vw dealers usually have that fulid around if Porsche doesn't have it . Good luck.

 

also check if you are pushing fluid out at the front reservoir on the right side of the battery.

 

Ah, so that's where the front reservoir is. I knew I had seen it somewhere! thanks for the tip.

 

Called a couple of them and they'd never heard of Pentosin. After a little research I found out that it's a different VW part number. I ended up getting it at Autowerks, a local tuner (who also put on my exhaust).

 

1st day at a track:

Well it turns out it wasn't just a ladies driving day around the track, it was actually a full-out track day, even with no helmet required (my ortho buddy questioned the benefit of a helmet here but I don't want to open that can of worms up). Can I just say GENTLEMAN WE HAVE A HELLUVA GOOD CAR!!!!

It was a beautiful sunny day. Started off very cold around high 30s, by late morning into the 50s, and by afternoon nearly 70s. Mosport is apparently one of the fastest tracks in North America. I'll post a nice track map up later. We spent some time with the flag guys getting instruction on the flags and what they mean. We did a slow drive-around the track and got out at every corner. There were pylons marking the apexes (apices?) for our benefit. There was huge emphasis placed on how dangerous turn 2 is and how people had died on that turn. Scared the **** out of me and I deliberately took that one slow for a long time.

The track noobies were required to either ride in someone else's car who had experience and/or have an experienced guy come for a ride around lap or two for pointers. There were 10 or less cars on the track at any given time.

Cars included 997tt (mine with AWE exhaust and Proto tune), C6Z06 modded, AMG SL55s, BMW Z4, M3, Maserati Quad (Ferrari engine apparently), 09 Viper with light mods, R8. I got to realize 2 of my "bucket list car" goals: went around the track as passenger in the R8 and Viper. R8 was beautiful, sounds amazing too. But it was the 8 cyl version and could've used a bit more power. The Viper was driven very well by the owner and it clung to the track beautifully. Even though it sounds like UPS from the outside it actually sounds amazing inside. Seats are very good, and you feel like you are coddled in a cocoon. The feeling of power was awesome, lived up to my expectations. I figure the ZR1 probably feels like this too, kind of like an animal ready to break loose with power and planet-turning torque.

I drove pretty tentatively and worked on the turns. Let it loose on the back straightaway and hit 205km/hr in the beginning and by the end of the day hit 235-240. Car felt "nervous" at that speed on the track (and I sure as hell was nervous).

I let one of the organizers drive my car and all I can say is holy **** this car is capable. We flew around the track right at the edge of adhesion around very tight turns. I could not believe what this car was capable of (and thank god it was, otherwise we'd be dead!) when driven well. I obviously couldn't drive it like that but it was useful to see how much difference and "headroom" I had from where I was driving so that by the end of the day I was comfortable with a bit of "drifting" around some of the corners.

My best lap time was 1min47sec. A guy in a Mazda speed 4 door sedan was a good driver and beat the crap out of the car and got a 1min50. Best measured time was 1min42 by a guy in a standard C5 vette. My buddy's C6Z06 exhaust came loose (Corsa aftermarket one) and the Viper didn't stay till the end when we were timing laps. The C5 vette owner was the guy who drove my car and he figures his untimed lap with me was probably mid 1min30ish which I believe. The pros can get 1min4seconds with an average speed of 134mph!!!!!! Boggling.

My car was voted favourite (and there was stiff competition). The C5 vette owner drove the Z06, the Viper and my car and felt that my car was the fastest with an unmatched "afterburner" feeling. I was quite pleased with this, especially in the company of a Viper. Another guy was there with his wife and son. I took all three of them out (separately) and the 15 year old son and father independently told me it was their favourite car. The wife just kept talking the whole way around the track.

Many cars smelled like burning clutch, SMG transmission fluid, brakes, tires. My car didn't have a hiccup. You could really see the wear along the side of the tires!!! Lots of brake dust washed off the next day!

No one got hurt. The guy in the Maserati beat the snot out of it but it did not cry "uncle". Quite impressive for such a big car.

It's a tiring but extremely enjoyable event which I hope to attend next year. I now wouldn't consider putting 20inch wheels on this car for track use.

 

So glad you had a great time and that you made it back to us without incident. Have you signed up for the next DE yet?

 

Bogg,
Nice job! My guess is that you now have the "disease". Welcome to the club!

Now over the long winter ahead you can think about your feelings, dynamics, what went right, what could of gone better, where you'd improve, etc. etc. at the event. You might want to read a book or two. "Going Faster", is put out by Skip Barber and is one of my favorites.

My guess is that if you start in the spring doing PCA DE's with instruction you will quickly get an appreciation for "what you don't know". That's really important. Once you understand, your enthusiasm will be tempered with the awareness that you need to become a better driver before pushing the limits ever further and faster. Physics ultimately trumps courage. After you make that breakthrough, however, you'll start to get quick. And that's fun!

Also, you might want to consider a winter driving school in your neck of the woods. It's all about controlling the car when it ain't going straight! I've resisted this idea for many years (after all we drive on snow most of the time) but some racer friends have told me it would be the single best thing I could do to improve my skills. So I'm going to do it this winter.

Anyway, glad your safe and had a great time. Now get smart about it! Best,

 

Great, sounds like a fun outing.
I would suggest the porsche sport driving school as a must for anybody with one of these cars. it will show you what the car is capable of bone stock. Plus you are taught by factory drivers like Hurley Haywood, who really know their stuff.
Secondly, I always wear a helmet at a track event, suggest you do the same, never listen to an orthopod. Enjoy!~

 

Well...it is optional equipment for us, ya know

 

haha, thanks guys. Yeah, I'm already signed up for next year's event. I plan on 1 or 2 events a year and have just joined the PCA so hopefully can get involved in some DE events.

I forgot to mention a couple of "oh crap" moments I had, and realize how important it is to actually get proper instruction rather than "wing it". I made the mistake of changing gears part way through a turn. Yeah it sounds like an obvious thing NOT to do but I did it anyway. When you release the clutch there is just a little bit of twitchiness in the rear and I saw a little blink from a dashboard light suggesting that my car wasn't impressed by that manoeuvre. I was nowhere near the limits of the car so it was easy enough to correct and not do it again. Changed underwear and carried on.

On one of the runs on the back straightaway I botched a shift from 4th to 5th and it was awful to watch the tach swing into the red. I quickly reengaged the clutch and completed the shift. No funny noises or issues. Checked with Durametric when I got home and no overrevs noted above stage 2 (I don't think it actually registered as an overrev at all), same as before the track day.

I'm finally going to get a helmet for when I snowboard (where it really is a good idea) and will probably get one for the car too. I doubt that you can use the same one but I'll ask when the time comes. If anyone knows one way or the other please chime in.

 

Just don't botch the shift from 5th to 4th and hit 2nd. That's called a "Money Shift" because it costs you a lot of $$$!

 

Great thread

 

lol, yeah I was glad it wasn't a money shift. I only got into 5th on the long straightaway so there were only a few opportunities to really mess up which thankfully I didn't.

 

Re: Helmets; A snowboard helmet will not pass muster for the track. You will need one that is rated SA 2005 or SA 2010. The SA designation denotes an appropriate level of fire protection (nomex construction) which is mandatory for wheel-to-wheel racing. The year represents the testing standards in effect at the time. Helmets are good for 10 years from the start of the period. You want to make sure to avoid a 2000 rating since they will no longer be recognized beginning in 2011. Most PCA regions also approve a Snell M 2005 or 2010 rating for DE's. These are typically motorcycle helmets which lack fire protection.

I don't think you'd want to use one of these helmets on the slope if for no other reason than they're relatively heavy and you'd look pretty goofy. Check out the Giro and Smith lines, imo. Best,

 

thanks for the info. Rep point for you!