Nissan 370Z Forum - Criticise my driving and help me make the car faster

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maestro666 (Post 3845560)

Hi everyone,

I have just completed my first track day and the bug is well and truly dug in. This event had been planned on my calendar for quite some time and I had always intended to track the car.

My best lap time was a 65.** with a fuel starve event (which I mistakenly thought was the car hitting the limiter, and shifted up). I am told the car will do a 60 flat (stock) with an experienced driver, which I am not.

Here is a helmet shot of my 65sec.

https://onedrive.live.com/download?c...HgotuT6cIh3UnU

Yes my driving is ****, I'm aware.

My short term goal (by year end) is to break 60sec, which shouldn't be hard, as I don't intend to stay stock.

I was told by others at the event that the car will definitely not get anywhere near 55sec so THE GAUNTLET HAS BEEN THROWN DOWN.

I have an Ark Grip cat-back and I am running Kumho PS91's in stock size on stock rims. Everything else is a stock 2014 sport 7AT. My brakes were also near the end of their lives, which probably negated any benefit from the exhaust.

The next event is in August. It's a sprint event (if you can't tell from the video), so I'm not concerned with engine heat (30 mins between sprints) or brake fade. I stripped the hatch before this event and next event I intend to pull the passenger seat as well.

Parts that will be arriving soon.

* High Flow Cats
* Stoptech rotors and sport pads

I am thinking about replacing the intakes and getting re-tuned on E85 (easily available here), but I'm unsure if just throwing more horses at the problem will get the results I want.

There is no opportunity for driver training where I live so I will need to learn on the track, at the event.

I will run with semi-slicks at the next event but I'm still unsure on what wheels\sizes. There appears to be no restrictions on what I can do to the car apart from adding boost (which changes my class) or running full slicks.

I'm happy pulling stuff out of the car for the event if it's worth the time but it needs to be put back in.

Help me make the Z go faster!!

Also a couple things, this is not a fast course...brakes arent going to help you much here, neither will semi-slicks.

Both those things require speed and heat, neither of which you'll be able to achieve especially if you're not running laps on this course back to back.

I'd recommend a set of square 18 inch wheels, the OEM stagger isnt doing you any favors on a tight course like this. The car has a tendency to understeer with that setup which seemed apparent from your video.

Lastly, your current tire choice is probably ok. I tried Kumho Ecsta's before and didnt like em, super soft/squishy sidewalls and poor feedback. That said it's better than going to semi-slicks or anything remotely close to an r-compound.

Stick with street tires, Federal 595 RSRR's are a good beginner tire. For a competitive autocross like setup Bridgestone RE71R, Nexen SUR4G, Yokohama Advan A052 and BF Goodrich Gforce Rival are all excellent choices.

Like the others have said, before you buy any of this stuff, just focus on the fundamentals