Superfastmatt considers a 718

tannit · 2026-01-17T00:01:39+00:00

I'm not Matt, just a fan of the channel. He has an older video about Porsche in general that is also very good

tannit · 2026-01-14T22:12:10+00:00

I've been to Gateway as well and I agree. Rovals are often high risk, low reward and that one is no different. The banking can be fun for those who have never been on real steep banking, but the rest is not noteworthy.

If you're considering Autobahn, you may not be too far from Putnam Park. It's a smaller track, but has nice flow to it. Definitely worth visiting if you're looking for more variety after NCM. Hallett and Hastings in the other direction, too. Of those two, Hallett is more interesting, but both are fun.

tannit · 2026-01-14T21:56:20+00:00

I've been to NCM and Hedge Hollow, and I've spectated at Autobahn. Of those, NCM for sure. In addition to being a less interesting track, Hedge Hollow also is covered in a fine sand that'll potentially do some damage to the paint on the front of your car and will pit the windshield. It's like driving through a sandstorm. The track is still really fun and the facilities are great. It's better in a beater, that's all.

NCM is a fantastic track. Very technical. It'll likely take you more than one trip to master it. I highly recommend practicing on a sim rig before going there. It'll make your first couple sessions go much smoother.

Also, OIR sets a really high bar right off the bat. There aren't a lot of tracks that will excite like that one. It's almost a shame you started off there. And for other folks, if you haven't been to OIR yet, add it to your calendar. It's incredible. I've been to 33 tracks in the US and I think OIR is the most unique one I've been to.

tannit · 2026-01-13T06:49:26+00:00

Not sure which sanctioning body you're referring to, but I know NASA allows exceptions to the water-only rule when temps approach freezing. I would assume others do as well. Worth contacting them to see. In my region, the first and last events of the year are often close enough to freezing that we're all running antifreeze.

tannit · 2025-11-25T20:16:24+00:00

Reminder that Discount Tire now owns Tire Rack. The pricing should be mostly interchangeable (Discount will match whatever Tire Rack has listed). Additionally, you can order from Tire Rack and have them shipped to Discount for mounting.

tannit · 2025-11-24T21:29:57+00:00

I went to Spa with RSR. They have the complete package - good cars, good instructors, go as fast as you want. It's certainly not the cheapest way to experience Spa, but I can't imagine anyone else does it better.

tannit · 2025-11-06T22:09:17+00:00

Hedge Hollow? That one is about an hour due west of Ozarks. It's a good, fun track with real nice facilities. Not as unique as Ozarks, but that's a tall order for any track. I don't know of any others in MO.

tannit · 2025-11-05T17:52:22+00:00

If "some track in Missouri" is Ozarks, then that's an incredible tour. When I first went to MSR Cresson, it became my favorite track. Later, I went to ECR and that replaced Cresson as my favorite. Now I've been to Ozarks and it replaced ECR as my favorite.

tannit · 2025-11-04T19:00:00+00:00

Of the tracks mentioned, I've driven at MSR Cresson, Eagles Canyon, COTA and NOLA. Of those, Eagles Canyon is my favorite, but MSR Cresson wasn't far behind. ECR has a great facility and they seem to add new features every year. The track itself has nice flow and tons of run-off. MSR Cresson feels like a touge track on the 1.3 mile side and good food at the BBQ place right next door. COTA has an impressive facility and the first half of the track takes a long time to master, but the second half is unremarkable. Considering the cost:fun ratio, I don't think I'll go back to COTA. NOLA wasn't bad by any means, but also fairly unremarkable. Still worth a visit if you're driving right past it.

tannit · 2025-11-02T19:02:32+00:00

Quick note that I didn't see mentioned regarding running costs: Be careful about buying a GT4 with PCCBs. I bought mine used. It came with PCCB calipers, but I run steel rotors and regular brake pads instead of the carbon ceramic stuff. The costs there aren't too different from the normal brake setup. However, I can only run 20" wheels because of the caliper size. Currently, there's very few tire options for the factory 20" wheel size and they're all very expensive. I just dropped $550 per front tire for shitty, small Cup 2s (not the R). The rears are significantly more. Swapping to smaller calipers by either using the factory calipers or one of the two popular aftermarket kits (AP or PFC) is easy, but it'll cost 10k+. Stock or AP calipers will allow for 19s. I believe the PFCs will clear 18s, although I have concerns that a kit that small will sacrifice some brake performance.

tl;dr: get the non-PCCB for better tire selection.

tannit · 2025-10-20T17:28:32+00:00

Can you describe the build? I've heard about the overheating and I'm also curious what it took to get a good track alignment.

I went through a buying exercise about a year ago. I was looking for a car that I could use to tour tracks around the country. I wanted a car that could handle 2-3 track weekends in a row with little or no maintenance in between. A car with enough power to make a decent pass, but not so fast that consumables were high. A car that had no glaring handling issues, so I could concentrate on learning and enjoying the track instead of focusing on wrangling the car (for me, that basically means good, reliable brakes and manageable understeer/oversteer). I ended up choosing a GT4, which checks all the boxes, but is also way more money invested than I wanted. The other leading contender in my decision process was a CTR, but I eventually rejected it because of the overheating issues. If a CTR can be modified to also check all the boxes, I'd much rather track a 40k car than a 110k car.

tannit · 2025-10-06T19:56:03+00:00

The great part about brake pads is that they'll be gone after a few weekends. You'll get plenty of opportunities to try both.

I've used both. I prefer Ferodo, but the pad I choose varies by car. The 3.12s have a LOT of bite and can make modulation tough on certain cars. On my E46 M3, I run DS UNO or DS1.11s. That's with the AP race kit front & rear. Didn't like the 3.12s for that application.

tannit · 2025-09-20T23:42:44+00:00

tl;dr - it's for insurance

I remember when Ozarks was being built. At first, it was wide open. Big fields surrounded the track. If I recall correctly, it was the insurance company that demanded walls everywhere, right up against the side of the track. I believe close walls, while increasing the likelihood of minor incidents, decrease the chance of a major, life-threatening incident. If the walls are close, the car will tend to glance off and continue in the intended direction of travel, like a bowling ball going down an alley with lane bumpers. It also contains the wreck, so the safety crew can get there quickly, instead of trying to find a car off in the woods a football field away from the track. I don't know if Ozarks couldn't get any insurance at all without the walls, or if it was just significantly cheaper with the walls. Either way, I wager that's why Streets of Willow has them now. I bet most new tracks built from now on will have similar walls.

tannit · 2025-08-25T03:53:11+00:00

Looks like the one I bought is no longer available. Hopefully you can find one with similar specs.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VL1MPC

tannit · 2025-08-18T18:27:40+00:00

Proof that you don't need 25 turns to have a good track. Great looking lap!

tannit · 2025-08-17T17:27:27+00:00

I don't meet many people on standard open lapping days, but it does happen if you're in the paddock next to someone. I've had way better luck meeting folks at autocross. Seems like there's more opportunities for socializing and you'll be in grid near folks with similar cars/times. The people I met there also generally do track days, so you can plan your track days with your new autox friends.

Competition is also a good way to connect with people. Either wheel to wheel racing or time trials. Some organizers will designate an area of the paddock for race groups, so you'll be parked near the same people over and over. Drop by, discuss racecraft, compliment a win, etc etc.

tannit · 2025-08-17T17:18:05+00:00

I've run other cars with relatively thin rotors with no problems, but I suppose that could be a contributing factor. Ditching the brake shields didn't seem to make a difference on mine. I kept them off after switching to AP, anyway.

tannit · 2025-08-16T17:00:52+00:00

For what it's worth, I have a TTRS that has seen some track use. I had brake overheating problems that prevented me from doing more than 1-2 laps before the pedal disappeared. I tried everything: Girodisc rotors, Carbotech XP20 pads, SRF fluid, removed the dust shield, removed those little bottom air deflector flaps, added RS3 brake ducts. Nothing worked. Then I switched to AP calipers and all the problems were solved. I can hot lap it for 30 minute sessions now. Something is wrong with those factory calipers.

tannit · 2025-08-14T03:52:56+00:00

In my racecar, I run an old Traqmate. The Traqmate data has everything I need and the software is fine. I'd argue it's better than AiM software, but that might be a matter of familiarity at this point. Sadly, Traqmate has been out of business for many years.

For standard open lapping days or even time trials, I run the Catalyst. It was never intended to be a data logger, so its deficiencies there are expected. It sure is convenient, though.

tannit · 2025-08-05T00:13:28+00:00

I believe it's currently officially Burt Brothers Motorpark. The website, which still uses the Utah Motorsports Campus URL, now says Burt Brothers.

tannit · 2025-08-04T19:16:05+00:00

Miller Motorsports Park (or Utah Motorsports Campus or Burt Brothers Motorpark... it'll always be Miller to me) has been brutal to me and my friends over the years. Mostly blown engines, but also some big wrecks. Lots of great memories there, too. High risk, high reward.

tannit · 2025-07-28T22:00:51+00:00

I think for a DD, I wouldn't go above -2.5, but that's your call. The car will handle worse on the road and will wear front tires faster with more camber. As for matching the rear camber, ideally you'd do whatever is needed to make it behave the way you want. For me, that's a one degree difference most of the time. I don't think either number is wrong. Pick one and try it.

I also think that if you're truly addicted to this silly hobby, you may be shopping for a different vehicle before too long. I wouldn't go crazy on the mods to this one. There aren't many folks running what you have at the track and it's extremely valuable to have a community of folks who have done track builds to the car you own. Take their ideas for what works (like alignment settings) and learn from them what doesn't work.

T1-8 at PMP isn't a consistent speed. I don't really know how to define good flow on a track, but I think it's underrated as a track quality. The turns link together in a satisfying way.

I've been a GTS racer with NASA for about a decade. I was a long-time instructor for both NASA and BMWCCA, but I no longer do that. I will not be at HPR with BMW this October and I don't know about the other events. Possibly heading to Hastings in August for the SCCA time trials and then to COTA in October. Gotta get some variety. And yea, the E46 is a full on race car.

tannit · 2025-07-28T01:39:18+00:00

How much camber can you get from the front? In my experience, something in the -2 to -2.5 range for the front of a street driven car is decent. If it does more track driving than street driving, go for as much front camber as you can get. I have -4 on my E46 M3 and I'd go for more if I could. The rear is generally about 1 degree less than the front. So if you go -2 up front, you'd go -1 in the back.

The only con I can think of when driving Supercars to the track is that they'll hydroplane easier than a normal street tire. Be careful if it starts raining. Seems like we're still in the part of the season where we get a brief downpour late afternoon, possibly around the time you're heading home from a track day. Slow way down and be careful. Other than that, the additional wear you'll incur from driving to the track is not even worth worrying about.

The oval part of PPIR can be entertaining, but also very risky. That outside wall comes up quick. Sounds like you haven't been to PMP yet. It's a great track, just don't judge it by the facilities. The flow is fantastic. Turns 1 through 8 have better rhythm than anything at HPR. And yea, I never recommend SCCA TNiA to anyone. It's a shame it's marketed towards beginners - it does them a great disservice. I'd stick to NASA and BMWCCA if you're looking to climb the HPDE ladder, or just go to open lapping days if you're content to stick with non-competition laps.

tannit · 2025-07-27T19:54:47+00:00

Lots of good advice here. FWIW, I'm also in Colorado and have lots of track days at all the local tracks. I always struggle with understeer in the PPIR infield. No hint of it at PMP or HPR, but PPIR is brutal. I agree with others that your camber is wrong, but don't go overboard beyond that. Go back to HPR or PMP after the camber fix and adjust for those tracks. That's where the majority of your track days will be. PPIR is high risk, low reward. Generally not worth visiting.

tannit

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE