Trying to create a thread that says it all... Loving my new 09 C2S and had a great 2 days on Monticello with her. Finished the break-in, changed oil and filter and loaded up some SRF and Pagid Sport pads (trying to find that does-it-all street and track pad vs. swapping all the time with Yellow 29s or PFC 97s - they worked out nicely and I felt they would as the 4-2-1 / Sport pad comes standard on the GT3 and they worked well for me on mine).

The Sharkwerks primary bypass went on at 2100 miles after the break-in. Was fairly sedate at first, but 2 days at the track and some use of the higher RPM band and engine in general really transformed the sound. At the end of day 2 I had a couple of guys come find me in the South Paddock just to find out what I had "inside her". I explained the car was 100% stock with the exception of the Sharkwerks Primary Bypass. They heard me on the track and wanted to hear it at idle and w/ variable throttle. So, I gave them a demo and I saw smiles in the rear-view mirror.

The beauty is I can drive in my neighborhood without getting those disapproving looks, but once I use some throttle, the personality changes nicely. Zero drone, no negative side effects, but if your smile lasts longer than 4 hours you should see your doctor...

Some in-car video at Monticello:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSZ2XXqArG8

Thoughts from those 2 days...

I was posting speeds in the 140s on the back straight. The killer is the 90 degree flat turn, so entry speed is very limited. Flat out from either 2nd or 3rd up to 5th was a little unsettling at the slight kink 2/3 up the straight. Another unsettling spot was 21, flat out was downright hairy there because of the off-camber. Tried various approaches and none felt great. But the car held, so I can't really complain. Track map suggested to brake before 20, but I didn't find the need. I was surprised at how fast we could take the straight between 5 and 6 - diving straight and then into the "cheese grater" switch back. Man, was the pavement disintegrating right under our cars. I came in early last session of day 2 because not only was I sliding as the pavement crumbled, but cars in front of me were spraying tiny bituminous chips.

The new car was bone stock with dealer provided alignment of about -1.1 degrees of camber. Castrol SRF and Pagid 4-2-1 (were stock in my GT3 and worked fairly well - seeking that does-it-all pad I can leave on for the street). Understeered like crazy. OEM 19" Porsche N Rated "Faux" PSC tires were decent (and now shot - fronts are toast), but the R888s going on should be better. Will have Dan put on some GT3 control arms and get me to about -2.3 for a street / DE alignment. Felt great though - looking forward to The Glen in June.

The kink at the end of the long straight didn't bother me any - kind of found it interesting and keeps you on your toes. Ended up going from curb entering and over both apex curbs. Was very interesting when cresting that blind spot and I found a yellow GT3 sitting in the dirt right in front of me - Flick left, jump the curb, and away thinking "wow, bad place to park". What I didn't like about this sequence was the heel-toe rising up the hill before the kink. 5th to 4th to 3rd to 2nd (on the hill) was a real work-out. Man, you can brake very late there even at 150.

Saw lots of different theories on how to take 13 and 14. I was doing more of a modified "V" - pretty much entering / braking fairly straight, making a turn to the right, then powering through the apex of 14. Really liked that sequence coming out of the carousel and it was cool to watch cars right in front of me taking it 3 different ways. Also, entering the start of the Carousel sequence, into turn 9 was interesting - similar theory, pretty much straight and braking, then release and turn toward 10. That's the beauty of a new track - we're all hunting for our best way through it.

Didn't have my traqmate set up yet, but finally bothered to put my camera in for the last session. I only took 3 laps before coming in because my new car was getting trashed from all of the disintegrating pavement (top course was just paved 2 weeks ago - I see some concrete in this track's future). All were in traffic, but still had some fun laps. The camera says high 2:40s and low 2:50s for lap times. Same track length as Watkins Glen, but WAY slower overall thanks to the 3 tight corners that push you down to about 40 MPH.

My son and I also enjoyed the variety. Some very technical areas of the track. Can't get into a rhythm...

+ + +

Basically, engine was super strong, smooth, and revved easier than I remember my 07. New Sport PASM was fantastic - much better than I expected, especially when on Sport (tried normal first, then sport). Brakes were fine and I wonder if the added cooling of the new front design helped. Had some issues with the e-gas / throttle linkage being "slow" to respond. Had to change my Heel / Toe a bit.

 

Thanks for the fantastic write-up Ron - I've also tracked over at Monticello, and that kink 2/3 up the back straight is a bit hair raising. Didn't have enough time to work it out though. enjoy your new car!

Gundo

 

Man that looks like fun and you drove her well!

Having just picked up my '07 C2S a few weeks ago, I'm already looking forward to finding a good deal on a used '09 C2S.

I gotta get to a track though.........looks like a total blast.


Backroads round my area are fun, but it's a bummer having to always worry about a deer or sheriff's deputy popping up.

 

hi Ron - Nice write up.
You can compare your lines to this 2:35 run:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvJBxebndZ8

 

Nice, isn't this the private track that I have seen the ads for in Car & Driver?

 

Yep, the private course and this was the first event on the full course open to non-members. Two things kept me in check. 1) New car, basically bone stock, and 2) Limited opportunities during the 2 days to actually push - had too many black flags 1st day so we had maybe half normal time. Also, the course was a debris field, dirt, rocks, etc. everywhere. Day 2 the debris was different and insidious. The new pavement was disintegrating - every time through a tight turn threw up more of the pavement in tiny black rock chips. That's the "krinkle" sound you hear in the video - new layer of pavement coming up and hitting the inside fender wells. A few guys ventured off line and ended up in the weeds because there was no grip and it was impossible to see.

All in all, had fun...

 

Track looks like fun, thanks for sharing the video Ron.

 

Hey Ron, seriously what a great write-up and so glad you're enjoying the exhaust/sound part too So neat to see these cars in action where they're meant to be!