Time has come to look at "driver training" day at the local track.

I am looking at lowering the car to its lowest setting (it has been set to "road" by the dealer), but would assume I would need to do the wheel alignment?

Is setting the ride hight to the lowest setting the best for track ?

Does anyone know the alignment settings, so I can check the local tyre centre does things right ?

Hope to to beat my old times in my GP1

Thanks

 

Run it stock for a few sessions before messing with the car. You need a baseline anyway.

 

+1. I tracked mine without any adjustments to the suspension. If you are dead set on beating your GP1 times, go get yourself some R compound tires. Doing a full track setup could cost you about the same amount of money since you, presumably, would also pay to change it back to street when you're finished. Every time I've done this (paying for setups and then paying to undo them) I feel like I wasted money that would've otherwise been spent on tires.

Enjoy. The GP2 held its own.

 

The kumho ecsta V700 / V70A that come on the GP2 are R compound tires. In fact they are one of the fastest R compound tires

 

If you go to R tires you will find that you will over heat the stock pads pretty easy. Nitto NT01's are inexpensive and have tons of grip. Have about 8 full day sessions on them and the fronts are wore now looking like slicks and the edges are starting to cup. Last session was very hot and they took a beating.I will run them on the back the next time and see how they do. Should be good for 3 or 4 more sessions as the backs are along for the ride.

I am running a stock JCW suspension which is fairly soft at the track. You are going to get lots of body roll and you can drift it around the track. Who says you can't drift a front wheel drive car? I can hang with cars with modified suspensions- motor brakes and tires keeping me in the game but it is not pretty. You really get a feel for the car as you need to use all of it. Problem is you need to run and 9/10's to do it while they are all running 7/10's lol. I start the car on the inside edge of the corner with a wheel on the curb and the outside wheels ends up on the outside curb exiting the corner. Most MINI's with a suspension will have 6 ft. to spare. Carrying more speed she will just slide up there in a controlled drift which looks pretty bad *** on the track- but not the fast way around by any means. You have to work with what you have.

I thought about going stiffer but I do not want to ruin the car on the street on the street. Plus my wife drives the car and having something rotating that fast on the would be dangerous for her. Been there in race prepped MINI's and you better not lift when it starts to come around. Drive it with your right foot and all is good. That was about the time Phil Wicks took the rain tires off( was still wet with sprinkles) and put on the slicks and tightened up the suspension. I was faster on sticks in the rain but it was a hairy drive. If you lost it was like ice. I had a save at the carousel at Carolina Motor Park that even Phil smiled at said "That was one hell of save at that speed in the rain- See you were more than ready for slicks in rain". Chased down and passed or they spun out several cars that were way faster in the dry including a 911 whale tail, Viper and a Zo6 that would not let us by. Phils car and he told me to pressure them as they never want to let the MINI by. Sure enough they spun right in front of me going into the right hander before the front straight. Some of Phils friends refused to let his car by and we passed them too, lol. Up in the marbles on the outside exactly were he said not to pass people him screaming don't f-ing lift what every you do as we clawed by the other driver flipping off Phil in his SCCA prepped MGA. If you are running against yourself it is all good. Can be frustrating if you are trying to run with your buddies can't hang. Then the check book needs to come out. Right now when we can run open track there are 4 of us that are pretty close and have an absolute ball passing and repassing. Inside, outside it doesn't matter with several passes per corner or straight. Corners workers love it always make comments. "Looked like a swam of mosquito's buzzing around swallowing up a slower cars then moving on in swam. Ok I am ready for a track day.

 

I guess I must've missed that in the numerous threads and posts in the GP2 forum on the Kuhmo's delivered with the GP2, the waiver buyers have been asked to sign and the general discussion about suitable street tires to replace the Kuhmo's.