Track Day at NHIS on 9/21

[jwardell]

Have fun everyone, wish I was there!

[snid]

I wish I could have been out on the track with the rest of you in the brown MINI, but I did get to go through an ADSS in the not-brown MINI. I also got recruited to instruct for the second ADSS session (they were a little short-handed in the instructor department).

The afternoon's autocross was also good, as I got the chance to drive almost everything. Thanks Ian, Steve, Dave, Ivan, guy who's name I don't remember with the 4-door M3... there might have been another car in there that I'm forgetting.

How was the track for those of you who were out there? Did anybody get to witness one of the Lambos speeding past them? Did anybody get a Lambo ride? It sure sounded mean from the pits.

[GBMINI]

Many thanks to Steve, Joe, Jason, Ivan and Richard for making the day such fun ... thanks too to Paul, MoP, the Lyon Waugh group and the BMWCCA for creating the opportunity to hang out on a sunny Friday in late September!
Pictures in the Gallery and a write-up on GBMINI ... meanwhile, here's a few sample pictures:

Steve under pressure:


Eh?


Comfort as well as driving fun!


Yellow:


Same driver, but Red (and aftermarket parts):

[GadgetGav]

Quote: Originally Posted by jwardell (original)

Have fun everyone, wish I was there!

What, your new boss wouldn't let you go..??

[GadgetGav]

Jason, do you have your autocross times for all the different cars you drove..?

[GBMINI]

Quote: Originally Posted by GadgetGav (original)

What, your new boss wouldn't let you go..??

Josh is attending a(nother) wedding this weekend! I think it's the last one ... except if he wants one himself next

[snid]

Quote: Originally Posted by GadgetGav (original)

Jason, do you have your autocross times for all the different cars you drove..?

Nope. No times at this event.

[jwardell]

Quote: Originally Posted by snid (original)

The afternoon's autocross was also good, as I got the chance to drive almost everything. Thanks Ian, Steve, Dave, Ivan, guy who's name I don't remember with the 4-door M3... there might have been another car in there that I'm forgetting.

I'd love to hear your opinions on the differences of each of the minis that you drove.

Quote: Originally Posted by GBMINI (original)

Josh is attending a(nother) wedding this weekend! I think it's the last one ... except if he wants one himself next

I've heard ENOUGH of that already this weekend!

[snid]

Quote: Originally Posted by jwardell (original)

I'd love to hear your opinions on the differences of each of the minis that you drove.

I don't want to upset any of the owners.

Here's my opinion(s)...

Springs typically do not change the balance of the car in terms of understeer / oversteer. They just increase the speed you can go before you start losing traction. Of course, there could be some spring sets out there that have spring rate differences front to rear that are vastly different from the stock front to rear rate difference. That would change the balance of the car. But, I bet most of the lowering springs keep the difference front to rear pretty similar.

A big rear bar definitely changes the balance of the car, but not in a very subtle way. It's cheap, and it "works", but it makes the handling of the car at the limit "interesting".

Camber plates and a good alignment almost are enough. But, not quite. It's really close to how I'd like a MINI to handle. But, it needs just a little more understeer removal.

The cars I've driven / ridden in with camber plates, a medium sized rear swaybar, and springs and dampers have been the best handling MINIs.

Pretty much all of the MCSes have enough torque to make street tires spin on an autocross course.

My new MCS has enough torque to make the stock runflats useless. First gear is all wheelspin. Second gear is a lot of wheelspin. Run second gear up to close to redline, shift to third, and go straight to full power and the stock runflats spin in third gear. That means spinning tires at 50mph or so. And the "sport" button doesn't help. It doesn't add any power or torque. It just makes the gas pedal more sensitive, which makes it harder to modulate the throttle.

If I had to guess, I'd say I was fastest in Dave T's car.

[LePew]

Faster than a GP or JCW? That might have been because (a) my car was the only one with LSD and (b) the tires were still quite hot from the track. I suspect (b) was the primary cause.

Out on the track, the GPs and JCWs (and most other stock S's) walk past me quite handlly.....or maybe that just because I'm a d..mn old, slow-driving OGMC member. .

[rfinprc]

Quote: Originally Posted by LePew (original)

I'm a d..mn old, slow-driving OGMC member. .

Is that a triple redundancy?

[snek]

well, at least my big rear end made for an interesting ride

[snid]

Quote: Originally Posted by LePew (original)

Faster than a GP or JCW?

There's a big difference between a low 2nd gear autocross and a 3rd-4th gear road course. Autocrossing, grip is pretty much all that matters.

Steve's R56 had a limited slip - so it spun both tires on the autocross course instead of just one like mine.

[GBMINI]

The GP has an LSD too

[GadgetGav]

I don't have LSD ( ) and I'm back on the factory runflats that haven't been used in a while. The grip is awful. I can squeal the tires so easily at every left turn. It's embarassing. I sound like a boy racer. Maybe the tires have gone bad with not being used, or maybe they were always this bad and I forgot. I need to get my damaged 16" rim repaired and get back on the worn Yokos. They are so much better than the all season runflats.
Sorry to take the thread OT, but the event is over and you were all talking grip.