Anybody taken their Stinger to the track (not drag strip)?

[Chucky]

Looking for feedback from anyone who's brought their Stinger to a track not drag strip. I'm going to track my Stinger in a few weeks, the car has to go through a pre-track inspection. One of the instructors and mechanic for the track told me to make sure I have new brake fluid in the car before bringing it for inspection, also recommended performance or track specific brake fluids that perform better and can handle more heat. Said if the car had brake fluid with more than several hundred miles they would not allow it on the track and if the car had been tracked the brake fluid had to be replaced regardless before being allowed on the track again. Also need full face helmet newer than 2010. I'm new to the track scene so assumed this is SOP. Anybody else brought their Stinger to a track day what requirements did your car have to meet and how did it perform compared to other cars you've driven on the track?

I've always wanted to test my skills and car on a track. I've done some autocross in the past which was a blast but beat on the car alot and was never long enough to really get into it (full accel, full brake, hard turn, repeat). If I really like the experience may start looking around for a track specific little coupe.

 

[Revvdmedia]

Those are normal track requirements at my local track as well. From a safety perspective, brake fluid needs to be pristine and have no risk of contamination - failing brakes can be deadly to you or others. The recommendation for track specific brake fluid isn't a bad one, being hard on street level brake fluid can bring the brake fluid above it's optimal working temperature and can severely diminish brake feel and performance.

As for a helmet, no brainer (pun intended?). I bought a 2015 Snell rated motocross helmet, not the best because of how far the mouth portion comes out, but will save my head in a crash.

 

[Helo58]

Looking for feedback from anyone who's brought their Stinger to a track not drag strip. I'm going to track my Stinger in a few weeks, the car has to go through a pre-track inspection. One of the instructors and mechanic for the track told me to make sure I have new brake fluid in the car before bringing it for inspection, also recommended performance or track specific brake fluids that perform better and can handle more heat. Said if the car had brake fluid with more than several hundred miles they would not allow it on the track and if the car had been tracked the brake fluid had to be replaced regardless before being allowed on the track again. Also need full face helmet newer than 2010. I'm new to the track scene so assumed this is SOP. Anybody else brought their Stinger to a track day what requirements did your car have to meet and how did it perform compared to other cars you've driven on the track?

I've always wanted to test my skills and car on a track. I've done some autocross in the past which was a blast but beat on the car alot and was never long enough to really get into it (full accel, full brake, hard turn, repeat). If I really like the experience may start looking around for a track specific little coupe.
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Sounds pretty standard to me with the requirements. I have actually done CMP a few times on a motorcycle and thought it was a great track. In a car, it may seem a little tighter... especially with other cars around. I remember when they shot "R U faster than a redneck" there. As far as the track goes, corners 5/6/7 were the hardest for me string together and it took some time to learn to take 10 flat out, but that was on a bike. It would be great to get some video of your Stinger run at CMP! I watched in-car footage of people racing the track before I went to get a good idea of the appropriate lines. It helped out tremendously. Enjoy!

 

[Manaz]

Interesting that they require a full face helmet, but not a bad thing in the end IMHO. I have a full face Bell helmet with HANS posts - don't use HANS unless you have a full harness, but having the posts on the helmet is a good thing for later if you need it.

Go for a Snell rated helmet as @Revvdmedia noted - other standards are basically worthless, even if they're enough to get you through the scrutineering (or onto roads on a motorbike).

I agree on the need for clean/fresh brake fluid, but I do wonder how they'll check/enforce that. High temp brake fluid is a good idea anyway - DOT4 or DOT5.1 (don't bother with DOT3 as the boiling point is too low for track work, and DOT5 is chemically entirely different being made of silicon instead of glycol ether, you can't mix it with DOT 3/4/5.1 fluid, and to use it requires different seals and parts in your braking system, avoid that too unless you know exactly what you're doing)



You'll note that the wet boiling points are WAY lower. DOT 3/4/5.1 brake fluid is hydroscopic - it absorbs water from the atmosphere. As you can see, it doesn't take much water in the fluid to significantly reduce the boiling point - and boiling brake fluid is BAD when you need to stop, as it creates bubbles of gas, and gas compresses much easier than liquid - meaning your brake pressure goes into compressing the gas, and not into pushing your pads into your rotors - if you suddenly get a pedal that goes to the floor when on the track, you've either blown a line (bad, no more track day for you, and it may close the track) or boiled your fluid (not quite as bad, but ultimately this ends your track day just as much as a blown line does).

 

[Chucky]

Thanks Manaz, you are a wealth of information. When are you getting your Stinger

 

[turboAWD]

Of course, better fluids have higher boiling points - these are the MINIMUM specs..

 

[Manaz]

Thanks Manaz, you are a wealth of information. When are you getting your Stinger

The initial change of job that was bringing me the Stinger (the role has a car package attached) fell through in May. I am hoping to hear an outcome of two roles today - as soon as I sign paperwork on a new role, I start talking to the novated leasing company again.

The wait is killing me. But I know it will be worth it!

 

[cornpop1]

I have been twice. I also started in the beginners group with only point by passing on specific straights on the track. It was really fun and our cars are relatively quick. I was able to keep up with Shelby GT350's and Corvette C6's on the straights. On the turns is where I fell short. It gets hard to get our car to handle like theirs since our car is heavier and bigger. It almost felt like if I didn't brake and hit the apex perfectly, I would lose them. They were taking corners at higher speeds and with more ease. I think lowering suspension and wider tires would have been beneficial. Out of the corner you would need to learn how to throttle control too or else your rears will slip and you will lose grip. The only upgrades I had were JB4, SSR Midpipes and K&N intake. All in all, it definitely was a great experience. For a 4000lb car, it is very respectable and many people complimented it

 

[Chucky]

@cornpop1 Thank you good information. I'm assuming you were in Sport mode, did you shift manually and did you have traction and stability control off?
I had my brake rotors and sway bars installed at a Porsche specialist who invited me to participate in their Porsche Track Day. After driving the Stinger he said I'd be passing some of the Porsche's on the straights, he also commented that the Borla exhaust sounds amazing.

 

[Chucky]

The initial change of job that was bringing me the Stinger (the role has a car package attached) fell through in May. I am hoping to hear an outcome of two roles today - as soon as I sign paperwork on a new role, I start talking to the novated leasing company again.

The wait is killing me. But I know it will be worth it!

It will be worth it and you are already an expert on the car. Sorry to hear the opportunity fell through, good luck with the search and keep your head up. What do you do I'm in Sales; my company is growing and does some business in Australia which is currently covered out of Asia, we are looking for Outside Sales Engineers in the US in N CA and the Southeast. I'm lucky, my company provides a car allowance as part of my compensation the latest and by far favorite is the Stinger.

 

[Callum]

I do, frequently. I posted about the performance, and pro/cons of the Stinger. I flush my brake system after every event. 11,000 miles and three sets of back tires, 2 sets of front tires. The OE rotors on my car have turned blue/orange due to heat cycles. They need to be changed ASAP, and plan on upgrading to 2pc rotors.

I can't find the thread, but its here somewhere!

 

[MerlintheMad]

Why aren't the straights between 3 and 4, and 10 and 11 "passing zones"?

 

[cornpop1]

@Chucky I started out in Sport Mode, but the throttle was harder to control, so I went back to Normal. Granted, having the JB4 made it more jumpy. Later on in the day as I got more accustomed to the throttle, I switched back to Sport. I actually just left it on auto, I didn't think I could shift better than it as I am still a novice. The key really is in the turns, if you can get the turns down well and not slip and keep the utmost grip, you will keep up with most cars.

 

[Callum]

Why aren't the straights between 3 and 4, and 10 and 11 "passing zones"?

They most likely are not long enough to allow a car to pass, enter the line again and get on the brakes.

 

[bpang1]

If you're NEW I would only make sure to do as they told you - new brake fluid and Snell 2010 helmet. If the track bug bites you, seek out a shop that is known for setting up track cars and work with them to get your setup right...I already seen at least one post on here giving you semi-misleading advice on mods for the track.

For me, at a minimum for a daily driver / track day car I would do the following:
1. Castrol SRF DOT 4 Brake Fluid
2. Upgraded Brake Pads (I haven't done enough research to tell you which I would go with but something better than the stock pads, don't be afraid of dust we here in the U.S. are generally adverse to dusty pads which makes manufacturers equip our cars with pads that have lower braking performance because of customer complaints)
3. Upgraded Tires (at a minimum Michelin Pilot Sport 4S not the ones that our cars come with)
4. Street/Track Alignment done by a real racing shop...something not so aggressive to kill the tires but more aggressive than the factory setup.

Those are standard things I do with any car I intend to track...mods after that would be up to you and your racing shop.

 

[Callum]

I already seen at least one post on here giving you semi-misleading advice on mods for the track.

Let's hear who it is, otherwise the information will keep getting spread.

 

[turboAWD]

Thanks for all the hints. Definitely interested in trying HDPEs / track days. auto-x was fun, but so short..

 

[MerlintheMad]

Why aren't the straights between 3 and 4, and 10 and 11 "passing zones"?

They most likely are not long enough to allow a car to pass, enter the line again and get on the brakes.

Between 13 and 14 is the shortest straight section, but it's designated as a "passing zone". Between 3 and 4 is the second longest straight section. I think you are seeing something that I am missing.

 

[bpang1]

Let's hear who it is, otherwise the information will keep getting spread.

OK LOL I'm not gonna call out the person as it becomes a pissing match but here are the points and I will admit that I am not an expert but am relaying what experts have taught me over the years:

1. Our cars are NOT heavier or bigger than a lot of the cars on the track like the Mustangs and Camaros...we are within an inch of their dimensions and weight-wise, if you are significantly heavier than them, you ordered your car poorly if taking it on the track was an objective.

2. Lowering a car is not necessarily a way to make the car handle faster which is what most people equate with buying springs. There is SO MUCH MORE going on with suspension engineering than merely just your center of gravity. For one, if you lower your car, you lose a significant amount of suspension travel that the engineers built into the overall package. You also stand to mismatch spring rate with the damper rate and also depending on the car you could be introducing a change of camber mid-turn sometimes flipping to positive camber in hard turns which is not good. Here is a good video explaining some of it

3. Wider tires are not necessarily better. For instance just shoving the max width tire for your wheels will not necessarily equal better performance (assuming same tire). If you go too wide on a wheel you might introduce more sidewall flex than what the car was setup for. Grassroots Motorsports has done a few tests on this...there is a sweet spot with all cars, wider is not always better.

I think my main point is: just tossing popular mods on the car will not always equal better performance. Most people can't tell because you have to take your car to the limits and most of us just don't do that.

To me, going faster on track is about getting good instructors and a lot of quality seat time. Our cars can do that nearly stock. Once you know what you want to do and the level that you want to do it, then you consult with a race setup professional to get that done.

 

[Callum]

OK LOL I'm not gonna call out the person as it becomes a pissing match but here are the points and I will admit that I am not an expert but am relaying what experts have taught me over the years:

1. Our cars are NOT heavier or bigger than a lot of the cars on the track like the Mustangs and Camaros...we are within an inch of their dimensions and weight-wise, if you are significantly heavier than them, you ordered your car poorly if taking it on the track was an objective.

2. Lowering a car is not necessarily a way to make the car handle faster which is what most people equate with buying springs. There is SO MUCH MORE going on with suspension engineering than merely just your center of gravity. For one, if you lower your car, you lose a significant amount of suspension travel that the engineers built into the overall package. You also stand to mismatch spring rate with the damper rate and also depending on the car you could be introducing a change of camber mid-turn sometimes flipping to positive camber in hard turns which is not good. Here is a good video explaining some of it

3. Wider tires are not necessarily better. For instance just shoving the max width tire for your wheels will not necessarily equal better performance (assuming same tire). If you go too wide on a wheel you might introduce more sidewall flex than what the car was setup for. Grassroots Motorsports has done a few tests on this...there is a sweet spot with all cars, wider is not always better.

I think my main point is: just tossing popular mods on the car will not always equal better performance. Most people can't tell because you have to take your car to the limits and most of us just don't do that.

To me, going faster on track is about getting good instructors and a lot of quality seat time. Our cars can do that nearly stock. Once you know what you want to do and the level that you want to do it, then you consult with a race setup professional to get that done.

I honestly could not agree more with you. While I do take my car to the track, I am lowered with a CAI. I understand that the suspension travel is slightly out of the designed range of motion, I'm fine with that. 98% of my driving is street, and it looks better. Though may not perform better.

The CAI is for sound, honestly I strongly dislike CAI but the sound is addicting. I usually refer to them as HAI, hot air intakes.

I did not buy my car for track use, however it's a lot of fun to take to the track due to the looks and uniqueness of saying "Yea, that's my KIA that was out there"