U.S. track days for my 3rd/4th gen GTs

[B-rad]

Subarus at CMP for two-day Mustang 25th Anniversary event

Every year, the Carolina Regional Mustang Club has a two-day event at my local track, CMP in Kershaw, NC, and they offer a small discount if you register early, which I did. I’m usually on track on two wheels but every few years I try to run with these guys. They’re all very friendly. The price is lower than I’ve seen any other track time. The day is well run. They rent car helmets (bike helmets not allowed). The CMP staff, who I have known for many years, runs the track, and it is always nice to see them. And even though it is a well known event, all brands are welcome, and there were some nifty cars there, including a Mustang GTD, I think. 

I planned to take the naturally aspirated 215k mile ‘00 Legacy GT I’ve had since new one day and the turbo ’05 GT the other. Mods are very limited. The ’05 has a Cobb base tune for 93 octane, aftermarket sway bars…and Continental “performance” tires. The ’00 has BF Goodrich tires, sway bars, stainless brake lines, Hawk pads, etc. Neither are made for track use, but my instructor wouldn’t let me use his Porsche. Pfft. 

As luck would have it, the ’05 was just due for oil/filter and tire rotation before the event. As the other luck would have it, the ’00 was creaking, groaning, and squealing about two months before the event. After much hunting around and getting quotes, I finally got referred to a superb Subaru guy nearby. My ancient Legacy for a new steering rack (was leaking for a long time), Whiteline bumpsteer kit-tie rods, ball joints, rear lower control arm bushings, engine and transmission mounts, rear camber eccentrics, and more. Alex at After Hours Racing is a god. There were a few hiccups, like him getting a non-OEM tranny mount when he ordered an OEM…and it needed to be replaced before the event as it was clunking around…brand new. He wrapped it all up by Friday…bot a Saturday commute and track day. 

No data logging on the ’00, but I did run RaceChrono to see my painfully slow lap times. My best on my (also ancient) 2003 Yamaha R6 is 1:41. The sheer weight and lack of HP had me hoping for anything near 2:30. I managed a few 2:13s. Adequate. I am in love with these BF Goodrich tires in all conditions (Item 88847 BF Goodrich G-force Comp 2 A/S Plus. 45k warranty.). They didn’t roll over onto the sidewalls at all. They didn’t chunk. They didn’t melt. I started with ambient temps of 62F and 33.8 PSI. Off track PSI was 38-41. It is a clockwise track, so right side tires were 110-115F and left sides got up to 153F. I could not have asked for more from an all-season tire at a track day. 

My normal MPG average is 23.23 (strangely also my bike and car #!) and my on track MPG with one fuel run was 12.25. My full time in car coach was very complimentary about my vehicle control and how much attention I was paying to others on the track. Those nearly 400 bike track days paid off. lol

I’ve loved this car since I bought it new back in 2001, and doing all of the work was worth it…to me. No one else in their right mind would have spend their own money on it. But that’s love, isn’t it. Irrational use of your money without coercion. However, if the engine is ½ qt low on oil, and the car isn’t level…it makes a little racket for a minute or so until it warms. Piston slap likely. Could be low oil pressure…but it didn’t seem to care about either at the track. It uses ~2 quarts between 5k oil change cycles. With all of that new oil going in, I’m likely going to change it to 7.5k cycles. I’ll check today to see what it used up at CMP. 

The sway bars made a huge difference, probably more than anything else. It was an absolutely (super slow) delight to drive on track, although another 100+HP would have been nice. 

Day two. ’05 GT with ~100+ more HP and TORQUES! I wasn’t sure to expect, as I’ve not owned this car very long and have never driven it at any kind of pace. The Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus 215/45ZR17 were…a worse choice. I should have stuck with the BF Goodrich tires on this car too. A much softer sidewall, despite being much shorter, just rolled and rolled. The front end plowed. Adding or removing PSI would just make it worse, so I stuck with 32 PSI at 63 ambient while the tires were 80F from the commute. Temps were 130F-160F and PSI was 39-40. The power was nice, but I quickly wanted another 100+HP. LOL I guess that is how it goes. Despite the really terrible tires, I got in some flat 2:00 lap times. I passed a little and got passed less, and only by cars with big HP. 
This car also has all OEM braking components from the factory…and it shows. Pedal was fine, but braking under impressive. I’m cheap, but when it is time for new components, there will be upgrades pads, rotors and probably lines. I got a lot of flack for having not “yesterday new” high end brake fluid in either car, but I’ve never found the fluid to be a bug for me. Even in the bike systems, Cheapo Valvoline has been just fine. 

My normal MPG average is 22 and my on-track MPG with one fuel run was 8.39 with math, and 6.3 with the onboard computer. More praise from my fantastic coach Marko. As a coach for bikes, I’m used to giving, so receiving honest feedback was really great. 
There were a few exercises to do. Braking on the edge of ABS. Last minute right or left path around an object. Slaloms to feel weight shift at various speeds. Participants raved about them. I’d prefer the track time at (my slow) pace. 
In both cars, I used a lot of the curbing…a lot. I got away from high HP cars in the turns by cheating with track knowledge and no HP. Both cars were well planted until I needed to rotate them, which was fun. There were even a few other Subarus there! In addition, I got to see an old bike track day buddy, Mark, with his Vette. 

It was a really nice weekend. I wish that the food options were better. I wish that my continental tires didn’t look bad and I hope that they don’t suck for the next 30k miles. The data collected from the Cobb all looked great, so they know what they’re doing…so Andy tells me! These rare car days are fun, but nowhere near the thrill of two wheels. I’m not sure that I’ll do any more, but I’m glad to have gotten a purple 25th anniversary shirt for going this year!

A few boring links. 
Pics: https://photos.app.goo.gl/y6ubL7PZ5d3Mbn4i7
Video will eventually posted on my YT site: https://www.youtube.com/@b-radsadventures6846
 

[Joker]

proof we do read your posts  Poor Miata! aka MX5 here (recent crispy upload)

[B-rad]

And I thought I was posting into a void. lol 

 

Videos (boring and raw) uploading now. Sorry for the vulgarity in one! Ancient guy trying to kill me during the parade laps. 

[Joker]

haha cheers for the bump we'll go for a peek & ahh yeah nah I'll wager you're tame to what we're used to down here aye (think Aussies favorite word for Mate that rhymes with "Runt")

 

and ps : post the YT links and the forum takes care of it to display like this