Racing is dangerous.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

A lot of mods are for safety and durability.



Sure you can take a bone stock, let's say, Mustang GT to the track.



Stock seats and belts mean you're not being held in place like you would with FIA seats and harnesses, so you're gripping the wheel way too hard and can't focus on driving, being smooth with inputs, etc.



You'll burn up the stock pads and boil the fluid before the day is over.



You'll chunk the outside of the tires because they will overheat because they aren't track tires and you haven't been able to dial in more negative camber to prevent the outside of the tires getting hammered.



So you put proper tires on the car, the stock suspension isn't going to adequately control the dramatic increase in grip.



With just about any modern car, the oil temps are going to reach dangerously high levels in a 20 minute lapping session. Some so high, the ECU will send the car into limp mode to protect the engine.

I agree with you. However I have seen people take it a little more serious for example my friend is is building a e36 for HPDE's and he is doing an LS swap, full cage built to todays GT racing specs so same as what cars at LE man this year will be running and then putting on a crazy expensive set of coils not ohlins but close and then putting in a 100% custom steering column and then a BBK and 285 slicks all the way around. That is what i mean by some people over do it for HPDE's. The car is not class legal to any class just a monster of a car built to do nothing but make laps on the occasional Sunday funday. That is what I don't get and have seen many others do as well. I understand safety but you do get to a point where for HPDE your just going overboard. For HPDE you need the basic. Seat and harness, track ready brakes which for most on an e30 is just some better rotors and pads, some stickier tires and basic cup kit or if your feeling rich some ground controls or similar. MAYBE if the car only does HPDE's a bolt in roll bar so you can properly mount harness's and then at end of the day pull the cage out and go back to basic duties. This is just IMO though.

[z31maniac]

HPDE's are great but some people go to crazy with them. I don't get the point of building a car to the nines when your just going out and playing in hpde's but that seems to be what most people are doing anymore.

A lot of mods are for safety and durability.

Sure you can take a bone stock, let's say, Mustang GT to the track.

Stock seats and belts mean you're not being held in place like you would with FIA seats and harnesses, so you're gripping the wheel way too hard and can't focus on driving, being smooth with inputs, etc.

You'll burn up the stock pads and boil the fluid before the day is over.

You'll chunk the outside of the tires because they will overheat because they aren't track tires and you haven't been able to dial in more negative camber to prevent the outside of the tires getting hammered.

So you put proper tires on the car, the stock suspension isn't going to adequately control the dramatic increase in grip.

With just about any modern car, the oil temps are going to reach dangerously high levels in a 20 minute lapping session. Some so high, the ECU will send the car into limp mode to protect the engine.

[ELVA164]

It's like I said in another thread: Plan for the worst, because the worst happens if you don't.

[FredK]

You can certainly spend way too much money on car mods before even showing up to the track. I'm guilty of this as much as the next guy.

I don't think there's such a thing as "too safe" for a car being operated on a track. There is definitely a "too many mods" category though. Accidents absolutely do happen even in HPDE, especially when you start pushing it, and shit happens.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

HPDE's are great but some people go to crazy with them. I don't get the point of building a car to the nines when your just going out and playing in hpde's but that seems to be what most people are doing anymore.

[ELVA164]

Thanks for the well wishes and the explanation! Sounds like a fun way to get some track time with less infrastructure involved. I'd be too nervous I'd wear out my E30 though, haha :)

[z31maniac]

Also, hope your dad heals up soon. Sounds like a hell of an accident.

[z31maniac]

Serious question though, is HPDE just driving kinda faster on a track? Any times, grouping, anything like that? I mean 8/10 is pretty quick, relatively. It's basically just practice, I guess?

Yep, depending on which organization you are running with will determine the run groups.

And the corner workers and organizers are still looking for dumb behavior and will act appropriately. And most typically have rules like

1 spin/4 off = session done
3 spin/4off = done for the day

Point by passing on designated straights, except HPDE 4/TT NASA which is open passing anywhere.

It's a relatively safe to get have fun in your car. You can buy track insurance as well these days if you want to take something nice/new to the track (just make sure you're OK with paying the deductible!)

[ELVA164]

I won't be uploading any pictures of the car.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

Sorry to hear this. Do you have any pictures of the wreck. Glad all the safety stuff did its job.

[ELVA164]

Thanks, DK.

Dad's moved to a physical rehab facility and will be there for a couple more days. He's up and walking pretty regularly now, dealing pretty well with the pain, and getting some visitors between PT sessions to keep him busy. I head over every night after work in the shop. He's in good spirits overall.

[decay]

the #1 thing that sucks about getting older (rolling up on 40 here) is how time on the mend is so much longer than when you're in your teens/20s... i'm very glad the spinal injury wasn't worse.

best of luck for dad's recovery; any new updates there?

[ELVA164]

I see. Gotcha.

[James Crivellone]

Serious question though, is HPDE just driving kinda faster on a track? Any times, grouping, anything like that? I mean 8/10 is pretty quick, relatively. It's basically just practice, I guess?

Its practice, its fun, can push my street car without worrying about the rozzers behind me.

Its not racing by any means, but its fun.

[djjerme]

Racing is dangerous.

What I love about HPDE's
1) I don't need to trailer anything, seriously racing with a dedicated car is a logistical nightmare, especially with a 32 foot trailer
2) You show up, you put on a helmet, you go fast, get some seat time in, and you drive home

Hey, I drive my race car to and from the track on race weekends. Eric Blois used to as well. There's a handful of us crazies who do it.

Now mind if I could fit a trailer at my house, and the wife would let me have one - I might consider it. But I doubt either of those is going to change in the near future, so I'll continue to drive my arse to and from the track in the racecar.



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