Tracking my c4s

I�m gonna have first track event in a few weeks since I bought a car. Wanted to get some general suggestions as to what I should pay attention to while prepping the car? And I have a specific question about tires. I was suggested to get Toyo Proxes R888R. Are they good? I bought an extra set of rims, which have very used racing tires exactly same size as my street tires 225/40/18 and 295/30/18. I wounder if I have to go with wider front tires for better grip, will they fit? It�s just I used to have an E36 M3 and I was using same size front/back track tires, even though ad stock were different sizes. thanks for your inputs!

Are you already running a deep sump oil pan? If not, that's the first thing I'd do before moving from street tires to track tires.

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yes, right after purchase I got ims, clutch, baffled deep sump oil pan installed, tensioners and belts on engine replaced.

R888R aren't the best track tire but will save your street tires from abuse. I prefer a Michelin ps2 over the R888R but they are expensive probably same grip level and wear but feel sharper and not noisy. For sizes I run 235/40/18 front 295/30/18 rear on my 996 C4S, so yes you can go a bit wider in front and keep it with spec to not ruin your front diff. You could run GT2 sizes if your have 12" rear rims but not needed with only 270 torque. I run GT2 sizes with my 996tt which has about 500 torque. You'll find there is plenty of front grip with stock alignment and tires it pushes neutrally in the corners.Basically just steer and it will go there.

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I agree, I did not do this and as a result blew my engine die to oil starvation....on a long hi speed right hand turn...I had r888 tires on.🤗

+996 on the deep sump. I run Yokohama AD08R - great street/track tire on dry pavement. Most importantly change to race pads and flush the brake fluid.

U may want to change the engine oil to a race oil. Kinda depends on how many sessions and how long they r. Ill be running my first de in march. Im getting a deep sump and skid, michelin pss tires in 235/295, flushing the brake fluid to a high boiling point brembo or driven product and changing the engine oil. My car already has pigid yellow pads. I think u would want to check the suspension and brakes on every corner. Putting the time in the garage will help keep u out of the pits.

If this is the first time you are on the track, just drive with the used racing tires the rims came with and don't worry too much about others being faster than you. Just get used to the car, learn how to drive it and have fun. You can worry about being competitive once you get good at driving.

agree with above. deep sump is useless from my experience. well, i take that back, it will help delay the rise in oil temp, but for starvation, does nothing.

I now track my 04 C4S. My first event i went out as stock as stock gets. Had the most fun i have ever had. Car handled like a dream. Some people said they are common to under steer. I never had an issue. Only bad part was after a weekend event i destroyed my stock Michelin on the edges. Had to do some alignment work with aftermarket parts to make it work. I run 225/40r18 / 295/30r18 on street and 245/40r18 / 315/30r18 on track. I have been told by many on the turbo forum that this is really the only size options we have to keep the diff happy. Some people disagree, but most don't. My next event was on dedicated track tires. It was a whole different experience, not really a good one. Ton's of people told me to leave the car stock until i got several HPDE's under my belt. I didn't listen. While i am very please with my performance and the cars. I can see where leaving it stock is preferred until the driver is ready. As for tire options. do a search on google for "toyo r888r rennlist". read the posts...... majority of people are not at all happy with toyo.... most suggest Nitto NT01 if you are going to go R compound. Since you said you have done the IMS and deep sump you should be good to go. I also quickly found out how bad these cars need a deep sump.... every high speed sweeping corner showed the oil pressure drop. As soon as i noticed i called it quits and fixed that issue thanks to LN Engineering's 2 qt deep sump. Only advice i can really give is the one i didn't listen too after my first event. Leave the car alone and work on the driver. Can't tell you how much i wish i listened.

Get a good laser temp gauge so you can keep an eye on how hot each tire gets, and what psi they each start at. You'll hear a hundred different recommendations on tire pressure, go with your gut for the track. Ask some others at the track what they start at, but keep in mind if the tires aren't the exact ones you have it may be invalid. Good on the baffle, definitely make sure the pads are good and you have a fresh flush of DOT 4 at least. Concentrate on the little things first time and just get out there and drive! SMOOOOOOOOOTTTHHHHHHHHHH is the name of the game! Fast will come later. Oh, and run the DT-40 racing oil and change it after the run.

Which track? If it's Big Willow, keep an eye on your oil pressure through turns 7,8,9. Big fast right hander. Great fun track (I'd do it on my RSV4 bike). Never done one with the Pcar.

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You can do a DE on a completely stock car with fresh brake pads, brake fluid and decent tires and obviously a helmet. There are more experts than I, but DT-40 is a racing oil and IMO overkill for a DE. One of the reasons it has to be changed often is it has little or no corrosion inhibitors, just more friction reducers. Use a good quality high temp brake fluid, not just any DOT 4. You can run OEM brake pads, but you should consider an upgrade to track pads. Most of the track pads will squeak on the street. A track alignment should be considered first for tire wear, not lap times, otherwise you will wear the left front outside tire edge.assuming a clockwise track. If this is your first DE there are a hundred other small things for your DE. A canopy, tarps for the ground and to cover things, tent pegs, a good camping chair, a really thin and comfortable track/walking shoes to drive in(or driving shoes), a cooler, water, sunscreen, tools, a torque wrench, a quality tire gauge, don't worry about a jack/there will be plenty to borrow if needed.

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i agree with all with the exception of the oil comment. Please learn about Driven DT40. It is NOT a racing oil with limited corrosion packages. I believe you may be confusing their other line of XP9. Without getting into a pissing contest, many many people recomend DT40 has your daily street oil and switch to XP9 for the track events. I personally run DT40 for 6 month intervals (less than 3,000 miles in my case) and send it out every time for a lab for testing. Everytime i get the results back its always a thumbs up with a comment from the lab suggesting i run it longer.

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YOUR first track event, or the CAR'S first track event? Either way, I'd run it in more or less stock trim, whatever tires and brakes you've got that'll make it through the weekend. I'm a big proponent of just getting used to driving the car and how it handles. No need to start spending money yet, as you shouldn't be setting any records your first time out with the car

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Mbren, I like the sound of that. So you are running DT40 at the track? If so, how many track days between oil changes? I am running Amsoil for street and track, have had great results and conservatively get an oil change after 3 track days. Might try to push it to 4 if the analysis shows it is ok.

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oh boy i hope this dosent thread jack or turn into oil arguments......hate to even answer this. My answer is complicated and confusing and honestly i dont even have an answer yet. I got my C4S almost 2 years ago. All the research i did came up with Jake Raby @ Flat Six and Charles Navaro @ LN Engineering are the gods/gurus of the cars and have reinvented the owners manual. There are tons of threads out here about them highly recomending Driven Oil. They are the ones who suggested DT 40 on the streets with 6 month 3,000 mile drain intervals and XP9 as a track day only oil. This left me with a small amount of confusion as they never stated how long the XP9 is good for (IE: can i drive it back and forth to the track? Is it good for only 1 HPDE weekend or a few?). When i had my first tech inspection for my first HPDE i asked that question to the tech (who tracks all the time) and he suggested to just leave the DT40 in the car as i will most likely be driving like Miss Daisy. My first event was a success with the exception of noticing oil starvation on heavy G long sweepers. After the event i tried to PM Jake to ask him for advice but his PM box is disabled (guess i understand why). I emailed LN Engineering asking what to do and the sent me cool PDF file all about prep stuff to do to the M96 engine to lessen the risk of failure. Long story short, i purchased a crap ton of LN Engineering parts and a few cases of DT40 and XP9 (good god that was expensive). This PDF file also mentioned the same info about Driven DT40 and XP9 and their perspective uses. However nothing mentioned about the drain intervals. Around this same time Jake Raby did some YouTube videos with Lake Speed JR of Joe Gibbs Driven Oils. They discussed the use of proper oil application to protect the fragile M96 engine and its 2 million modes of failure. I thought since i couldnt get an answer about drain intervals with XP9 i would send an email to Joe Gibbs Racings Driven Oil and ask the source directly. To my surprise Lake Speed JR himself responded to my email. This was his response. Mike, Thanks for contacting us. Since you are driving the car to the track, the DT40 is the correct oil for your application. DT40 is capable of HPDE track use, especially since you are upgrading the oiling system. So honestly i am confused at this point. My first HPDE was with DT40. Sent it to the lab and they claimed all was perfect and the TBN report showed the oil and additive packages were a long way away from replacement time. Now i have been using XP9 at track events because i have it on the shelf. When i run out i don't know what to do. It is stupid expensive to be swapping oil many times a year to go to a HPDE. But on the other side its much cheaper than an engine failure. So the question becomes, who do you listen to, Jake Raby and Charles Navarro or Lake Speed JR the spokesman for Driven Oil. Maybe we will get lucky and they will notice this thread and comment.

We’ve never used DT40 on the track. I require XP series of Driven oils for any track usage with my engines. Who do you listen to? No one. Do what you believe is best. Be responsible, be accountable, no one can tell you how to think.

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i listen to the leaders and pioneers in the industry. You, Charles, and Lake Speed have proven history and track records. My plan is to do everything within my power to never have to meet you (no offense). Thats why i listen, research and send fluids out for testing to confirm. My current unknown was/is just the XP9 usage. As a person who only does HPDE. I live in orlando and want to run Roebling, Sebring and eventually Daytona. I have a buddy who owns a trailer who allows me to use it if he is not. I was curious to know about XP9 usage. Could i drive it to and from the track if needed? Are we talking 1 weekend only? I have heard 500 miles is the life expectancy? I know lab testing will answer all the questions. But i was looking for more of a guide line or base line to start with. Thanks for reaching out.

Whether or not you’ll have to contact me is more luck than anything else. You can do everything possible, and on the track, luck can still run out. I run XP oils for one event weekend. That’s usually including a 2-300 mile commute to and from the event, which isn’t hard on the oil. Roebling and Sebring are hell on these engines. My biggest advice to you is to never run back to back sessions, and to limit session time to 15 minutes when the ambient temps are higher than 90F.

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Sweet. This is exactly the baseline i was looking for. Can't tell you how much most of us appreciate you and Charles constantly being in these forums sharing your wealth of knowledge. Some people say i'm just another Fan Boy.....yes....yes i am.

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I�m not one for followers.. Guess I am too old school for all that.

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It�s respect. You�re never to old for that, you earned it.

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couldn't agree more...... and if you never wanted followers, you should be such a damn good leader.

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I�m just a guy that started an engine building business, so I could do things my way. Nothing more than that. I think we need more leaders, than followers. That�s just me.

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It will be CAR'S first track event. I used to go to HPDE and Time Trial events on bmw e36 m3 I used to have. Im definitely not going for best times now, need to see how the car feels and what needs improved. It will be in Willow Springs, so I should be watching oil pressure in hard turns? What's normal pressure during the lap and what should get me concerned? Also, I just realized, since I have custom front and rear bumpers (GT2 I think) - there's no hole for tow hook and I think it might be required. Maybe there's a hook somewhere under the bumper, any advice?

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Sorry, no advice on the tow hook. But Willow Springs, the big track? Wow I am jealous, what a great track. I had a few chances to drive there many years ago, amazing! Enjoy!

When I take care of competition cars,, they get a full dump oil change after every event. Doesn't matter what brand of oil, it gets dumped. And it makes the 996 look cheap cause a V8 Winged sprint can have 3 to 5 gallons on board.. Usually redline or joe gibbs depending on the owner..