Hey y'all!
I joined the Intermountain region's PCA group for a weekend of fun and excitement at at UMC (utah motorsports campus, formerly miller motorsports park). We were scheduled to run the east track on Friday and the west on Saturday (today).
This being my first track day with IRPCA, I was slotted into a beginners run group and assigned an instructor. So glad for that! My instructor had never driven a Porsche before, so we had a blast as he showed me some things I can work on, and I watched as the hook sank deeper and deeper: yup.... he's gonna want a boxster, haha. This was actually the first "official" track instruction I've ever received in a car.
After the first session, they moved me into a more fitting run group, where I was playing with some exotic machinery, and some very experienced, really fast guys.
They ran a great event. Lots of laps, not much traffic, good people. And any of you who are familiar with the facility know that there are few in the country with equal facilities. incredible venue.
I prepared for this day by purchasing a cheap set of wheels to put some track tires on. I elected to go with the federal 595RSR-RR tires. They're cheap! I'm about $500 total, with tax and mt & blnc. They worked quite well, with lots of grip. They're a bit picky on pressure; I eventually settled with 36/35, front/rear (hot). The shoulder worked well, and the tire gave a little audible feedback, as you'd hope.
I also put on EBC YELLOW STUFF pads and flushed the brakes with motul 600. The pads are what I'd call "okay". I spent 2 days bedding them according to the mfr's directions, but I expected more from them. I mean, they're good.... but by about lap 5 they're smoking and I start worrying. By lap 8 they're starting to fade. (My "brake wear" light came on in my first session, causing some mild panic for me, but everything seems fine. I'm assuming I damaged a sensor? Anyone have any thoughts?)
We ended the day yesterday with a time-trial. Not everyone entered, but I did, just for fun. I ended up fastest boxster / cayman of the group. My best lap of the day was my last lap, suggesting to me that I'm learning stuff, and doing it right (right -er? Haha) but I'm very aware of places I can pick up tenths, halves, maybe even full seconds! I just need to slow down and do it.
Today started really well. We were on the west track, which is faster, and which I always considered more "technical" on the superbike. I jumped right into the fast - lane behind a GT3 and a cayman GT4RS, along with an audi S8 and a newish mustang of some bad-ass designation or another ( I'll admit I've never much cared what all those letters are, haha). Things were clicking- along really well. I was losing touch with the "exotics" in places, but reeling them back in a few. Kind of a lonely session, but I learned a ton.
Side - bar: I haven't been on this track in about 10 years.... and the last time I was, I broke both legs in turn one, when a first-timer t-boned me on the superbike. I had some real anxiety at turn one for a couple of laps, haha.
Second session: slotted in with the same group, and was catching the mustang when a BIG WHITE CLOUD started masking the track behind me... and my CEL CAME on. Long story short: pretty sure its my AOS.
DAY OVER.
But man, what a hoot. Seriously addicted now, I'm sure. Haha.
I used Harry's laptimer with mixed success. It worked pretty well, but the ram- mount I bought for it was far too "wiggly" ad the video is therefore hard you watch. I'd love to post a lap or two here, but for the life of me i can't did where HLT stores the video on android (Samsung S7). Anybody?
So the AOS Is on my todo list. What's the sweet track setup? Seems like a guy could put a catch - can in - line, so it'll fill that instead of dumping into the motor? What do y'all who track or race regularly do with this?
regarding the brake sensors, if you are going to actually drive your car then you want to visually check your pads and don't need an idiot light to tell you what's what. in fact, most track pads don't come with a spot to put the sensor regardless, and hot track temps (as you discovered) can mess with the sensor.
ultimately, the sensor is just a wire loop that, when the pads get low, wears out and opens a circuit, causing a cel. clip the wires near the plug and twist them together; problem solved.
re AOS, don't throw the baby out with the bath water. there are a number of iterations of AOS (determined by the last two numbers in the part number). i blew mine up, put in the latest iteration, and have had no problems since.
can't speak re ebc, but with motul 600 and pagid yellow i've never had a problem. ebc may be a bit cheaper, but it's brakes man - if yer gonna spend $ on a track car, put it in brakes and tires, hey?
When you're ordering your new AOS, click 2 for quantity. That way you can take the extra 1 to the track. If you blow 1 out on day 1 session 1, your weekend is not over. I always take an extra 1 with me to DEs. Cheap insurance.
__________________
GPRPCA Chief Driving Instructor
2008 Boxster S Limited Edition #005
2008 Cayman S Sport - Signal Green
1989 928 S4 5 spd - black
Big white (but goes away after a few seconds) + CEL (probably flashing, for misfires) plus the power dropping out for a moment during the smoke bomb, typical
Probably you had just:
* Gone through a corner at high rpm, and when you upshifted you got the cloud
* Heavy braking followed by a turn
* Heavy braking followed by 2 quick turns
* Or even just two quick turns
Combined with an oil.level right at the top of the bars or even slightly above?
My first track day in the Boxster, with my oil accidentally slightly overfilled, huge smoke bomb just like you describe. Got home, dropped my oil filter and drained a little oil, never blew another smoke bomb over 50-60 more track days and maybe 30,000 miles.
So you might be ok as is.
Now if is continuous mosquito fogging, then for sure AOS.
Big white (but goes away after a few seconds) + CEL (probably flashing, for misfires) plus the power dropping out for a moment during the smoke bomb, typical
Probably you had just:
* Gone through a corner at high rpm, and when you upshifted you got the cloud
* Heavy braking followed by a turn
* Heavy braking followed by 2 quick turns
* Or even just two quick turns
Combined with an oil.level right at the top of the bars or even slightly above?
My first track day in the Boxster, with my oil accidentally slightly overfilled, huge smoke bomb just like you describe. Got home, dropped my oil filter and drained a little oil, never blew another smoke bomb over 50-60 more track days and maybe 30,000 miles.
So you might be ok as is.
Now if is continuous mosquito fogging, then for sure AOS.
SUNNUVA>>>>>>
from your list: yes, Yes, YES, YESS!!!
All of that was true. I'm old-skool.... oil-fill is "thereabouts" .... and I always err on the side of overfull.
So the CEL came on, huge loss of power. Then the cel went right back off, didn;t come on again. No more cloud. So then I drove it home 30 miles with nary a puff. SUNNVUA>... so I needlessly pissed-away a half-day of fun?
SUNNUVA!!!!!
OK... lesson learned.
Just in case: how do I check the AOS? (I may get one coming and put it in the track spares, as suggested below)
And Radiumking: thanks for the response about the brakes. Yeah, after I checked it over, I just ignored the brake wear light. I'll look into Pagid next time. It'll be interesting (and probably expensive) to go through this curve with Brakes, Tires, etc, while I look for what I like best.
To my defense: SO many people (some on this forum, among other places) told me that for my first DE I should just use my street tires and brakes. SO GLAD I IGNORED THOSE PEOPLE!!! I thought I was doing right by listening to all of the folks using EBC Yellow on this forum, particularly where I'd had such great success with EBC on the Superbikes. And I think I did.... but I'ma try something different next time.
fyi, your insurance should cover you for a standard hpde. as soon as you start competing (time trial) your insurance no longer covers you. keep that in mind.
fyi, your insurance should cover you for a standard hpde. as soon as you start competing (time trial) your insurance no longer covers you. keep that in mind.
Thanks. I never quite understood why a person's insurance would cover ANYTHING at the racetrack.... but I guess some have used it?
I read through my policy's exclusions and they don't cover anything that has to do with a race track, so maybe it's different from one insurer to another...
I could call them and ask but...
__________________
2002 Boxster S - NHP 200 Cell Headers,test pipes,Borla CatBack,Competition Plenum,74 mm TB, EVOMS Tune,Tarett UDP,Eibach Swaybars,BIlstein PSS9s,TuneRS rear toe links,wheel studs,15 mm wheel spacers on all 4,EBC yellow stuff pads,Sebro rotors, EBS oil baffles,160 deg Thermostat,2 quart Accusump,full filtration remote oil filter,rad fan switch,custom gauge/switch plate, Race Capture data logging, 90K miles
No, because in my opinion sending that oil through the intake like that is bad. In some cases (heard about them but never saw it for myself) too much oil can "hydrolock" the cylinder and blow the engine, since fluid can't compress. So it was probably a good idea to stop.
A friend has a tiptronic Boxster and at Roebling when he goes through turn 9 in 3rd gear (same place and gear that it happened to me) he gets the smoke bomb + flashing CEL whent he car shifts to 4th. I told him to go to 4th before turn 9 and it solved it for him.
I personally run a few bars down from full on the digital dash gauge. I experimented recently with going back to the full line (but not over like I was that first track day) and while I never blew a smoke bomb except that first time, I did seem to use more oil when running right at the top. Folks that have put a catch catch and running the oil at the top have reported that almost immediately they get some in the catch can, and then it stops once the oil level drops a little. A big caveat, I also run a 2 QT deep sump so even with running the oil a little "low" I still have over 1.5 quarts more than the default.
I've probably got 10 smoke bombs from other Boxsters and Caymans collected in my videos, it would probably take forever but I should make a smoke bomb compilation...
I've got another video somewhere of a yellow Boxster blowing a smoke bomb at Sebring. It was behind me, so maybe I didn't have my rear camera back then.
Nice, that yellow Cayman could get away on the straights with the extra power but you were keeping on it pretty good with your faster cornering!
Yeah, in full disclosure; I wasn't shifting. Haha. You may have noticed. I put it in third and left it there. I did (in later laps) use 2nd to drive out harder so he (and others) weren't leaving me in the straights. But for most of the day I left it in 3rd and focused on smooth braking, rotation, throttle, etc.
It may be different in Canada, but very few US ins companies cover HPDE in their policies. There are companies like Lockton or Hagerty that provide track day ins.
__________________
GPRPCA Chief Driving Instructor
2008 Boxster S Limited Edition #005
2008 Cayman S Sport - Signal Green
1989 928 S4 5 spd - black
Maytag - great to have you out to UMC with the IRPCA. Glad to hear it was just the AOS.
I have an "almost" spec Boxster (#50) that my wife ran in the afternoon sessions.
On the insurance front - not many policies cover HPDE anymore and TT is definitely out of scope (timed).
Also, the yellow Cayman has a 3.8 in it, so you were doing great keeping up with him.
We should have an event in September finalized soon. Likely three day with DE and TT, one of the short tracks on Friday then long tracks Saturday and Sunday.
Maytag - great to have you out to UMC with the IRPCA. Glad to hear it was just the AOS.
I have an "almost" spec Boxster (#50) that my wife ran in the afternoon sessions.
On the insurance front - not many policies cover HPDE anymore and TT is definitely out of scope (timed).
Also, the yellow Cayman has a 3.8 in it, so you were doing great keeping up with him.
We should have an event in September finalized soon. Likely three day with DE and TT, one of the short tracks on Friday then long tracks Saturday and Sunday.
IRPCA TT Director
Max! Hey man, glad to see ya here too! I'm surprised that more of the locals aren't hanging here.
You guys sure ran a great event....
If I'm reading between the lines correctly, I think you're telling me that if you had been driving your boxster, instead of your wife driving it, you'd have schooled me pretty well? Haha. I'd have enjoyed that. As it was, Monte and I were chuckling about the fact that something he hadn't been able to teach me was how to wave somebody by.... hahaha!
So the yellow Cayman.... yeah, couple laps later, with me hounding him a lot closer, he waved me on by. (Around 0:44 here https://youtu.be/zsgbsoW3d_U)
We sorta yo-yo'd a bit that direction, until I finally strung 2 good laps together and he lost touch with me. We chatted about it later, since he and I were garage neighbors.
I can't wait for the one in September, on the outer loop!
Found another smoke bomb, this one by a Boxster, I have seen a couple Boxsters blow smoke after the braking and then fast left for turn 1 at Sebring, starts at 16:28 and it in the back camera view:
fyi, your insurance should cover you for a standard hpde. as soon as you start competing (time trial) your insurance no longer covers you. keep that in mind.
I would read my insurance policy closely -- I don't think this is typical anymore.
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