CIVICXI *NOVICE* Track Thread!

[Rhorn]

Get those new tires and not worry about it again! I wonder if it's valve stem?

Im not sure exactly the hissing sound wasn't coming from the valve stem. It was weird because I didn't see a nail or any piercing hole

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[BigBird]

One of the YouTube videos someone bent a rim on a curb, so it's possible with all the off courses that may have occurred.

Sounds like you had fun, work on stuff as a driver and well, you get to go back and enjoy which is the best part.

 

[PointByPatrol]

Im not sure exactly the hissing sound wasn't coming from the valve stem. It was weird because I didn't see a nail or any piercing hole

So tell us about what you learned?

Tell us what you would have done differently?

Tell us if any of the advice on this site made things easier for you?

 

[BigBird]

Im not sure exactly the hissing sound wasn't coming from the valve stem. It was weird because I didn't see a nail or any piercing hole

what exactly was wrong with your wheel/tire?

 

[Rhorn]

So tell us about what you learned?

Tell us what you would have done differently?

Tell us if any of the advice on this site made things easier for you?

So one thing I learned is to just go. I got really caught up in buying a ton of stuff that I didn't need. I was surprised at how the stock tires held up. I didn't overheat or felt like timing was pulled. It was 58F so everything was really good for me.

If I could have done anything differently I would have gotten myself an AAA membership lol ?

As far as advice goes there wasn't anything particularly helpful on track since I'm still learning about the driving dynamics. But getting advice track prep, and what tools that make jobs easier and also considerations on what to purchase was extremely helpful

 

[Rhorn]

what exactly was wrong with your wheel/tire?

No idea tbh I was hoping someone would know possibly.

One thing I can think of is that maybe I damaged the sidewall and possibly under the track stress that caused it to lose more integrity.

There were a few times that I unknowingly drove on that tire with low pressure (I used a Speedi bleed as a pressure pump to flush out the brakes and it uses tire pressure to maintain its pressure) and forgot to repump the tire with air.

The only thing is that this problem occurred AFTER the track and when I was ready to go back after the 12-1 lunch break.

The exit road off the track is extremely rough and hard. So its very possible that I hit one of the many potholes and that probably overstressed part of the tire. I noticed the light on that road.

When I got back I used my tire inflator and noticed it was constantly running and thats when I could hear the air leaking. Again I saw no holes or nails or anything. I could feel the air coming out within the grooves but saw no obvious hole.

I was too embarrassed to ask the staff or any of the other drivers there what was going on. I called all the local tire shops and none had the tire in stock, I worked the nect day and I live 2 hours away so I started to panick.

The tire was fucked anyways so I started driving towards the nearest Honda Dealership (12 miles away) and made it about 2 miles before I saw smoke and smelt rubber burning really bad

 

[Rhorn]

I took this picture during lunch and if you look closely it kind of does look like the left front tire is already going flat. But idk

 

[johnloov]

All you need is Castrol SRF Must have. Nice to have better brake pads ( Paragon R5 front R3's rear are good ) remove camber pins, +1mm toe out in front, +1mm toe in rear. Enjoy

 

[SGP_FL5R]

Hey everyone, long term lurker, first time poster as i finally just registered for an account.

I have some questions and would appreciate insight from the group. I'm looking to track my 24 CTR for the first time this season. I'm not looking to go crazy but I would like to do 2 to 4 track days this summer if possible. I'm going to see if I can get in with a car club that offers driver instructors to novice drivers like myself.

My car does already have some upgrades, spoon springs, tsp. Downpipe, PRL HVI, tsp. Stage 1 tune. I have done tons of research and from what I gather I should upgrade the brake fluid to Castrol srf, and maybe consider upgraded brake pads which I'm okay with. If so what brake pads would you recommend?



My main question is, I have the opportunity to buy 18-in Titan forged rims with Bridgestone re71rs tires that the current owner claims he's only had two half track days on them. It's actually a pretty great deal cost wise but I went and looked at the tires and for sure the front two have taken most of the abuse as I don't believe he's rotated them in that time.



I know most of you guys state that I should probably just go out on the factory tires and rims, but I'd rather keep those in good shape for daily use and have a dedicated set of tires and rims even if I'm only going out a few times a year.



I'll post the tires and rims and if you guys could let me know if they actually still have good life left on them for my intended use I would really appreciate that.

 

[svvitch]

For brake pads I think we all have our own opinion. I like the ebc sr11 because cost is good. Others like counter space garage but cost is higher. There is no real wrong answer just need to understand if you want to swap pads after track days.

As for the tires I'm not sure how much life they have left. I would focus on the cost of the rims alone and not give a ton of credit for the re71rs.

 

[J1Avs]

Hey everyone, long term lurker, first time poster as i finally just registered for an account.

I have some questions and would appreciate insight from the group. I'm looking to track my 24 CTR for the first time this season. I'm not looking to go crazy but I would like to do 2 to 4 track days this summer if possible. I'm going to see if I can get in with a car club that offers driver instructors to novice drivers like myself.

My car does already have some upgrades, spoon springs, tsp. Downpipe, PRL HVI, tsp. Stage 1 tune. I have done tons of research and from what I gather I should upgrade the brake fluid to Castrol srf, and maybe consider upgraded brake pads which I'm okay with. If so what brake pads would you recommend?



My main question is, I have the opportunity to buy 18-in Titan forged rims with Bridgestone re71rs tires that the current owner claims he's only had two half track days on them. It's actually a pretty great deal cost wise but I went and looked at the tires and for sure the front two have taken most of the abuse as I don't believe he's rotated them in that time.



I know most of you guys state that I should probably just go out on the factory tires and rims, but I'd rather keep those in good shape for daily use and have a dedicated set of tires and rims even if I'm only going out a few times a year.



I'll post the tires and rims and if you guys could let me know if they actually still have good life left on them for my intended use I would really appreciate that.

If the deal is good enough - don’t pass it up, but I don’t recommend a Super200 for a first timer. It hides a lot of mistakes and lets you get away with some stuff that develops bad habits. If the deal is good enough, maybe sideline the tires after you get some more experience, and start out with something like an ECF. I very much understand not wanting to destroy you daily tires, since those aren’t cheap either.

Definitely upgrade your brake fluid at a minimum. SRF is perfect, and is supear low maintenance. When you look at pricing, remember SRF comes in 1L bottles, while everything else is in 0.5L bottles. I always recommend pads for newbies, because it’s better piece of mind, and you are already spending so much to go out, you don’t wanna waste it because of bad hardware.

I’m a fan of Counterspace Garage (CSG) Spec pads. Yes, they are expensive, but quality does cost money, and their life and functionality is superior to low cost options. With that said, if you are just trying to feel things out, there are cheaper options that will work, just not as optimally. For the amount of days you are planning to do, I’d recommend the CPs from CSG. They are a functional dual duty pad that you won’t have to swap and work nice on the street and can handle some serious abuse on track. It won’t have the life of their race pads, but you get optimal street performance.

 

[PointByPatrol]

Hey everyone, long term lurker, first time poster as i finally just registered for an account.

I have some questions and would appreciate insight from the group. I'm looking to track my 24 CTR for the first time this season. I'm not looking to go crazy but I would like to do 2 to 4 track days this summer if possible. I'm going to see if I can get in with a car club that offers driver instructors to novice drivers like myself.

My car does already have some upgrades, spoon springs, tsp. Downpipe, PRL HVI, tsp. Stage 1 tune. I have done tons of research and from what I gather I should upgrade the brake fluid to Castrol srf, and maybe consider upgraded brake pads which I'm okay with. If so what brake pads would you recommend?



My main question is, I have the opportunity to buy 18-in Titan forged rims with Bridgestone re71rs tires that the current owner claims he's only had two half track days on them. It's actually a pretty great deal cost wise but I went and looked at the tires and for sure the front two have taken most of the abuse as I don't believe he's rotated them in that time.



I know most of you guys state that I should probably just go out on the factory tires and rims, but I'd rather keep those in good shape for daily use and have a dedicated set of tires and rims even if I'm only going out a few times a year.



I'll post the tires and rims and if you guys could let me know if they actually still have good life left on them for my intended use I would really appreciate that.

Castrol SRF is definitely the way to go. Those tires still have TONS of life left on them, but I'd have to agree with James. 200TW tires will hide mistakes, and slicks will hide even more mistakes. Since it's your first time out, I'd recommend just sticking with the factory tires. A first timer is not going to destroy them as quickly or aggressively as an advanced driver. When I was a novice the PS4S's seemed just fine, but now I absolutely loathe them.

For brake pads, I'm a fan on the Paragon R5 brake pads. I've used the R5's in a square setup (front and rear) and was impressed with them.

I'm currently running DS3.12's in the front and R5's in the rear, but I'll likely grab another set of the R5's or possibly R7's when I wear out the DS3.12's.

 

[Rhorn]

Hey everyone, long term lurker, first time poster as i finally just registered for an account.

I have some questions and would appreciate insight from the group. I'm looking to track my 24 CTR for the first time this season. I'm not looking to go crazy but I would like to do 2 to 4 track days this summer if possible. I'm going to see if I can get in with a car club that offers driver instructors to novice drivers like myself.

My car does already have some upgrades, spoon springs, tsp. Downpipe, PRL HVI, tsp. Stage 1 tune. I have done tons of research and from what I gather I should upgrade the brake fluid to Castrol srf, and maybe consider upgraded brake pads which I'm okay with. If so what brake pads would you recommend?



My main question is, I have the opportunity to buy 18-in Titan forged rims with Bridgestone re71rs tires that the current owner claims he's only had two half track days on them. It's actually a pretty great deal cost wise but I went and looked at the tires and for sure the front two have taken most of the abuse as I don't believe he's rotated them in that time.



I know most of you guys state that I should probably just go out on the factory tires and rims, but I'd rather keep those in good shape for daily use and have a dedicated set of tires and rims even if I'm only going out a few times a year.



I'll post the tires and rims and if you guys could let me know if they actually still have good life left on them for my intended use I would really appreciate that.

For the brake pads I started off with the Paragon R3s. They felt good and gave me confidence on the track but they don't seem to have a good lifespan. They were done just after 1 & 1/2 track days. I accidentally bought 2 sets of the pads so I just put a fresh set for the fronts and will be doing a fresh set for the rears. When are you planning on having your first day? Im going back out on 2/22, will be on on the R3s then. Im getting the Counter Space Garage pads (C1XB for the front and C11 for the rear) next, and I will be going back in March so I can let you know how that goes then.

I'll second what @PointByPatrol said regarding the tires. My first day I was on the stock tires and wheels. I was surprised how they held up, but they did begin to get really hot and lose grip, so don't be scared if you spin out or start to drift. That day ended prematurely because my front started to leak air. Idk what happened as there were no obvious holes. I have driven on it low a few times before and I think from the stress from the track maybe it caused puncture or something.

I bought a set of Apex EC7s and Hankook RS4s and on the 2nd time I went back to the track it was a night and day difference. I don't have a laptimer but I was way more confident and was able to push the car way harder without any compromises. I had the same instructor from my first time and he could feel the difference in how fast I was going compared to the last time.

Idk about the Bridgestone RE71RS but wheels are expensive as hell. I really didn't want or care to get +$2,000 wheels, and I wanted to keep the OEM wheel design. Forged wheels and the TE37s are expensive as hell so if you can get a good deal on them just get them. Just use that combo on your 2nd day and you'll be amazed

 

[Icehawk]

First track day? A helmet and better brake fluid is plenty IMO unless the track is exceedingly demanding or you have prior experience with limit driving. I noticed very few of the beginners on track with me used their brakes hard and tire wear looked good on my set so for your first outing I wouldn't worry too much about pads or tires.

 

[princers]

man there's so much good info in this thread!

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