Road course, open track racing ???

Snakin

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I have signed up to do an open track/road course event in a couple of weeks and want to see how the Cobra will handle such an event.

I was wondering if anyone else had run their Cobra at a similar event and how it went?

Also, if anyone has any suggestions on how to best prepare the car for a road racing event, I would appreciate hearing your ideas/suggestions.

Thanks
Brett
 

krman68

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Great write up griffined !

I've driven road courses with my 95 GT for the past 5 years and I am really really looking forward to getting out there with my 03 Cobra. I think I'll have to get used to the IRS now.

Snakin, trust me - you'll be hooked after the first time. It is awesome. Get road racing tires if you can - they make a huge difference with gripping power in the corners plus it really saves on street tires.

Have fun !!! I'm jealous as hell - Its cold out here in the East - I gotta wait a few months to get out there !! Enjoy
 

Snakin

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griffined,
excellent review, thanks very much.

krman68
Any recommendations on those road racing tires, I have my original wheels I could put some tires on & use just for road racing.

Also, what are your thoughts about some better/more road racing specific brake pads?
 

fiveoguy

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I would highly recommend porterfield for brakes. Their rotors are the strongest I've seen, and the r4 pads are great for the track. I would highly recommend you get the r4 pads jsut for the track, and run just some regular oem style pads for the street. The amount of heat that you see on a road course is so much more extreme than the street, there really isn't a good pad for both. Check out http://www.porterfield-brakes.com. Also, make sure you run some good, fresh brake fluid for the track. Ford heavy duty brake fluid is about the best you can get for the money. Some of the high dollar stuff has a little higher temp ratings, but costs many times more. You can get the ford heavy duty stuff at any dealer for about $4 a bottle.
 

toofast4u

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I was going to start doing it until I realized that if something happens you are really screwed. Insurance may, but most likely won't cover any damages. I am not up for crashing a 35K Cobra and having to eat it so I will keep it on the street. If you have a problem with it on the street then there should be some way to do it on the track and not have to risk no insurance.
 

bborder

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Snakin 69- Which event are you going to? I'll be at California Speedway with NASA on March 7-8. As for pads- Hawk Blues work great. I've used those for 4 years on the track and they kick ass. If you've got a set of wheels, throw on a set of Kumho V700's, Toyo RA1's or Hoosiers. I've had experience with all three and they all will give you an incredible increase in grip. The Kumho's will be the most forgiving and the Toyo's and Hoosiers will be firmer and more race-oriented. Hoosiers are probably the most expensive though. I would suggest the Toyo's.
 

bborder

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TooFast4U- In numerous occasions I've seen cars get wadded up at the track events and every time the insurance company has picked up the bill. As long as you're not wheel to wheel racing or running for time, they consider it a drive improvement course and you're good to go.
 

toofast4u

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Originally posted by bborder
TooFast4U- In numerous occasions I've seen cars get wadded up at the track events and every time the insurance company has picked up the bill. As long as you're not wheel to wheel racing or running for time, they consider it a drive improvement course and you're good to go.

Thanks. I need to check this out because there is no way I can ride my suspension how it is now, or at least by this weekend, to the limit on the streets. It would suck to have it set-up how it is and never be able to actually use it. I have Progressive and will give them a call.
 

Snakin

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bborder,
Thanks for the info on the brakes & tires!

are you running your cobra? which event?
I am signed up for the NASA HPDE event on the 8th.
 

Cobra-R

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I am sorry but I have to disagree with the advice to get track tires. Either run the stock tires or a good set of street tires until you have a fair amount of track experience and feel comfortable moving up to track tires.
Street tires are so much more forgiving and tell you when the limits are being approached. Track tires such as the Hoosiers and the like will give you more traction, but there is alot smaller window between "going" and "gone"
Have fun, be safe, and get some experienced people to ride with you and ask if you can ride with them. :beer: :beer:

Brian
 

Snakin

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I am running BFG TA/KDs on some new 18' wheels or I still have some good tread on the stock 17" F1's.

Which ones would you run?
 

bborder

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Snakin 69- I will be there with you on that weekend. Ryan Flaherty and John Lindsey (the guys who run NASA) are my buddies so I'm usually at all their events. Look forward to meeting you out there.

As for the tires. I definitely agree with Cobra-R that there needs to be much time spent on street tires before trasitioning over to R compound tires. However, the question was "Any recommendations on those road racing tires" so I was just offering my $.02 on which ones to get. The Kumho's will be the most forgiving of those and would be a great starting point when you're ready for R Compounds. I'm in the same situation, I just put on a set of 18" SSR wheels for the street with the intention of using the stock wheels with R Componds on the track. However, the F1's still have a ton of tread left so I think I'll just use those up on the track for a while even though I normally run the R's.

See ya there. Let me know if I can be of anymore help.

Definitely get a set of Hawk Blue pads- the stock pads suck and will fade fast after a couple corners. The Blues hold up perfectly. Don't use them on the street because when they're cold, they chew up the rotors and squeal a lot. I usually change mine out at the track and then swap back when I get home.
 

Snakin

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I think I'll throw the F1's back on for that weekend.
If you can suggest where to get the Hawk Blue pads, I'd appreciate it.

See ya there
 

Cobra-R

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Originally posted by Snakin 69
I am running BFG TA/KDs on some new 18' wheels or I still have some good tread on the stock 17" F1's.

Which ones would you run?

Good question and I really don't have a "right" answer.

I would probly throw the F1's on the car for mainly two reasons. They are alot cheaper tire to be wearing out. Secondly, Most people are no where near testing the traction limits of even stock tires thier first trip to the track. You need to learn the feel of the car in situations that we arent acustomed to feeling on the street. A good street tire will give a relativly large "warning" to the driver when it's limits are being approached.

I totally agree with bborder, good brake pads are a must.

Brian

ps. Just so you know, I have never driven on the track with F1's so I don't have direct knowlage of how they behave for that use. I have run KD's and they are a good tire that will let you feel the car.
 

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