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I took the car to Road America yesterday. Overall, I would say it did impressively well for what it is and was pretty reliable. However, the longer 25 min. sessions proved to be too much for the car once I picked up the pace.
The Good: I did not have the same problem with the power steering fluid leaking horribly like I did in Shawano (much more technical track). It still leaked a little bit, but I have better fluid I plan to switch to.
The brakes held up very well with the right pads and fluid even with lots of high speed braking(almost completely- more later). They are now gold thanks to the heat- so now I have free "custom painted calipers."
The handling was predictable and it cornered flat. It never got loose even with the stability control off most of the time. I usually left it on for the first lap or so while the tires warmed up.
It sounded amazing under throttle, especially coming out of Canada corner echoing off of the trees/walls. I had a few people come up to me mentioning how great it sounded.
The car was faster through the corners than almost everything else in my group, but I attribute that to my familiarity with the track and experience since just about anything could pull away from me on the straights. To give you an idea, there were 5 sessions and I was only passed on the last session and only by 2 cars- a new McLaren who was behind me the previous 2 sessions (obviously not the fastest driver) and a Shelby Mustang. I had a number of people comment on how fast I was on the track. One guy even asked if it was supercharged.
The GT-R and Alfa 4C should have caught me eventually if they were putting down the lap times they claimed. Some of the faster cars I passed were a Stingray, a C6, Mustang GT, Cadillac ATS-V, supercharged Jaguar, Mercedes SLK55 AMG, 911 Turbo, and a 928. I think it comes down to the driver though because I am sure I could have put down better lap times in most of those cars. However, the G37S would not have allowed me to do that if it was not capable.
These are the cars I had the most fun with- mainly the GT-R
And now the bad: I did the first two sessions on just over 1/2 a tank of gas so I figured I would be ok to do the 3rd. About 15min into that session I got a fuel cutoff going down the kettle bottoms into Canada corner. The next lap it happened in the same spot and also on the main straight. The gas light came on and it was right on E so I left early to gas up. When I got to the gas station I was almost up to 1/4 tank so if you are low, fill it up. Keep in mind I got 65 min of high speed driving out of one tank so not so bad and an easy thing to keep an eye on.
The power steering fluid and coolant both got hot and leaked a little bit. Nothing major, but they got too hot.
The Infiniti emblem on the engine cover either melted off or the previous owner broke it and super glued it back on and the heat melted the glue. Still not sure where that ended up.
On the 4th session the clutch went to the floor. I still had a small engagement point at the very bottom and did another lap and a half- carefully. I think I was inadvertently keeping the clutch in too long when I was heel and toe down shifting into turn 1 and turn 5 after the long straights. I am not sure why that would cause the clutch fluid to get too hot, but I think that is what happened. The next session I was quicker on the clutch and it was fine.
On the last session the ABS failed and I flat spotted the RF tire braking into turn 8. I initially thought it was the car behind me squealing the tires as the brakes felt exactly the same. In the split second it took for me to see the smoke and lifting off the brake the tire was already flat spotted. The car is throwing a code for a RR ABS sensor. I thought it would be due to the heat, but the front brakes should have had the issue long before that. I thought about just getting one tire and shaving it to match the other, but the driver's side has a hint of flat spot and I would hate to shave one tire only to realize I need two. It is very loud at speed- sounds like the wheel is going to fall off. It sucks that I have to buy two tires, but it could have been a lot worse if the brakes gave out entirely.
Update: the rear ABS sensors are attached to the rear diff above the rear exhaust. The heat combined from both sources was enough to melt the sensors. The right side melted through and is hanging by a thread. The left side is partially melted and will probably eventually fail. Each part costs $237 at my employee cost. This track day is turning out to be a lot more expensive than I thought.
Anyone else have this issue or know a solution? Thanks!
The heat would be coming off the diff itself. I would look into the Z1 finned diff cover. I have one on my car, but haven't tracked it since putting it on, so I don't know how effective it actually is. But it's a nicely made part and *looks* like it would be effective...
The heat would be coming off the diff itself. I would look into the Z1 finned diff cover. I have one on my car, but haven't tracked it since putting it on, so I don't know how effective it actually is. But it's a nicely made part and *looks* like it would be effective...
That would probably help. If the diff gets that hot, why in the world would Infiniti have something as important as ABS sensors made out of plastic mounted to it. If I had not reacted to this almost instantly, I could have easily gone off the track and into a wall.
Originally Posted by Lt8Che
Would it be more beneficial to lose the ABS all together for the track?
Not at all. Unless you want to flat spot your tires and slide off the track.
Ok, so I talked to Stillen (useless) and Z1 who said they have melted other stuff in the diff, but not the ABS sensors. For the time being I ordered some Redline fluid from Z1 and if I go back to Road America I will upgrade to Motul fluid and their rear diff cover with the cooling fins.
Got some good news today. The ABS sensors are priced by the pair so I feel like they are 50% off now. Also got the new front tires on this morning and now my car is significantly quieter and rides a lot better too.
Here is a pic of the new "custom" brake caliper color
That would probably help. If the diff gets that hot, why in the world would Infiniti have something as important as ABS sensors made out of plastic mounted to it. If I had not reacted to this almost instantly, I could have easily gone off the track and into a wall.
Not at all. Unless you want to flat spot your tires and slide off the track.
This makes sense. I was seeing people remove the system over on the 370 forum, but I could only some benefit on a pro series car.
It sounds like a sensible approach. The only reason why I have the finned diff cover now is because it came with the "pre-installed LSD rear diff package". But as I said, it's a nice piece, the fins hang below the diff so it actually hangs in the path of air blowing under the car. The next question is: how hot is the air blowing under there? But it also increases fluid capacity, so that would help on it's own.
It sounds like a sensible approach. The only reason why I have the finned diff cover now is because it came with the "pre-installed LSD rear diff package". But as I said, it's a nice piece, the fins hang below the diff so it actually hangs in the path of air blowing under the car. The next question is: how hot is the air blowing under there? But it also increases fluid capacity, so that would help on it's own.
"Pre-instaled LSD rear diff package?" Do you mean the previous owner installed the Z1 diff cover? I have an LSD, but no finned diff cover.
No, they sell a package where you buy an LSD from them (I got the Wavetrac), and they install it into a rear diff housing for you. So when you take receipt of it, you swap out your rear diff, and send them back your core. It's convenient for people like me who don't want to worry about setting lash on the ring and pinion, or want to press in the carrier bearings. But the package comes with diff bushings, finned diff cover, and fluid. Of course, all in addition to the actual LSD and R&P ratio you choose.
09-27-2016, 04:57 PM
