*The FL5 Track Junkie Thread*

[svvitch]

just putzing around the track.

See you out there ? this is my plan!

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[Rexpelagi]

I really hope SCCA opens up the ball joints for the Type R for next year, but I may just do a Tuner build at that point.

I know this is a common request rules-wise but I really can't complain about my tire wear with the Ballade camber plates, Swift springs, and Eibach rear bar (coupled with the 18x11 / 285/30R18s RE71RS). I certainly wouldn't make a decision based on that allowance alone.

Here are pictures of my tires - probably at around -2.5° front / -2° rear (no adjustment back there yet obviously) - this is after around 10-15 autocross runs and the equivalent of ~12x 15min track sessions.

All 4 were rotated around a bit so these are just the final resting positions - they are all basically at or below the wear bars, but they haven't worn through the tread compound yet anywhere even on the outside edges.

LF (inside -> outside):

RF (outside -> inside):

RR (outside -> inside):

LR (inside -> outside):

 

[BigBird]

Never revealed it publicly, but the white FL5 in the Gears and Gasoline video was my car.

Previously, I was always near the top of the times in my previous cars, and ended up on the podium that weekend of the crash. But being older, and still have physical effects a year+ later, really has been a longer mental hurdle and process that I ever expected to overcome. So working it out.

I went from doing 2:11s at VIR in a Golf R and Elantra N with just camber and tune with 200TW tires, to a 2:21 post-crash in my latest FL5.

Pic is the lap before the crash at the same doomed corner. Car was telling me to chill out, tires were greasy AF, but I finally got some clear air, it was the 1st session of the AM and the best temp conditions it would be for the rest of day, but I insisted I could still make time, and I was creeping into 2nd place time, I apexed a bit early, but also was about 8 mph faster than previous times but with greasy tires, and the car said no more sir.

Maybe HPDE is the way for me now. Before I shunned HPDE, unless I wanted to learn a track, but may have to embrace the next chapter....we'll see how this off-season goes mentally.

 

[MooMoo]

Never revealed it publicly, but the white FL5 in the Gears and Gasoline video was my car.

Previously, I was always near the top of the times in my previous cars, and ended up on the podium that weekend of the crash. But being older, and still have physical effects a year+ later, really has been a longer mental hurdle and process that I ever expected to overcome. So working it out.

I went from doing 2:11s at VIR in a Golf R and Elantra N with just camber and tune with 200TW tires, to a 2:21 post-crash in my latest FL5.

Pic is the lap before the crash at the same doomed corner. Car was telling me to chill out, tires were greasy AF, but I finally got some clear air, it was the 1st session of the AM and the best temp conditions it would be for the rest of day, but I insisted I could still make time, and I was creeping into 2nd place time, I apexed a bit early, but also was about 8 mph faster than previous times and with greasy tires, and the car said no more sir.

Maybe HPDE is the way for me now. Before I shunned HPDE, unless I wanted to learn a track, but may have to embrace the next chapter....we'll see how this off-season goes mentally.

I think time will let you get confidence again.
My times go to shit every time I see an accident on track, there goes the PR that day so I can't imagine actually being involved in an accident. But I be time will come as you get back there. I am glad you are mostly OK.

I think your idea is a good one, do some HPDEs and see how it goes. Hope you come down to VIR in May. I dunno VIR times but I am betting 2:21 is still pretty damn fast lol

 

[BigBird]

I think time will let you get confidence again.
My times go to shit every time I see an accident on track, there goes the PR that day so I can't imagine actually being involved in an accident. But I be time will come as you get back there. I am glad you are mostly OK.

I think your idea is a good one, do some HPDEs and see how it goes. Hope you come down to VIR in May. I dunno VIR times but I am betting 2:21 is still pretty damn fast lol

Appreciate it!

For the latest VIR weekend, The first day it rained heavily, and there were literally about 20 cars that wrecked. So that was not an ideal confidence booster. The second day the track was very green and top times ended up being in the 2:13s. I left a couple sessions early, and 2:21 is not competitive for being there 2x, but I was able to make the 8+ hour drive home, so that was a victory to me.

 

[svvitch]

Appreciate it!

For the latest VIR weekend, The first day it rained heavily, and there were literally about 20 cars that wrecked. So that was not an ideal confidence booster. The second day the track was very green and top times ended up being in the 2:13s. I left a couple sessions early, and 2:21 is not competitive for being there 2x, but I was able to make the 8+ hour drive home, so that was a victory to me.

My top goal is driving home. Then fun. ? I am pretty competitive so I am just staying out of TT my budget and head can't take it I think. I'll keep my competitive side at work ?

 

[PointByPatrol]

Never revealed it publicly, but the white FL5 in the Gears and Gasoline video was my car.

Previously, I was always near the top of the times in my previous cars, and ended up on the podium that weekend of the crash. But being older, and still have physical effects a year+ later, really has been a longer mental hurdle and process that I ever expected to overcome. So working it out.

I went from doing 2:11s at VIR in a Golf R and Elantra N with just camber and tune with 200TW tires, to a 2:21 post-crash in my latest FL5.

Pic is the lap before the crash at the same doomed corner. Car was telling me to chill out, tires were greasy AF, but I finally got some clear air, it was the 1st session of the AM and the best temp conditions it would be for the rest of day, but I insisted I could still make time, and I was creeping into 2nd place time, I apexed a bit early, but also was about 8 mph faster than previous times but with greasy tires, and the car said no more sir.

Maybe HPDE is the way for me now. Before I shunned HPDE, unless I wanted to learn a track, but may have to embrace the next chapter....we'll see how this off-season goes mentally.

It takes tremendous fortitude to get back out there, but rest assured YOU WILL BE BACK. You'll find yourself again! I'm working through the same issue!

 

[BigBird]

It takes tremendous fortitude to get back out there, but rest assured YOU WILL BE BACK. You'll find yourself again! I'm working through the same issue!

Seeing you get back out there so fast definitely helped. So keeping on going!!

 

[PointByPatrol]

Seeing you get back out there so fast definitely helped. So keeping on going!!

I got back out there quickly for a few reasons. The first reason was that I wasn't going to be solely defined by that crash and I knew that if I waited it would only make the mental hurdle worse. My tires were super greasy when it happened too, which explains why the car didn't slow down. I was going 6mph faster than normal and I panicked. Reason number two was because I expect better of myself than to just give up. I am way too stubborn. I get mad at myself if I can't do something, and this forced me to eat the humble pie and start from square one. The last reason was because I felt that I still had something to offer to others. I love sharing knowledge with people, and if I didn't continue in that quest then that would just be another piece of my personality that I would have just abandoned to failure.

I hope you come out with us in May. I would be more than happy to sit in the right seat with you, and help you work through it. Takes a lot of balls to admit what you just did!

 

[TW00Si]

@BigBird I had a minor crash at Palmer 6 years ago in my S2000. I went back to Palmer this year. Granted I didn’t track for 3 years because of Covid and the first year of my son being born, it took a while to even go back to the same track for HPDE.

I started more than 20 years ago with AutoX, and I remember each time I cross the line, it would either be happiness or cursing. Mostly cursing. I remember the more I chased time, the more mistakes I made. And I stopped because I just wasn’t enjoying it anymore.

Now I care less about the time. That’s why when I started, I didn’t track my lap times. The only way I would know is when I went home and watched my Garmin Virb video or I did TT. Even with TT, I knew I wasn’t going to podium so I just drove for fun, have a respectable lap time and to hang out with friends.

Get back to it when you want and remember the fun aspect.

 

[BigBird]

@BigBird I had a minor crash at Palmer 6 years ago in my S2000. I went back to Palmer this year. Granted I didn’t track for 3 years because of Covid and the first year of my son being born, it took a while to even go back to the same track for HPDE.

I started more than 20 years ago with AutoX, and I remember each time I cross the line, it would either be happiness or cursing. Mostly cursing. I remember the more I chased time, the more mistakes I made. And I stopped because I just wasn’t enjoying it anymore.

Now I care less about the time. That’s why when I started, I didn’t track my lap times. The only way I would know is when I went home and watched my Garmin Virb video or I did TT. Even with TT, I knew I wasn’t going to podium so I just drove for fun, have a respectable lap time and to hang out with friends.

Get back to it when you want and remember the fun aspect.

Good points!

Palmer is not my fave track at all. It's super technical, but just the lack of runoff sets of my internal alarms coming from motorcycles, but even NJMP bit me and that has a lot of run off room. So who knows any more...but yeah times were the only reason I tracked, so you're right though, have to get the fun aspect back

 

[svvitch]

Nothing to do with the track:

Status update back from Japan and went to exactly 1 auto related thing while I was there ? the shop I went to did have a lot of neat books magazines and other random stuff to look through. Worked way too much and only saw a few fun cars the whole week on the street.

Hopefully next time I go I can make it to Spoon at least. I did a poor job of judging distances between stops too. Not at all used to large cities and crazy ass train system.

Is it spring yet? I want to get back out on track!

 

[GWonder]

Speaking of palmer, I was there in Sept with proper tires and was not able to beat my gr86 time...I got a lot more comfortable with the type r since, so looking forward to the next attempt...I expect it to be 2 to 3 seconds faster.

 

[MooMoo]

Palmer is definitely sketchy but its one of my favorite tracks however I have yet to run it the normal way, everytime I go its reverse which I really like, next year will try to go the other way

 

[BigBird]

Speaking of palmer, I was there in Sept with proper tires and was not able to beat my gr86 time...I got a lot more comfortable with the type r since, so looking forward to the next attempt...I expect it to be 2 to 3 seconds faster.

the two times i've been there, the fastest I went was like a 1:52 (CCW) in my Golf R (coils, tune, 200TW)

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