[Imp]

Figured I'd start a thread with things that need sharing that could help someone someday. (May be compiled from here or from other forums)

Tip #1 Setting the Cruise Control to the OFF position before running should be part of the pre-starting checklist.

While on track, or autoxing, if you feel nannies turn on quickly when you have shut them all off completely, make sure your cruise control is in the OFF position.

If your CC is in the ON position, and you accidently depress any buttons on the steering wheel (whether being hamfisted, shuffle steering, etc...), you may (or probably will) engage the nannies and upset and/or slow down the car. You will not have any lights appear in this case, but you will feel the nannies engage.

--kC

[rotis]

Tip #2 You can't use Competitive mode or disable stability control if there is a partial TPMS malfunction. You either need 4 functioning sensors or no sensors at all.

I have no sensors in my AutoX wheels. Make sure you don't stack your street wheels too close to the car, or it may inadvertently get a reading from one of them. It takes 20 minutes of driving for it to 'forget' about the sensors after a wheel swap.

[HumanWiki]

Tip #3 -- If you let manual drivers drive your auto, let them know that the manual mode gate swings over to the driver freely. No button press/lever pull is needed other than the shifter itself. This leads to issues with manual drivers that like to drive with their right hand firmly on the shifter as they will inevitably put the car in Manual Mode and it will not auto shift, leading to your engine bouncing off the limiter.

This has happened 2 of 2 times that I've let a stick driver pilot my car.

[Imp]

Tip(s) #4 for TCS/ESC settings and controls...

a) Everything on (key-up mode)

b) TCS off (ESC on) - one push of the button, will indeed give you a surprising amount of leeway, if you're clean with the steering. Though probably not helpful in the autox, since you have a lot of high steering rate stuff.

c) Comp Mode - two presses of the button, TCS is still completely off, ESC is in a highly relaxed mode, plus there's some brake-based torque-vectoring-like stuff. But Comp Mode is only available in Vehicle Mode Sport or Track, IIRC.

d) Finally, everything off - that's the 5 second hold, also only available in Sport or Track; no TCS, no ESC, only ABS.

In addition to different throttle and steering maps on the vehicle modes, if you have MR those settings change, and if you have an auto trans the shift mapping will change.

--kC

[bubbajan21]

Originally Posted by rotis

Tip #2 You can't use Competitive mode or disable stability control if there is a partial TPMS malfunction. You either need 4 functioning sensors or no sensors at all.

I have no sensors in my AutoX wheels. Make sure you don't stack your street wheels too close to the car, or it may inadvertently get a reading from one of them. It takes 20 minutes of driving for it to 'forget' about the sensors after a wheel swap.

When you say it will 'forget' about the sensors after 20 minutes of driving, are you saying the TPMS warning light will shut off?

[Glen e]

You can run without sensors in the wheels with no problem, if you do the following, we've done it on the BMW forums and others.

Remove all your tpms sensors
Get a piece of 1 foot pvc pipe
Put the sensors in the pipe. Cap each end, seal with cement
Drill a hole, mount an air valve, inflate to 32 psi
Throw it in the trunk, system will find all 4, no light and tpms system works fine

[Imp]

Originally Posted by bubbajan21

When you say it will 'forget' about the sensors after 20 minutes of driving, are you saying the TPMS warning light will shut off?

Not quite.

It takes 20 min of driving for the car to not throw the error code, but the light will remain lit (I think it stops blinking and goes to solid, not sure). If you drive anywhere near other TPMS sensors that are broadcasting, it may pick them up.

The story was conveyed about two techs working on their own cars a couple bays apart, both putting their cars in 'learning' mode, and both picking up each others sensors. They can be picked up in a decent distance away.

The pipe trick listed above is a good trick that works well.

--kC

[jaymsu]

Tip 5: for Manual drivers

DO NOT put your parking brakes on after hot laps.
Usually you will run cool down lap at the end of each session. Your cool down lap will cool off your brake rotors little bit, but your rotor is still hot enough to cook some thin-slice steak.

Just put a gear in, and never apply parking brake.

[evanescent03]

Originally Posted by Glen e

You can run without sensors in the wheels with no problem, if you do the following, we've done it on the BMW forums and others.

Remove all your tpms sensors
Get a piece of 1 foot pvc pipe
Put the sensors in the pipe. Cap each end, seal with cement
Drill a hole, mount an air valve, inflate to 32 psi
Throw it in the trunk, system will find all 4, no light and tpms system works fine

he's saying you can't run with only SOME of the sensors.. it's all 4 or none... i was reading your post thinking you were making up some elaborate "destroy the TPMSs" story only to realize it was an actual idea. that's hysterical! i get annoyed seeing the TPMS warning light at track days but this seems like too much work. still, good work on the work around by the development team!

[locktyght]

Originally Posted by jaymsu

Tip 5: for Manual drivers

DO NOT put your parking brakes on after hot laps.
Usually you will run cool down lap at the end of each session. Your cool down lap will cool off your brake rotors little bit, but your rotor is still hot enough to cook some thin-slice steak.

Just put a gear in, and never apply parking brake.

#5B On that cool down lap, use a higher gear than needed (M6), and try to not use the brakes at all if you can help it.

My Tip- Check your lug nut torque between sessions/runs, but never while wheels are still hot.

[locktyght]

In prepping for a track day this Saturday, I made myself a checklist as I packed tonight. Figured instead of a new thread, I would post here. Not all of these are must haves, but they are helpful.

Note: I am signed off as a solo driver for Porsche Club of America and NASA events, but I am still a novice by definition, and these are the things I have carried since my first track day, and have served me well.


In no particular order:

8-19mm Socket set (22mm for my locking lugs) and drive size matching breaker bar.

2 air pressure gauges, or one really good one.

Blue Painters Tape- used for numbers, rock/rubber protection

Hockey Pucks (or zl1 add ons pinch weld adapters)

2 or 3 1"x1" pieces of wood about 3 feet long (pre cut deck rails at Home Depot, Lowes etc) to keep your stuff off of the ground should the weather become wet.

Air Pump, Bicycle, cigarette lighter pump, I have a battery op ryobi that I love.

1 pint brake fluid

Dead Blow or regular hammer

Small and Medium Prybar

Torque Wrench

Glass Cleaner

Paper Towels

Small Cooler

half dozen bottled waters

Snacks

SUNSCREEN

Chargers for phones, go pros, transponders etc

Shipping blanket, to cover up belongings/lay on if needed

MINIMUM of 1 Jackstand, and a piece of plywood to place it on, for both stability, and to keep from chewing up the facilities tarmac. (in the south, they will dig in deep when hot)

Jack, I use a 3 ton 75$ish race jack from HF

Race Ramps (optional, but handy)

Magnetic Number Plates (optional, see blue tape from earlier)

2 quarts of oil you are running

Gloves, I prefer 2 pair, 1 leather for hot jobs, 1 nitrile for precision or cool jobs.

Assorted screw drivers

Allen wrench set, Standard and Metric

A hat, I prefer a fisherman hat with a wide brim for the hot weather.

Towel

Rain Suit

Umbrella

Chair

Small grocery sack, for trash, wet clothes etc

Change of clothes (optional) I prefer to change after a hot day, or a rainy day as I have to drive 2 hours to get to the track/home.

Small tarp 4x4, to cover belongings from the wet

2 flashlights, you'll inevitably lose one, or one will be dead

Headlamp

Batteries for the previous 2 items

Standard and metric end wrenches

Left Handed Metric Adjustable......in a pinch any old adjustable will do

Channel Locks

Telescoping Inspection Mirror

Telescoping Magnet

Torx bit set.





These items are all available for cheaper/cheapish at HF or Northern, and many of them I have bought just as dedicated tools for HPDE/AutoX.


Hope this helps someone.

[race2win]

Originally Posted by Glen e

You can run without sensors in the wheels with no problem, if you do the following, we've done it on the BMW forums and others.

Remove all your tpms sensors
Get a piece of 1 foot pvc pipe
Put the sensors in the pipe. Cap each end, seal with cement
Drill a hole, mount an air valve, inflate to 32 psi
Throw it in the trunk, system will find all 4, no light and tpms system works fine

I don't think this will work with the Camaro, I drove home from the Crows Landing Champ Tour on my wheels that don't have sensors, with the wheels that do have sensors inside the car...the attached pic is what the display currently says after the 50+ mile drive, only recognizing 1 sensor and still has a TPMS fault. The GM system may need to see all 4 sensors at each corner with rotation? Not sure...

If I leave the tires that have sensors in the garage and go for a 20-mile drive (not 20 minutes), it will "reset" and the display will show all 4 corners with no PSI reading with a TPMS fault. As soon as I get within 50ft of my garage (or my paddock spot) it will recognize only one sensor like the attached picture shows. When this happens stability control cannot be disabled.

There are 2 ways to fix it when this happens...take a 20-mile drive, or disconnect the battery and reconnect somewhere more than 50ft away from the wheels with sensors. Or I guess the 3rd way to fix it would be to not have sensors in any of your competition wheels like Ryan does...this is what I will do going forward.

[apexit53]

Originally Posted by rotis

Tip #2 You can't use Competitive mode or disable stability control if there is a partial TPMS malfunction. You either need 4 functioning sensors or no sensors at all.

I have no sensors in my AutoX wheels. Make sure you don't stack your street wheels too close to the car, or it may inadvertently get a reading from one of them. It takes 20 minutes of driving for it to 'forget' about the sensors after a wheel swap.

I think this needs its own thread lol

I ran a friends 1ss at the 1st autox event this year. We had the OE wheels and tires stacked next to the car in paddock. It was throwing a TPMS light and holding down the TC button I was still able to shut everything off. It wasn't cutting in on track and felt fine.

I hate how cars have become this complicated, but i do like how east it is to shut off the TC on this car... no stupid pedal dance or come secret handshake to get it to turn off all the way.

[TrackClub]

good generic info very useful for rookies regarding how to prepare for a track event can be found here:
www.soBMW.ca then go to SCHOOLS tab top left then select ADDITIONAL INFO...