Trackday review
#1
Trackday review
So just did Palm Beach International Raceway, Feb 20, 2011. Had a great time, met some other F4i owners. Thirdgenlxi (200k + on his F4i) was out there although didn't have a chance to meet him.
Figured I'd give some highlights.
First the track. Super smooth and flowing. Way less technical than Homestead which made it great for gaining confidence in the corners. Still has one pretty bitchin' straight where you're almost/pretty much redlining a 600 as you brake. The event coordinators, control riders and everything are TOP NOTCH. If you're in South Florida....hell if you're in Florida period, you have to get to one of these events. There's a reason they keep selling out.
Now the parts.
Ohlins steering damper was amazing. Set it to 8 clicks from minimum. Sure it was nice to alleviate the minor headshake from hard accel/pulling back into the seat too early, but for me, most notably, was mid corner stability. It was like set it and forget it.
Swapped to an R1 throttle (with a bit of dremeling/sanding) which is a 1/5 and didn't have to regrip the throttle to get it wide open. The difference was hardly noticeable so I didn't really have to adjust to it or anything. Def. worth doing and cost $10.
Ran a Conti Race Attack soft @ 28 PSI front and a Michelin Pilot Road 2 @ 29 PSI rear. Started around 31/33 and worked my way down.
Everything else is pretty much stock.
Here's a couple pics I'll put more up tomorrow.
Figured I'd give some highlights.
First the track. Super smooth and flowing. Way less technical than Homestead which made it great for gaining confidence in the corners. Still has one pretty bitchin' straight where you're almost/pretty much redlining a 600 as you brake. The event coordinators, control riders and everything are TOP NOTCH. If you're in South Florida....hell if you're in Florida period, you have to get to one of these events. There's a reason they keep selling out.
Now the parts.
Ohlins steering damper was amazing. Set it to 8 clicks from minimum. Sure it was nice to alleviate the minor headshake from hard accel/pulling back into the seat too early, but for me, most notably, was mid corner stability. It was like set it and forget it.
Swapped to an R1 throttle (with a bit of dremeling/sanding) which is a 1/5 and didn't have to regrip the throttle to get it wide open. The difference was hardly noticeable so I didn't really have to adjust to it or anything. Def. worth doing and cost $10.
Ran a Conti Race Attack soft @ 28 PSI front and a Michelin Pilot Road 2 @ 29 PSI rear. Started around 31/33 and worked my way down.
Everything else is pretty much stock.
Here's a couple pics I'll put more up tomorrow.
Last edited by madman; 02-22-2011 at 01:49 AM.
#3
#5
I moved it here because trackdays aren't F4i specific. There are people like woot and randyjoy who have extensive track experience that may be able to comment on the track, your positioning in the photos and your bike's settings provided they see the post. And there are other people who may be on the fence about doing a track day who may want to ask you about your experience specifically provided they see it.
I could have moved it to Sights & Sounds too, remember?
I could have moved it to Sights & Sounds too, remember?
#6
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#8
#9
I dunno too much but the only real way to know if your pressures are good would be to check your temps with a probe and or check hot/cold psi. Honestly I just kept dropping the pressure a psi or two and was looking for physical signs of overheating. To me it looked like the tires were not warming up enough at first judging by the wear. Once they started to pick up a little rubber and got fuzzy I was pretty happy. The rear being a ST tire I was being particularly careful with its pressure.
Best deal is to just ask people at the track though. Always tons of people/pros who know what they're doing and are happy to help.
As for the throttle mod, look in the f4i main forum, there is currently a thread.
Best deal is to just ask people at the track though. Always tons of people/pros who know what they're doing and are happy to help.
As for the throttle mod, look in the f4i main forum, there is currently a thread.
#10
I dunno too much but the only real way to know if your pressures are good would be to check your temps with a probe and or check hot/cold psi. Honestly I just kept dropping the pressure a psi or two and was looking for physical signs of overheating. To me it looked like the tires were not warming up enough at first judging by the wear. Once they started to pick up a little rubber and got fuzzy I was pretty happy. The rear being a ST tire I was being particularly careful with its pressure.
With the exception of Power Ones, all the Michelins like around 32-37 psi rear - and that is from the national race reps and the big race schools. The variance depends on the particular tire and ambient temps.
At a novice trackday, you should see only a slight increase in temperature when hot, maybe 3 or 4 psi or so. Street compound tires will not increase as much as race compound tires. As you progress up to intermediate and advanced levels, you may see greater increases, but the tire pressures cold are different on the tires you really need to go that quick.
We use a very narrow adjustment range (1 or 2 psi from cold initial setting), and on some tire compounds we have a set psi we set cold and always use it.
And again, my last disclaimer: this is Michelin info. Other tire manufacturers have different settings and recommendations.
Last edited by randyjoy; 03-06-2011 at 03:00 PM.