Auto-X

As mentioned previously, hitting the track will be one of my goals with the “Z”. Last week I visited the SCCA SOLO II event held at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. I didn’t plan on racing but I did want to get a feel for the event so to gauge the general culture of the participants as well as to get a feel for the safety standards. I was greatly impressed on all accounts; the participants were extremely warm and welcoming and I was invited to ride along with one of the competitors, Mark, in his Porsche 914. The car screamed through the corners and was extremely impressive as it flew through the cones. Many thanks Mark! Here are some pictures of the event.

The RX-8’s license plate says it all! Click the picture below to see what it says.

Lining up for our run. The Subi wagon could really move.

Here's a short video of our run. The quality is not the best but it captures the intricacy of the

track.

…lil bit faster now.

So the Z is meeting all my expectations. It has great power, balance and styling but as usual I want more; a little bit more edge and less civility. From what I’ve read, it appears that Nissan reserved that rawness for the rare Nismo 350z and even then, tight, balanced and communicative where the adjectives used to describe the vehicle.

When I drive a car I wish for it to communicate to me, be it with steering control or with that seat of my pants feel, here is where the Z scores high marks. Unfortunately on the auditory side of things I’m not feeling the love. Be it cruising at a low RPM on the highway or with moderate open throttle, the result is the same; a mild bump in tone but nothing too offensive. Oh how I crave for the bark of a flat-six or the rumble of a V8.

The fix for this dilemma was resolved somewhat accidentally as I had recently purchased one of the best bangs for the buck in performance upgrades; a Jim Wolf Technologies Pop-Charger. This wonderful little device has been proven over and over again to provide a real world increase in horse-power to the rear wheels, of somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-11HP between 2500-3900 RPM and 12-16HP between 4500-5200 RPM. The install was a breeze and the improvements where noticeably immediate. Throttle response was more immediate and for the first mile or two I had to relearn how aggressive I should be. As mentioned the increase in power comes with a nice growl and whistle. Now with the music on and the pedal down I can hear the engine exhibit the nessasary growl that I crave. Even better, drop down a gear and from 5000rpm to redline the engine just screams. Next up a slight mode on the other side of things; Exhaust.

The reason behind the madness

This came from a forum member on http://www.my350z.com/, one of the key 350z/370z forums. The discussion centered on High Performance Driving Events (HPDE) Vs Auto-crossing. I plan on doing both; beginning with auto-crossing and graduating to HPDE. The forum member hit the nail on the head why HPDE should be my goal.

1) HPDE allows for more time spent behind the wheel, so you can fine tune your driving skill with your instructor for example the correct hand position on the wheel, braking, throttle application, etc.

2) No competition / timing pressure: This is a big one; as a man your instincts are telling you that you NEED to win, it's built in our DNA. The problem with that is you don't learn in competitions, you try to do your best using your actual skills that you came in with.

3) Learning how to handle the adrenaline rush at high speed, trying to approach the cornering and braking limits at 40mph is something that you can do in a deserted parking lot safely... approaching a turn at 120mph+ is something that we don't do often and the adrenaline/anxiety is going to kick in. Learning to manage this feeling/chemical imbalance helps in real life / real driving

4) You have other cars around and even if you aren't allowed to pass in the beginner group, giving you other useful real world skills; such as feeling the car with the seat of your pants, picturing the driving line in your mind but keeping your eyes mobile between the track, the car ahead, the mirror and the corner workers. Unfortunately beginners are unable to do that and therefore get a windshield full of blue-flag; learn how to do that and you'll became a better road driver, it will tune your instincts to an improved state of awareness.

5) You'll develop a connection with your car, you'll feel the tires becoming greasy (maybe) and what that means, you'll feel the brake pads overheating (hope not) and the pedal giving the first signals... your brain will learn how to interpret the early signs of those situations telling you "dude! Something is wrong... stop and check"... that will make you a WAY better everyday driver and you won't go around on a tire with 10psi of air in it, with the toe so screwed up that your car goes sideways.

6) You'll learn to keep your focus for a relatively long period of time; 20 minutes of 100% focus is a VERY long time at high speeds if you aren't used to it.

7) You'll learn your body messages; on an HPDE dehydration, heat stroke and mental black out are common and happen especially to those who think "it isn't going to happen to me"... all these things reduce drastically your capacity to drive.

8) You'll really become a better and safer everyday driver because you'll understand that being "strong" on the road is just stupid... and you won't get close to the limit of your car... so it’s even pointless to try to impress somebody.

At the end I think that anyone that has a passion for cars and driving should go to a race track, if you know how to manage your wallet you'll discover that this can be a rewarding experience. You'll learn that a used Miata could be faster than a Porsche; you'll learn that you don't need a gazillion hp to have fun, that you don't need 18 piston brake calipers, fancy air intakes or expensive wheels to "have more fun".Some people never learn that the whole point is to better yourself and in amateur events like HPDE, you count FAR MORE than what you drive, you will look at the chips on the paint of your car like a medieval knight did, looking at the dings and scars on his armor, knowing that they have a history and a meaning. You'll look at your car with disbelief and you'll say to her "I didn't know you could do that" with a grin on your face... and every day of your life, in those minutes while your brushing your teeth in front of the mirror you'll think about your evolution as a driver and you'll KNOW that you are better.. And the next time you'll sit at a bar, or at work and you hear somebody bragging how his new car is better, faster, much powerful than anything else... you'll just grin and have that spark in your eyes knowing that doesn't mean $hit and he's far away from being a Jedi knight.