gota911

When reading Dell's stuff, it is very easy to become confused!

Hi Dell!

LVDell

Oh Tim, you move from a P-Car to a Honda and get a little more fiesty. Was that even possible?

I've been doing this for a long time and not ONCE have I seen this 007 smoke screen you speak of.

himself

I'm with Dell on this one. I've never seen (or even heard) of someone getting black flagged for an overfill problem. In my experience, any overflow usually manifests itself as a smoky startup - usually just before you start a session. And it usually sorts itself out by the end of the first day.

And anyone that get's embarrassed from being black flagged (or meatball flagged) needs to understand that those flags can save you tons of money. Anything loose anything can fall off, a strange noise can be serious, and dropping fluids can ruin a car (not to mention screw up the track surface).

-td

rotokim

Dell - It's kind of funny to read the smoke screen comment above and look over to your avatar and see the cloud behind your GT3

(For those who don't know, it's the oil-absorbing "kitty litter" that's kicking up behind Dell in the photo - "kitty litter" is the technical term. Right?)

LVDell

Only if there are felines around the track. The "tehcnical" term is speedy dry.

LiveNupe

I agree with the recommendation to fill the oil to the top mark on the dipstick. Be sure to keep an eye on your oil level throughout the weekend. In fact, it's not a bad idea to check after every session. You'll probably get through the weekend without having to add any oil, but checking the level is cheap insurance.

In the 1,000 + 996 track days I've witnessed, (my track time + the other 996's at the events I've attended), I'vee seen 996's smoke, but not because the oil was properly topped-off. The smoke was attribitued to 1 of 3 reasons:

1) Gross overfill. If you overfill the oil by say 1/2 quart or more OVER the top dipstick mark, there's a good chance you'll see smoke. Whether you track your car or not, drive a 996 or any other car, it's obviously a bad idea to overfill. I don't recommend it.

2) Improper Cool-Down. If you run hot laps (not likely to happen during your first DE weekend) and don't allow the engine to cool down before you shut it off, you're likely to see smoke the next time you start the engine. The smoke will eventually clear up, but it will freak you out the first time it happens to you. To avoid this situtation, ALWAYS make sure to do a cool down lap (driven at public road speeds) before shutting the engine down. If the session is cut short for some reason and you don't get a chance to run a proper cool down lap on the track, find somewhere to drive the car at 30-50 mph for about 5 minutes or so before shutting off the engine and you won't have this problem.

3) The unspeakable. I only know of 2 and neither were caused by hi or low oil levels. Both involved older, high milage cars with questionable maintenance histories.

My $0.02

LiveNupe

If you decide to not use the visor, I recommend removing it from the helmet. As other's have implied, "incidents" at 1st DE's are extremely rare and practically "unheard of". Consequently, it's highly unlikely that you'll be involved in a situation that will cause your airbag to deploy. However, safety studies have that if the airbag were to deploy, you wouldn't want your visor in the "up" position .

For safety reasons, you're better off removing the visor from the helmet altogether if you're not going to use it. Besides, the lighter weight will give you a performance advantage.

gota911

I would not have thought it was possible either, but driving a !@#$%^&* Honda can do that to people. If you drove a Honda, even you would get more fiesty!

rotokim

Just came back from Millersport today. My tech inspection and brake bleed are complete and my form for the DE is filled out.

Chuck Miller in Hillborough, NC is a cool guy - I think I have met my preferred tech.

Bob

rmurph

Bob, you are almost there, just another two weeks and on the track. Hey, enjoy Rockingham this Sunday, should be fun. See you guys next week, off to the OBX to build track day points with the wife. Sorry I will miss the tech session tomorrow and some good stories from Dell. Way to go Dell! Great videos.

rotokim

Thanks, Rich. An oil change tomorrow, Rockingham tomorrow, and DE next weekend - pretty close to perfection. I stopped by Leith tonight and heard that there's a possibility that I'll be riding in a Cayenne at 130 mph as it moves through the banked curves of Rockingham. Soooo, I'm planning to buy some adult diapers before going.
Bob

rotokim

Another DE Question - I have front tires that are 7 years old. Just found out at Millersport. They're also a little cupped. Tread is OK, but wearing a little thin on the inside - still some life on the outside. So, the advice I rec'd from one experienced Porsche guy (with lots of track time) is keep the tires through my first DE. Wear them out a little more. Then, go buy a nice set of front tires.

Is it a good idea to keep them until after the DE? Or should I get rid of them and run new tires? The DE is about 1.5 weeks away now.

LVDell

If anything you might have a bit more understeer but then again this is your FIRST trip to the rodeo so you won't be able to compare it to anything else

Your tires will be fine and from what I remember when we had your car over at my place on the lift, the tires looked more than fine for a DE. Think of this DE as like our Saturday fun runs but with no police!!!

rotokim

Thanks for the advice, Dell. I'll stick with the tires I have - you reminded me of what they looked like on the lift.

I considered making the change b/c the old tires were a little loud/tiresome on the way back from Rockingham. Probably can fix the issue by checking tire pressure and making sure it's right (I'll bet it's a little low in the right front tire).

Bob

rotokim

I'm back, and I'm hooked. Here's a video from Helmut - a friend of ours in his Cayman S. What a fantastic way to get to really know my car! Great friends, great accommodations at the track, great instructor (Jeff Hare), great track, and no rain!

I also had rides with Jeff H. (track-prepped '99 996 like mine) and Dell (964 RSA race-prepped) for several laps. Incredible - no better way to describe it. Those guys can really drive.

Bob