Buttonwillow - Fri 9/5/08

[Vezna31]

Next track day with CFRA is going to be Buttonwillow. Looking forward to running there. I will have a brand new set of race pads for this day. Can't wait. price is going to be $175 for CFRA members. Not sure about the guest price yet.

Any of those who want to come out and ride shotgun, here's a chance to see some fun live track time!

[HELL_ON_WHEELS]

Can I tag along? I would love to go

[Vezna31]

I was hoping you'd want to go. Maybe we can get Chaz to come along too.

[satisaii]

Assuming I will be driving in this one. If so, they can always score some rides.

[chazdawg35]

Hey Dudes LOVE to go! Any chance of me getting on the track? Let me know of all the info, by the way I'm picking up some cross drilled rotors from a place in El Monte for $150 all four. They give you a lifetime warranty against cracking and 1yr for warping. The place is called Brake Masters but I think I want to go with EBC pads, any suggestions?

[Vezna31]

Chaz, would love to get you out there, but CFRA does not allow first time drivers. If they see a significant difference in speed, they will pull you off and tell you that you need more experience before driving with them again. They did this at Sears Point back in November and it was because of me. They had a driver that was so far off everyone's pace that it was a danger to other drivers because of the closing rate. It's a safety issue. Their B group is the equivalent to most high intermediate to advanced drivers and there will be some full blown race cars on track with me. Also, they allow full course passing, so you need EXTREME awareness. At the last Buttonwillow event, I was one of the slower cars on track. They also don't provide instructors and I would suggest you have one with you for at least the first 5 events.

Keep going with the other organizations until you get enough seat time, then we'll move you into the shark tank but you're still welcome to ride shotgun with me, John, and Larry.

[chazdawg35]

I'm going to ask for the day off I didn't realize it was on a Friday. If I can ride with you guys that wouuld be cool.

[Vezna31]

Registration opened for members today, but I think there's a mistake. The site is saying $225 for members when the email a few days ago said $175. i emailed the president to see which is correct. Guest registration will be 2 weeks from now.

[Vezna31]

Guest price will be $195.

[chazdawg35]

Originally Posted by Vezna31

Guest price will be $195.

Hey Dude do you think it would be a good idea to sit this one out? I really can't wait to get back on the track. Lately I have been putting more trust in the car and playing with quick braking into the turns.

[Vezna31]

Originally Posted by chazdawg35

Hey Dude do you think it would be a good idea to sit this one out? I really can't wait to get back on the track. Lately I have been putting more trust in the car and playing with quick braking into the turns.

http://s2000.com/forums/53123-post6.html

[chazdawg35]

Hey Dudes so how do you get to learn the track? I was talking with a customer today with an EVO and he belongs to N.A.S.A. but he told me they race everywhere! How do you get into that or something like that? I LOVE Open Track Racing but I do want to get in a rhythm of driving other tracks too. Anyway I will see if I can go to hang out with you guy's.I guess I got kinda hooked, LOL

[Vezna31]

Originally Posted by chazdawg35

Hey Dudes so how do you get to learn the track? I was talking with a customer today with an EVO and he belongs to N.A.S.A. but he told me they race everywhere! How do you get into that or something like that? I LOVE Open Track Racing but I do want to get in a rhythm of driving other tracks too. Anyway I will see if I can go to hang out with you guy's.I guess I got kinda hooked, LOL

Several organizations go to each track. Go to Buttonwillows website and find out who will be there at different times and pick the org that provides instructors for novice level drivers.

[chazdawg35]

Thanx Dude!

[ss2k]

Hello, is CFRA Checkered Flag Racing ? Where will I be able to find Buttonwillow track day (9/5) registeration information ? I would like to go and check them out, thank you 8)

[satisaii]

CFRA guests require an invite from a member in order to register. And guest registration opens in about 2 weeks.

[ss2k]

satisaii, thanks for the info. I have already registered and become a member of CFRA but cannot find anything about the track day on their website, is there a link to register ? Thank you all

[Vezna31]

Originally Posted by ss2k

satisaii, thanks for the info. I have already registered and become a member of CFRA but cannot find anything about the track day on their website, is there a link to register ? Thank you all

How did you become a member? You can't become a member until you are a guest of a member at a track day. If there are no negative comments about your driving, then they offer membership.

[Vezna31]

I made my reservation for the hotel last night and got a trailer for tomorrow. I have to go over to Ryan's shop for an emergency brake bleed. I put on my race pads today and took a ride to Staples to bed them in and noticed severe pull to the right under hard braking and it sounded like the right front was partially locking up. Also getting a wheel alignment tomorrow. We're also going to re-do the tranny fluid to replace the crush washers with Honda crush washers to see if that fixes the leak. I hope so. I don't want to to go on track with a leaking transmission. I also hope the brake bleed solves the pull. I can't go on track at all because the car is really unstable braking at high speed.

[chazdawg35]

Hey Dudes I AGAIN,due to work can't make the track day but if you guy's are heading back Sat let me know. I want to meet up and if you feel like stopping by Simi we can hang out at my place.

[satisaii]

I will be coming home Friday night, but I could use a hand troubleshooting that TPS sensor error that I am having.

[lonestarbuzz]

Originally Posted by satisaii

I will be coming home Friday night, but I could use a hand troubleshooting that TPS sensor error that I am having.

did you put a cover sheet on that TPS report. cause you now, we sent a memo about that. i can get you a copy of that memo. all TPS reports must have a cover sheet. i'll get you a copy of that memo.


rrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiigggghhtt.

[Vezna31]

Man, I am so f***ing pissed.

Swapped out my street pads for the race pads yesterday and suddenly the car is pulling to the right and wanting to lock up the right front wheel under hard braking.

Bleeding the brakes helped a little, but not enough to make me want to go on track. Ryan thought it felt like the alignment was out. Went to get it aligned and they won't do it because apparently my left rear wheel bearing is bad. That wheel bearing lasted only 26k miles. I think my 18" wheels are the culprit for that.

So, my options are: 1) drive with an unstable car under hard braking and risk sheering off a wheel if the bearing gives out....no. 2) spend an additional amount to rent a car...I've already spent enough...no. 3) Be a passenger all day.

I've already spent hundreds in maintenance, have a hotel reserved, $175 to go on track. Thank God U-Haul decided not to charge me for cancelling last second. NOTHING went right for me today. Not a happy boy at all.

[philiam]

Sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you.

Sorry about your problems. Peter principle at work.

[chazdawg35]

Hey Dude sorry to hear about the car. Better to find out NOW then when it's to late. I wish I was in the area to help with the repairs.

[Vezna31]

Man, what a really long day yesterday was. Because of the last minute problems, Jen and I went up in her Sequioa, slept in late and then got to the track by 9 AM to see everyone.

John was having problems with the Miata, some kind of banging noise, so he was in and out of the paddock all day. He couldn't figure it out if it was a header banging against the frame or what. He had the problem before and fixed it by replacing a broken motor mount, but it was back again yesterday.

Ted started blowing massive amounts of smoke through the tailpipe going through the bus stop. We think we figured it out that it was a sensor coming loose and we solved it with a wire tie. Either that or he was a little over-filled with oil and it was sloshing through that turn.

Halfway through the day, the toe truck was sent out and to our surprise, it was Ron getting towed. Apparently, his clutch decided it no longer wanted to work. In the process of waiting, the car over-heated and there was coolant everywhere. This would be the adventure of the day. At 4 PM, he found a U-Haul with a car trailer and me and Jen drove into Bakersfield with her Sequioa and picked it up, met everyone for dinner back at the hotel and then went back to the track to pick up the car. Thank God John came with us because we wound up having to push the car up onto the trailer. By the time we left the track it was 8:30 PM. I drove to Camarillo to Ron's home where we unhitched the trailer in front of his house and then Jen drove home from there. We got home at 2:30 AM. I was exhausted.Ron is lucky I didn't drive the day because we would have had my car on a trailer and nothing to get his car home. Expensive day for a lot of people

On a good note, Larry had a great day. He had a set of brand new RA-1's installed at the track tire shop after lunch and missed minimal time.

Now, I just have to make sure my car is ready to go for Sears Point in November.

[satisaii]

Coming down the mountain into LA, I killed the engine and coasted for about 6 miles. When I turned it back on, the car was running very poorly, as in would not even maintain speed. I took the next exit, pulled of the road and killed it for a minute. When I restarted, everything was back to normal.

I have just finished de-prepping the car from the day. I looked closely at the header/body location and there is less than 1/4 inch at the closest point. Since my plans for the car are to make more than 300 hp, I am going to take it to a friend's shop and have him build me a header+exhaust. At the same time, I am going to install solid motor mounts and a transmission mount (Miatas do not have trans mounts.)

[Vezna31]

Originally Posted by satisaii

Coming down the mountain into LA, I killed the engine and coasted for about 6 miles. When I turned it back on, the car was running very poorly, as in would not even maintain speed. I took the next exit, pulled of the road and killed it for a minute. When I restarted, everything was back to normal.

I have just finished de-prepping the car from the day. I looked closely at the header/body location and there is less than 1/4 inch at the closest point. Since my plans for the car are to make more than 300 hp, I am going to take it to a friend's shop and have him build me a header+exhaust. At the same time, I am going to install solid motor mounts and a transmission mount (Miatas do not have trans mounts.)

I was wondering what happened to you. I looked in the mirror and couldn't tell if you were still behind us. Then I noticed a big gap from us to the next pack of cars behind and wondered if you had just slowed or exited.

[chazdawg35]

Hey Dudes Sorry to hear all bad news. John I left a message on your phone to see if you wanted me to help with the S problems. I figured that you had other issues when I didn't hear back. Vinny did you figure out your car troubles yet?

[satisaii]

LOL

I have cell phone issues. I tend to break them on a very regular basis. I was working on the Miata Thursday and cracked the display on the new one (it is only about 3 months old.) I did not know that I had missed a call or had any messages. Lucky for me, there is a place in Glendale that sells parts for phones. I went ahead and ordered up parts for a couple of the dead phones I have and will be fixing them on Monday. But in the mean time...

If the phone rings, I answer it. Past that it is useless.

[chazdawg35]

Originally Posted by satisaii

LOL

I have cell phone issues. I tend to break them on a very regular basis. I was working on the Miata Thursday and cracked the display on the new one (it is only about 3 months old.) I did not know that I had missed a call or had any messages. Lucky for me, there is a place in Glendale that sells parts for phones. I went ahead and ordered up parts for a couple of the dead phones I have and will be fixing them on Monday. But in the mean time...

If the phone rings, I answer it. Past that it is useless.

Hey Dude tommorrow is the Chargers game! So I will be watching that and drinkin some beers if you want to come to Simi to watch the game call me. Let me know if you need help with the S or miata.

[Vezna31]

Originally Posted by chazdawg35

Hey Dudes Sorry to hear all bad news. John I left a message on your phone to see if you wanted me to help with the S problems. I figured that you had other issues when I didn't hear back. Vinny did you figure out your car troubles yet?

Not yet, but I think the brake problem may have been that they weren't bedded in yet. John thought he was having the same problem until it finally went away. Today I went to a client and all the way back and forth, I kept getting on them. By the time I got home, it felt like the brakes were ok. Sometime in the next few days when I get the chance, I'm going to throw the R-compounds back on for better grip and go stomp the brakes from high speed and see how it feels.

[Vezna31]

I think I've figured out why the car was pulling to the right with the race pads. I took them off this morning after leaving them on for a week. On the left front outside pad, I noticed significantly more wear on the bottom part of the pad than the top of the pad. Top part actually looked like it never touched the rotor. The inside pad only had a tiny bit of uneven wear in one of the corners.

My first thought was that maybe the caliper was the problem, but both pads would have the same amount of uneven wear and they aren't even close. So, I'm going on an uneven rotor as the problem. I plan on wearing down these street pads as much as I can over the next 2 months. I'll put on a new rotor when I do Sears Point at the end of November with new pads. Hopefully, the small amount of uneven wear on the race pad from one week of driving won't make too much a difference to not be able to drive on the track.

[Vezna31]

Also, picked up a new wheel bearing and a hub today. Probably have it done by tomorrow.

[chazdawg35]

Hey Dude that's Cool you have a direction to look towards. That is weird that the rotor would cause wear like that or a pull, what kind of rotors are you running?

[satisaii]

I saw something similar where the pad was not sitting flush to the rotor. It was an installation problem where a piece of crud got between the pad and the caliper. An uneven rotor would be odd, but easy to check for.

[Vezna31]

Power-Slot slotted rotors. This is the first problem I had. i didn't have any problem with them before the cracked rotor happened in March.

[Vezna31]

Found the cause of the problem, I feel like such an idiot!!

On normal street pads, the inside pad has the metal sensor to let you know the pad needs to be changed. On race pads, they don't have those. So, when I installed the race pads, I saw 4 pads that looked the same. Well, what I didn't see were the small pins on the outside of the pad to let you know which is the inside pad. I had it on the outside which was making the pad wear incorrectly...doh! The right side was installed correctly.

I also found out I did not have a bad wheel bearing. When Ryan took off the axle nut, he got a weird look on his face. He put it back on and really tightened and then put the wheel back on. No play. The axle nut had somehow worked loose creating what looked like a bad wheel bearing. He checked the other side just to check and that one had moved too because he had them marked when he did my wheel bearings a year ago. Make sure the axle nut is torqued to 181 lb ft!! And mark it with a sharpie so you know if it moves or not.

So, I could have gone on the track without needing any repairs. What a waste of time and money that was.

[chazdawg35]

Sorry to hear that Dude! Well you know it's not the rotors.