Race Schedule?

[S2kreno]

There is still no race schedule posted on the web page. I know about the June 5th PDX. Where do I find the other dates? Trying to plan summer schedule.

[jim.gandy]

The dates of our 2010 Track Events at Reno-Fernley are June 5, August 28 and October 30 -- all Saturdays.

We are THAT close to being able to go public with the June 5 event -- the sanction should be in hand any moment now. You can expect that we will have sessions for PDX, Club Trials and Track Trials, the cost should be $175 with a break for instructor volunteers, and the event will run very much like our previous track events. Stay tuned, and by the way, thanks for everyone's patience. Personally, it's been a very pleasant surprise that the track is about to re-open and Reno Region is actually going to have track events this year!

[S2kreno]

Woo hoo! Thanks :)

[zpeed]

Gina get the racing pads soon. Your stock pads might not last a whole track day.

[S2kreno]

Thanks for the heads up. Planning on alignment, shocks, and now pads! See you out there :)

[solonut]

Thanks for the heads up. Planning on alignment, shocks, and now pads! See you out there :)

do you have a roll bar or hard top for the S2000??

[zpeed]

What Shocks you gonna get Koni or KW?

[S2kreno]

do you have a roll bar or hard top for the S2000??
My understanding is that you can use the oem roll bars if you're short enough. I am.

[S2kreno]

What Shocks you gonna get Koni or KW?
Which ones are better? This is what I got from S2KI, but they don't specify shocks.

S2000 track prep is super easy:

Seat
Harness
Better pads
Front and rear brake ducts
Neuspeed front sway bar
Tein or Swift lowering springs
SPC or Spoon camber kits F & R
235/40 front
255/40 rear generic EHP tires
Shocks?

That's a car that will do 1:34's WSIR, 2:01's BW13 all day long and be a cushy daily driver.
Add our 17x9 & 17x10 wheels and NT01's, GTC200 wing and you are doing 1:29's @ WSIR, 1:57's @ BW13.


What I wish I could do (too busy / clueless to do it myself) is drop her off at a good shop and pay them to take care of this. But don;t know if anyone's good at S2000s.

[vic]

Which ones are better? This is what I got from S2KI, but they don't specify shocks.

S2000 track prep is super easy:

Seat
Harness
Better pads
Front and rear brake ducts
Neuspeed front sway bar
Tein or Swift lowering springs
SPC or Spoon camber kits F & R
235/40 front
255/40 rear generic EHP tires
Shocks?

That's a car that will do 1:34's WSIR, 2:01's BW13 all day long and be a cushy daily driver.
Add our 17x9 & 17x10 wheels and NT01's, GTC200 wing and you are doing 1:29's @ WSIR, 1:57's @ BW13.


What I wish I could do (too busy / clueless to do it myself) is drop her off at a good shop and pay them to take care of this. But don;t know if anyone's good at S2000s.

Driving fast all boils down to driver ability, comfort ,and confidence. Everything else is just a way of achieving that when you get beyond the abilities of the car. In other words do not waste your money on your car untill you have exhausted them on yourself! That being said there is improvments that can be made to your car that can make you faster, but they are a lot more expensive per second. In other words a fast driver can make a slow car fast.

[S2kreno]

Well, I know, but I can't just work with a coach every week like I do for tennis (that's why I win tournaments all over Cali and NV -- I work really hard when there is opportunity to do so). All the other ladies have a significant other who knows how to race and who taught them and set up the car and everything and no one told these gals they had to get good before they could have a good setup. I don't have the advantage of that kind of help. And I'm getting very tired of being told how much I suck -- it's not news to me and it just gets very discouraging when there doesn't seem to be anything I can do about it. So unless you guys have anything constructive to say (like where I could get the car taken care of) just stop already.

[solonut]

Gina...you dont suck at driving....you were getting faster in the Lotus, but knowing if something happened and you balled it up in a off course excursion it would have been a bunch of money gone....Like Vic said, work on you first and get comfortable in the car...when you reach the limits of the car in stock trim then do upgrades....when you do the upgrdes dont be surprised if your a little slower when you get out on the track with it....for a track car you need to be ready to write off the car if it gets wrecked...and thats why you see a ton of ealy Miatas & Hondas at track days.

[S2kreno]

You aren't understanding me. How am I supposed to "improve" or "reach the limits" when the only experience I get is auto-X once a month and I don't know what I'm doing? You don't get better if you just make the same mistakes over and over. I still don't even know why I wasn't driving that fast last weekend but still spun the damn car twice. I know I need to improve but it's got to be easier to drive when your car is set up right to begin with. So if you screw up you know for sure it's you. This S doesn't feel anything like my 06 one; it's squirrelly and I have no idea if I have forgotten how to drive or if something's wrong with the car. But I'll stop whining now and maybe just go back to doing things I have some aptitude for.

[zpeed]

This S doesn't feel anything like my 06 one; it's squirrelly and I have no idea if I have forgotten how to drive or if something's wrong with the car.

May be it squirrelly because you new S don't have VSA (similar to traction control) like you old one that came new for an 06 and up.

From my little experience, at lease you should get racing pads (~$350)and flush the brake fluid ($12). If you have time change oil in the tranny and diff too.

About the shock, if you want to stay in stock class in autocross go with Koni. If you don't care what class many people use KW V3 for track and everyday use. I don't autocross so I will go with KW V3 when I got money from a real job. :lol:

I'll be in Club Trial this time. If they allow I can take you around in my S.

[S2kreno]

Thanks, Nat, much appreciated. I always turned the VSA off on the 06 when I crossed or PDXed so I don't think it's that. I'd just like to make sure it's tuned and safe, aligned, padded, and shocked etc., and that any weirdness is me and not the car.

[BillH]

My understanding is that you can use the oem roll bars if you're short enough. I am.

Gina, Here's the rule for SCCA PDX, also noted in the RenoSups.
Is your roll bar the same as Nat's ?

11.1.1. BASIC DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
A.
The basic purpose of the roll bar is to protect the driver in case the vehicle rolls over or runs into an obstacle such as a guardrail or catch fence. This purpose should not be forgotten.
B.
The top of the roll bar shall not be below the top of the driver’s helmet when the driver is in normal driving position, and shall not be more than six inches behind the driver

This is for a Factory roll bar. A custom installed roll bar would have to be teched a little closer.

[Dean]

Gina, I have watched you improve over the years. You do not suck. You do not need an SO who is into it to do better. It only requires effort and a willingness to learn on your part.

I and others are more than willing to help and coach you, but as with tennis, you must also practice and coach yourself. It does not require you to be on an autocross or track to practice good techniques. You can work on vision, hand and foot movements, smoothness, thinking ahead as well as line on public streets at mostly legal speeds. :)

I do not know what your preparation and post match analysis process is, but you need one for performance driving as well. You said you don't know why you spun. After it happened, did you consciously try and walk through your actions prior to the spin to analyze it? Cars only spin for one reason, the tires on that end of the car lost traction. Something you did asked the ones on hat end of the car to give more than they had at that given moment. Decelerating(braking or lifting) and turning, acceleration and turning, or just going to fast for the amount of turning you did, but the last most often causes understeer.

Before every run you need a plan and after every run you have to critique how you executed that plan and where you need to make changes, even if it is just one thing.

You are doing well and you can improve if you want to.

I will be coaching at Thunderhill over Memorial day, but maybe we can figure something out for later events.

[dsmith]

Gina, Dean's right: you don't suck. Perhaps you should try to get a co-driver for autox who can help you with set up advice and coach you along, much like we SO's do for our better halves. It's always good to have a sounding board you can bounce off ideas on set up and driving lines.

And try to get Dean in the car with you at the PDX, he helped Sheri a ton and improved both her driving and confidence level.

[S2kreno]

Gina, Here's the rule for SCCA PDX, also noted in the RenoSups.
Is your roll bar the same as Nat's ?

11.1.1. BASIC DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
A.
The basic purpose of the roll bar is to protect the driver in case the vehicle rolls over or runs into an obstacle such as a guardrail or catch fence. This purpose should not be forgotten.
B.
The top of the roll bar shall not be below the top of the driver’s helmet when the driver is in normal driving position, and shall not be more than six inches behind the driver

This is for a Factory roll bar. A custom installed roll bar would have to be teched a little closer.



Thanks Bill. Mine's factory and my head is shorter than the bar. I'm only 5'6".

[AlexR]

How am I supposed to "improve" or "reach the limits" when the only experience I get is auto-X once a month and I don't know what I'm doing? You don't get better if you just make the same mistakes over and over.

I think even then you'll still improve , just not as quickly as if you autocrossed 2 or 4 times a month, and not as quickly as perhaps with some coaching.


I've personally been very frustrated with my own lack of progress at times, you need to understand why you are angry/frustrated. accept it, then make a plan to get better, for me that allowed me to move past my frustration and turn it into motivation.

You also need to be realistic about your progress, Are you in a different car with different alignment and tires, comparing against someone who didn't change cars? are they doing other racing? are they getting outside coaching?

you may just need to find a different metric other than just "am i beating competitor X" because in doing so you are tying all of your feelings of accomplishment (or failure) to a moving target, and you are creating a situation where you can easily overlook improvements.

Also have you considering a good Racing Simulator? while racing "Games" won't help you at all (need for speed, Dirt2, etc) an actual simulator combined with a PC Steering wheel can help with being smooth on your steering inputs, learning to anticipate oversteer/ understeer, throttle application point. etc, etc.

RFactor is a great Simulator , there's IRacing.com , you could also possible get some coaching online in a simulator and it will carry over into your autoXing, Though don't expect an immediate improvement.

[vic]

Well, I know, but I can't just work with a coach every week like I do for tennis (that's why I win tournaments all over Cali and NV -- I work really hard when there is opportunity to do so). All the other ladies have a significant other who knows how to race and who taught them and set up the car and everything and no one told these gals they had to get good before they could have a good setup. I don't have the advantage of that kind of help. And I'm getting very tired of being told how much I suck -- it's not news to me and it just gets very discouraging when there doesn't seem to be anything I can do about it. So unless you guys have anything constructive to say (like where I could get the car taken care of) just stop already.

Nobody was trying to say you suck at driving. I personaly was trying to say do not throw away money on your car. Use that same money to get more seat time with or without instruction. You will also need it for tires. It cost a lot of money for very small time gains on the car. With seat time comes comfort and confidence at speed. There is no better way to make a car faster.
We live in an area where you can easily get a hell of a lot of seat time if you have the time and money. You may have to go outside the SCCA, Stead, and RFR. If you do every auto-x and all 3 PDX's you will get about 6 hours of seat time. How good were you at tennis or skiing after 6 hours no matter what racket or ski's you had. It takes time!

[vic]

The other advice I might give you Gina, if you want a good track car. Buy one already set up. It cost $1000.00s to set one up and you can typically buy one for the same price as a street car or at least a lot cheaper than doing one yourself.
Some times you can find a good track car that is street legal although it won't be a very good street car. Good luck.

[zpeed]

Our S2000 are very good track and everyday car. A little track prep will help enjoy the track more.

[vic]

Our S2000 are very good track and everyday car. A little track prep will help enjoy the track more.

My point is how much it cost to do even the minimum, especially if you can,t do the work yourself.
sway bars $200.00 ea.
coil overs $1000.00 min.
race pads $150.00 per axle
camber plates $100.00 ea.
That is just for starters and does not include labor. For that same $1500.00 you can buy 7-8 track days.

[S2kreno]

And my point is that:

a. Every time I ask a straightforward question, like where can I get some work done, I get a condescending answer like "don't bother until you become a better driver."

b. Not one of you tell your wives that you won't sort her car out until she's as good as she can get (probably good anti-couch protection!). She gets to drive one from the getgo because that's what you have. Why shouldn't I have the same benefit if I'm willing to pay for it?

It would be nice if I could ask a question (which I believe was where could I get the work done) and actually get an answer.

[S2kreno]

I think even then you'll still improve , just not as quickly as if you autocrossed 2 or 4 times a month, and not as quickly as perhaps with some coaching.


I've personally been very frustrated with my own lack of progress at times, you need to understand why you are angry/frustrated. accept it, then make a plan to get better, for me that allowed me to move past my frustration and turn it into motivation.

You also need to be realistic about your progress, Are you in a different car with different alignment and tires, comparing against someone who didn't change cars? are they doing other racing? are they getting outside coaching?

you may just need to find a different metric other than just "am i beating competitor X" because in doing so you are tying all of your feelings of accomplishment (or failure) to a moving target, and you are creating a situation where you can easily overlook improvements.

Also have you considering a good Racing Simulator? while racing "Games" won't help you at all (need for speed, Dirt2, etc) an actual simulator combined with a PC Steering wheel can help with being smooth on your steering inputs, learning to anticipate oversteer/ understeer, throttle application point. etc, etc.

RFactor is a great Simulator , there's IRacing.com , you could also possible get some coaching online in a simulator and it will carry over into your autoXing, Though don't expect an immediate improvement.

Thanks. I do have Need for Speed. And the Mount Rose Highway ;)

[vic]

And my point is that:

a. Every time I ask a straightforward question, like where can I get some work done, I get a condescending answer like "don't bother until you become a better driver."

b. Not one of you tell your wives that you won't sort her car out until she's as good as she can get (probably good anti-couch protection!). She gets to drive one from the getgo because that's what you have. Why shouldn't I have the same benefit if I'm willing to pay for it?

It would be nice if I could ask a question (which I believe was where could I get the work done) and actually get an answer.

be prepared to give up your car for a while and spend some $$$$
Tires are everything get off the street tires.
BBR 775-233-7946 Matt
REC motorspors 530-210-3848 Ron ( honda specialist located in C C) this will be your less expensive option and quickest turn around.
Either one can help you decide what to do based on how much you have to spend. Happy motoring.
Rons e-mail recmotorsports@yahoo.com let him know I sent you

[Kevin M]

b. Not one of you tell your wives that you won't sort her car out until she's as good as she can get (probably good anti-couch protection!). She gets to drive one from the getgo because that's what you have. Why shouldn't I have the same benefit if I'm willing to pay for it?

Actually, I told my wife exactly that. :devil: She's always welcome to drive whatever crazy Subaru I am driving in a given year, but she understands that she will learn more and faster by sticking to her 100% stock Mazda 3. Plus, it's her only car for now so she's not too keen on stiffening up the ride or lowering it for FSP. When we can afford a new DD for her we will probably go that route.

That said, if she said she didn't care about learning and just wanted to drive a faster car, I wouldn't have a problem with that. I just don't know anything about prepping an S2000 so I don't have any answers for you. :( I can say that if I had one I was taking to the track, I'm not sure I'd bother doing much. Probably just a good 4 point roll bar and dedicated track wheels and tires. They're so good stock that it's easy to actually make them slower by being careless with mods. Since nobody else here has run a modded S2000 that I know of, I think that's why you're not getting any specific advice on modding and setup. We just don't really know other than the general stuff.

[sperry]

And my point is that:

a. Every time I ask a straightforward question, like where can I get some work done, I get a condescending answer like "don't bother until you become a better driver."

b. Not one of you tell your wives that you won't sort her car out until she's as good as she can get (probably good anti-couch protection!). She gets to drive one from the getgo because that's what you have. Why shouldn't I have the same benefit if I'm willing to pay for it?

It would be nice if I could ask a question (which I believe was where could I get the work done) and actually get an answer.
I'm mildly offended at the concept that the folks on the forum should stand in for your husband in sorting out your car because he's not a "car guy". I don't have a husband sorting out my car, I have to do it myself. You're an intelligent, capable "car gal", you shouldn't settle for this concept that you have to have someone sort out your new car for you. You too can do it yourself once you've driven it enough to the point where you can feel what it needs to better match your driving style.

Most of us had to learn our cars the same way... or actually, most of us did a bunch of unnecessary mods that we had to undo in order to learn what was really important... which is the advice that I'm hearing folks give you to help prevent you from repeating the mistakes we all made.

But, you can go ahead with getting the work done... it's the path that most of us went down when we learned a new car, and I wouldn't want to suggest that you can't learn things the same hard way we did. In the long run, you'll learn a ton in the process, but it will also cost you a bunch of money and time, and make it harder to learn how to drive the car. Or you can dial back the focus on making the car faster, and instead focus on learning the new car from the driver's seat, which is the way most of us that spent a ton of money on our cars first wish we had gone. Once you know the car intimately, then you can make the choices that fit you best about what you want to do to the car, and it will be the rest of us asking for your advice and experience on what's the best route to take for tracking the S2000.

Like Kevin said, the S2000 is a fantastic track car right out of the box. It will not be at all more fun at a PDX with a bunch of mods than it already is with simple stuff like a fresh set of tires and good hi-temp brake pads. The only time you need to start worrying about shocks, swaybars, etc, is when lap times count. All that other stuff may make the car faster, but generally they also makes the car harder to drive, and much harder to learn.

And for the record, I wouldn't let my (soon to be) wife near the driver's seat of my WRX until she's proven to be a capable driver in a much milder street car. And it's not just the risk of expensive damage to the car. Driving something heavily modified required developed reflexes... when things go wrong, they go wrong very quickly, and very dangerously. IMO, I'd be a bad husband to let her risk her safety getting into something above her skill level. It'd be like me getting into a F1 car and attempting to drive it at the limit... it'd be unsafe and I wouldn't have the skill set to understand why I'm so much slower than Michael Schumacher.

[S2kreno]

Not asking for anyone to sort out my car, Scott. Just wanted to know of a good shop, jeez. I just made the point that every woman in the club racing now did not have to do it from scratch knowing nothing; I'm sure there are some who have done it alone but I haven't met any who have not had help and don't want to be held to a different standard. You guys have a comfort zone with cars that I will never have no matter how many autoshop classes I take, just as I have one with tennis and horses that you probably don't. That's all. Didn't mean this to be some kind of referendum on gender issues.

Thanks Vic for the only actual answer to my actual question :)

Finally, I'm not trying to make my car faster (well, maybe a little) so much as get it to feel like my 06 S2k did so I can be confident that when I spin it was something I did and not my car being silly. As for putting in the time, I got a late start and I'm trying to make the best of it. Just because Granddad walked to school uphill both ways through a blizzard doesn't mean everyone has to.

[dknv]

Hi Gina,

Since getting your most recent car, have you had your alignment checked? If not -- that by itself could account for why your car's handling may feel different from the prior car. Also - are you on the exact same tires as before? (This too can make a difference.)

In past days, I would've recommended a couple of different places for you to take your car and get the help you need; but recently, one has had some unfortunate circumstances that causes me to be cautious about recommending them; and the other I haven't seen for two years, so I don't know how he's doing. But I'll give this some thought, besides what Vic recommended.

For autox, I'd recommend having a good alignment, then tires, then shocks. For PDX -- I'd recommend a good set of brake pads (they don't have to be the best you can possibly get, but something rated for autox / track use). And tires. You want to be confident that you'll have grip, and you'll have adequate stopping power on the track.

Finally, I realize this is unsolicited advice, but I wanted to share it because it might sound similar to some of the things you are experiencing - I have been at a plateau multiple times in the 9 years I've been autocrossing (and also felt like I was going backwards -- very frustrating). Not knowing what to do differently, I had felt like not pursuing it anymore; not giving up, but my heart kind of went out of it at times. And while it's helpful to get a good coach in the passenger seat with you, it's hard to gain benefit when it's only for 40 seconds at a time. Let me know if you want to have a further chat about this at the next event you attend.

[vic]

Gina I don't know if you saw how many people spun thier cars that day, it's the surface at stead not your car. If you are even slightly off line and lift you spin. Jerk on the wheel to hard, you spin. Gas it to hard,you spin. You have to be ready for it all the time. By the end of the season you will be an expert at driving on marbles. You just have to show up and do it. Rear wheel drive cars are at a disadvantage in those conditions.

[solonut]

Not asking for anyone to sort out my car, Scott. Just wanted to know of a good shop, jeez. I just made the point that every woman in the club racing now did not have to do it from scratch knowing nothing; I'm sure there are some who have done it alone but I haven't met any who have not had help and don't want to be held to a different standard. You guys have a comfort zone with cars that I will never have no matter how many autoshop classes I take, just as I have one with tennis and horses that you probably don't. That's all. Didn't mean this to be some kind of referendum on gender issues.

Thanks Vic for the only actual answer to my actual question :)

Finally, I'm not trying to make my car faster (well, maybe a little) so much as get it to feel like my 06 S2k did so I can be confident that when I spin it was something I did and not my car being silly. As for putting in the time, I got a late start and I'm trying to make the best of it. Just because Granddad walked to school uphill both ways through a blizzard doesn't mean everyone has to.

Gina...if you talking about spinning at stead....I have done some good ones...it is caused by being as little as 6" off line...stead right now for a rear wheel drive car is like threading a needle....so STOP!! beating yourself up...if you spin at Stead's surface....its status quo

[BillH]

Gina, If you want someone to check the car to see if anything's broken or screwed up, let me know. You're probably 5 min. from my house.
I can tell in a fairly short drive if it's OK.

Brake pads, shocks and all that- it's always your decision.

90% of the hundreds of drivers I've been on the track with were running stock stuff, those that spun (few) did so because of lack of seat time, not due to the equipment.

[jim.gandy]

My 2 cents on prepping a car for Track Days -- the brake fluid is as important as the pads. It must be fresh, and it must be High Temp. Original Equipment brake fluid has too low a boiling point for track use. Old fluid absorbs water from the atmosphere, and that also lowers boiling point.

If you're five laps into a session and you nail the brakes and you've still got a relatively firm, high pedal but the car's not slowing down like it did before, that's a pad issue -- you need performance or racing pads. If the pedal goes to the floor, that's a boiling fluid issue -- you need fresh and/or hi-temp fluid.

[AlexR]

From my limited experience with brake pads. Ide say GO Porter Field R4 They are expensive, and they eat into your rotors. but OMFG will your car stop on a dime. they have a very good cold bite, comparable to EBC Greens, but they just keep getting better and better as they heat up (like an ebc yellow) . I've driven Hawk Pro HP pads in someone elses car and felt they had better initial bite than yellows but didn't improve with heat as much as the yellows. I can take you for a quick ride in my 93 if you want to see how insane these pads are. the 93 is on Single piston floating calipers 9.4" rotors front and drums rear (horrible setup) but it will outbrake my STI, and your S2000 for sure. 70 mph, dry roads, i can lock up my tires !

Yellows are a much better value.

Brake Fluid flush. superblue is a great value
BUT Wildwood 600 EXP is the 2nd best fluid on the market and you should be able to do a flush with 1 bottle, its $18 a bottle. so worst case its $36.



I can ask My friend at OFEALsuspension.com if he's familiar with your Struts, he can Custom re-valve them for track and autocross usage. my car seems to stick to pavement better now that i've done this (course mine were fairly blown @ 94K miles) It also made my car a touch harder to control , but its faster for sure.

I'm loving my Kuhmo Escta XS Tires, but you could go with some hoosier R6 tires .

yeah +1 on that alignment !

How much neg camber can you dial in? and how are your tire temps (inside , middle, outside) ? If i remember i can bring out my pyrometer to an autoX and you can zap your tires and try to dial in the "perfect " alignment

even with awd + dirt experience i almost spun out a few times, only due to awd + a "magical" center diff was i able to correct, and the times i did that it cost me 2-3 seconds.

[AlexR]

$268 for R4 pads for your car porterfield-brakes.com
$36 for wilwood 600EXP at summit racing

you can get Motul 600 for $9 a bottle at micheal motor works. its Almost as good IIRC its like 605 dry versus 600 (motul being better) and 421 Wet compared to 400 (Wilwood being better) with in 6 months the wilwood will be better. I run wilwood 600xp in my rally car and Motul 600 in the STI (and its due for a flush , i'm gonna put in the wilwood)

I have some bottles of the wilwood 570 I'de sell cheap it has a really crappy WET boiling so you'll need to flush it after 6-9 months :|

[zpeed]

Most of track S2000 use either Cobalts or Carbotech pads. I love Cobalts but never try Carbotech.

[Cadex]

Gina...if you are looking for a turn key race shop I second Vic's suggestion with BBR. Give the Benson Brothers a call. They've setup up two of my cars working within my skill level and budget over the years.

775-233-7947, Greg
775-233-7946, Matt

[Skyhorse]

This is going a bit off topic but that has never stopped me in the past
I have Porterfield R4’s on my 510 (disk and drum set up) and yes you can get race compound shoes. They don’t work well at all cold I have to drag my brakes on my way up to the line before my first run to get some heat in them and its pretty scary backing off the trailer on a cold morning
I just bought hawk HP’s and new ATE rotors for the BMW, guess I will find out how that works on June 5th. It was originally going to be my daily driver so I cheeped out and put Raybestos low buck pads and rotors on it. when I pulled it apart last night the front pads have stress cracks in the friction material but at least the $20 rotors don’t show any wear. Listen to me children do not do two years of track days on a $100 brake job. But sometimes being slow offsets being stupid
On the topic of rotors read the disclaimer on drilled rotors (yes I know they look racy) before you think about buying any most of the time it will say not for racing. They can crack around the holes

[zpeed]

I have cross drilled on the car just for bling factor. I swap to stock rotors and racing pads on track day.

[AlexR]

Scott, are you using the porterfield "R4" or the "R4-S" ? they are different compounds.

[S2kreno]

Wow, thanks guys. I just realized the acquisition of my car coincides exactly with the crappifying of the Stead surface. Have gotten really tentative because of that, I have never driven her on a good surface. I was getting really worried about RFR and maybe not necessary. So I'll do the alignment brake pad brake fluid thing and have a recommended person check her out to see what will give me the best handling. On another note, a skunk invaded my garage today, so deodorizing will have to be top priority before anyone will be willing to work on her I think. Never a dull moment. Maybe I'll run the Forester at Stead next time; might be fun.

[S2kreno]

Hi Gina,

Finally, I realize this is unsolicited advice, but I wanted to share it because it might sound similar to some of the things you are experiencing - I have been at a plateau multiple times in the 9 years I've been autocrossing (and also felt like I was going backwards -- very frustrating). Not knowing what to do differently, I had felt like not pursuing it anymore; not giving up, but my heart kind of went out of it at times. And while it's helpful to get a good coach in the passenger seat with you, it's hard to gain benefit when it's only for 40 seconds at a time. Let me know if you want to have a further chat about this at the next event you attend.
Thanks. That would be extremely helpful. it's also good to know that someone as good as you are has felt this way.

[Dave Deborde]

Gina, Here's the rule for SCCA PDX, also noted in the RenoSups.
Is your roll bar the same as Nat's ?

11.1.1. BASIC DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
A.
The basic purpose of the roll bar is to protect the driver in case the vehicle rolls over or runs into an obstacle such as a guardrail or catch fence. This purpose should not be forgotten.
B.
The top of the roll bar shall not be below the top of the driver’s helmet when the driver is in normal driving position, and shall not be more than six inches behind the driver

This is for a Factory roll bar. A custom installed roll bar would have to be teched a little closer.


Gina, the factory roll over protection in your S2000 is approved for PDX and Club Trials provided the height is OK. Fortunately Honda indicates that the roll bar does provide roll over protection and that is all that we require in SCCA Time Trials. You are good to go :).

Dave D.