patrick_b
Go Kart Newbie
- Location
- Newburyport, MA
- Car(s)
- 2017 GTI SE 6MT
I bought the car this summer after driving company cars & SUV's for the last 15-20 yrs. I drove GTI's from the late 80's to late 90's (MK1 and MK2). I decided to buy a weekend/occasional track car and picked up a 3 year old MK7. It's not a daily as I still drive a Ford Edge for work. I have the OEM wheels with Blizzaks but I'll garage it for the winter.
Car came with 19" wheels w/Hankook summer tires, OEM wheels w/Blizzaks, & Cobb/MAPerformance Stage 1 ECU tune w/60K miles.
I did the following:
- H&R Street Performance Coilovers (two dampers were blown when I bought it)
- 18" Konig Hypergrams and Michelin PS4S
- Audi VW Zimmerman Sport Brake KIT w/EBC "Red Stuff" Pads & Zimmermann Cross-Drilled Rotors from FCP (original pads & rotors had 60K)
- Motul RBF brake fluid
- VW Sachs Performance Clutch Kit also from FCP (clutch just started slipping).
SCDA's pretty well regarded in the northeast and run 15-20 events/year in NY, CT and MA. With the novice group, I did four 20 min sessions in a three car group with an instructor in a ~2010 Boxster S and fellow novice in a Stage 1 but otherwise stock '17 Fiesta ST. It was a lead/follow format and we were connected by radio. Note, the radio is virtually impossible to comprehend with the window open and vehicle noise. After each session the three of us debriefed for 10-15 minutes. Between sessions we had three 30 min classroom sessions that reviewed things like general vehicle dynamics, weight shift, braking, modifications, safety gear, etc. One session included a video of the track with turn by turn pointers.
Observations:
I felt like I'd pushed the car relatively hard on windy roads and on/off ramps but a hairpin or s-curve at speed is so much different than a back road. You really feel the LSD working. I hadn't felt that on the street. First session was slow as we were just learning the track. By the last two sessions, I was shocked to see the checkered last lap flag. 20 minutes went by so quickly. A few MK7's present, noticed just one GTI (VT plates) and a few Golf R's. I chatted up one Golf R owner in novice group. He seemed to have a great time as well.
Early in each session, I kept thinking that there is no way I can go faster but we slowly increased speed throughout the session and I never felt uncomfortable. The instructors indicated that the lead follow format (due to COVID) is getting participants up to speed quicker than the conventional instructor as passenger model. I can see the instructor's braking point and the correct line much easier than having someone say, "brake here" or point to the apex point on the track. At debrief he'd say something like, "you can carry more speed through turn X." Next time out, I was amazed at how much speed I could carry without braking. Braking was tougher to get the hang of. Knowing that I shouldn't gently apply brake pressure approaching the turn but rather brake late and hard took time to sink in. It's tough to bypass 30+ years of street driving. But when you get it right, it feels great. Brakes performed flawlessly. I never felt fade or needed more brake.
Tires were amazing! Clearly there's a reason why so many recommend the Pilot Sport 4S. I wasn't sure about tire pressures and started at 33PSI cold and after the first session they were 38PSI. After the 2nd session they hit 40-41PSI so I dropped them down 3lbs. They stayed at 38PSI after each subsequent session. Thanks @tpellegr for the guidance. I had more than enough HP and torque to stay in 3rd for most of the track. There was one uphill turn that I kept taking too slowly but caught up to my group immediately in 3rd. The Fiesta guy complained about the same turn but just couldn't catch up without a downshift and then a quick upshift on the hill.
It's honestly a bit intimidating doing something like this for the first time (especially at my age). Biggest fears are looking stupid and ruining someone else's day. All that was put to rest upon arrival. No egos, just a bunch of helpful folks. Coolest thing I saw that day was a couple in their late 60's driving two Lotus Evora's running in the advanced group w/a huge trailer for both vehicles. They looked dressed for church (except for the shoes). The gentleman had dress pants and an oxford cloth shirt coupled with a full face CF helmet and HANS-looking device. They were awesome!
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