G8 at texas world speedway

[nugget]

just a little report from texas world speedway, the car loves this track, got it up to 130 down the front strait. il post pics sometime today or tomorrow hopefully. the only problem im having with it is even in sport shift mode in some places it leaves me in '3' and when i get on the gas, i get into it to quick and it has to downshift to '2' and it unsettles the car. im glad im not making more power than i am or i am afraid i would actually be slower, the stock tires can take alot but cant take much more than what im making right now.

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ok after the second day i have come back with some tips and things that will be changed on the car before i take it back out to the track, first off brakes, need better ones, they dont fade that much but they could defiantly be better, so its probably going to be better pads. second the stock 18" all seasons did great and can handle more corning speed than i was giving them credit for, i really could have pushed them alot harder. third the car is actually very neutral and doesn't have a tendency to over steer or under steer. third i was sliding all over the place in the leather seats, very hard to tell was the car is doing exactly with a butt that isnt firmly planted, not sure what im going to do there as a race seat and harness would mean a roll cage also and that isnt going to happen im my car. forth the stock suspension was actuality firm but forgiving now i will be doing work to that but i don't feel it is necessary to change anything for awhile. last thing is the big kicker for me, kinda a pun because it made the car kick out and spin once, the transmission, going around some corners and getting on the gas even in sport shift mode made it change from 3-2 and the down shift kicked so hard while i was in turn the back end lost all grip, it actually did it twice but the second time i was ready for it and did a nice little drift, so i may be going to manumatic mode or going back to the sloppy yet safe stock tcm tune, im leaning towards manumatic.

here are some photos of one of my days at tws

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more photos

[norm8332]

Nice pictures, Wish I had a speedway to run on.

[nugget]

it is so much fun, these cars are built to be driven fast around corners, it may look like a tank but it was out cornering audi a3's, evos, older 911's, srt8 charges, except for the viper and the GT500 that was in my group i would over take and hang right behind every one in the corners and have the power to pass them in the straits. if you ever get a chance to race a road course do it.

[DRCUSTOMPARTS]

With a trans tune you would be off using full manual shifting, that way YOU select the gear it's in when you hammer it coming out of the corners and there will be no surprise downshifting. The Pedders street 1 would be a great addition for the track, your car will be more controllable in the turns and it will help on the street too. There doesn't seem to be any good aftermarket brake pads for the G8. I did find some Bendix ceramics but they are probably similar to the factory pads.

http://www-b.autopartswarehouse.com/sku/Pontiac/G8/Bendix/Brake_Pad_Set/20082009/BFD1351.html

http://www-b.autopartswarehouse.com/sku/Pontiac/G8/Bendix/Brake_Pad_Set/20082009/BFD1352.html

[HuskerG8]

Great Pics. I agree with your assessment. I was at the MotorSports Ranch near Benbrook a couple of weeks back. First time at the track for me. I had a blast.

I ran the 3.1 at MSR. I think there were about 16 corners. My first two runs were in the rain. That was a good learning environment because it slowed things down.

I had changed out the front pads before I went. I installed the Hawk HPS. I considered the Hawk HPS Plus, but was advised they will eat the rotors. I am not that serious yet.

My next change will be to get the Hawks on the rear and install the stainless steel lines.

I used sport mode and would run into the same issue downshifting into second. I need some more seat time to learn more before adding the shifting portion. I just worry the manual mode will be too slow. I also figure I might hit the rev limiter from second to third. I don't have a tune, but a tune could probably speed it up.

I will be going to Eagles Canyon in July to see how the brake changes hold up. Then I might add some Pedders Suspension.

My instructor drives a Porsche and he was impressed with the balance of G8 when he drove it. I was worried the car wouldn't stick and he showed me it would have no problem. Way past my comfort level at this point though.

I stayed pretty well planted in the seat. But then I fill up most of it.

I just ordered up some pics from my event and will try to post some. The car was leaning pretty good in some of those corners.

[DRCUSTOMPARTS]

I found Hawk and EBC pads at http://www.buybrakes.com

[TonyKarter]

Which track configuration did you drive? Also, counterclockwise or clockwise?

[nugget]

i forgot to do this but i have to thank charlie for teching my car before going up there. it came back without a scratch even with me going off track twice, once wasnt my fault it was the transmission.

[nugget]

Which track configuration did you drive? Also, counterclockwise or clockwise?

CCW 2.9, it looks like it is a way faster track CCW because of the way you have to set the turns up. i was told CW will eat your brakes for breakfast, and i can believe that for the way the turns are set up. i think most of the time they run 2.9 CCW, il ask my friend that is an instructor

[TonyKarter]

Ran it that way in karts, and you are right, it's a braking game CW...not as fun either. How did you like going into that sweeper at the end of the front straight? What kind of speed did you carry through it?

[nugget]

i was braking right off the edge of the front straight at around 120-125, i dont know how much speed i was taking thru the corner but id say it was around 60-70 at the apex, my instructor kept telling me to go faster and carry more speed but i didnt think the car could handle it, so one time i did and it was somewhere around 80 because i had to adjust my braking zone for the next corner quite a bit. just about every corner was fun and challenging. i will also add that the car is a gas guzzler, i got a whopping 6mpg. cant wait to get some pads, maybe some suspension and some different tires than the all seasons. i am going to try and get a video set up for the next time. i should be going back in july

[HuskerG8]

If you have a dashhawk, you can record a couple of laps. I didn't mess with it until my last run, but I recorded speed, rpm, tranny temp, coolant temp, and oil pressure. It recorded about 500 seconds. The attached shows nearly 3 laps of data. Ignore the turn marked richochet. I actually have it in the wrong place. It occurs at the double peaks about 125 seconds into the run.

It is hard to look down and get those numbers. Would be nice to have the heads up that I had on my Grand Prix GXP.

Funny how instructors are always saying faster, faster. Mine was always saying gas, gas, gas.

6mpg is about what I would see during each run. First time I was proud of such a low number.

[nugget]

if i really start getting into this, which i think is a big possibility... this may be in order, my friends that do this already have them... http://www.saferacer.com/traqmate-data-acquisition-basic-system.html?productid=554
now that i think about it i know i would shift into 4th right after that sweeper so by the time i exited the corner i was going 100

[HuskerG8]

Yeah, that looks pretty cool. I would like to get into it more as well. Just depends what the pocket book can afford.

I posted a couple of pics from my track day in the following thread. One of them looks like the left front is barely touching the pavement.

http://forum.grrrr8.net/showthread.php?t=7340