it was a wet one

[pixelblue]

so kicked off my track season today with a wet and soggy downpour. was looking forward to putting the R-comps to use but unfortunately mother nature didn't cooperate. so plan B was to use my DD conti DWS. actually they did pretty well considering. was a bit twitchy but I am sure not as bad as if I were using the R-comps. posted a high .82 G on my lap timer which I think it's not bad considering how slippery it was. so a big thumbs up for the conti's saving the day. before starting the session I softened the coilovers a couple of notches to reduce sliding around. so happy about purchasing the PSS9. really handy with the adjustments to tailor track conditions. anyway here is a short video of the mess. enjoy

[FTS]

I assume this was FATT? Interesting the instructor did not have a communicator.

[aisthetes]

Whoa, that's some pretty sketchy stuff. You look very calm, with a comfortable grip on the wheel considering the dour conditions. Nice job on staying smooth and in control.

Do you have any fast lap vids in dry conditions with your r-comps on?

[adrean8j]

Hmmm....I assume the lines you are taking are because of the tires and the rain? Blue or White group?

[pixelblue]

Originally Posted by aisthetes

Do you have any fast lap vids in dry conditions with your r-comps on?

not yet my next chance will be in May. can't wait to try them out!

Originally Posted by adrean8j

Hmmm....I assume the lines you are taking are because of the tires and the rain? Blue or White group?

mostly I was sticking to the optimum line minus a few times where I had to let someone pass or I was being washed by the wake from the car in the front. but yeah it was pretty dicey and with these tires I wasn't going to take big risks. the ass kicked out a few times on me but I was able to manage and bring it back in without too much of a scare. I was running in the red group with a friend instructor. this was my first rainy track outing and I felt I needed someone to talk me through it just in case.

Originally Posted by FTS

I assume this was FATT? Interesting the instructor did not have a communicator.

yeah this was FATT. this was my second FATT event and I didn't see anyone with a communicator but then again I wasn't paying attention to the other people. I don't think it was necessary. we could communicate without it.

[adrean8j]

Originally Posted by pixelblue

mostly I was sticking to the optimum line minus a few times where I had to let someone pass or I was being washed by the wake from the car in the front. but yeah it was pretty dicey and with these tires I wasn't going to take big risks. the ass kicked out a few times on me but I was able to manage and bring it back in without too much of a scare. I was running in the red group with a friend instructor. this was my first rainy track outing and I felt I needed someone to talk me through it just in case.

Ahh...ok I was wondering a few times, the wake from the car in front makes sense. Surprised you had that much congestion in red though...Good to see the video to as I have never had the "opportunity" to drive on track in wet conditions...would be pretty interesting though (as long as it was for like one session...don't want my entire track weekend to be like that though). Were you heel-toeing or did it feel uncomfortable given the track conditions?

[pixelblue]

^ funny enough of all days to practice my heel and toe technique I picked a rainy track day. still need more practice. almost impossible to heel so I was trying to roll my foot off the brake to blip the throttle. struggled with proper foot positioning to blip. I hear you about being a drag getting stuck with sucky weather but what can you do. I am hoping mother nature will be kind to me next time. actually I am glad I went through this. have a better idea now how the car behaves near the limit of adhesion. the few times the back start to slip I just gave it a bit of opposite lock without lifting from the throttle and everything got tidy. as long as you don't lift off throttle and are smooth with your inputs the car behaves predictably.

and yeah it was a cluster f%&k in this video. actually there weren't that many cars but we all got bunched up and I didn't feel like pitting to allow some space since the sessions were really short

[adrean8j]

To be honest the rolling of the foot is probably the easiest method....the problem is if you have ankles like mine that are not as flexible as they used to be. So what you do is go to Ultimatepedals.com and order their sport pedal with the extra pedal section cut out on the top left:



or maybe this:



makes it a looooot easier...LOL...not to mention once you perfect it no more rear end shenanigans when downshifting

[pixelblue]

I have perfect pedals but not the extended version. I may invest in a extra set of extended for track duty. believe me my ankles are not what they use to be either. after multiple ankle sprains playing soccer they are stiff as a board but I agree rolling is much easier than heeling.

[adrean8j]

^^^Haha....same here as far as the ankle injuries go...to much football I actually bought a set of the Ult. pedals but I bought the one with the lower left extension fully intending to "heel" toe....but I ended up flipping it over on track days so i could "roll"-toe...LOL. I plan on buying a dedicated set once I return from overseas...

[TSiggs]

What camera did you use to shoot this and how was it mounted? Like the perspective...would be perfect if there was no rear view mirror!

[pixelblue]

Originally Posted by adrean8j

^^^Haha....same here as far as the ankle injuries go...to much football I actually bought a set of the Ult. pedals but I bought the one with the lower left extension fully intending to "heel" toe....but I ended up flipping it over on track days so i could "roll"-toe...LOL. I plan on buying a dedicated set once I return from overseas...

where are you stationed?

Originally Posted by TSiggs

What camera did you use to shoot this and how was it mounted? Like the perspective...would be perfect if there was no rear view mirror!

it's the gopro HD with the suction cup mounted upside down from the sunroof. I agree the mirror blocks a lot of the view. you could also mount it on the headrest with a special bracket. it'll probably give a better perspective

[adrean8j]

^^^Ex-military+military brat (Marine Corps brat + Army 11years active duty)(actually used to live in Quantico in the late '80's) but now a contractor supporting U.S. military, currently in Anbar region Iraq.

GoPro has a winner with their little HD camera...I bet they have made a killing off of track drivers/riders, snow sports enthusiasts...and everyone else in between....awesome little system! Only thing I wish it had was some type of wind filter (dont know if that is what it would be called).

[pixelblue]

^ tough neighborhood. be safe! bet you can't wait to get back home from that crazy place

yeah the only thing I don't like about the gopro is the audio. I was using the closed case but you still hear wind noise. not sure why. will try lubricating the seal to see if it helps with the wind noise.

[aisthetes]

Originally Posted by pixelblue

^ funny enough of all days to practice my heel and toe technique I picked a rainy track day. still need more practice. almost impossible to heel so I was trying to roll my foot off the brake to blip the throttle. struggled with proper foot positioning to blip.

You'll get the technique down, it just takes practice like anything else. Do you wear racing shoes? Their narrow design and thin, firm soles make navigating the pedals much easier than bulky, athletic shoes. If you don't, I suggest investing in a pair.

From the vid, I can see that you're lagging on releasing the clutch after completing your downshift/rev match. It's all about the timing and getting into a rhythm for a seamless downshift under braking. It's normal that when you're learning to heel-and-toe, you mentally break it down into individual steps, so the next phase will be to put it all together at an increased rhythm, performing the dance faster and faster until you don't feel the downshift inside the car. This will take the shock off the drivetrain, keep the car from being unsettled and ultimately make you a much faster driver in a competitive environment. It's incredibly gratifying to knock out that perfect downshift under hard braking in a world of dual-clutch auto-manuals.

Once you've mastered your car, then you'll find that every car is different in the clutch take-up and grab point, pedal spacing and throttle sensitivity, so it starts all over again! That's part of the fun.

[pixelblue]

^ I will be taking up your advise and invest in racing shoes for sure. you right the sneakers are bulky and not ideal. can't wait to get the technique down and pick up the rhythm. like you said, takes some practice to get it down. thanks for the input! time to prepare for the next event...

[adrean8j]

^^^BTW I found that one of the best ways to practice is to do it in everyday driving as well...then at the track it becomes almost second nature...I even find myself doing it out here if the vehicles pedals are set up right

[pixelblue]

The problem with practicing on the streets is that you don't brake as hard and rolling your foot off the brake when you're not braking hard is next to impossible

[adrean8j]

^^Yeah I keep forgetting you don't have the pedals I was talking about in my previous posts....

[Lubo]

Originally Posted by pixelblue

The problem with practicing on the streets is that you don't brake as hard and rolling your foot off the brake when you're not braking hard is next to impossible

I heel and toe during everyday driving, as matter of fact that is how I learned it. Like other have suggested driving shoes are a big help, I can't rev match for shit in my winter sneaker.

[pixelblue]

^ Lubo, do you actually use your heel? I just can't get my ankle to twist like that so I have to roll off the brake. but yeah, def I will be investing in a pair of pilotis. btw, what did you do with your brakes?

[Lubo]

Originally Posted by pixelblue

^ Lubo, do you actually use your heel? I just can't get my ankle to twist like that so I have to roll off the brake. but yeah, def I will be investing in a pair of pilotis. btw, what did you do with your brakes?

No, I use my left side of the foot to brake and I roll my right side of the foot to blip the throttle. on my old GTI I had to actually use heal and toe as the spacing and pedal position was too awkward. It was also a lot more difficult to execute properly. On the 1er it is very easy if I am wearing my pilotis, pirellis or pumas. I can adapt if I am weary other lighweight shoes but I'll screw up here and there