Enjoyable first track day . . .

[Minch]

Had a great day out at Bedford Autodrome! Organised through Gold Track which seemed very well run and very safe from the type of loonies I am scared of being an owner of a rare (and expensive to fix) car.

It was a bit strange however that after the driving briefing, thinking we would be the only NSX there, my friend Phil begain walking towards a different NSX. Blimey there was another one in the paddock now! Turns out it was Mo (Modar).

Another 20 mins in and Rob turns up in his monster NSX (AP brakes to die for!). Crikey! Three thats a bit strange . . .

A fourth turned up, a Blue NA2, later in the morning also.

Not a bad turn out for a rare car. The guy selling the tyres said he had only just seen his first on the road last week and couldn't believe there were 4 today.

The main thing I learned today is that Falken tyres are ****e and only get hot after putting about 140 track miles through them! Now which tyre do I go for?

[Minch]

Falken tyre, finally warm . . . .

[reg]

How did the suspension hold up against stock mate?

Credit for getting out on a track. Falken tyres look like the new Avon's :)

[Minch]

You can't even begin to compare the stock and Nitron suspension. Although it was about a year since I changed over I still remember how much the OEM set-up moved. We tried a few different settings on the dampers. Part way through the day we eventually decided to adjust all four dampers to max (hardest setting). This was a BIG mistake! It was hopping around quite badly in the fast-ish, sharp corners. Must say the front on the Bridgstone RE040's was superb all day. We then kept the front dialed in on the hard setting and softened the rear from 20 clicks (I think) to 7 clicks, so quite soft in comparison. It was a tranformed car! If anyone is thinking of upgrading the suspension set-up I would highly recommend the Nitron set-up. (note: mine is a little low at the front as a few of you may know!)

My biggest problem today was mainly the rear tyres (ABS would have been nice but . . . ). We ran the tyres at 33psi (front) & 40psi (rear) when cold. Once we got quite a bit of heat into them they got better and the pressures were 36psi & 44psi respectively. This seemed to work much better. Might have just been that the compound was too hard and takes too long to come into a decent temp for fair grip. Seriously considering some R888's!

[Silver Surfer]

Are your Falken treads 'beaded' due to heat damage?? Or is it normal wear and tear?

SS

[Kevin]

That wear is normal on a track.

Doesn't look too excessive in this case;).

[reg]

Good feedback on the Nitrons, it is always good to show there are better supported alternatives to Type-R stuff which might not be the best for our roads. Did you try taking the tyres back to stock temperatures when hot? Might have been able to work the rears a bit harder with lower pressures? I was a bit worried about the 040's but it is looking like with the current availabilty in the UK 040/050 is the way to go.

[NSXGB]

What geometry settings are you running?
Your tyres look like the have got hotter on the outer half than the inner, is that normal?

[Minch]

Reg - RE040's were very good all day however I'm not sure how good they would be in the rears had more grip! I'm still thinking about R888's because if it takes that long to get Faulkens to get hot and 'work' I'm never going to get them that hot on the road hence no grip! I think?

Simon - No idea what the settings are, I'd have to ask Plans who set it up.

[Silver Surfer]

Minch,

What was the cost of the Nitrons including fitting at Plans?
To adjust it, do you need to jack up the car?

SS

[Minch]

Hello SS,

I'll dig out the price for you later today. The adjusters can be found under the glass hatch (rear) and under the bonnet (front). Very easy to adjust but remember this is only for the dampers (1 way adjustable) rather than the full on race kit (3 way). But for the road I don't think you need much more, unless you are rich which I am not :(

[Rob_Fenn]

I would say that was pretty normal wear too, you were pushing pretty hard :)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y50/robfenn/BA10.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y50/robfenn/BA3.jpg

[Rob_Fenn]

Forgot to concur that it was great seeing FOUR NSXs out there too! It was a great sight, i'll remember that one. It was nice to meet you, your mate and Mo. The guy with the blue one didn't seem so happy to chat though... shame.

[Minch]

Nice photo Rob. Its Phil (my mate) in the drivers seat in that photo. He was pushing pretty hard . . . well hard enough to spin anyway!

I didn't even try to talk to the guy in the blue NSX. Mo said that he was not the most talkative guy there!

Got to give it to you Rob, you really can drive! No many NSX that can keep up with a 911 turbo!

[Rob_Fenn]

*Cough* Turbo S *Cough* ;)

It was a fat old man driving it to be fair!

I'm hoping i can work out how to get the footage on the web at some point, hopefully with all four of us on track...you never know!

What was the problem you were having with your car then? Mo did a great job of missing his car with the petrol too :D

[modarr]

Ermm, that yellow puddle infront of your garage wasn't petrol mate. 'Yellow Tarmac'

The excessive G forces I was experiencing just squeezed it out.

NIce driving from the both of ye.

Mo