stocky

Actually when you have understeer in the S2000 you are too slow!

JackOlsen

You're getting good advice, here. As a novice, your laptimes have pretty much zero to do with the car you're driving or its setup. It's all about learning the line, throttle points and braking points.

The typical novice behavior is to charge into slow corners off line and too fast, and then tip-toe through the fast corners -- still off line. The understeer you're describing is probably the result of coming into a slow corner too hot and braking too late. It might feel fast, but it isn't.

If you want to get fast, take advantage of as much instruction as you can. Have the instructors ride with you. Also have them drive your car. Also have them take you out as a passenger in their cars. As other drivers here have emphasized, save the car mods for much later -- do it when you're faster around the track in your car than an instructor is.

It's much more impressive to be the fastest guy out there in an unmodified car on street tires than it is to bring a fully-set-up race car to the track and still be slow.

Mik3

LOL his first track day sounds similar to mine. After my instructor left I was charging corners WAY too fast and got massive understeer. It wasn't till I calmed down and learn to break early so that I can turn the car did my times drop. I also learned the the hard way about understeer and the human body, cause I was getting some caluses on my hands trying to turn the car when braking too late. It could also be crappy gloves.

cthree

My only comment would be that using S02s on the track is going to do pretty much what you experienced. You are probably driving into the corners with too much speed. Your options are (in order):

1) use track tires
2) there is no #2

JackOlsen

I'd respectfully disagree about using track tires. If you want to be a fast driver, use street tires for your first 8-10 events, at least -- and then keep going back to them occasionally to remind yourself of what car control is all about.

mbvt

Thanks all! This turns out to be an interesting thread with a lot of good advice. There are three trackdays left on my local track before season closes, so maybe I get a chance to apply the above advice