I originally posted this on CC's. But I thought some of you guys may like the read if your thinking of going to a road course. If you go to summit point, you will be gawked at. Most of them don't have a clue what a lightning is, and it must be very rare that they get a truck on the track, as I certainly got alot of attention from people. Story is below.

I signed up for this so many months ago; I actually sold two cars that I would have taken to the track first, so I was left with my lightning. Didn't think it would be a big deal, but after going through the whole day, only a fellow student and one of the tech inspection guys seemed to know what a lightning was. Everyone else I guess just thought it was a normal F150 and some were quite taken aback that I was on the track with it. My buddy who wasn't in my group heard everything to "Jesus there is a truck out there" to "Damn that truck is fast"

I didn't want to back out and loose my money, and my buddy in a vette wanted a friend to go with so what the hell. Anyway, I had serious reservations about the stock brakes in the lightning, and was extremely nervous about an off track experience since I'm down to owning only 1 vehicle (I've recently moved on to other addicting and expensive hobbies) and loosing it, even temporarily, would really put my *** in a sling. I decided that I would just brake extremely early off the main straight and everywhere else my heavy truck wouldn't let me get overkill on speed. This seemed to work extremely well, as I didn't have any brake fade, although things were certainly "cooking" pretty good by the end of a 20 minute session. My wheels were to hot to touch and hold after 20 minutes. In fact they were so hot my wheel balance weights which are stick on, would fall off if I didn't take the effort to spin the wheel and park it with the weights on the bottom side of the wheel. It was funny to be standing there and hear a clink and look down and see the entire row of 12 1/4 ounce weights just fall onto my rotors. It was a challenge to pick them off the rotor without getting burned. Lesson learned there. I'm honestly not sure how much the brakes can take, I didn't have the ***** to find out since I love my truck and actually care that it comes back working. My last instructor felt for sure it could have taken more and he may have been right, but I figured that when I did find the limit of the brakes, it wouldn't be pleasant. However, the tires are another story and I am really thinking that they may be the weakest link.

What I did notice is that the Goodyear F1's are not up to open tracking challenge and after 20 minutes begin to get slippery from the heat. The rears and the fronts appeared to be taking equal abuse, which I took to mean that I'm cornering about as hard as the tires could take and using all 4 about equal. As the day progressed and the track got hotter, the situation got worse. To the point that in a slow short radius turns you could feel a slight 4 wheel drift situation if you went just a hair too hot into the corner (different from a normal over/under steering problem, more of a viscous controlled sliding caused by the oily tires, it was quite apparent that it was a lateral slow viscous feeling slide) The tires would be fine I am sure if I had taken it even slower through the turns, but that would have been well under the limit of what they could take. (single turn limit, if that makes sense) I just don't think they can hold up for long cornering within their limit before they just plain overheat, and it was NOT a very hot day today. I can't imagine what it would have done if it was a scorcher.

What really burned my *** though is that on what was supposed to be my third run, I didn't get an instructor, even though there was a group of then standing around looking at a pretty bad wreck that had just happened. I went up and asked for an instructor and kind of got blank stares. To be honest, I'm not sure if it was instructor apathy or if they didn't feel safe in my truck. Either way, that’s lame in my opinion. Either grow some ***** and tell me you’re so lazy you don't feel like instructing or grow some ***** and tell me that you don't feel safe in my truck or my ability. At least I respect you for saying the latter, despite my feeling that it isn't warranted. I then bitched to the manager and got a 1/3 of my money back after explaining to them that it would not be safe to put me through 2 back to back sessions to make up for the one I missed due to my misgivings with the tires and brakes.

 

Long story short, I had a great time, learned things, earned the respect of at least three instructors who apparently weren’t expecting much out of me or my truck. (I don't blame them from the driving I saw out of some of the others and their related stories of horror students) And horror students must be out there. 2 people put fairly brand new cars into the wall and or trees today and this is out of maybe 40 novices? 1 was a Pontiac GTO and the other was a 350Z. To be honest, I'd be scared to be an instructor. I scored two sets of all 4's and 1 set of 5's (I think you need 2 sets of 5's to be bumped up from the novice group, which from what I saw, may not be something I would want with a vehicle that I cared about, as the arrogance and risk taking by other drivers against you seemed to be bad enough in the novice group, and even worse in the advanced) The last instructor said he would have given me the 5's but couldn't because he couldn't judge my braking technique due to my early braking and he said if I had pushed it a bit harder he would have given it to me. (Bill Davis was his name) He did say he would choose to race with me anytime because he was quite happy with my precision, consistency, and technique and was quite thrilled about my attitude on safety and not doing anything dumb. He thanked me for the ride around the track and said it was a good change of pace.

I think I was a bit over courteous to other drivers and hardly ever got to open it up down the straight away because if anyone was even close to me I would just let them go so that I wouldn't hold them up in the corners as I am sure I had to be the slowest cornering vehicle on the track. With only a few cars being faster than me on the straights, I had to really "assist" the other car to get it around. I only had one incident with a jackass who apparently was going to pass me in the last corner before the straights even though he was only behind me for maybe 20 seconds. He got up to my taillight beside me in the corner before he must have caught hell from his instructor and backed off. (He really screwed up my line because he was on the inside of me, and I obviously wasn't planning on leaving a car width of room between myself and the apex)

Anyway, for his jackassedness, I did not let him by me and completely walked him for both the back and main straights which meant he didn't catch up with me during turn 1, and hence, didn't catch me in the final passing zone, so he got to sit behind me again for another lap while I plowed through the hairpin. He came up to me afterwards and told me how interesting it was that I could completely walk away from his Acura and asked what I had done with the engine, to which I replied "nothing." (A true statement)

The best part of the day was when a fellow student who was fairly experienced (judging by his car and equipment) who had been bumped to advanced, came up to me and complemented me on my consistency and my line and how fast I was able to take the larger radius turns, especially 4. He got a good view as his miata certainly faired better around turns 5 and 6 than my truck did so I'm sure he was just poking along while I was at the limit of adhesion. I could see the instructors blowing smoke up my *** kind of like giving a compliment to the red headed stepchild for just tying his shoe, but certainly someone out there running with me wasn't doing that.

Good Times. I will have pictures later. I don't recall if I got any of the busted up GTO or Z.

 

excellent writeup!

Not bad for a farm truck eh? I'm sure you turned a few heads.

 

Wow, Bill told me about his experience on the roof of a BMW and I think I just found that story from the drivers perspective. (Bill however said he did dislocate his shoulder, where the two stories vary)

http://digest.net/bmw/archive/v7/msg03611.html

 

Welcome to the 1 Percenters !!!!

 

Sounds like an intresting day. A change of pace for the lightnings.




Russell
2004 lightning

 

Excellent report!!! I am hoping to do Summit with the Porsche club I belong to in September. I think I will probably get a few strange looks with the truck also. I am in the same situation as you are with the Lightning being my primary vehicle, so I will follow your lead in being cautious and conservative. I have the suspension lowered and Toyo Proxes S/T's so I will report on their adhesion or lack of!!! Sound like you had an excellent day!!!

 

Just do the normal stuff (put in GOOD fluid, good pads, and make sure the stock rotors are in decent shape) You may want to get real wheel weights versus stick on. Build up to braking hard and inspect the tires and brakes really well after a run. Most the guys there didn't even check over their cars, which seemed ridiculous to me.

 

Adding some things to the excellent advice ...

A lot of clubs won't let you run with outside wheel weights. Just duct
tape the inside ones. That holds them really well ...

At the limit of adhesion, the F1's chunk badly if they are new. Best if they
are at about 50 - 60 percent. Bleed brakes between sessions to avoid boiling
the fluids. Check EVERYTHING. Twice. Use the seat belt LOCKDOWN
maneuver to keep you tight. You should be FIRMLY locked in your seat.

Turn off overdrive except in REALLY long straights. Anything less than VIR
prolly doesn't need anything but third gear.

Don't brake like you do on the street. The truck should be in one of two
states. Accelerating or braking (HARD). On the brakes to the threshold of
adhesion and into ABS mode really saves the pads. They have time to cool
off. If you apply the brakes gradually, they just heat up the rotors and don't
have a chance to cool off. Plan on changing pads at least every day.

Check your brake fluid. As it's level goes down, it is a great indicator of the
pad wear on the truck. Always fill the reservoir when you change the pads,
and don't add more in between. When you get near the bottom of the
reservoir your ready for pads.

Don't focus right in front of the truck. Look ahead. Get used to seeing the
corner workers early (How many black flags do I have to SHOW you, plebe?
was one of my first experiences at Gingerman .. Thanks Rob for breaking me
of THAT bad habit!) Acknowledge any flag shown at the corners with a wave of the hand.

Adjust to the fact that although you are among the fastest on the straights,
you are not going to turn better lap times than track prepared sedans. Point
them by, It gives you a much better reputation among the drivers as well.

Later, you can show them the Blue Oval on their butt for a lap or two, and
they will eventually give you the point by also. It's just courtesy.

I can't convey all that I have learned over the years from all the instructors
that have helped me become a good "farm truck" driver, but they all have
contributed to my edumacation.

LEARN THE LINE. There is really only one, so don't get too creative. Tuck in
behind an SVT Focus and follow his ****. They DO turn so very well.

Just relax, have fun, be SAFE most of all.

 

Damn good advice Cliff, thanks for chiming in with your experience.

I really would like to go back to the track, but in time I may buy a dedicated vehicle for the track. I have serious reservations about taking a vehicle I care to much about to the track, just due to the fact that at least with my personality, the fear of pushing it to the point of having an accident impairs my learning at some point because of my self valuation of the vehicle I am in. Gimmie some dedicated dented POS and I will relish pushing harder and deeper into the turns.

As far as what Cliff has done with his vehicle at the track I am truly amazed, however I don't know if I have the stomach to commit the money to do what needs to be done to get my L into that condition. It just seems obvious that getting a lighter car around the track quicker will just take less money. You need less HP,a nd you don't need as big a set of brakes.

 

Or ***** ... LOL ...

 

Great advice from you guys!! Please post any pics you have. I am sure there are many of us who feel the Lightning belongs on the twisty tracks as well as the 1/4 mile strips. Thanks for the great read!!!