orthojoe

I'm kind of hesitant to post this because it's not a good example of how to properly get around Sonoma raceway. Wrong turn in points. Too much braking. Too late braking. Wrong shifting/gears. It's kind of a mess, but it's all I got right now. Lap time of 1:45.8. If I clean up the mess, I'll aim for 1:44 next time. A pro ran a rolling fast lap of 1:44.2 with me as a passenger. I'm sure he can do 1:43 or better.

Don't use this video as a guide to how to drive Sonoma properly.


Current setup feels very good. The only limiting factor is the driver. Factory toe, factory caster, camber -2.5 on all 4 corners. Max aero settings. Front bar middle. Rear bar stiff. Pro driver said he would change nothing with the car.

The Dunlops continue to do well. Start out at 26F/27R psi cold. Bring them up to temp and pressures first session. Will get up to 35/37 and then bleed back to 33/35 and leave it alone for the rest of the day. These tires need heat in them to perform, but they are consistent once up to temp. After 3 track days the front tires have mild outer edge wear but are still good. Unfortunately, the rear tires outer edge are bald. RWS is the culprit and there is no way around this. Sucks, but that is the way it is. Tires are fast until the rear tire outer edges cord. Once bald, they are close to cording.

Pic of front and rear tires after 3 days attached.

mdrums

Joe...see the arrow on the tire in the 1st photo?....I’ve always been told or understood that the tire should wear right to the tip of the arrow.

What are are your thoughts on this? Possibly too much camber? Thanks for the Dunlop report....I’m interested in them and wondering if they are worth the slightly extra cost over the Michelin? Or possibly the Pirelli Trofeo to compare for a track tire?

orthojoe

Yeah, I've always thought the same too about the arrow. Too much camber would cause excess wear on the inside, though and the inside looks barely worn. It could be because of the higher pressures I run, but the cars feels great and the pro thought my tire pressures felt spot on as well. I decided that the arrow (to me) means nothing with these tires.

The Dunlops on tire rack are $100 cheaper than the cup2 for a full set.

I HATE the trofeoR. Too finicky with camber, pressures, temps, and heat cycles. I went through 2 sets in my 991.1 GT3 and will never use them again.

My instructor ran a .2 RS with cup2 the next day and this is what he said about the Dunlops vs cup2:

MaxLTV

Thanks for the info on tires - definitely getting dunlops to try. The new MPSC2s on RS are great too - better than both N0 and N1 GT3 tires. Yeah, there is some time left on the table there, but you still beat my first try by 0.4s. But mine was on delivery alignment and on previously frozen tires - the car was delivered at 20 below freezing... So I got excuses LOL. Looking forward to exploring it's true potential after I get alignment and tires. I gave up and decided to get a bar and harness too - my lower back gave up after just 3 sessions at sonoma.

By the way, what's the latest on the cracking rear glass? Is there a fix besides going with the full-thickness standard one?

orthojoe

No idea on the glass. I plan to keep going until it cracks again.

TRAKCAR

Thanks Joe,

Just have two days at the Ring on Dunlops.
I ran your pressures but on -1.5 Camber, perfect for MPSC2 but I think the Dunlops will feel better with a bit more camber.
The Michelin’s feel more precise to me. The Dunlops give more early warning but when pushed hard have more overall grip.

Initial Dunlop feel is that they feel grainy with and with a softer shoulder a bit more rubbery.
I can also hear the Dunlops more, like they are cupping more.

Dunlops have more grip in the wet, I wasn’t expecting that!

hammering the Dunlops for more laps and they stay more consistent than the N2, certainly much better then the N1 Michelin’s.
Both are great tires compared to the N1 VS N2 and Sport Max VS sport max 2.

Im not sure I will use my 19” wheels on this car.
I guess we can’t make the rears last 4 days no matter what we do due to RWS.

But these .2RS are like magic in terms of balance and grip, I am still amazed how well behaved and easy to drive the car is, cornering and loading up the front beyond believe and the rear just follows. I guess a set of tires per weekend is the price to pay.

Rear brakes also seem to wear a bit more compared to the .1RS more like 2 fronts for 1 rear instead of 3 to 1.

at 11,000 miles my glass hasn’t cracked but my gearbox pukes oil out of the breather going through the foxhole and jumping plantzgarden..
Porsche states it’s normal at the Ring.. “clean and keep driving” I was told.
Manthey has a solution, but it voids warranty and it’s not yet for sale.

orthojoe

.2RS is definitely magic!
Ha! My gearbox was puking oil out of the breather too! Porsche said normal, just keep driving. Seems to have stopped recently, though.

Skibum1963

Joe,
Always great to see your videos. That is a very fast lap time on street tires! Thanks for sharing!
puking gear oil? Holy crap...that doesn’t sound good. Hope that isn’t a fire hazard!

montoya

Nice lap Joe- So many walls! Not a Sonoma fan.

Interesting to watch after so many laps in my SRF- we are full throttle in so many more places, but we don’t have 500+ hp either. 2 seconds better than the SRF pole for the Runoffs puts you at 1:44- I don’t think that there is much more to give without checking out those walls up close and personally.

mdrums

thanks for the Dunlop review guys!!!

Now if i can get regular gt3 ride height and rake numbers from the few guys that have done full set ups...lots of RS guys share info..reg gt3 guys keep it a secret...lol

Ducati1199

Did you get anything out of having a pro alongside you? How was he helpful?
Or did he also tell you you're on the raggedy edge and the cars saving your butt lol!!!!!

tqevo

Did you ever try with the rear bar on center? I believe that's the factory setting. Bar settings can be preferential but I'm wondering how much setting the rear to full stiff would help with rotation. Would you say it reduces push more, increases oversteer, or makes the car feel more neutral with your driving style vs center?

orthojoe

I love Sonoma, but yes, the walls increase the pucker factor for sure. My coach almost got into 1:43, but still could have gotten closer to the wall at T10 if he was going all out. LOL.

Yes. He was very helpful. He had some tips on my driving techniques, and he was good about coaching me to push harder while in the car and explaining why. He had me maintaining slip angle through an entire corner at times, which was really cool to feel. Sonoma is my weakest track and I've been making the same mistakes over and over so he was able to show me what I was doing wrong. I was also able to use data that I logged when he was driving, so that was really helpful to. I'm itching to go back to Sonoma in the RS, but next time will have to be in the Miata for the race in July. I would highly recommend him.

I tried middle middle, stiff front middle rear, and middle front stiff rear. Factory is not bad. Stiff front kept the back in planted more under power, but made the car push more and was slower. Stiff rear still kept the car neutral but when the back end broke loose, it was very progressive rather than snapping like the middle middle settings did (thanks for the recc, sccaforums)

orthojoe

Somehow drama always seems to follow me at the track. Video of near disaster. My coach was driving my car with my buddy riding shotgun to see how it is done. I was following behind in my friend's .1 GT3 and this happens

gt38088

That is lucky and frankly scary. DE and trackdays are supposed to be safer than racing but we all have to be able to trust those around us.