SD-GTI
New member
- Location
- San Diego, CA
- Car(s)
- 2020 GTI, 2019 M2C
Background: Very limited HPDE experience (2 days) and a bit of very casual autocross over the last 20 years in various cars (Saturn SC1, E46 BMW, E90 BMW). Just got a 2020 GTI which is also my daily driver. Finally able to justify a little more money on this hobby and delving further... I'd consider myself a rank beginner, but anticipate a fast learning curve?
I plan to track the car about 4 times per year, give or take. I'm in San Diego, so Chuckwalla, Streets of Willow, Buttonwillow are the most likely venues.
Setup: APR stage 1 tune, Bilstein B14 coilovers, rear sway bar, EBC red stuff pads and high temp fluid on stock brakes. Just purchased a set of dedicated track wheels with Nitto NT01's. I normally drive on PS4S's, but these have never held up well for me on track days so I decided to bite the bullet and get a dedicated set, hoping to save money long term.
1. ESC/Traction Control: should I turn this off or leave it on? I've seen recommendations for both.
2. Tires. Would I be better served driving a less advanced tire for my first 1-2 sessions? I still have my OEM wheels w/ all-season tires, which I am trying to sell since they are like new. I could theoretically thrash these tires, or just go straight to the Nittos. I also have my DD wheels with the PS4S's, but I don't really want to trash those! My immediate goal is to work on my basic driving skills, and have fun.
3. Suspension. Coilovers are currently set to a 1" drop below stock level, which I like for daily driving and appearance. Is this worth messing with on track days, at this early stage? I suspect I should just leave it be, and then with experience I might want to play with the settings.
4. Brakes. I've sorta tapped out my budget for the next year at least, but do you think it's likely I will need to jump to bigger brakes in the future? I made sure to get wheels that will fit a BBK, so at this point I am just preparing myself for future expenses. I don't intend to make any more power upgrades since I'm in CA (emission issues) and I use this car to shuttle my kids around (I don't want to be obnoxiously loud).
Thanks for any input, suggestions, commentary etc. you might have!
I plan to track the car about 4 times per year, give or take. I'm in San Diego, so Chuckwalla, Streets of Willow, Buttonwillow are the most likely venues.
Setup: APR stage 1 tune, Bilstein B14 coilovers, rear sway bar, EBC red stuff pads and high temp fluid on stock brakes. Just purchased a set of dedicated track wheels with Nitto NT01's. I normally drive on PS4S's, but these have never held up well for me on track days so I decided to bite the bullet and get a dedicated set, hoping to save money long term.
1. ESC/Traction Control: should I turn this off or leave it on? I've seen recommendations for both.
2. Tires. Would I be better served driving a less advanced tire for my first 1-2 sessions? I still have my OEM wheels w/ all-season tires, which I am trying to sell since they are like new. I could theoretically thrash these tires, or just go straight to the Nittos. I also have my DD wheels with the PS4S's, but I don't really want to trash those! My immediate goal is to work on my basic driving skills, and have fun.
3. Suspension. Coilovers are currently set to a 1" drop below stock level, which I like for daily driving and appearance. Is this worth messing with on track days, at this early stage? I suspect I should just leave it be, and then with experience I might want to play with the settings.
4. Brakes. I've sorta tapped out my budget for the next year at least, but do you think it's likely I will need to jump to bigger brakes in the future? I made sure to get wheels that will fit a BBK, so at this point I am just preparing myself for future expenses. I don't intend to make any more power upgrades since I'm in CA (emission issues) and I use this car to shuttle my kids around (I don't want to be obnoxiously loud).
Thanks for any input, suggestions, commentary etc. you might have!