit the brakes and the car just doesn't slow down. I guess that would be glazed pads but I would think these DTC-60's would hold up. I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong or this is typical for these pads.
Lastly, shifting. I think the bad shifting all along is in fact MT-82 related. I had recently read into faceplated transmissions and their benefits. This clicked for me on why I have been having issues getting into gear. High rpm and high G loads (exiting off ramp at BW) are known to lock out gear selection in street-car transmissions - this is exactly what is happening to me. The only time I'd miss a gear is in this exact scenario.
I'll be sending my lap to Blayze/Racers360 but if anyone wants to give their input, it would be greatly appreciated. I can use all the help I can get.
Best lap of the day
From what I can see:
- royally messed up Sunrise
- lost the rear end a bit in Cotton Corners
- little squirrely coming to the braking zone in Bus Stop
- turning in too early at Sunset
- I think I'm lifting in a few spots when I should be flat on the gas
Will correcting these things and getting grippier tires equal a sub 2 lap? I have no idea but I sure hope so.
***In hindsight***:
After processing my thoughts and talking with mentors and friends, I think this weekend did more good than I initially thought; not what I wanted but absolutely what I needed.
Looking back, I was humble and accepting of my pace and experience as a driver UNTIL I got that podium finish in my very first timed event. That definitely got to my head. Seemingly all events after that, I was so focused on bringing my lap times down and chasing trophies that I lost sight of what I really needed: true driver development.
I think the best thing for me is to take a step back, away from timed events and focus on improving the driver rather than lap times. Corner entry, proper braking, smooth steering inputs, smooth throttle application, staying on throttle.....future self, focus on these things; lap times will come later.
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