Spartan

Well....
It happened....I took the plunge and did a driving school here in Michigan (South Haven).
I got there and saw about 15 Ferraris...One rich guy brought 3 of them in a custom built semi. One of them was an F40 (Nice!)...another was a factory built racecar...F 333....basically the stuff you see at Lemans races. There were a bunch of NSXs, a few last gen M3s, a couple Acura Integra Type R's, a few Porsches, a WRX (my friend), a Saleen Mustang (woman driver...dont mean anything by that....just suprising), and a few others.

I got some instructions (the basics) and I was placed in the C group becuase I had no experience. B was intermediate and A was advanced. A run 20 mins (alone), B runs 20 mins (instructor optional), and C runs with instructors.
Let me say it was awsome...Driving on a racetrack is very different than driving on the road. You have to use the entire race track and taking turns is very different than what I had thought.
My first 3 20 min sessions were OK....people passed me. My 4th session something was unleased in the GS400. It was an animal out there. I had gotten a lot more confidence and the car was being driven VERY hard!!!....I even passed a WRX and 911 Turbo...On this course it is all about how you take the corners. Horsepower will nto get you anywhere if you can not take the corners correctly (in slow ....out Fast!)...During this run I spun out about 3/4 of the way a few times. The traction control saved me ALL DAY!!....it may sound like cheating, but it was my first time. I also drove the car in 3rd the whole time.

The 5th run the instructor let me go out alone and I started at the back of the pack. I was feeling confident. 3 laps and I started to pass....first the WRX, then a 911 Turbo, then an M3 (my favorite pass), and finally the Saleen Mustang (supercharged).
On my last lap unfortunately the heat had taken a tole on the car (all of the cars actually)...the check engine light went on!!!!!
I was pretty upset at that point. I drove it in and found some fluid under the radiator. Some of it was tranny fluid, the rest was condensation from the AC unit (yes I was running with windows down and AC half way)....I was freaking out. I dried up the fluid on the plastic underplate and drove the car for a few miles and it didn't leak out again. The light was still on though. The track was very HOT. 94 degrees and high humidity. I called it a day at that point. I drove the car easy on the way home and the light went out. I assume it was the transmission fluid temp being waaaay too high.
My car has a dragon TC, Borlas, Tein HAs, SRT HFI+ECU (original), 18 inch HREs, and S03s. The TC was probably boiling. I need a tranny cooler bad!....The Teins were set to 16 clicks and performed greatly!!!...The S03s were gripping like crazy....awsome tires....next step is racing compound tires!
Lastly...the borlas got so HOT!!!! that inside part of the rear bumper melted. That kinda sucks....but it's not terrible. I think I will remold some fiberglass there or just cut the inside out.....I just have reheat the borlas and scrape off the melted plastic. Ohh one more thing....anyone have any ideas of how to clean the borlas???....The heat turned them gold colored!!!....

It was a crazy day....I learned so much....about my skill and the car's ability. People were impressed with the Lex by the end of the day. It was the only one out there. We have to represent a little better at these schools. It was only $150 for a day!!! Now that is cheap to learn what you learn there. Plus you get to see some awsome cars....One last thing....the car that most impressed me was teh Acura Type R....that thing kicked some A&&!!!!!....Man those cars were sweet. I coult go on and on about all the cars there....but this is getting long.

Now I gotta clean the car up and get ready for next time.
Pics will come....

Thanks
MIKE

garnet92

Damn, guy - you did a great job of represented us - thanks! I'd love to do that. And to actually hang in there with (supposedly) much better handling cars does us proud.

///MDex

Wow - that sounds like an amazing time; congrats.

Any pics? Pleeeeease?

JacobT

Mike,

Summer's here. It's time for a tranny cooler.
Get a Hayden one from local PepBoys. It's only $45 if you do it yourself.

GS400_PUSHER

$45:eek: Is it easy to install?

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Spartan - great writeup, looking forward to pics!

Dex and I have been subtly preparing our cars for something like this for a while too... we've got most of the available upgraded suspension parts in place, brake and traction upgrades in or planned, tranny cooler, etc, etc..

HOWEVER, this is the first time I heard about problems with melting the stock rear valence over the exhaust.

QBranch and other folks who have done road courses - have you had or heard of this problem? Any thoughts on what could be done to prevent it? Some sort of (insert asbestos substitute here) shield or liner?

Spartan - I've used some good polish (will search for the name) that does a great job taking off the carbon deposits, but I'm not sure how it will work on your gold coloration problem.

JacobT

Very easy. Took about 1 hour max. There's a DIY page from BananaGS. Check his home page.

tinygs

I personally think this link is a more detailed, easy to follow description of the tranny cooler DIY (but it doesnt include pics...)...hahahahahaha

Here you go:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...=tranny+cooler

whitels

Congrats on that great experience. Wish someone knows about something like that here in California. For $150, that's a great price.

Years ago I was with the MR2 club and we rented the Willow Springs Raceway in Palmdale for an all day fun. Something to think about. Hey Cali folks, what do you think?

Spartan

Yes...
I had a great time...
It was awsome beating some of those high powered cars.
Dex....
I think that your car would do even better with the sways and LSD esspecially....big brakes (like AP or Brembo) are a must...
My VSC was beeping all day....the LSD would have helped a ton!!

Yeah the tranny cooler is coming soon.
I just have to figure out how to heat up the borlas again so that I can take off the charred bumper material.
Any ideas on how to repair the inside part of that bumper...I am thinking of some fiber glass inserts.

Anyone else interested in making some kind of Club Lexus day at Ginerman in the future?
It is $2500 per day for the track to rent....
Or we can go through CGI Motorsports and pay $150 each and get instructors....I prefer the latter.

I will post pics soon.....
I have to get them developed and scanned...
Stay tuned....
MIKE

LexusRules

wow man.. thats awsome!!

when you spun did you go off track? did the car feel unstable? i hope not! congrats on learning more racing technique and learning yoru cars ability! melted the bumper haha nice tahts awsome

for sure tranny cooler is a must.. it was probobly boiling like you said, esspecially since the aftermarket TC runs hot. I hope you have some pics a friend took for us!

i hope i can find a school where you can drive your own car soon, did they give you a helmet?

did you find the instructers knew what they were talking about?

congrats again man!! i am also really impressed the car could push like that! my feeling is that your skill was higher then most drivers out there!

when you were passing how did the other drivers react? did they let you by or be dic*s about it? thanks man

jake, you sounded like you were advertising the TC cooler from pep boys there a lot!! hehehe

Spartan

Here we go...sorry it took so long...
Pic 1..Cheack out the Ferrari trailer with some of the advanced group lined up....Then we have my buddy Chris in his Porsche and finally the rich DR. in his brand spanking new Ferrari 333.

Spartan

Here we have 3 of the 4 Dr's Ferrari's in the tent area....then a bigger shot...Finally we have my GS and my buddies Subi. The lights are covered with tape to protect from rock damage.

Spartan

There are more pics...but a lot of the same...
Subi and GS in the pits....Then the final two are the GS coming down to the finish line. It was a blast. I would recommend that more members give it a try and really test out and see what your cars can do with all the aftermarket parts we put on them. I can say that I had most people there very suprised as to what the GS could do.

bravo261

iTrader: (1)

very nice. something i need to check out locally. and thanks for the writeup