Cobra setup for tracking

[RICK LAKE]

sspano01 Been tracking my car since 99. Been tech inspecting since 02 at events, here's some of the basic stuff I find not done to a car or driver
1 headlights need to be taped
2 loose front hub bearings, need to be greased and tighten the bearing until there is no play then back off to closest hole and install pin.
3 Helmets, most events will not allow motorcycle helmets, they are not the same as sa helmets. Some tracks will not allow open face helmets. I like them over full face because of eye sweeping on the track.
4 no loose stuff in trunk or glovebox.
5 tape over + side of battery cable and battery tight in location.
6 Start at the front of the car and check EVERY nut and bolt for tightness. I run aircraft nylocks and still check them. Check for any rearend play in back of car from mounts or bushings.
7 Wheel alignment of what you use on the street is not going to work well on the track. Higher camber and caster with toe maybe out instead of in. Street setup is ok but will not get the most out of the car for handling.
8 15" wheels verse 17" wheels. I started like alot of other people here with 15" wheels. To start with BFG tires are poor for track running . The only thing you will learn from them is the point of loosing traction and sliding the car. They are fun for burn outs. They will teach you how to learn better control of the car. One of the fastest cobra racers ran 15" wheels, Dick Smith. His driving style allowed the car do drift and slide through the turns. He used to pass guys with 18" wheels and tires at speed. He said "he drove by the seat of his pants". I believed him. I like my 17" wheels, but down side is no prewarning of when you are loosing traction, the car just whips around. You will run faster IMP with 17" over 15". We have had winners in street class running 15" AVON's with a 200 wear. These tires are one of the best in 15".
You will need to check rules on classes.
9 If you have an expensive paint job, tape or spray protective shield on both rear fender flairs to prevent damage and stone chips to car.
10 Motor, overfill the oil by 1.5 quarts when racing. These high "G" turns will kill the oil pressure and oil from returning to pan. A cheap way to help this problem is to add a 3 quart accusump to the system and have it set at 45 psi for track racing. Less if using it for a preluber. Long sweeping turns kill oil pressure. This applys to ALL cars and motors.
11 fuel setup in tank, I run over 1/2 tank of fuel to not have a lean out with the FI system, it's not a fuel cell, but has foam in it to stop splash. Make sure you know you have enough fuel in tank for 20 minute run. Nothing worse than almost getting hit from behind because of loosing fuel to motor.
12 Last on the info, 98% of the cobra guys at meets are helpful, nice, will lend tools and even parts. This is about having a GOOD time, meeting new people and even learning some things about how to drive your car better. Most events have pro drivers that will go out with you and run a couple of laps and make pointers for better driving. Ask questions.
KNOW YOUR LIMITS. We all get the juices flowing on the track. Stay clam and within your safe level of speed. Until you know the track well and get upto speed, start out slow and learn the corners of the track and cruise around in the beginner group. I do. Warms the car up, gives you time to check the feeling of it, and listen for the motor running. There is this little guy whos sits on your shoulder, LISTEN to him when he says something is wrong. 99 out of 100 he's right. Dust collectors, in the USA everyone want to be the winner, I have a wall full of $12.00 trophys. They are not worth anything if you get hurt, damage the car, or get killed. As I get older the yellow line down my back gets a little wider. This is because of reflexes get a little slower. This is a fact of life. I don't push my car as hard any more like I used too. It's alot more important to go home in 1 piece. This is a start, you will learn alot of info at the track. There is no harm to start in the back of the field and cruise a couple of laps and get off. Go back to the pit or trailer and relax. Cool off car, get a drink and let your own blood pressure go down. Next session do the same thing and you will be more relaxed and drive better. If you goto the Run&Gun I can promise you that by the end of the 1st day you will have been on the track a min of 4-5 times and be tired. This is a good time to stop. Do a safety check on the car, look at tires, tire pressures and jackup car and look on the under side for any damage or oil leaks. Nothing worst than having a car fire or sliding through your oil on a rear tire. Yes I am at fault for this at the last R&G in Hasteings. No damage to car or driver. This is what the emergency crews are there for. A valve cover gasket cracked and a small piece broken off. Oil hit the r/r tire and the exhaust light up the oil on the headers. Replaced 1 wire. Even the tech guy has problems. Good luck, have fun. Hope to see you at Hallet in Oct. Rick L. ps for more info, need first name, SS is not it.

[Jeff Frigo]

Rick:

Nice job.

[Tommy]

Rick's excellent advice didn't leave room for much. But here are a few more suggestions.

• Use high temp brake fluid and replace it before every event. ATE makes fluid in two colors so you can tell when the old fluid has been replaced with the new.
• Use arm restraints.
• Beware the urge to exceed your capability when either catching or being caught by another car. That's when I usually step over the line.
• Look at the track and decide which corners you can and cannot afford to misjudge. Sliding out of some corners just kicks up some dust and grass with no damage. Others can flip the car. Don't press the dangerous corners before you know your car and yourself very well.

[Bobcat]

Great comments from both Tommy and Rick .... however , I have several comments as I also track my ERA .... and used to run SCCA and dirt tracks . The ATE blue fluid permanently stains anything that is clear , i.e , the lines from my pressure bleeder , the reservoir on the car and the catch bottles . I now use the amber ATE and just look at the volume in the bottles .
X2 on the arm restraints in an open cockpit car ... mine are from Simpson and cost less than $40 .
Spring selection ... unless you have talked to someone who is/has run your setup and told you what he is running , you might want to spend some time doing motion ratio , suspension frequency and wheel rate calcs . Might save you some money on buying many different springs ... however , probably a good starting point might be just go about 30% higher on spring rates .
Other than safety equipment , the scales will be your best friend , as will be a really good alignment .
Listen to Rick and Tommy , they have been doing this a long time .
BTW , I have the Avon`s and to get the most out of a radial , I found that the camber settings have to be much greater than what you run on the street .... in the order of 2 to 2 1/2 degrees negative . Also , watch your brake pads ... if they say street and limited track , understand that they mean LIMITED track as they will overheat and then glaze over .

[Mdman352]

Originally Posted by RICK LAKE

sspano01 Been tracking my car since 99. Been tech inspecting since 02 at events, here's some of the basic stuff I find not done to a car or driver
1 headlights need to be taped
2 loose front hub bearings, need to be greased and tighten the bearing until there is no play then back off to closest hole and install pin.
3 Helmets, most events will not allow motorcycle helmets, they are not the same as sa helmets. Some tracks will not allow open face helmets. I like them over full face because of eye sweeping on the track.
4 no loose stuff in trunk or glovebox.
5 tape over + side of battery cable and battery tight in location.
6 Start at the front of the car and check EVERY nut and bolt for tightness. I run aircraft nylocks and still check them. Check for any rearend play in back of car from mounts or bushings.
7 Wheel alignment of what you use on the street is not going to work well on the track. Higher camber and caster with toe maybe out instead of in. Street setup is ok but will not get the most out of the car for handling.
8 15" wheels verse 17" wheels. I started like alot of other people here with 15" wheels. To start with BFG tires are poor for track running . The only thing you will learn from them is the point of loosing traction and sliding the car. They are fun for burn outs. They will teach you how to learn better control of the car. One of the fastest cobra racers ran 15" wheels, Dick Smith. His driving style allowed the car do drift and slide through the turns. He used to pass guys with 18" wheels and tires at speed. He said "he drove by the seat of his pants". I believed him. I like my 17" wheels, but down side is no prewarning of when you are loosing traction, the car just whips around. You will run faster IMP with 17" over 15". We have had winners in street class running 15" AVON's with a 200 wear. These tires are one of the best in 15".
You will need to check rules on classes.
9 If you have an expensive paint job, tape or spray protective shield on both rear fender flairs to prevent damage and stone chips to car.
10 Motor, overfill the oil by 1.5 quarts when racing. These high "G" turns will kill the oil pressure and oil from returning to pan. A cheap way to help this problem is to add a 3 quart accusump to the system and have it set at 45 psi for track racing. Less if using it for a preluber. Long sweeping turns kill oil pressure. This applys to ALL cars and motors.
11 fuel setup in tank, I run over 1/2 tank of fuel to not have a lean out with the FI system, it's not a fuel cell, but has foam in it to stop splash. Make sure you know you have enough fuel in tank for 20 minute run. Nothing worse than almost getting hit from behind because of loosing fuel to motor.
12 Last on the info, 98% of the cobra guys at meets are helpful, nice, will lend tools and even parts. This is about having a GOOD time, meeting new people and even learning some things about how to drive your car better. Most events have pro drivers that will go out with you and run a couple of laps and make pointers for better driving. Ask questions.
KNOW YOUR LIMITS. We all get the juices flowing on the track. Stay clam and within your safe level of speed. Until you know the track well and get upto speed, start out slow and learn the corners of the track and cruise around in the beginner group. I do. Warms the car up, gives you time to check the feeling of it, and listen for the motor running. There is this little guy whos sits on your shoulder, LISTEN to him when he says something is wrong. 99 out of 100 he's right. Dust collectors, in the USA everyone want to be the winner, I have a wall full of $12.00 trophys. They are not worth anything if you get hurt, damage the car, or get killed. As I get older the yellow line down my back gets a little wider. This is because of reflexes get a little slower. This is a fact of life. I don't push my car as hard any more like I used too. It's alot more important to go home in 1 piece. This is a start, you will learn alot of info at the track. There is no harm to start in the back of the field and cruise a couple of laps and get off. Go back to the pit or trailer and relax. Cool off car, get a drink and let your own blood pressure go down. Next session do the same thing and you will be more relaxed and drive better. If you goto the Run&Gun I can promise you that by the end of the 1st day you will have been on the track a min of 4-5 times and be tired. This is a good time to stop. Do a safety check on the car, look at tires, tire pressures and jackup car and look on the under side for any damage or oil leaks. Nothing worst than having a car fire or sliding through your oil on a rear tire. Yes I am at fault for this at the last R&G in Hasteings. No damage to car or driver. This is what the emergency crews are there for. A valve cover gasket cracked and a small piece broken off. Oil hit the r/r tire and the exhaust light up the oil on the headers. Replaced 1 wire. Even the tech guy has problems. Good luck, have fun. Hope to see you at Hallet in Oct. Rick L. ps for more info, need first name, SS is not it.

Avon's have a wear rating of 80. they are expensive but very good tires. The best choices for 15" tires.