Newbie Questions
Discussion
Hi all.
I did my third trackday at Snetterton last Tuesday and have been really enjoying them. I could do with some advice on a few things though.
The first is that I have had instruction the last couple of times, most recently the instructor who was great told me I was doing well and would really benefit from a different geo set up. I understand what that is in theory but what does it actually mean in practice? I have a GT4, is this something I can get my nearest Porsche dealership to do or should I be taking it to someone more specialist? Does it ruin the car for the road? I use it a lot in summer day to day so wouldn't want to impact its road manners too much. How do you know what set up you should be getting?
The second is properly newbie question. I have heard talk that I should be lowering my tyre pressures, this was again confirmed by the instructor when after a couple of laps he got me to check the pressures which had gone through the roof. How do you know how much to lower them by? How do you actually lower them accurately? Then how do you pump them back up? I have seen online some battery powered pumps which look quite a neat solution. You can probably tell I'm not very confident with this stuff and a bit paranoid of tinkering and getting myself in a mess.
I was in the red GT4 if anyone was there
I did my third trackday at Snetterton last Tuesday and have been really enjoying them. I could do with some advice on a few things though.
The first is that I have had instruction the last couple of times, most recently the instructor who was great told me I was doing well and would really benefit from a different geo set up. I understand what that is in theory but what does it actually mean in practice? I have a GT4, is this something I can get my nearest Porsche dealership to do or should I be taking it to someone more specialist? Does it ruin the car for the road? I use it a lot in summer day to day so wouldn't want to impact its road manners too much. How do you know what set up you should be getting?
The second is properly newbie question. I have heard talk that I should be lowering my tyre pressures, this was again confirmed by the instructor when after a couple of laps he got me to check the pressures which had gone through the roof. How do you know how much to lower them by? How do you actually lower them accurately? Then how do you pump them back up? I have seen online some battery powered pumps which look quite a neat solution. You can probably tell I'm not very confident with this stuff and a bit paranoid of tinkering and getting myself in a mess.
I was in the red GT4 if anyone was there
ntiz said:
Hi all.
I did my third trackday at Snetterton last Tuesday and have been really enjoying them. I could do with some advice on a few things though.
The first is that I have had instruction the last couple of times, most recently the instructor who was great told me I was doing well and would really benefit from a different geo set up. I understand what that is in theory but what does it actually mean in practice? I have a GT4, is this something I can get my nearest Porsche dealership to do or should I be taking it to someone more specialist? Does it ruin the car for the road? I use it a lot in summer day to day so wouldn't want to impact its road manners too much. How do you know what set up you should be getting?
The second is properly newbie question. I have heard talk that I should be lowering my tyre pressures, this was again confirmed by the instructor when after a couple of laps he got me to check the pressures which had gone through the roof. How do you know how much to lower them by? How do you actually lower them accurately? Then how do you pump them back up? I have seen online some battery powered pumps which look quite a neat solution. You can probably tell I'm not very confident with this stuff and a bit paranoid of tinkering and getting myself in a mess.
I was in the red GT4 if anyone was there
In terms of the tyre pressures, just get a pressure gauge and release the pressure until it reaches the desired level. Some of the gauges even have a little button on them that allows you to release the pressure without removing them.I did my third trackday at Snetterton last Tuesday and have been really enjoying them. I could do with some advice on a few things though.
The first is that I have had instruction the last couple of times, most recently the instructor who was great told me I was doing well and would really benefit from a different geo set up. I understand what that is in theory but what does it actually mean in practice? I have a GT4, is this something I can get my nearest Porsche dealership to do or should I be taking it to someone more specialist? Does it ruin the car for the road? I use it a lot in summer day to day so wouldn't want to impact its road manners too much. How do you know what set up you should be getting?
The second is properly newbie question. I have heard talk that I should be lowering my tyre pressures, this was again confirmed by the instructor when after a couple of laps he got me to check the pressures which had gone through the roof. How do you know how much to lower them by? How do you actually lower them accurately? Then how do you pump them back up? I have seen online some battery powered pumps which look quite a neat solution. You can probably tell I'm not very confident with this stuff and a bit paranoid of tinkering and getting myself in a mess.
I was in the red GT4 if anyone was there
You need to find the pressures that work but a good starting point would be to aim for the pressure to be at the road level when hot. Eg. if the manual say 37/32 then set them to this when hot (after you have done a few laps).
When it is raining, you want to set the pressures higher.
All tyres are a bit different though - I found AR1s liked to be lower (maybe 21-22 hot on my car) whereas AO52s seem to like to be much higher (maybe 28-30 on my car).
You'll feel when they are getting too hot as they will start to feel greasy (more slidey on turn in, probably more slidey on exit).
Those handheld inflators are great - I have a cheap Chinese one that I have used for a few race seasons and still appears to be going strong. I just leave it in my normal car/tow car all year round.
ntiz said:
Hi all.
I did my third trackday at Snetterton last Tuesday and have been really enjoying them. I could do with some advice on a few things though.
The first is that I have had instruction the last couple of times, most recently the instructor who was great told me I was doing well and would really benefit from a different geo set up. I understand what that is in theory but what does it actually mean in practice? I have a GT4, is this something I can get my nearest Porsche dealership to do or should I be taking it to someone more specialist? Does it ruin the car for the road? I use it a lot in summer day to day so wouldn't want to impact its road manners too much. How do you know what set up you should be getting?
The second is properly newbie question. I have heard talk that I should be lowering my tyre pressures, this was again confirmed by the instructor when after a couple of laps he got me to check the pressures which had gone through the roof. How do you know how much to lower them by? How do you actually lower them accurately? Then how do you pump them back up? I have seen online some battery powered pumps which look quite a neat solution. You can probably tell I'm not very confident with this stuff and a bit paranoid of tinkering and getting myself in a mess.
I was in the red GT4 if anyone was there
On the geo/alignment question, get on the Porsche forums and get to a local Porsche specialist. Williams Crawford is my local specialist and they're superb in offering advice on a good set-up....and have all the kit and expertise to do the work. I did my third trackday at Snetterton last Tuesday and have been really enjoying them. I could do with some advice on a few things though.
The first is that I have had instruction the last couple of times, most recently the instructor who was great told me I was doing well and would really benefit from a different geo set up. I understand what that is in theory but what does it actually mean in practice? I have a GT4, is this something I can get my nearest Porsche dealership to do or should I be taking it to someone more specialist? Does it ruin the car for the road? I use it a lot in summer day to day so wouldn't want to impact its road manners too much. How do you know what set up you should be getting?
The second is properly newbie question. I have heard talk that I should be lowering my tyre pressures, this was again confirmed by the instructor when after a couple of laps he got me to check the pressures which had gone through the roof. How do you know how much to lower them by? How do you actually lower them accurately? Then how do you pump them back up? I have seen online some battery powered pumps which look quite a neat solution. You can probably tell I'm not very confident with this stuff and a bit paranoid of tinkering and getting myself in a mess.
I was in the red GT4 if anyone was there
If you’re anywhere near the Midlands many people including me would recommend Center Gravity for geo. They are really good and will sort you out but if you say where you are no doubt you’ll get some more local recommendations.
You don’t want to go for an aggressive track set up if it’s for occasional use as it will eat your tyres, but if you tell them your main use case they’ll find something that works for you and it can make a big difference to how the car feels not just on track but in every day driving.
Tyre pressure wise you just need some sort of compressor which you can pick up from Halfords or Amazon then you can add and remove air as and when you need. My 911 came with one with the tools in the car from the factory but I find it’s not as accurate as the digital one I’ve got, you might find you have one already though.
You don’t want to go for an aggressive track set up if it’s for occasional use as it will eat your tyres, but if you tell them your main use case they’ll find something that works for you and it can make a big difference to how the car feels not just on track but in every day driving.
Tyre pressure wise you just need some sort of compressor which you can pick up from Halfords or Amazon then you can add and remove air as and when you need. My 911 came with one with the tools in the car from the factory but I find it’s not as accurate as the digital one I’ve got, you might find you have one already though.
I'd ask on the Porsche section for tyre pressures, but yes all cars need lower pressures on track, & keep your eye on them during the day, you'll lower a few times & they'll stabilise, I wouldn't want to suggest what for a gt4
Your tps monitor will be having a fit.
Geo gt4 is well known for not enough front camber & it will eat the outer edges. Is a specialist or geo place job, not an opc.
Yes buy tyre pump & pump up after. They'll need more when cold next day as will still be hot at end of your day.
Your tps monitor will be having a fit.
Geo gt4 is well known for not enough front camber & it will eat the outer edges. Is a specialist or geo place job, not an opc.
Yes buy tyre pump & pump up after. They'll need more when cold next day as will still be hot at end of your day.
Since you're new to this, I should mention that most car insurance policies don't cover track driving. With a fairly expensive car like yours, if you crash and it's totaled, your insurance won't pay out anything.
Just flagging this because a GT4 isn't the usual choice for someone starting out on track days.
Just flagging this because a GT4 isn't the usual choice for someone starting out on track days.
Mostly already covered above but yes, geo is a big issue on these cars. The factory setup can be surprisingly poor even for road use with not enough camber leading to poor grip as the car gets loaded up through the corners. I have driven a couple of GT4s on track that have genuinely surprised me as to how bad they are and it’s such an easy fix to get them right.
Adding a certain amount of camber will be a relatively straightforward task but it’s worth using a specialist who is familiar with the cars. Center Gravity are the longstanding leaders in all this and Matt at Suspension Secrets is also worth a look if you are further north or just use a decent indie Porsche specialist like Ninemeister etc.
The initial adjustments are just that and at most just need shims to get set up. Getting bigger camber usually requires some components to achieve the higher settings (or sometimes to allow the toe to be readjusted once the camber is added). Bigger settings doesn’t necessarily mean that the car would then be poor on the road but generally there is a mid point that gets the best for both worlds if that’s what you need. Sticking to standard parts may also be more convenient if your car is still under Porsche warranty.
Tyre pressures are pretty straightforward. Until you have a reason to do any different, stick to factory settings.
So after sighting laps and the first session or two keep adjusting them back down when you come off track. They should stabilise after that and you can add some back in at the end of the day before driving home, plenty of battery compressors are available for this but it’s worth getting a half decent gauge for the adjustments.
If you are on any Circuit Days events, book a tuition session and you will probably land me in the passenger seat
.
Adding a certain amount of camber will be a relatively straightforward task but it’s worth using a specialist who is familiar with the cars. Center Gravity are the longstanding leaders in all this and Matt at Suspension Secrets is also worth a look if you are further north or just use a decent indie Porsche specialist like Ninemeister etc.
The initial adjustments are just that and at most just need shims to get set up. Getting bigger camber usually requires some components to achieve the higher settings (or sometimes to allow the toe to be readjusted once the camber is added). Bigger settings doesn’t necessarily mean that the car would then be poor on the road but generally there is a mid point that gets the best for both worlds if that’s what you need. Sticking to standard parts may also be more convenient if your car is still under Porsche warranty.
Tyre pressures are pretty straightforward. Until you have a reason to do any different, stick to factory settings.
So after sighting laps and the first session or two keep adjusting them back down when you come off track. They should stabilise after that and you can add some back in at the end of the day before driving home, plenty of battery compressors are available for this but it’s worth getting a half decent gauge for the adjustments.
If you are on any Circuit Days events, book a tuition session and you will probably land me in the passenger seat
.Thanks for the advice everyone.
Sounds like I need to do a little shopping for pump etc.
Can anyone recommend someone in East Anglia that's good for the geo? I'm based in North Norfolk so a bit out of the way but at least Snetterton is close!
I would love to get into modifying a bit, but I have a warranty that saved me from a 15k gearbox replacement a week after I extended it. So i'm very much a believer in keeping it intact.
Regarding the insurance thats the one aspect I did make sure to fully understand before I even considered getting out on track.
Sounds like I need to do a little shopping for pump etc.
Can anyone recommend someone in East Anglia that's good for the geo? I'm based in North Norfolk so a bit out of the way but at least Snetterton is close!
I would love to get into modifying a bit, but I have a warranty that saved me from a 15k gearbox replacement a week after I extended it. So i'm very much a believer in keeping it intact.
Regarding the insurance thats the one aspect I did make sure to fully understand before I even considered getting out on track.
ntiz said:
Thanks for the advice everyone.
Sounds like I need to do a little shopping for pump etc.
Can anyone recommend someone in East Anglia that's good for the geo? I'm based in North Norfolk so a bit out of the way but at least Snetterton is close!
I would love to get into modifying a bit, but I have a warranty that saved me from a 15k gearbox replacement a week after I extended it. So i'm very much a believer in keeping it intact.
Regarding the insurance thats the one aspect I did make sure to fully understand before I even considered getting out on track.
Finishline in Hertfordshire/AB motorsport. I’d recommend them for everything, especially bodywork stuff. They run some serious racing cars between them, you’ll be in good hands. Based in just outside Baldock in Hertfordshire. Sounds like I need to do a little shopping for pump etc.
Can anyone recommend someone in East Anglia that's good for the geo? I'm based in North Norfolk so a bit out of the way but at least Snetterton is close!
I would love to get into modifying a bit, but I have a warranty that saved me from a 15k gearbox replacement a week after I extended it. So i'm very much a believer in keeping it intact.
Regarding the insurance thats the one aspect I did make sure to fully understand before I even considered getting out on track.
OP I might be wrong but I'd be concerned your warranty could be voided by doing track days??
I test drove a Hyundai ioniq 5N and one of the selling points I was given was that unlike other warranties, the Hyundai warranty DID cover track days
May be that Porsche warranties cover track use but I don't know.
I test drove a Hyundai ioniq 5N and one of the selling points I was given was that unlike other warranties, the Hyundai warranty DID cover track days
May be that Porsche warranties cover track use but I don't know.
Z4MCSL said:
OP I might be wrong but I'd be concerned your warranty could be voided by doing track days??
I test drove a Hyundai ioniq 5N and one of the selling points I was given was that unlike other warranties, the Hyundai warranty DID cover track days
May be that Porsche warranties cover track use but I don't know.
The warranty absolutely covers trackdays I made sure and I extended the warranty when they checked it over for me before my first trackday they absolutely knew when it was going on track. The diff broke on the way to work the day after. I test drove a Hyundai ioniq 5N and one of the selling points I was given was that unlike other warranties, the Hyundai warranty DID cover track days
May be that Porsche warranties cover track use but I don't know.
So Porsche had absolutely every excuse to get out of it if they had wanted to. Fair play to them I had the car back in 2 weeks good as new. Not a single query just did it.
I know nothing about Porsches.
On my TVR my expert (Mat Smith Sport Cars at Downham Market) listened, knew I wanted to use it 80% of the time on the road, so gave me a bit of extra camber, but nowhere near as agressive as a race setting. Car handles so much better, both on road and track.
Have fun - those early track days are so much fun.
On my TVR my expert (Mat Smith Sport Cars at Downham Market) listened, knew I wanted to use it 80% of the time on the road, so gave me a bit of extra camber, but nowhere near as agressive as a race setting. Car handles so much better, both on road and track.
Have fun - those early track days are so much fun.
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