danegrey's 370Z Journal

danegrey

Install my Garmin Catalyst in the Z today. It was easy, and my son made me a bracket to hold it on together.

Bracket
https://photos.app.goo.gl/N7WK5Kz6xWn6Fd4k7

on the Garmin
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Q9Ge7HAWq1fPanNDA

How it looks
https://photos.app.goo.gl/uZK9x1euwhGVMnwX6

It does not block the view not too bad, I put it in front of the battery gauge and clock. Still can see the oil gauge.

But I think I want to figure out how to put it in the cubby slot (well that is what I call it)

It was interesting when I turned it on, AMP was the first track on the list. So I guess it figures out where you're at.

Will get to try it at AMP on 4/21.

__________________
Lots of Changes
the Z needs to be driven and driven hard for the car lives for it

Rusty

Nice.

__________________

浪人 - 殺し屋
"The Difficult Anytime, The Impossible By Appointment Only"
http://www.the370z.com/members-370z-...o-journal.html

danegrey

well, first SCCA Track night is a week from Wednesday at AMP, finish my last one-on-one with my Sim coach at AMP in a Nismo on Assetto Corsa. Well it was a very good session and see saw lots of improvement from when I started.

Now the real test will be if I can take the lessons and all the time and apply it. I am hoping to lower my times (currently in the low 1:50s) not sure what to set my expectations too.

But an interesting comment, was that he is looking for a 350 ZED. Said he misses it.

__________________
Lots of Changes
the Z needs to be driven and driven hard for the car lives for it

danegrey

ok, the first SCCA Track Night is over, it was a success, all the work with SIM Racing and SIM coaching made a difference for me. My last best time at AMP was 1.51.79, last night I turned a best of 1.44.77, an improvement of 7.02 seconds. For the first time I actually felt comfortable, still on edge, but I was able to look ahead, and see the track vs tunnel vision.

Also in using Garmin Catalyst, it worked well, giving lap times and differences. I did not use the coaching, for I still need to work on being able to hear it better. But over all I was pleased. Think I left some time on the track, in letting up on the throttle a bit early. It was also in the low to mid 50s, a very cool windy late afternoon/evening

This was my best lap. 1.44.77
https://youtu.be/OjOei2HXwg8

An interest note on this, I was able to download the best lap with out any problems off the Garmin. There is a still a lot for me to learn and unlock from the device. It did record all my laps, and in sessions provide me a variation of lap time for the session. More to come.

I do have some post track day work to be done. The last session brake fade,
more than I wanted. But I will flush the system and clutch fluid just because and probably change the brakes.

Over all it was fun Next Track Night is May 21st, same track.

__________________
Lots of Changes
the Z needs to be driven and driven hard for the car lives for it

danegrey

Well did another SCCA Track night and improved my time by 9/10ths to 1.43.879. Was happy with that..

Carbotech brakes (XP10 front XP8 back) felt great. I also moved up to intermediate from novice and didn't feel like I was in the way

Did have a strange issue, that I am looking into, the shifter pulled out, yea, literally came into my hands. Which is very odd, and it was the second time. (first time was like ok, its an opps, second time need to think about) Funny thing I found a way to push it back in. Went out again and I would not say it was solid, well thinking about all the time.

I drove the car back, home, tried to pull the shifter out by hand/moving it and it will not come out. Very very odd, need to look at it.

It is not the originally shifter, but a Stillen Short Throw Shifter, which has seen track/hpde days.

Seems to do it when it gets HOT... hmmm, oh well thinking time...

__________________
Lots of Changes
the Z needs to be driven and driven hard for the car lives for it

danegrey

well I did not crawl underneath the car, I watch a youtube about installing a short shifter.. I think the bolt for holding the shifter in place is gone or was never re-installed. Now I am suspecting this, because it may have happen when I had my clutch and cmak replaced.

just really odd, how it worked, no problems, and then bam... clutch was replaced in early 2019, I did a track night aug 2019 and aug 2020, no problems or it had not worked lose. (checked the boot that is attached and I cannot find it) who knows, need to find the bolt, so off to the dealership, unless somebody knows about what size it is.....

Thanks ahead of time...


And then I found this:
DIY: NST Short Shifter Install [PICTURE HEAVY]

pretty sure that it is missing the bolt, from a 350z site and conceptz, think this is the size of the bolt -- M8x1.25x45mm nissian part number 080108452A, need to confirm this...

__________________
Lots of Changes
the Z needs to be driven and driven hard for the car lives for it

danegrey

well the shifter problem...
was not what I thought it was..
had my mechanic (need someone with car smarts not me) come over and we took the shifter apart and check the bolt on the bottom. Well it was in secured, so that was not the problem...

So under further review, found that the part the holds the shift knob on can come off/slide off. Here the way that Stillen makes it short shifter, it has a bushing inside that expands to hold the shifter part on. On the bottom is a 19mm nut that expands it. It appears that the nut had work loose a bit, thus, when it got hot (?) it pulled off.

Fix just retighten the bolt up... fingers crossed...

very odd, problem to have had...

__________________
Lots of Changes
the Z needs to be driven and driven hard for the car lives for it

danegrey

Picture from last track night I did....
Track night 5-19-2021.jpg

__________________
Lots of Changes
the Z needs to be driven and driven hard for the car lives for it

danegrey

well the Z is all set for a week from Thursday at Mid-Ohio, an all day lapping day.
Had the brakes bleed again, rear sway bar re-installed, shifter fixed...
Brakes feel real good. (brakes are my pet peeve)

So what is going on, My son and I are doing the mid-ohio performance school. It is a 3 day school, with the 3rd day being a lapping day. I have done it before, but my son has never been to a school like this. (he has autocross and sims).

Should be lots of fun... Will report back after it is all over....

__________________
Lots of Changes
the Z needs to be driven and driven hard for the car lives for it

danegrey

ok, in Mansfield, Ohio, for the 3 day high performance driving school, went to Dominos to pick up pizza
-- delivery driver said nice color on this way out
-- lady bring my pizza to me said, your work for me for a bit and let me take your car for a spin..

just makes me smile and giggle

__________________
Lots of Changes
the Z needs to be driven and driven hard for the car lives for it

Hotrodz

And people think we are crazy because we have a relationship with our cars!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

__________________
Fast Intentions TT Installed and Tuned by Seb at SpecialtyZ 610whp 560tq:|Fast Intentions 3" TT-TDX|SpecialtyZ/Fast Intentions 72 Row Oil Cooler|SZ 6 Puck Clutch & Flywheel|3GsCustoms|Z1|Wavetrac|Hotchkis|Whiteline |Blitz|Fortune Auto 500|Fujimura|SPL|H&R|TK|TWM|RPM Rollbar|Sparco|Next Level Performance|TrackSpec|AeroFlow Dynamics|Pioneer|

danegrey

Day 1 of Mid-Ohio High performance driving school

• Classroom discussion on weight transfer / lines / oversteer / Understeer
  Off - track exercises (about an hour each)
  - Autocross - use to teach about lines and apexes
  - Skid pad - how to recover from Oversteer
  - Braking exercise - understanding how much pressure and turn in points.
  Back to classroom to discuss how the On track portion was to work.
  On-track
  Two twenty minutes sessions of follow the leader no passing. Just an introduction in the Track layout and breaking and apex points.

Also there were two other Z's there besides mine. Was nice to see it. So Day 2 is more instruction, track walk and lapping. This will be done in a school car, the Z will be on track Thursday for the lapping day.

__________________
Lots of Changes
the Z needs to be driven and driven hard for the car lives for it

danegrey

Day 2

• Started with a classroom session on all the turns of the track.
• Then we were loaded into vans and the instructors drove us around on the track, pointing out turn ins/outs. It was interesting, the instructor I had, was taking a Honda Odyssey van, with 7 of us in it, hitting 100 mph down the back section into turn 7.
• Back to the class room for a bit more instruction
• Lapping was the rest of the day.
• First was follow the leader a bit. And jumping out and riding with an instructor, never got to do that, since running late and needed to stop for lunch.
• After lunch one more follow the leader and then we were on our own. It was different this time, everyone on the track and passing was allowed. But it all went very well. No problems with passing by anyone.
• My moment, I was coming into turn 1 and I stab the brakes, late just messed up and over the yellow curb I went. Did what they said, rode the curb, slowed down and back on track, took out two cones. (he later asked who did it)
• Total number of laps was 51, with a best time of 1:55:57
• This was a father and son event, my son had a moment, down the back straight. He was telling me he had brake fade and it would come and go. He told the instructors also, but when they checked it, it was solid. So, he continues, but was a bit careful. So, on one lap coming down the back straight, no brakes ended up in China Beach, but he did what they said, go straight do not try to make the turn. He brought the car back and they gave him another car, which he said the brakes were a lot better

That was day 2 and the last day of driving the Student car, so on Day 3 it will be the Z.....

__________________
Lots of Changes
the Z needs to be driven and driven hard for the car lives for it

danegrey

funny thought, well we all know how the car market is going crazy, one of the exercises is driving the autocross in a S2000. Just saw a price of one on BAT, it went for 30K. These cars are being thrashed, should have checked the mileage.

__________________
Lots of Changes
the Z needs to be driven and driven hard for the car lives for it

danegrey

Day 3 - Mid Ohio three day driver school (last day)

Lapping day

• Class room and discussion of what was going to happen.
• Into Vans, for a track walk, stopped at every major section, got to review and see the elevation changes on track. Lots of changes.
• Laps, and more laps, did 7 sessions with a total 59 time laps, 67 total laps with out laps.
• Time between sessions, may have been 15 minutes. Not like SCCA Track Nights.
• Best time was a 1.51.8 an improvement of 4.71 seconds from 3 years ago.
• I did have a little off, had a tad oversteer and went through the grass. I would post it, but there was an opps with the garmin. I did have a bit of warning before it happen the last lap.

Overall well worth the money, in the three days did a total of 124 laps not counting out laps. Now I do not have to take the 3 day high performance, but can go and just do lapping days.

__________________
Lots of Changes
the Z needs to be driven and driven hard for the car lives for it