[Tim M]

Originally Posted by Midnight Rat

Says video unavailable.

Apologies...fixed it.

[Tim M]

Found a parts source for Chevrolet...an Opel dealership. A portion of the building was occupied by a few Chevy's...a Corvette and two Camaros.

Grabbed an image of the V-8 Camaro.



Also one of the sticker...yes that is $60,000 in US money!



Appears Germany does have a few tariffs on American cars...

[Tim M]

Well TireRack came thru big...rubber donuts arrived in 8 days from the states - amazing!



Got an appt Saturday to lever them on...big part of getting the car passed inspection.

A worker snickered when I mentioned the 285 was the 'front' tire...:-)

[Tim M]

Used the post's Car Hobby Shop to give it a bath (car wash limited to car wash facilities only - still can't get over that!) and an oil change with Motul 5W-40. With the drive on lift, 29 minutes start to finish...extremely nice option. Too quick to even get an image...

Following day...success! $60 got all four OEM tires replaced/installed. Quite a bargain assuming they run true. An extra 20 Euro will do wonders for care and understanding...





Quick trip down the autobahn (100 click limit), filled up the car with post gas...:



Almost exactly half the cost of off post fuel...although off post you can get the 100 octane (~94 octane) Optimax fun juice:



Re-inspection is Monday...very difficult not to take advantage of the Ring open day tomorrow...unique as the F1 Track is also open and is a rarity...believe one could lap the entire 25 KM circuit! But concerned about tire wear precluding my inspection...so will stand down. Next weekend it is game on for another go...

[Tim M]

Didn't want to do it, but without plates no fun. So screwed the European plate bracket into the front of the grill (black portion only) to fit the long plate.

Before:



After:



Some blockage to the radiator unfortunately, but may not be an issue in this cooler climate country.

[Tim M]

Had another opportunity to make the 6 hour round trip to Nurburg for couple of laps around the Ring...weather looked bleak, but turned out spectacular - blue sky, dry pavement, calm winds, and 60 degrees!

The Sunday drive out returned vacant autobahns...even found some cheap 98 octane fuel so brought the speed up a notch...beautiful condition roads.

Knocked 5 laps and absolute fun. The Camaro sounded like music and performed better than I would imagine. Ran in Track mode (defaults) and it was a great tool. The last lap showed quite a bit of throttle restriction - likely because I was over-driving the car. It certainly made one a bit more aggressive...but, of course the line is where the improvement will be.

First first visit was a 10:10 time from the bridge to gantry. This visit was a best of ~8:20...I like data so nice to keep track. My lines are not ideal, still very unfamiliar with portions of the track - especially the high speed areas which is where much time will be gained.

I averaged 6.2 mpg, 265 degrees on the oil and enjoyed all 65 miles of it. The altitude variation and lumpiness of the track is hard to imagine until experienced. Ears popping on each lap and the car taking a quick leap 3 x times a lap is better than any roller coaster.

Some very experienced and talented operators out there (I'm not one of them), I was handily passed by an older prepped Mercedes (I didn't think they ever made a fast car!), a new Mini (yes!), an older BMW E30 that had no power, but cornered like he knew how to drive (see the video) and finally even a diesel BMW 3 series WAGON! Rolling coal the entire time...great fun!

#1 Fill up:



Arrival - also procured a 'badge of honor' sticker at the Ring shop:



"5 Laps, Please" (150 Euro = $168):



After my first 3 laps, took a break and ended up in the gravel/overflow section...so many cars were present...although I've seen it where this gravel lot is overflowing as well:



Met a German fellow with another Camaro...a Euro spec V8 Camaro (6 speed). He was elated how the car performed...8:30's GTB time. He mentioned the Camaro would soon no longer be sold in Germany due to all cars requiring 'particulate filter' installations. I was only familiar with a diesel requirement...hmm.



Also spied a car I hadn't recognized before...Alpine. Interesting...:



Post laps: Some brake use (I tend to be a light breaker - only felt ABS 3-4 times...):



Fill up for the ride home:



Glad to clean the track grunge off...some concern on the brake dust, but this car's just falls off - wonderful!:



Post clean up...applied (only circuit stickers will be applied!):

[Tim M]

Not sure why the audio faltered at the higher speeds.

Lap traffic added to the thrills in the later laps. I would certainly prefer an empty circuit so I can blame myself for mistakes. Some were eager to put the right turn signal on...others, weren't used to checking mirrors, etc. I hate to be that guy to hold someone up...

Shoot for another visit in a month...Camaro really delivers!

[Boost Creep]

Originally Posted by Tim M

Not sure why the audio faltered at the higher speeds.

Lap traffic added to the thrills in the later laps. I would certainly prefer an empty circuit so I can blame myself for mistakes. Some were eager to put the right turn signal on...others, weren't used to checking mirrors, etc. I hate to be that guy to hold someone up...

Shoot for another visit in a month...Camaro really delivers!

Wind noise/buffeting from windows down.
I get horrible buffeting at anything above 60mph with the drivers window all the way down. If I crack open the passenger side or partially close the drivers window, it goes away.

Others have commented on PDR audio issues at higher speeds on track.

I think there's a thread where a member tries to solve this by wiring in an external mic.

[mjk3888]

AWESOME!!! Keep the videos coming!!!

Also try out PTM 2 Dry, or PTM 3 Sport 1 next visit. These are the safest modes for track use in my opinion. I think it will be both safer and faster for you. PTM strikes preemptively to avoid wheel spin by cutting power in response to inputs like steering angle and throttle application. It's also nice to hear the audible power cutting to let you know if your pushing to hard. On the contrary track mode with tc and stability left on will wait for actual slippage then try to recover after the fact with brakes and power cut. Your driving looks smooth enough to not be an issue, but in extreme circumstances tc and sc on will overheat the brakes trying to keep everything under control. I think you will have more fun and feel safer with PTM on.

PTM is commonly misconceived as a more aggressive and therefore easier to lose control. I can assure you that PTM Dry is very safe and PTM Wet is almost laughably conservative. You can run PTM Wet on the street and apply full throttle exiting a turn and you will audibly hear and feel the significant power cut. Thats an exaggerated example of what PTM does. Higher modes are simply less intrusive.

So here's my cheat sheet

-Track Mode
-Override to Lighter Steering Mode (If desired)
-two presses of TC Off button to activate PTM
-Mode Rocker Switch up or down to select desired PTM mode

-PTM 1 WET (I would let my wife track my car in this mode)
Meant for Wet tracks. Has extremely safe limits, Extreme amounts of power cutting
(Stability Control is still present)

-PTM 2 Dry (Good if you want to learn a new track with a nice safety net)
Use for dry (maybe cold) tracks has very safe limits, Significant amounts of power cutting
(Stability Control is still present)

-PTM 3 Sport 1 (Good to run decent pace with comfort of stability control still available)
Use for dry tracks with safe but not overly restrictive limits, reasonable amount of power cutting, seems to allow full power unless you have a ton of steering angle and full throttle. Usually catches a drift immediately after initiation. Might seem to hinder corner exit rotation if you are really hustling
(Stability Control is still present)

-PTM 4 Sport 2 (Good to run when you want more rotation)
Use for dry tracks tires up to temp. Only some power cutting. Will not interfere with brakes.
(Stability Control is OFF)

-PTM 5 Race (Good to run for hotlaps)
Use for dry tracks tires up to temp. Only minimal power cutting. Will not interfere with brakes.
(Stability Control is OFF)

If you want to go even more full nerd about PTM see this thread for more information.

https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showt...=ptm+explained

[hotlap]

Awesome!

[Tim M]

For folks that enjoy sports cars the facility is a pretty impressive experience.

In the states, I used to attend one car show - Dupont Registry deal - only reason I'd go is to hear the exotics pull out - usually a couple dozen Italian cars. Now at the Ring...get to see them at full song!

6 hours is the longest I've driven for a 'track day', but certainly worth it IMO.

mjk3888: Great info. I've not used any of the electronic helpers before on previous cars - were not for performance. The Camaro's was much appreciated to keep me in line. The power cut was significant on the corner exits - one can see my WOT and no increase in rpm/accel. I almost thought I was low on fuel at the cut out.

Next time, I may have to adjust the settings as I defaulted on Track - full assistance from all the aids.

[wnta1ss]

Personally I think it's a good idea working your way up learning this track. Being 6 hours away to get 'home', and how expensive things are over there, I wonder just how outrageous the cost would be to tow your car if you crashed it.

[Tim M]

Track visits are always risky.

Conservative is the name of the game especially on this track that has nil run off...

[Red Hot ZL1]

Glad to see you having some fun Tim!