twonsxs

I noticed you guys do a lot of street racing, but you would have 100 times more fun on a race track. Here's the schedule for upcoming drivers schools here in Texas: www.nsxsc.com/calendar.html

Most schools cost anywhere from $100 a day to $250 for a weekend. Normally you take your car out for 30 minutes at a time, and usually get 3 or 4 runs per day. Two hours a day will wear you out!

At first, you will run with an instructor until he/she is comfortable with your driving ablities and then they cut you lose! It's a rush like no other! And fairly safe to you and your car. You will need a helmet or borrow one from the track. Have fun!

Phat-S

twonsxs is dead on IMO. You can street race all you want and you will never have the satisfaction of sitting in the tent with the guys you just came off the track with and hearing someone say "hey show me that car man." You won't hang with everybody out there but your car (the Type S) will shock the hell out of many and the fist time you get a "point by" from a faster car you will clear up your schedule and find out where the next DE is.

Also, you won't get a speeding ticket, all the traffic is going the same way, the corner workers will be watching out for what's in front and behind you and you will learn more about your car and your abilities than you ever, ever, ever could on the street. Bottom line is you are way safer in this environment than you possibly could be racing on the street. I usually find myself driving home from these things at 55mph thinking everybody on the road is absolutely out of control.

Let me know if any of you guys want to go to one of these events (in the Southeast US - I'll be at CMP March 3/4, VIR March 10/11 definately and CMP March 31/1, RR April 21/22 and RA June 23/34 tenatively on all three but certain I'll do 2) and I'll bring my CL-S gladly.

P.S. If you are interested, you will want a momentum track for the Type S not a tight technical one from my experience. Our weight bias and big power eats up those front rotors on the twisty stuff - ergo, stay away from CMP to be safe.

For a schedule of events goto:
<a href="http://www.trackschedule.com/sched.html">Coco's Drivers Ed Schedule</a>

JSuppi

Phat-S;
What is CMP?? I just got back from the John Eagle Honda event at Texas World Speedway, it was a blast and definetly safer than anything you want to do on the road. You get skill without putting someone elses (voluntarily ) on the line. We ran the 2.9 mile road course and there were definetly some areas our car truly sucked in, we've got serious weight bias and the stock MXM4's aren't all that hot either. Only pushed my car two far too fast (with it sprinkling a little didn't necessarily help either) once, but that was enough for me to call it a day. Got a chance to ride with my instructor who has a NSC with the whole Comptech package and that thing is BAD!!!!

Competition driving schools are where all the fun is And I think i'm hooked...

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01'
Black/Ebony CLS

Phat-S

JSuppi, unforutanately it would be a haul for you from TX. CMP (Carolina Motorsports Park) is in Kershaw, SC (about 45 mins from Charlotte, NC). Lets see, totally agree with you on the tires, totally agree on the weight bias, totally agree on the safty, risk, etc . . . basically we're on the same page (even the black/black).

I would like to compare notes with you on the track experience. Like did you ever get the ss twisted up where you had to go to auto to make a shift (happened to me twice)? Could you make the rear end rotate, less lifting/braking in a turn? Did you try left foot braking? Trail braking? I found that 2nd and 4th are pretty much useless - almost anything I could drop into 2nd for, I could just as well leave in 3rd and not unsettle the car - 4th is a friggin' joke (why did they do that?). Oh yeah, how did the brakes hold up?

Adam

JSuppi

Phat-S,
Sure no problem, would love to compare notes with you

-Tried left foot breaking, and needless to say I need some significant practice with it. From what I understand if you ever get that down, you'll be able to slaugter most of the competition. Not familiar with the term 'Trail Braking' can you get me upto speed on this??

-As for the SS, it was an interesting experience. My instructors refused to let me put it in full auto (????), made sense after awhile since the car seems to want to shift really, really early into fourth. I stayed in 3rd most of the time (dropping into second to pass, which seldom happened). The only part I ever needed to (and I use that term loosely since I never really needed to) shift into 4th was on the end of the straightaway that was part of the oval since I would have bounced off the rev limiter had I floored it all the way through the straightaway. I'll scan a pic of the layout and post it soon (with maybe some pics from the event).

-I have the Comptech sways and springs, and the car was still a little body roll happy (don't even want to imagine what it would have been like with just the regular stock equipment). Brakes were good, but I didn't work em' that much (still need to get the hang of early heavy on the brakes, then transitioning to light). Learned the hard way that you don't apply brakes (even lightly) when going around some of the corners on the 2.9 mile course. It was forgiving when it was dry, but when it got a little wet all hell broke loose (brought the car around and was the only time I spun the whole weekend, what a scary feeling!!). Apply brake to the point where you can make it safely around the turn in point and you can hit your apex and exit out of them. All the turns where brake-in gas out (I guess they called them fast corners??). Overall I was very happy with the way the car handled, once you get used to it you can do some amaziing stuff. Again the tires suck, and next time I go out i'm going to have some decent rubber on the rims. Do you recommend anything??

-The car has some SERIOUS throttle response, for most other vehicles you could use the same amount of pedal travel and be doing good. But with the Type S, you get more power out of minimum throttle travel. I had to learn to be lighter on the throttle, definetly something you don't do (at least myself ) when you are out on the street. Even with just the standard headers and not the additional 30hp the Comptech's give, it'll be a chore to control you speed. Alot of the guys out there had wimpy cars (as in not real HP intensive) but they were consistently kicking the collective butts of the people with the awesome HP vehicles.


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01'
Black/Ebony CLS

Phat-S

JSuppi,
Sorry it has taken so long on the reply (sent you an email to another resource for this kind of stuff).

Left foot braking: I don't know if it buys you a "slaughtering" advantage but where all the manual shifter guys can only do it in a non-shifting turn, we get to in every turn. It allows us to "trail brake" (next) which is the only way I have been able to rotate the car. Basically I got my practice in on the open road (I mean real open - no traffic) where I got used to the peddle pressure with my left foot. After a while, I got to where it felt just as natural to use the left as the right. It will take a little while to get over the tendency to stab at it.

Trail braking: This is where you carry your braking zone into the turn (akin to what you felt braking in the turn you mention). Since your braking shifts weight toward the front and turning puts weight to the outside, you shift the weight to the outside front wheel which is the only way a CL won't plow (or going real slow in). The extra grip on the front outside coupled with the loss of traction on the outside rear allows it to slip and you get oversteer. I would advise you start off doing it slightly and get used to feathering the throttle to pull you out of it.

The gearing. This one we could probably debate but I learned a lot from my last instructor (the guy drives a monster GS-R and I learned more from him than all others combined - a moderator at that other board I emailed you). We did a session where we had to pick one gear (and this is a track I am somewhat familiar with) and stick with it. - I chose 3rd - Later when we were full on, he had me stop shifting down to 2nd before the tighter turns (he said you took em fine in the one gear session and he was right). The weird thing was that even though I dropped out of the VTEC band, the non-shift didn't upset the car's balance and experienced much less push to boot. I got it down from 5 shifts to 2nd to 1. Major improvement in smothness and I would think times as well.

I am running Potenza RE-71's on my Porsche and they are the balls. My buddy ran those and the RE-730's on his ITR and he's been pretty happy with both (I think he liked the 71's better for grip).

I totally hear you with the throttle response. That and the steering are real active. I don't mind the throttle but the steering is just too lively for me. I was thinking of underdriving it to knock it back a notch.

The "slower" car is always a hoot on the track. I have been passed by a CRX Si like I was sitting there (later on that weekend we teamed up for 3 spirited laps but I knew I was in trouble when I saw him on the throttle at the same spot where I was in the brakes).

Is there anyway you can try the car on the track keeping the Comptech Rear Sway and going back to the OE front or is that not realistic?

I am still stock on the suspension and was going to hold off on springs 'til someone does a stiffer variety than what Comptech is offering. I want the rear sway but I don't want to pay for a new front as well (I am already pushing!). RE's and a P/S underdrive pulley are the only things on the immediate horizon. Then again, the Type S isn't going to see much track action (hopefully) going forward.

Adam

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Drive it on the street. Race it on the track.