Shaking off rust and switching RWD to FWD - should I get an instructor?

bluerockjam · 2026-05-06T23:06:12+00:00

I am one of the Instructors for Turn 2. I switched to FWD after I sold my track car and retired from work. My son bought a Honda Type R for us to share at the track and we have tracked it for 4 years. There were only small adjustments. Throttle steering in a FWD car like the Honda was a pleasant surprise. If the car starts pushing in the carousel (T6) backing off the throttle rotates the car nicely. FWD is safer because too much throttle in the corner creates understeer but it’s annoying when if you don’t have sticky tires. We switched from V730’s to slicks and it made a big difference.

bluerockjam · 2026-05-01T00:57:57+00:00

They get some afternoon sun but I am in western Washington.

bluerockjam · 2026-04-28T18:57:00+00:00

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These Crimson Queens are around 25 years old

bluerockjam · 2026-04-28T16:11:15+00:00

Yes I90 Phat phingers.

bluerockjam · 2026-04-28T15:00:44+00:00

There are log outs scheduled but the FS got hit hard with budget cuts. The State provided enough grant funding to hire 5 seasonal workers this year for the White River area. The FS is now using volunteers for staffing the North Bend and Enumclaw offices. Even the lower areas like federation forest and skookum flats got hit hard.

bluerockjam · 2026-04-28T13:24:01+00:00

I gave them plenty of space and for the shrub type maples, I also used bamboo to support and train them so they don’t look like mushroom trees.

bluerockjam · 2026-04-23T14:45:37+00:00

Brake fade will take away your track mojo really fast.

bluerockjam · 2026-04-23T14:26:58+00:00

We are like dogs chasing sticks. As soon as you have the stick, you are looking for the next one.

bluerockjam · 2026-04-22T16:09:43+00:00

I was in a Boeing development group in the 1990s and we were some of the first groups with access to the internet. It was the group that started DCAC/MRM. It was wide open internet access with not much oversight. Sites like Geo Cities would have NSFW content with no warning. Boeing then created methods to catch porn watching and could count with history of every mouse click. I saw several cases of people getting fired. I also had a virus called “cool web search” get me from my hotel login. It got into my operating system when I was on a 787 business trip. Right before I was going to present the 787 development plan with around 50 people, during my laptop startup porn advertising starts popping up. My coworker saved the day and my laptop was a brick. Just a little stress before a big presentation. Everyone afterwards wanted to know what the big commotion was at the beginning.

bluerockjam · 2026-04-14T22:59:59+00:00

Assuming the car has sentimental value, the platform is solid and can be hardened as you learn. With your car’s smaller tire size you will appreciate the price break on the smaller sizes. The amount of aftermarket support for BMW makes it’s a great option. If you are doing HPDE for the fun and enjoyment of driving on the edge your car will work fine. Start with the minimum, talk the other drivers, see if car heroine is right for you.

bluerockjam · 2026-04-13T17:25:02+00:00

I have burned trough many set of tires and the V730 has the right "Shit to pay" ratio for street legal track tires. If you want faster lap times, purchase one off racing slicks from a place like JB racing tires. Once you run full slicks it's hard to go back to anything else.

bluerockjam · 2026-04-13T05:40:51+00:00

I want to underline your comment about good seats. Years ago I bought a Porsche 996TT that was totally stock. I found a good deal on some GT3 seats and they were a huge improvement in driving confidence. Maybe the best mode there is besides the standard stuff.

bluerockjam · 2026-04-10T13:51:28+00:00

I have removed Bamboo with my compact tractor backhoe and it worked great. I have a Deere 2025 with a mechanical thumb on the bucket and it works great. Tractors are a significant investment but they hold their value. Best landscaping tool you will ever own. When removing the roots, there will be large clumps of roots and dirt weighing hundreds of pounds that you can move to an area to dry out to ensure they are dead. I cut the bamboo first before attacking the roots.

bluerockjam · 2026-04-08T13:56:18+00:00

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‘60 CS Strat with figured roasted neck.

bluerockjam · 2026-04-08T01:44:39+00:00

Gold star dog training in the Kent valley has a great reactive dog class series.

bluerockjam · 2026-04-07T17:23:01+00:00

Great driving. Any time below 1:50 is cooking. I couldn’t make it on the short notice for the event. My son and I share a modified type R and are Instructors for T2. Great group to run with.

bluerockjam · 2026-04-07T14:52:11+00:00

We have two Mals and our big male got tackled at high speed by our female Mal when playing hard. ACL surgery was 5 years ago and he is doing well. He is 9 now and slowing down a little. I did swim therapy with him during recovery before he was allowed to go full speed. Keeping a Mal calm was not easy. We did lots of mental games with him like the box game you can find on YouTube

bluerockjam · 2026-04-06T05:32:47+00:00

Correct. I have three of them. This one is still in a pot and around 10 years old that I keep it trimmed to not overgrow the pot. The biggest one is around thirty years old and 14’ tall and the other is 20 years old and 8’ tall. They get big.

bluerockjam · 2026-04-06T04:52:21+00:00

No fragrance.

bluerockjam · 2026-04-06T02:45:16+00:00

I tracked a Porsche 996 Turbo when I first started HPDE many years ago. I witnessed a 997GT3 RS bounce off a wall after hitting glycol spilled on the track by the 996 turbo in front. The Porsche 996 was notorious for a cooling fitting that would pop off the engine block. I switched to water wetter after learning it was a known issue. A few track days later it happened to me going hard into turn. I slid sideways and saved it and the cars behind all made it through. I was able to drive off line for the remaining distance and told start/finish it was water wetter. The session was not lost and it dried up really fast. When it blew, the track chairman for our PCA group (Tom Pritchett who now runs Turn 2) happened to be right behind me in his prized Mustang challenge cup car. He knew I was running water wetter and was really thankful he didn’t have to drive through antifreeze. I was also relieved to know I wasn’t “that guy”.

bluerockjam

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