apk-S4

I have developed an amazing amount of respect for my car...It is infinitely more capable than its current driver. However, I have an even bigger amount of respect for the instructors who are willing to take the time and energy to pass on their knowledge and experience to those of us who are just starting out. I think it takes some serious stones to hop in the passenger seat of a potentially overpowered car with an inexperienced driver. A big thank you goes out to Denis Bedniewski - an amazingly patient, knowledgeable, and understanding instructor who taught me more than I ever thought possible. A session of hot laps in his E36 M3 was better than anything Disney World has to offer.

To your comments - the track is amazingly complex. 17 turns (21 or 22 if you count the (a) turns) is a lot to remember. As soon as I started to understand one section, I would carry more speed into the next...leading to different issues. I was basically chasing new situations around the track all day on Day 2. If I could do it over, I'd really strive for improved consistency and smoothness...oh, and the ability to heel-toe downshift.

I liked your highlights section. Here's mine:

> The B5 S4 is a potent car in stock form. It had way more power than I needed out there, but amazingly smooth power delivery. Personal comfort only let me hit about 115-120 on the back straight. I averaged 7.3 mpg on the track...a useless stat, but it still cracked me up given the price of premium these days.

> I ran Kerr Friction Performance (KFP) Magnum Purple pads on the front calipers. The OEM pads left some nasty deposits on my rotors at Summit Point last fall, so I thought I'd try a more race-bred pad. No fade, but I did get some brake shudder by the end of Day 2. I have Ferodo DS2500 pads in the rear. Very happy with them. Thanks to Ed at Induktion for tracking down both sets for me.

>Tires - Goodyear F1 GS-D3. They gripped like crazy on the wet skidpad, but after a couple laps on the real track, they got a little slippery. The fronts took a pounding so I swapped fronts and rears over lunch on Day 2. I still have to find that happy tire pressure...

I regret that I didn't get to chat with all of my Green Group peers. I felt like I was always rushing to get somewhere. I was also surprised by how few of them I actually saw on the track, especially by the end of Day 2. I swear I had the track to myself most of the time (well, except for Bob-stock nogaro S4, Jeff-blue VW R32, and Tony-red A6, who I staged behind but all ran away from me like I was standing still).

I'm still riding an amazing high and babbling about the experience to anyone who will listen.

I'm really looking forward to the next event...

--adam

absolutcq20v

And I, too, have a mean shudder going on. I'll try running the stocks for a week after a bed-in and see if that does it. Otherwise I'll take a whiz-wheel to the rotors. If THAT doesn't work, I'll try to sneak into my buddies shop and use the rotor lathe to skim off a couple thousandths of an inch.

My rear pads are quite low as of VIR, I need to research and decide on a replacement set that would do double-duty on both the street and track (if possible)...I'll look into the Ferodos. Also, the front OEM pads are 'Meh'; I had Hawk HPS pads on my coupe and really liked them, although there was a delay in bite when applying them cold/wet. Any suggestions for fronts are welcome. Cool thing is, my A6 has the same 4-pad front calipers as the B5 S4s.

Paulab

We lost you somewhere along the ride back. Hope you made it home safely.

apk-S4

sailed right by. I knew how to get home from that point. I couldn't beleive the rain, though!

It was great to meet you. Hope to see you out there again soon. I'll have to remember my radio next time

apk-S4

that make a wide selection for the HP-2 caliper...even fewer that make a dual use option. It makes me want the BBK merely for the wider range of pad options and lower cost of replacements. I talked to a few people and the Porterfields (R4S/R4) were popular, but nearly $400 a set...OUCH! I've heard positive and negative on the Mintex Reds, and the previous owner didn't like the ECS Red Ceramics. I found very little information (mostly anectodal) about the Kerr pads. I figured I'd try them for myself. They were not really useful on the street. I swapped back to stock pads up front at the end of the day on Tuesday. I'm hoping the brake shudder goes away by the weekend. We'll see.

The rears were also a toss-up between the Ferodo and Porterfield. I've read good reviews of the Ferodo DS2500, and being less expensive, I gave them a shot. The compound is a little odd and leaves some very dense dust. Easy to clean, but there was a lot of it.

e-mail me if you want more details...I have a boatload of info that I can send you.

Paulab

Glad you made it back without incident and I will def see you again when we are both back out there

RS2urq

KJ double apex turn 10. Reviewing your vid, it appears that you were concerned about missing the previous apex, and since the uphill esses are cumulative, eg, you line was different after passing the Merc under the bridge, that affected your cornering cadence. As you approached turn 10, you actually did an initial early apex from mid-track; corrected your turn-in which started your problem, as you then made your second turn-in, still early and more difficult from mid-track rather than being where you usually were, at track right, while the rear was unsettled, perhaps from a slight throttle lift causing you to miss the early apex. If you had been another foot left, you would have just made the corner. Teaching point here is very subtle. Your car was at 10/10ths, you were along for a bumpy ride. It was almost predictable from turn 7 that you were going to be compromised unless you made your adjustment by turn 9 Excellent control off-track reactions were near perfect!

genxguy:gettingclose

Yes, KJ's experience does show when he's off-track. :P