11-18-2019, 12:04 PM | #1 |
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Sharing car at DEs, who has done it?
Hey guys, past F80 owner (x2) and i've always liked this community, don't rip me for my current car, please I've got an SS 1LE and trying to decide if my wife and i should share the car or if we should add something that she can use...
I realize there is no PERFECT answer to "what car to get" or how to go about such a thing as doing track days with a loved one, but am interested in seeing what tips and tricks people have come across with having their wife/husband join them at track days. Thanks in advance for any/all input! Quick background: I'm a pretty aggressive (not necessarily fast, HA!) driver and my wifey will likely stay in the Novice groups for a while with instructors. Even if she ends up going 7-8/10s, that could leave me with a car that's being overworked (especially if her braking technique is anywhere near as bad as mine). We'll probably do somewhere in the 5-10 weekends/year range. Pros of sharing a car: - can tow the car in/out with plenty extra fluids, tires, pads and tools to keep the car running well - well balanced car that gives a less aggressive driver some speed advantage to help prevent insane closing speeds of "slightly quick" drivers in beginner groups - avoid another car payment Cons of sharing car: - may need to cool down car a little at beginning of session if back-to-back (would try to avoid this by me joining a group opposite of her) - if one of us (namely, me) breaks the car the other is also hosed for the weekend - i don't get to buy another car - maybe a big heavy front engine RWD car isn't the best for her to start out with.. Other cars i'd consider for her to drive: - Miata/VelosterN - emphasis on FUN and fundamentals, but lower power will make the Novices with higher power cars have much higher closing speeds which is probably frustrating for people driving these lower power cars - M340i/G80 because it'll have AWD and selectable RWD so even if it's a little cold or wet on the track we can still go and have fun and I'd also get to daily drive it in place of my SS1LE i'm using currently; it'll give her lots of confidence and the G80 can be selected to RWD which can give a new perspective, excitement, and skillset - Cayman (possibly S or GTS), super well balanced, can be driven really fast but doesn't need to be pushed super hard in order to have fun and go at a good pace, great visibility including lower hood than SS1LE - 911, possibly Carrera T or S; well balanced, planted even in RWD, great visibility, plenty fast (maybe too fast?), would be a nice daily for me. The ulterior motive is i also like those cars and would like to drive them occasionally on track and maybe daily drive them also. She could have a nice, fairly quick, low maintenance new car that we don't have to worry about chasing fluid leaks, etc. I realize we could get an NA Miata and learn racecraft in but we're not trying to be professionals, just have fun. Thanks again for any feedback! Matt PS... couple photos of wifey riding shotgun because pics always make everything better! F80 at Corvette Museum back in 2016 and Camaro last weekend at Sonoma
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11-18-2019, 01:04 PM | #2 |
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I say share. Doesn't sound like she'll be contributing that much to the wear and tear. If she's in control of her right foot and psychologically, then the front engine, high hp configuration isn't a problem either.
Unless what's really going on here is you're concerned she might end up with the faster lap times. I can understand that. my wife would talk shit until I'm 6' under. If that's the case, then detuned Miata it is.
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11-18-2019, 01:27 PM | #3 | |
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Thanks for the input!
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11-18-2019, 01:33 PM | #4 |
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Haha... Also meant to say -- GM traction control perfect for beginners
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11-18-2019, 03:11 PM | #5 |
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As long as the cooling is good and your pads/rotors can handle double the braking per day I'd say stick to one car. The 1LE is a whole lot more capable stock than an F80/F82 is.
I say it'll be cheaper to get racing brakes/lines/pads/rotors than getting a second car. The engine and trans is bulletproof. |
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11-18-2019, 04:40 PM | #6 |
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share unless you just want an excuse to get a new car.
Brand new $100k p-car for your brand new to track wife? Props to you and your budget. im going to say get her a Miata, but of course that’s the obvious and correct answer. |
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11-18-2019, 06:25 PM | #7 | |
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if we shared the camaro, honestly, i'd probably stop daily driving it and get something new anyway. The camaro would find a new permanent home on jack stands getting continuous brake pad and fluid changes. getting something like a pickup, X5(M?) or (RS?)Q8 for my daily and also be able to tow the camaro is an option. anyway.. Miata is definitely another option and i'd probably want to drive it some myself to see what all the fuss is about....
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11-18-2019, 06:38 PM | #8 | |
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11-18-2019, 07:58 PM | #9 | |
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I went with Miata because of cost to do lots of track events in my 911 was getting too high, and I certainly couldn’t afford to w2w a 911. On the plus side, miata is a tank. I have entered it into 2 race classes per weekend at each event this year and used it for a 2hr enduro. It’s the cheapest car to run as far as I can tell |
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11-19-2019, 02:54 AM | #10 |
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I shared a dedicated trailered race car with my wife for around 10 or so track days. Quite a few people at our local club do as well.
We are similar height, so we didn't really need to adjust seats or harnesses, which was a plus. However, after every session we needed to change timing transponders, and add/remove an extra number on the side of the car. She was driving nowhere near as hard as me, so when I had the hot tire temperatures optimised for me, she was coming off with the tyres 2psi lower. We generally ran in a 4 group format, and ran opposite groups, so had one session to change over. It made the days very hectic for me, always seemed to be a rush to refuel, check wheels, etc. If something minor goes wrong, it gets really hectic. So it can work, but it is hard work, and you don't have much time to relax or socialise. My wife solved the problem by buying a M4 So she then did sessions in her own streetcar while I used my trailered race car. She has given it away now though, but kept her M4 |
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11-19-2019, 08:02 AM | #11 | |
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Part of this puzzle is that we are moving in a few months and I'm not quite sure where to. If we end up pretty close to a track or tracks, then a second car is less of a hassle to drive to/from rather than just trailering my street car. not sure if I'll ever go the way of stripped out track car bc I really like how little maintenance a newer street car requires and as much as I like tuning/tweaking, I would rather spend my time doing other stuff at this stage of my life. Glad the M4 worked out for you. My wife loved our F80s so I could see us getting another one at some point. I think the easiest thing at this point will be to sign up for a couple events with just one car and see how things go then make adjustments as we go along. At least now I know sharing a car won't be a total disaster on day one. Luckily I've done enough days that if I lose a little track time I won't get all bent out of shape about it and will enjoy helping her get going.
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11-19-2019, 12:19 PM | #12 | |
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One benefit of sharing the car on the same day that hasn't been discussed is being able to review data and video. Same conditions and same car provide a lot of good things to discuss between the drivers |
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11-19-2019, 12:42 PM | #13 |
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I use a Flo-Fast pump + 10.5 gallon container as my primary fueling rig, and then I have 40 gallons of cheap 5-gallon capacity containers that I dump into the Flo-fast container. I can pump out 7-8 gallons in 2 minutes or so, with pretty good control to prevent overfilling.
If I were sharing a F82, I imagine 2 10.5 gallon containers would give you enough buffer that you can just swap the pump, and refill the spare container from bulk containers at your leisure. edit: just realized you are talking about sharing a SS1LE, probably similar fueling demands to an F82, same solution would be fine. Saves a bunch of time and is a relatively clean solution(no spilled gas on the car from rushing, no gas on hands). |
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11-19-2019, 01:07 PM | #14 | |
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11-19-2019, 02:30 PM | #15 | |
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We use a simpler setup, where we basically put the 5 gallon can on the tailgate of a pickup and use a manually operated hand pump. It works fine for driver changes in the paddock during a casual event, where exiting driver pumps the fuel and checks things like wheel lug nut torque and brake pad level, while entering driver buckles in, |
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11-19-2019, 02:57 PM | #16 |
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I went with this solution because none of the tracks I visited had E85 for the STI(I was going through 40+ gallons/day), and I had to refill after each 30 minute session. With the car eating 10 gallons of fuel per 30 minute session, it got old lifting my 5 gallon jugs + spilling fuel on overfills. With the F82 I'll probably keep hauling fuel vs paying $6+/gallon for 91 octane. Anywho, hope the car sharing works out
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11-19-2019, 07:10 PM | #17 |
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I've shared several cars with my brother for years. We've been running dual duty in red and black run groups at PCA for a long long time.
It's perfectly doable. The issues are that we don't get to drive together in the same session and also that I prefer to pass people who think their cars can supplant their driving skills in a little train. I don't want them to think it was some kind of freak accident, so having two or three cars in a train delivering some M Power to people is much preferable. We've ended up in two different cars so we can run together, but it's a huge PITA, you need even more spares, you now have to drive two cars for up to 10h each way to go to the track vs splitting driving time... We sometimes consider getting a third so our Spanish friend can drive it and we can make a train of 3 cars all by ourselves... not there yet. |
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11-19-2019, 10:13 PM | #18 | |
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11-20-2019, 12:03 AM | #20 |
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Why do you say that? She's a competent manual driver and yes, the SS1LE is manual
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11-20-2019, 01:28 AM | #21 |
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I would not trust anyone else -unless the person is proven to be a far far better and more experienced driver- to drive my M4 hard due to the risk of money shift. But well it's your spouse and at least not someone at track.
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11-20-2019, 09:19 AM | #22 | |
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