CrumbMC

Hahaha. Massa's interview " I was fighting for da turd" i'm such a child

I was looking back through a book named 'Driving on the edge' when i remembered about this quote. I think that it perfectly describes what makes driving so enjoyable. I hope you enjoy it; "...At this point, you find yourself in a world without conscious thought, which is called the "zone". You don't think about any movement that you make in the car. Everything is focus, intention and, let's not forget, pure joy. Being without conscious thought is a joyful state, so driving a race car can be pure joy. People who meditate often try to reach such a thought-free state. As a racing driver, you can reach that state every time you go out. This has to be your goal. At that moment, you become at one with the car, an integral component. At every corner that you take in testing or racing, you have the opportunity of getting closer to that goal. Past and future do not matter once you are in the zone; only the present exists. Even though most racing drivers are not aware of this, enjoying that moment is what makes racing so addictive. Many great drivers have said that they only really felt alive when they were at the wheel of a racing car." Michael Krumm - Driving on the edge ... or maybe i'm just a bit of a nerd

Feel for you mate. However i think this is a perfect example of something i have been mentioning on various forums for a while now. I think the TCs on the zed (and many other cars) makes it more dangerous. If you enter a corner quickly in the wet, the ESP or something grabs at wheels with the brakes, massively unsettling the pitch and roll of the car and, on many systems, the TCs comes down like an anvil at a slight hint of rear movement and can cause you to almost stall if you ever need to pull out of somewhere quickly. I really disagree with the attitude of relying on safety systems such as TC, esp and all the rest. As the OP has proved, it doesn't allways keep you out of trouble and can often cause nasty unpredictable behaviour in the car. I would never buy a car where i couldn't fully disable it, unless it was a trick system like in the 12c or 458. I would strongly reccomend anyone who drives enthusiasticly to develop their ability to control the car instinctively and drive with the systems off. But most of all, allways be ready to react.

Good choice.

Get some Berks while you're at it. I think Squee got them for about half the price over there.

I'm liking the wall of spanners

I always loved the 350Z as a teenager but it wasn't until a couple of years ago when i thought, "Whats the best new-ish, affordable, RWD 2 seater that handles nicely (ie not a TT or another "fake" sports car) i could afford that would be fun to drive and easy to live with?" that it dawned on me that the Z was the car i was after It came down to the RX8, S2K and 350Z, or a big turbo for my Golf GTI. I stand by my choice and i think that owning a RWD GT car with a big lump under the bonnet early-ish in my live has really cemented my passion for driving. Like the OP my step-dad has loved the Z since it came out and he was a bit when i told him i had put a deposit down on one and i would hapilly put him on the insurace. The only problem is that I think I have spoiled myself a bit and now and i always find myself lusting after something bonkers like a noble M400. I had very little commitments at the time or purchase which was a good excuse to dive in at the deep-end and just go for it. If you can (maybe not quite) afford one then I suggest you do the same or you will forever be scouring auto-trader wondering why you never bought one.

Thanks everyone, and congratulations on being right

OK thanks mate, il get it done this weekend

Zugara, all HIDs must have auto leveling so you don't dazzle oncoming cars if you have Chris Moyles in the boot.

Thanks guys. If anyone else can confirm this that would be great. I'm an electrician so i can cable tie like a boss if that's all that's needed.

Just spotted this while walking up my driveway. the car hasen't been driven since i came back from oulton park 2 weeks ago. Sorry for crappy pic, only have my work phone as a way of getting a pic onto my comp. Anything to put my mind at ease / prepare for big expendature will help Pic is taken from just behind the nearside rear wheel. I'm sure whatever that is should be attached...

ooooooh, i just made a mess That paint job is Amazing too

Thanks for the quick replies I have braided lines and Motul RBF 660 brake fluid. I haven't had any problems with fade since upgrading to this set-up. I am just looking for a much more durable pad that still has ok cold performance. Alex, my car has a couple of minor performance mods (exhaust, panel filter) but no up-rev so is pretty much standard in power terms That sounds familiar. My callipers did change from the light bronze to a much deeper coppery colour on my last track day. after i noticed this happening i started doing shorter stints. Would you say the Blue-stuff were a quality pad? The website claims that they are suitable for endurance racing which would lead me to believe they would be good for quite a few track days. I hear a lot of slander towards ebc products but i can't help but think this is from people who have not been using the correct one for their application.

Hi all. A month ago i upgraded my front discs to DBA t3 4000 and pads to Ferrodo DS2500 A long story short, the Ferrodos which i used on my last discs were great on the road, can't cope with driving on track. They did not like the excessive heat and were completely borked after one and a half track days. I have use of a works vehicle now so i only ever drive the Z when I want to go for a serious drive or if i'm going to a circuit. Therefore i'm quite keen to get some pads that will have some decent cold performance, but more importantly take a lot of punishment on track (around 20 min sessions) and fast road. I have read a lot of posts on this part of the forum but am struggling to filter out the genuine information for very heavy brake useage from every day use and plugs. I thought it would be nice to have a very focussed thread on Pads for this specific type of use. Trackpig has reccomended EBC blue / yellow stuff pads. The blue look like they would be perfect for the track as i don't think i'd have any problem heating them up. However i'm a bit unsure what they would be like on the road. The yellow seem more suitable but i'm aware the Z is a heavy car and don't want to end up in the same situation i was with the ferrodos - having to change them after such limited running. Reccomendations would be appreciated, but please only if you have experience with the afformentioned driving style.

350Z invidia gemini true dual. also has JWT pop charger on. Supplied by Tarmac, Caked in crud by yours truly

If you have experience driving on the limits then i wouldn't worry about booking on an open pit lane day as opposed to a novice-only one. You will soon develop reasonable pace and, in my experience, other track users generally stick to the rules regarding overtaking etc. Just be observant of other drivers and when your learning the track be prepared to let other drivers past. A small tuition session on your first outing at a track would be a wise choice. Definitely change your brake fluid before you go. I did it myself with a 6 quid bleading bottle, an 11mm spanner and some how-to youtube vids. it's a lot easier than you might think. My first track day i had the brake fluid in that came with the car. after 3 laps it was boiled and i would have to come in to let it cool. was quite annoying when trying to build a good rythem and scary the first time it happened Also monitor how much is left on your pads throughout the day. they wear faster than you might expect. I wish i started doing track days sooner. don't put it off. it's the most fun you can have with your pants on!!

I havent seen thee race as i'm on holiday but I have been saying since he joined f1,pastor is a ****er. I was so pi**ed off when he got that race win.he doesn't deserve it.he can't race. Not only that but he's an arrogant grumpy know-all. But thats what happens when drivers are chosen because of sponsorship rather than skill.

5th if im going through a 30 at steady speed. 1st if it's a flat out launch or second if i'm dropping to 30 for a corner I wouldn't use 6th at 30. It just a bit too long, although i do use it for 40mph zones

The supers performed really well on track yesterday. i have played around with the pressures a bit and ended up around 32 / 33 front and slightly higher for the rear. these pressures were when there was still some heat in the tyres though so i'm not sure what they were cold. i just altered them untill i was getting the most out of the contact patch area (this can't be the right terminology ) The centre tread block on the front left has a few chewed up areas on it though after i was trying to find my maximum braking points in the morning and ended up pushing wide a bit. other than that they seem to be scrubbing in well and despite a few hundred miles of very hard driving they still feel like new. I was really impressed with the PS3 when i had them fitted and didn't believe Dan when he was saying how much better the PS2/PSS was. I find myself eating my hat though as they really are amazing.

Yeah the night before i checked the met office for Chester and it said there would be light rain in the afternoon. was very lucky. Had to leave just before 4 anyway as i had completely worn through the brake pads. lucky i noticed how low they were as i was refueling. RE the service. it was exactly the same as Club MSV. Same timetable, same staff. just a slightly more enthusiastic guy doing the briefing. It was slightly more expensive though and it was very busy. There were a lot of serious motors there including lotus' and caterfields, as well as a lot of race cars and track day specials which i had never seen before. In the briefing the guy asked if anyone had less than 4 track days experience and only about 4 of us put out hands up. Still it was nice to pass a lot of them on track knowing they had a serious car and more experience I am so skint now. I have had quite wild and expensive few months (don't know if you noticed but i could hardly walk from paintballing the day before i met you at Oulton) also have spent a lot on the car and the track days and it's finally caught up with me. But luckily its payday tomorrow ...which means i can pay for my new brake pads and tax that's due I'm definitely going to do as many track days as i can (or can't) afford to. I'm so addicted. I have been watching some on boards of Qually laps from the British GT to see where their lines differ from what i have been doing. There's a link to my favorite one at the bottom. I might try and go to another track next time though. I watched Trackpig's videos of Cadwell park. It looks like an awesome circuit and i might try and go there next. it's a bit of a mission from Kendal though so i might have to stop over. I think a separate track car is probably a good idea if planning to do a lot of trackdays. I felt like i really punished the car yesterday. The paint on my callipers has turned from gold to a deep bronze colour from the heat as well as the aforementioned badges and centre caps Also If i'm going to get through a set of brake pads each track day it's going to be an even more expensive hobby than i thought - and i haven't stuffed it into a tyre wall yet Anyway I'm off on a cheep holiday to Colonsay in the Hebrides for a week. luckily everything is already paid for Keep me posted next time you go and i'll see if i can make it down. On board YouTube vid

That looks like an awesome circuit and you look quite handy round there. what suspension set up do you have? With excuses like that you should be an F1 driver

You missed an Awesome day today Sarah. Had loads of fun and with new brake fluid i could stay out for half an hour at a time if it pleased me so i got a lot of running in. although the subsequent fuel usage was a bit high - averaged 8.9 mpg I feel a bit sorry for the Z, lost my two front wheel center caps and the new front pads I put in before the last track day have completely worn away. That said, the car performed well and didn't miss a beat. The poor thing got hammered all day with both me and my mate in but cruised the journey home no problem. Really feel like I'm getting to grips with Oulton now, although I'm sure there's still much more performance to be had. Next time i go there i will get another tuition session to try and perfect my lines a bit. I was chasing down a lot of really quick stuff today, mainly into shell oils and druids where i could pull in loads of time on a lot of cars in the braking zones. They are 2 of my favorite parts of the track as there's the ballsy high speed corners into the deep braking zones, love that. Passed a McLaren MP4-12C who was obviousley going flat out at the time Had an evo spin out in front of me at lodge (last corner) which was a bit too close for comfort. He went off the track with his rears on exit then span right across the track in front of me. I had to be quick on the brakes I'm going to try and get one more track day in over the summer if funds permit. I would like to try another circuit to broaden my horizons a bit. I will post a thread in the track days section before i book. The adrenaline has worn off now though so it's an early night for me tonight. Chris

I thought you threw your Homie's shoes up when his ass got a cap popped in it. kinda like a memorial.

I guess that's my chips officially pi**ed on