Yesterday NZ Datsun got to have it's first track session. For many of us, it was the first time on a circuit.
It very very different to the street! lol
It really really showed up just how awful my tyres and suspention are. And I couldn't put any power down until I was almost out of the corners. It took a fair bit to run down some of my mates with much slower cars. 20 year old shocks and tyres just can't cut it.

it is amazing how what you think is a good handling car (on the street) can handle like soggy weetbix on the track

but did you enjoy yourself?

Good stuff. Yes shows every little problem. Even at slower speeds. I've yet to do a circuit but even a hill climb.showed up worn rear shocks, dodgey clutch and also cooling issues (well temps higher than I was comfortable with)

mik i wouldnt judge your cars handling by how it feels at haunted hills hillclimb, that track has really tight bends and
off camber corners that you wont find on a circuit. even when i had my ute handling reasonably well it still felt terrible
around there, especially since your always on cold tyres

Quote:

Oh hell yes!!!
It was very casual and relaxed too. The group I chose to be part of was 140kph max speed, but you didn't need a helmet, and could take passengers. I had to lift off just past halfway down the main straight to keep under 140 though.
I have this burning desire to buy a set of AO32r's, and a new set of shocks now. lol Damn my car understeered badly. And it wasn't very stable under braking either. If I got on the achnors too hard coming into a bend, the arse end tried to wander round.
My plan has been to sell it to fund the 510 build. But since the talk is having four of these sessions a year, it might be harder to part with the old girl than I thought.

Ok............it's the instructor in me, Don't repeat Don't buy buy the sticky tires yet; here's why, having ridden with lots of people new to driving on track sticky tires tends to make up for being rough with the car. If you abruptly pop off the brake pedal on corner entry, the sticky tires will actually turn the car albeit not as fast as it should whereas the 250 tread wear gems will take 50-100 ft to recover.............hard compound tires are good to learn on.

As for the suspension, even if it's cheap dampers put fresh ones on the car. There is also nothing wrong with soft suspension for a track event. Last Saturday I was instructing at a Porsche club track day and ended up driving a friend's Miata which was on autocross suspension. I ended up going out in the tail end of what is the novice group, my friend was driving the car in my normal group, the car slid around lazily and wasn't exactly razor sharp. Meanwhile I'm passing everything in sight; M3, 3 Z06 Vettes, couple of S2000's and a couple of Porsches........obviously it was kinda shooting fish in a barrel but it illustrates "fix the nut behind the wheel" , being novices they still had some rough edges . The car was exactly as you describe "if" you stood it on the nose it would have been really weavy but I don't do that. Lightly trailing the brakes on turn in netted gobs of corner speed and had the car settled on exit. People who've never been on track have no clue how tough this is , they think that all you have to do is charge up to a corner smack the brakes and then give the wheel a quick tug. When you show them how to steer with the peddles and get the car to rotate and just how gentle you need to be with everything it's is a real eye opener...................of course their friends get a bit tweaked because their pal no goes faster with half the effort.

Once you get the dampers /shocks up to snuff so it's not a racing pogo stick do three or four more events, after that you can decide if you want to sell it to fund the 510. When and if you do switch to the 510 you'll be way faster than you would have.

Track events are fun no matter what car your in, no lap times to worry about just go out and have a good time. I also like the limited top speed thing...............lets you focus on the corners rather than trying to go fast............the down side is you are now hopelessly addicted..............of course it beats hanging out in a pub talking about all the stuff your never going to do.

Tom

Bart, having had the pleasure of following you I can say with absolute confidence stick with the 1200. That things has some serious wellie and believe me its going to be a damn site easier sorting that than the 1600. As Tom says you dont have to do too much, even just give the front struts an oil change and put some heavier motorcross oil in, gas rears and we'll talk about springs, spring rates, bars and castor/ chamber settings- its not that hard to get them handling quite nicely. I dont think you will have such an easy ride trying to sort out the 1600- especially the independent rear.
Cheers
Dave

Yeah I think my shock absorbers are pretty well coozed. They're not the orignals, but they're pretty old. And very well used.
I've had a B210 front swaybar to fit for the last 8 years or so. But I've never made time to fit it. (too busy repairing blown motors, and slogged out gearboxes.

getting the bug aye Bart?
saw some pics on the nzdatsun forum, looks like it was an awesome day!
driving on the track is so much fun, makes driving on the road seem boring!
try a gravel hillclimb next- even more fun!

I'm not a fan of gravel so much Morgan. I've never written a car off on dry sealed road.
I'm sure even a wheel alignment would help heaps. I did mine with a tape measure about three of four years ago. And the roads where I live are brutal on a cars suspention. (I'm sure Don can attest to that, having seen them 1st hand)