taking a cerb on track

[carl_w]

What needs to be upgraded to cope with track work? I'm thinking of acquiring at least a spare pair of rear wheels with worn tyres. Maybe all four. Suspension is currently standard (should be OK), brakes I think are the Tuscan cross-drilled ones.

Is there any particular oil starvation or fuel surge problem that Cerbs suffer when on track?

[FourWheelDrift]

I guess someone had better answer this Craig.

The only thing I had to watch for was brake fade, longest time on track being 30 minutes on an open pit track day. No fuel starvation problems (except possibly running out of the stuff) that I've had. I had gone out for progressively longer runs checking everything when coming back in. Just take it easy to begin with and everything should hold up well.

[carl_w]

In the past (not in a Cerb) I've always tried to run for only 15-20 mins at a time anyway.

Guess I'd need some additional silencing too? Currently got sports exhausts -- haven't measured them with a dB meter but they seem very loud.

[FourWheelDrift]

I did get a bit carried away that day Absolutely no problems either long drive home after too.

Depends on where you intend to go. Places like Goodwood (98db) and Oulton Park can be strict but it often depends on the organiser and how they test sound, whether it is a static test or driveby.

It's worth getting it tested independently, so you'll know if you need to take some with you to stop the day being wasted.

[gary judd]

I changed the standard suspension set up to nitron adjustable shocks made a lot of difference through the twisty bits. tuscan brakes shuold be fine you might want to change the brake fluid to dot 5.1 i think thats right this will prevent brake fade.

[joospeed]

carl_w said:

What needs to be upgraded to cope with track work? I'm thinking of acquiring at least a spare pair of rear wheels with worn tyres. Maybe all four. Suspension is currently standard (should be OK), brakes I think are the Tuscan cross-drilled ones. Is there any particular oil starvation or fuel surge problem that Cerbs suffer when on track?

Hi
spare tyres a good move, I run Sierra cosworth rims on the S, but Cerbie wheels are relatively cheap after people have upgraded to spiders etc.
Tuscan cross drilled brakes are a no-no if you're serious about track days, std plain discs are better, upgraded versions from AP or Brembo etc better still.
5.1 fluid is a sensible precaution, although a good quality dot4 changed regularly will be fine too.
No oil surge probs unless you run it very low on oil.
You'll find you need the suspension at least twice as stiff at the front for serious progress around a track though, the std stuff is pretty dire.

hope this helps.
Joo

[carl_w]

joospeed said:

Tuscan cross drilled brakes are a no-no if you're serious about track days, std plain discs are better, upgraded versions from AP or Brembo etc better still. You'll find you need the suspension at least twice as stiff at the front for serious progress around a track though, the std stuff is pretty dire.

Well I'm not bothered about making progress, just learning what it's like on the limit and having fun

You're right about the discs -- generally I prefer slotted rather than drilled, but that's what was on it when I bought it. I don't know if that means the calipers have been upgraded, but they still fit under the 16" wheels so I guess not.

[WilliamBall]

joospeed said:

carl_w said: What needs to be upgraded to cope with track work? I'm thinking of acquiring at least a spare pair of rear wheels with worn tyres. Maybe all four. Suspension is currently standard (should be OK), brakes I think are the Tuscan cross-drilled ones. Is there any particular oil starvation or fuel surge problem that Cerbs suffer when on track? Hi spare tyres a good move, I run Sierra cosworth rims on the S, but Cerbie wheels are relatively cheap after people have upgraded to spiders etc. Tuscan cross drilled brakes are a no-no if you're serious about track days, std plain discs are better, upgraded versions from AP or Brembo etc better still. 5.1 fluid is a sensible precaution, although a good quality dot4 changed regularly will be fine too. No oil surge probs unless you run it very low on oil. You'll find you need the suspension at least twice as stiff at the front for serious progress around a track though, the std stuff is pretty dire. hope this helps. Joo

Agree with Joolz...shox make a huge improvement to handling, plus brakes do get really hot - so decent pads and fluid [DS3000s are great].

Got to disagree on 'worn tyres' though. OK to carry a spare set of rims/tyres just in case you demolish a set, but you really don't want to be driving way harder than you ever would on the road...with crappy tyres. Especially on the rears. Toyos actually seem to stand up fairly well to track days, so I'd be inclined to spend the money on spare rims and tyres on just replacing your 'proper' tyres a bit more regularly. The only significant wear would normally be scrubbing on the inside of the fronts, and that can be so bad that while there's loads of tread in the middle and outside, the inside tread has totally gone. Just swap the fronts over every so often to get the wear shared between both sides [you'll need to get the tyres turned on the rims, not just swap the wheels over].

Have fun.

WB

[GreenV8S]

I'd suggest you start off completely standard, and work on the problems as you come to them. If anything, spend any spare money you can find on driver training rather than car mods.

yes, track days will wear the brakes and tyres, but unless you're planning to be a complete animal (in a Cerb? hope you have deep pockets!) not excessively. You could reasonably expect to get three or four track days out of a set of tyres and brakes, or more if you treat the car gently. If you get the bug and end up doing lots of track days, find yourself running out of brakes or want a more aggressive suspension setup for track use then you can always chuck money at these later.

If you do decide to get spare rims, make sure you have decent type and condition tyres on them. Running poor quality or badly worn tyres is likely to be false economy. The more tread you have the milder and more predictable the car's handling will be. And once you take road tyres below the wear markers the grip seems to drop off quite sharply even in the dry.

>> Edited by GreenV8S on Monday 10th November 19:45

[carl_w]

WilliamBall said:

Got to disagree on 'worn tyres' though. OK to carry a spare set of rims/tyres just in case you demolish a set, but you really don't want to be driving way harder than you ever would on the road...with crappy tyres.

That's not how it works. With decent (treaded) tyres you overheat them on track due to "block shift" -- basically the tread blocks move around then warm up and melt. I know this, because I've done it. If you get a set that are already worn down to about 2mm then you'll get virtually no block shift and they'll hardly wear at all. I ran a set of Toyos down in a single airfield day, but I then ran a set of "hardly any tread at all" SO-2s on two airfield days without any discernable wear. Once they are worn out, a set of cheap Colway slicks does the trick nicely.

[dannylt]

What you want, after getting some decent Nitron suspension, is some proper brakes. The standard ones are wussy for the track, though admittedly fine on the road. I still have my 370mm 8-pot Brembo brakes for the Cerbera which will be perfect for the job - there's no way you'll ever get them to fade- the front tyres will be begging for mercy all the way to being slick. Price includes fitting by Joolz!

Danny

PS www.pistonheads.com/sales/detail.asp?i=9155&s=6


>> Edited by dannylt on Monday 10th November 23:07