My First Track Day Ever + With FL5! (Buttonwillow Race Track CW13)

[balucipher]

Im always hesitant to get better tires just because I feel like at my level it really won't even matter.

Did you change the brake fluid yourself or did you get it done. Im in the process of building up my tools (thinking about getting a Quick Jack) and I'd like to learn how to bleed the brakes on my car, but I would be more convivent to take it to a shop and get it done. My only worry is that idk if they'd actually do it right and torque it down to the proper specs.

As far the 0W-40, I actually talked about different grades of oil in another thread but I met a FK8 owner who tracks his car regularly and he told me that he uses. Motul 300V, he says that it matters more about the quality of the oil, even if its thin as long as its high quality it will be fine. My question for the oil is, would running 0W-40 affect your warranty if something was to go bad? I looked into running the Motul 300V but Motul oils are not API certified (because its for racing, not street driving). I remember reading somewhere that Honda requires an API certification for oil. The guys FK8 is out of warranty so its not an issue for him.

If you're just a beginner, run whatever tires you have until they are out of tread. No need to jump to 200tw tires if the cost is a burden, you're not setting lap records, your time is actually spent getting familiar with the handling and managing traffic on track and getting smoother overall.

Yeah I did the brake fluid myself. I have a kit from speedi-bleed for a one person quick brake bleed job with a bottle from Amazon for collecting the fluid bled out. Bleeding brakes and swapping out pads are some of the easiest work you can do on a car, lots of YouTube videos of people doing both on FK8s which use the same brakes. Just follow along step by step and it's easy.

Quickjacks make doing all the work on this car easy. Big fan of them.

I went with the Amsoil because it's API SN rated and the guys on bobistheoilguy forums and the FK8 forum seemed to like running 40w oil on these when tracking. I had it left over from a previous car. I think high grade 5w30, 0w40 or 5w40 (which is what JAS recommends for the FK8 TCR race cars) are all fine in these motors. I don't think there's anything wrong with 0w20 oil per SE, but I like the extra protection of the heavier oil at the higher temps people report on these on track.

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[keller]

Im always hesitant to get better tires just because I feel like at my level it really won't even matter.

The problem with street tires for track duty is the lack of consistency. As a beginner, you are learning the car, the track and piloting skills. It's awful that every lap your car feels different just because your tire temperatures changed from the previous lap. I highly recommend yoko neovas for learning: not that grippy, less expensive, rigid enough shoulder, a lot of thread life and handles temperature like a champ. Just remember to warm them up on your first lap - all higher temp tires need some heat to get into working temperatures.

My question for the oil is, would running 0W-40 affect your warranty if something was to go bad?

People that regularly track their cars usually don't have this mindset. Honda could deny a warranty work just because you tracked your R. Or you could damage your car on the track - which, sincerely, is more a matter of when than if... shit happens. It's a risk we have to accept, even though we all love our cars. I guess if something happens to your car because you tracked it and was running 40w oil, not sure the oil weight should be your main concern.

and the FK8 forum seemed to like running 40w oil on these when tracking

Is that right? Most people on civicx would recommend 20w (mostly 300v) or 30w oils for our engines. I think I have only seen people with built internals running 40w.

 

[Robert.C]

side note and update regarding my wheels... I pulled them off to put on a wheel balancing machine and both wheels are bent like an oval... im sure its due to the powdercoating i had done...

Anything's possible, I suppose, but I would be surprised. Powder coat typically bakes around 350 degrees; aluminum melts at 1,200.

By the way, I love your set up. The white wheels look great on black -- I'm considering doing the same if/when I get my FL5.

Edit: Before someone corrects me, yes, different alloys have different melting temperatures.

 

[jdOTFL5]

Anything's possible, I suppose, but I would be surprised. Powder coat typically bakes around 350 degrees; aluminum melts at 1,200.

By the way, I love your set up. The white wheels look great on black -- I'm considering doing the same if/when I get my FL5.

Edit: Before someone corrects me, yes, different alloys have different melting temperatures.

thanks! i loved the look of the oem wheels in white and its such a bummer that they got bent/warped into an oval.. i'm actually so depressed that it happened. I had the oem centercaps out in paint to get color matched too.. however i am swapping to te37 sl's 18x10 +40 so hopefully a meatier tire would help a lot

 

[tezzasaurusrex]

Oil temps never reached over 235 for me but on the 3 laps that my friend who is a track instructor the temperatures easily reached 250. Overall had a lot of fun with the car but definitely noticed some weaknesses in the suspension and the cooling. Definitely made me re-evaluate my build action plan.

Nice mate! Always good to see the platform hitting the track as they were intended.

Don't stress about the 250F engine oil - mine reguarly hits that or slightly above every time I go out.

As long as you have a good quality synthetic oil in there it should hold up fine to 285F perhaps even higher.

For someone new to track days I suggest running RS4's or AD09/AD08R as they have great consistency and durability. This allows you to focus on the driving aspect and not have to worry too much about managing tyre temperatures. Also the car needs more negative camber - this will help tremendously with tyre life too. The stock suspension damping is indeed too aggressive under high load - it however still works well to manage body roll even up to a super high grip tyre like A052/RE71RS.

Enjoy

 

[balucipher]

I'm running Kumho V730 in 275/35/18 on 18x9.5 +45 wheels as track wheels. V730s are great for camber limited cars like the CTR, are very linear and for some reason are often the cheapest 200tw tires around. I paid $820 for my set

 

[jdOTFL5]

got my new wheels. does anyone know if 275 will rub with 18 x 10 +40?

 

[1971Camaro]

Hi guys,
[snip]

Pros of the car:
- Probably had the most attention of everyone on track, a lot of people walked over to even take a look at the car.
- Great platform to start off on for a track build.
- Brakes were strong throughout the whole day.

Cons:
- Stock tires start giving out after 3 laps
- Oil Temps get too hot if actually driven hard
- Suspension is kind of hard to predict and just isnt as compliant on track.

You talked about issues with the suspension -- which is a common complaint, of course. Out of curiosity, what were your settings? Did you use straight +R or did you customize?

 

[jdOTFL5]

You talked about issues with the suspension -- which is a common complaint, of course. Out of curiosity, what were your settings? Did you use straight +R or did you customize?

I had comfort mode on for the suspension the whole time. I don't think R+ would have been good for the track.

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