New B7 RS4 owner...
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Joined: Dec 2011
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From: Washington DC
I used to autocross out at Fedex in a CRX with a JDM B16a motor and complete suspension makeover setup with a super stiff rear end to help with understeer in the tight turns. The thing was a go cart and I would constantly have people in $30k+ sports cars wondering how it was so quick. I can tell just from the 3 weeks with the RS4 that it would understeer hard in those small twisties. You could try putting coilovers (set very stiff in the rear) and a huge sway bar in the back to help stiffen the rear end which will help it slide around corners, but watch out on the road with any type of high speed driving on that setup. Honestly, just go buy a cheap Miata if you want to stick with autocrossing...probably be more fun.
gibsonl,
When you say local track, are you referring to Summit Point Raceway? I'll be heading there for at least one FATT day this year and hopefully an open track day once I'm "approved". I'll create a thread for it once they release the Calendar, but hopefully we can get some good R/RS/S attendance. I've also got a few friends that will be joining me, one with a C63 and the other is driving a new dual clutch M3 sedan.
gibsonl,
When you say local track, are you referring to Summit Point Raceway? I'll be heading there for at least one FATT day this year and hopefully an open track day once I'm "approved". I'll create a thread for it once they release the Calendar, but hopefully we can get some good R/RS/S attendance. I've also got a few friends that will be joining me, one with a C63 and the other is driving a new dual clutch M3 sedan.
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Joined: Jun 2011
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From: DC Metro Area
Summit Point is our only track within a reasonable drive. Usually takes me about a little over an hour from right outside D.C. I'll probably be there every weekend from March-Nov. I usually just go for the go kart track though. They have the fastest concession style karts in the World. Their regular karts are 40-50mph but if you're fast/consistent enough they let you take out their "super karts" that have 4 stroke 20hp engines that get you to 60-70mph. It's so addictive!!
I did about 2 hours of track time with trackdaze last summer, but FATT is the same premise. I haven't done enough time to "solo" but to be honest, it's pretty all out even in the "beginner group". It's waive by passing so once you catch people they give you the waive bye if they aren't on your pace. There was 1 other RS4 when I went and my instructor had an S4 so he was able to show me the lines I needed to take with this car without me wasting a bunch of time to figure it out myself. I foolishly went out on my 8 week old $1200 all season Michelin's and pretty much destroyed them. Make sure you have summer tires on to go out or you may as well kiss them goodbye. This car is brutal on the side walls. I would also suggest getting the stoptech street performance pads, stainless steele brake lines, and motul 600 brake fluid or you're risking some severe brake fatigue late in your runs.
You have a good group of friends for me to munch on so I'll be looking forward to it!
) Stick to track days on the Summit Point Circuit and avoid Shenandoah like the plague!
I did about 2 hours of track time with trackdaze last summer, but FATT is the same premise. I haven't done enough time to "solo" but to be honest, it's pretty all out even in the "beginner group". It's waive by passing so once you catch people they give you the waive bye if they aren't on your pace. There was 1 other RS4 when I went and my instructor had an S4 so he was able to show me the lines I needed to take with this car without me wasting a bunch of time to figure it out myself. I foolishly went out on my 8 week old $1200 all season Michelin's and pretty much destroyed them. Make sure you have summer tires on to go out or you may as well kiss them goodbye. This car is brutal on the side walls. I would also suggest getting the stoptech street performance pads, stainless steele brake lines, and motul 600 brake fluid or you're risking some severe brake fatigue late in your runs.
You have a good group of friends for me to munch on so I'll be looking forward to it!
) Stick to track days on the Summit Point Circuit and avoid Shenandoah like the plague!
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Joined: Jun 2006
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From: great lakes, yoo ess of eh
You might try more air pressure to keep the tires from rolling. Here's my M5 after the first autocross session. The sidewall scrub got better after adding a whopping 6 psi. It's about all you can do for a nose-heavy car.
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Summit Point is our only track within a reasonable drive. Usually takes me about a little over an hour from right outside D.C. I'll probably be there every weekend from March-Nov. I usually just go for the go kart track though. They have the fastest concession style karts in the World. Their regular karts are 40-50mph but if you're fast/consistent enough they let you take out their "super karts" that have 4 stroke 20hp engines that get you to 60-70mph. It's so addictive!!
I did about 2 hours of track time with trackdaze last summer, but FATT is the same premise. I haven't done enough time to "solo" but to be honest, it's pretty all out even in the "beginner group". It's waive by passing so once you catch people they give you the waive bye if they aren't on your pace. There was 1 other RS4 when I went and my instructor had an S4 so he was able to show me the lines I needed to take with this car without me wasting a bunch of time to figure it out myself. I foolishly went out on my 8 week old $1200 all season Michelin's and pretty much destroyed them. Make sure you have summer tires on to go out or you may as well kiss them goodbye. This car is brutal on the side walls. I would also suggest getting the stoptech street performance pads, stainless steele brake lines, and motul 600 brake fluid or you're risking some severe brake fatigue late in your runs.
You have a good group of friends for me to munch on so I'll be looking forward to it!) Stick to track days on the Summit Point Circuit and avoid Shenandoah like the plague!
I did about 2 hours of track time with trackdaze last summer, but FATT is the same premise. I haven't done enough time to "solo" but to be honest, it's pretty all out even in the "beginner group". It's waive by passing so once you catch people they give you the waive bye if they aren't on your pace. There was 1 other RS4 when I went and my instructor had an S4 so he was able to show me the lines I needed to take with this car without me wasting a bunch of time to figure it out myself. I foolishly went out on my 8 week old $1200 all season Michelin's and pretty much destroyed them. Make sure you have summer tires on to go out or you may as well kiss them goodbye. This car is brutal on the side walls. I would also suggest getting the stoptech street performance pads, stainless steele brake lines, and motul 600 brake fluid or you're risking some severe brake fatigue late in your runs.
You have a good group of friends for me to munch on so I'll be looking forward to it!
) Stick to track days on the Summit Point Circuit and avoid Shenandoah like the plague!
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Autocross seems like torture for these cars. I'd rather be in something smaller, lighter and more fun. Boxster would be awesome (and cheap as hell). But I guess we own RS4s, so why not if you like it? A friend autocrosses his B6 and loves it. He does well too. He goes through tires and brake pads so fast I can't believe it. It's incredible.
Comments like 'drag racing will definitely eat up your clutch' make me wonder if they are being made by someone who hasn't even taken his RS4 to the dragstrip? In fact I can guarantee that they are.
If you are a bad driver and over launch your car, yes it will eat up your clutch. But that's because you're a bad driver, not because of the dragstrip. You would have ruined your clutch prematurely in normal daily driving eventually anyway. Maybe one should try to instead be a good driver?
I have launched my RS4 some 50 times, and my clutch is strong as hell. No clutch problems. I did the same on my B7 S4 (but probably triple or quadruple the launches). Stock clutch for 60,000 miles (and it was strong when I sold the car). The B7 RS4 clutch/flywheel is an excellent design. Those who decry it as weak are, I think, mistaken.
To put this dragstrip fearmongering into perspective, here's a scenario that happened to a forum member:
You're approaching the redline in 3rd gear near 100 mph and still accelerating on the long straight at VIR, you go to shift into 4th, but instead grab 2nd by accident, release the clutch, then hear the engine scream, watch your tach spin off the charts...hear something loud CLANK...feel something bounce hard off the road and your underbelly (the piston that was just jettisoned through the block)...and watch your oil warnings all light up just as you lose power. Disaster. The dreaded 'Money Shift'. This happens about 1-2 times per year to S4/RS4 owners in the various B6/7 forums out there (that we hear of) during track day events or just hard acceleration on the road at a canyon day for example.
Does that mean that 'road racing will eat up your engine'? Of course not. Bad driving will. Road racing will eat up your brakes and tires at an accelerated rate, as will hard driving on the road...but to draw conclusions for all drivers about what happens to bad drivers is a bit ridiculous.
Comments like 'drag racing will definitely eat up your clutch' make me wonder if they are being made by someone who hasn't even taken his RS4 to the dragstrip? In fact I can guarantee that they are.
If you are a bad driver and over launch your car, yes it will eat up your clutch. But that's because you're a bad driver, not because of the dragstrip. You would have ruined your clutch prematurely in normal daily driving eventually anyway. Maybe one should try to instead be a good driver?
I have launched my RS4 some 50 times, and my clutch is strong as hell. No clutch problems. I did the same on my B7 S4 (but probably triple or quadruple the launches). Stock clutch for 60,000 miles (and it was strong when I sold the car). The B7 RS4 clutch/flywheel is an excellent design. Those who decry it as weak are, I think, mistaken.
To put this dragstrip fearmongering into perspective, here's a scenario that happened to a forum member:
You're approaching the redline in 3rd gear near 100 mph and still accelerating on the long straight at VIR, you go to shift into 4th, but instead grab 2nd by accident, release the clutch, then hear the engine scream, watch your tach spin off the charts...hear something loud CLANK...feel something bounce hard off the road and your underbelly (the piston that was just jettisoned through the block)...and watch your oil warnings all light up just as you lose power. Disaster. The dreaded 'Money Shift'. This happens about 1-2 times per year to S4/RS4 owners in the various B6/7 forums out there (that we hear of) during track day events or just hard acceleration on the road at a canyon day for example.
Does that mean that 'road racing will eat up your engine'? Of course not. Bad driving will. Road racing will eat up your brakes and tires at an accelerated rate, as will hard driving on the road...but to draw conclusions for all drivers about what happens to bad drivers is a bit ridiculous.
Last edited by sakimano; Jan 11, 2012 at 08:26 AM.
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Joined: Jun 2011
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From: DC Metro Area
Hey BADRS4, I'm going to use my on board camera for your first track session at Summit and post the video so we can all laugh at you when you screwup your 3rd to 4th shift. Then you can give all of us your excuse as to why you're not a bad driver!
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Hahaha, it happens...FOR SURE.
Regarding clutches, Saki, I'm not going to do any major tracking or anything of that regard. This baby is gonna be my daily driver and sprints up and down the highway time to time. Is having an OEM clutch replacement good to go for the next however many thousand miles I'm going to put on it? The car right now has 75k miles and the clutch is still putting the power down good.
Thanks!