GEtting a Mk1 Leon Cupra ready for Nurburgring?

[Captain Cupra]

Hi Everyone, Im going on a little cruise to the nurburgring in september with a mate in his toyota Celica and my Cupra.

I have a few mods planned to get done before we go.

At present its an 03 Cupra 180 with a Cat back Milltek, Forge 007, Uprated panel filter.

Ive done a few minor cosmetic mods but these arnt important for this post.

I plan to have fitted before we touch down on the ring, Milltek 3" downpipe, De Cat, Uprated brakes (Bigger or more efficient EBC???) KW coilovers, Strut braces front upper and lower and rear upper, 17"/18" Team dynamics wheels with Toyo R888, Revo Map, FMIC, Boost and Oil Temp Guages.

Plus more stuff to make sure its in good condition before the trip Oil, Plugs ect ect

Im in no way going to proper wang it round i know the limits of a car and wont blow it up for the sake of going round a track, its just the experience of being there plus the Nurburg recovery truck charges are mental!

What are the key things do i need to get right for tip top handling?

Any pointers on tracking your car well recieved! and any people that want to tag along welcome!!!

jim

 

[D.K]

Might be worth changing the brake fluid.
What EBC brake product's are you fitting ? If it's pads dont buy Red stuff pads.

 

[Captain Cupra]

not sure really on the EBC i just dont think one trip or irregular trips on track needs big brakes yes good if you can afford but i think a good combo of a good pad and disc is ample, what do people rcommend brake disc/pad wise?

 

[D.K]

If your disc's are still ok then just get some Ferrodo DS2500 pads and change the brake fluid if it's not been done

 

[stewbie55]

As said by DK change the brake fluid to a decent high temperature fluid like Motul RBF600. I had all the suspension and brake mods apart from changing the fluid before my first trackday and soon found out where the weak link was - no brakes when trying to slow down from a ton into a corner was "interesting"

 

[m0rk]

I wouldn't go about making radical changes to how your car handles (therefore different to how you know it will handle)

I'd skip the R888's, you don't need them... as with most of the stuff you list.

As suggested ^^^ brakes - nothing else needed

 

[Captain Cupra]

yeah sometimes it is interesting when late braking is concerned

 

[Captain Cupra]

Thanks for the advice Mork

 

[Captain Cupra]

not all these mods ive stated are purely for the ring they are mods id like to do but do accept not needing for the ring, any pointers welcome. thanks

 

[Captain Cupra]

handling and performance wise whats better 17 or 18" wheels????????????

 

[DannyC87]

Having been myself in September last year and having 4 days of non-stop rain I would suggest scrapping the R888 idea - also, with "normal" tyres you will not be able to push the car so hard, will find the limits easier and in a safer manner IMO.

My main issue at the 'ring was brakes; I have 2-piece 330mm discs up front with ds2500 pads; after each lap I had smoking brakes (literally), my oil also got very hot (~135 degrees c)

My advice:
Make sure you have newish tyres as you will use a lot of rubber.
Take spare pads, I got through a set in 13 laps (wet ones at that).
Change your oil when you get home, it will be ruined!
Use RBF600 or RBF660 fluid in your brakes to avoid fade.
Learn the track a bit before you go, people joke about it, but laps on forza or gran turismo give you a feel for where the track is going to go. If you can get a passenger with either knowledge of the track or a map of the track, this will help you.
Helmet - optional, I wear mine as it makes me focus more, 100% attention is essential.
Have fun, that is the key part, don't try and get the fastest lap possible, enjoy the experience, respect it for what it is, and come back with you and the car in one piece!

I'm going again in just under 4 weeks so will update you on what I forget this time!!

 

[DannyC87]

handling and performance wise whats better 17 or 18" wheels????????????

I will be using 17" alloys due to lesser unsprung weight, more sidewall to give just that extra bit of give for the rough parts of the ring (carousell), and because the tyres are cheaper to replay when they melt!!

 

[Captain Cupra]

Awesome Danny thanks mate, whats the best way of keeping your oil cool is a oil temp guage a must? i change my oil every 3000 miles although i would change it after the ring do you think under normal road spirited driving 3000 is a good interval?? will my brakes be shot after a couple of laps?

 

[Captain Cupra]

Most importantly my car wont blow up hopfully !!!!

 

[Captain Cupra]

sorry should have condensed all that danny in one post, what tyres for 17" would be best considering performance to price ratio!!!? Unsprung weight the most important kids a very overlooked performance gain!

 

[DannyC87]

Awesome Danny thanks mate, whats the best way of keeping your oil cool is a oil temp guage a must? i change my oil every 3000 miles although i would change it after the ring do you think under normal road spirited driving 3000 is a good interval?? will my brakes be shot after a couple of laps?

All depends how you drive. I have an extra oil cooler fitted; and use my race diagnostics gauge to monitor my oil temps. There is little you can do to stop high oil temps, just ensure you use an oil which will stay thick enough at high temps (I've not researched this yet so don't ask me what grade ) I only change every 5000miles and mine is driven hard a lot of the time!

Brakes is very much dependant on how much you push; unfortunately I race karts and have an obsession with speed so I was driving around 90% race pace, sub 10minutes in the wet. Just keep an eye on them and be aware that the inner pad often wears quicker than the outer pad.

 

[Captain Cupra]

Is the race diagnostics gauge the vent mounted one that meters boost bhp o-60 and all sorts? Does it monitor oil temp as standard fit or do you need to fit extra senders for this, I gather the race diagnostics gauges work off of the cars ecu readouts? Would you recomend the RD Gauge danny? I certainly won't be going for sub 10's in the wet mate but it's all giving me an idea of capabilities but do want to stretch the cars legs a bit and have some fun!

 

[greesha]

I will be using 17" alloys due to lesser unsprung weight, more sidewall to give just that extra bit of give for the rough parts of the ring (carousell), and because the tyres are cheaper to replay when they melt!!

Some nice info in this topic. Its my little dream to go to nordschlaife as well . I've to finish all my mods first but that will take some time. What tyres you used Danny?

 

[DannyC87]

Some nice info in this topic. Its my little dream to go to nordschlaife as well . I've to finish all my mods first but that will take some time. What tyres you used Danny?

For my torrential rain laps I was using vredestien ultrac sessantas.. grip was phenominal; outbraking far superior cars just due to the fact I had grip and they didn't! Trying a set of michelins this year..

 

[robbob]

Im off in a few weeks also Danny, see you on the ferry. Ha. I'm taking my Cupra over completely standard. Apart from a new pair of Eagle F1's. But i'm only going for the experience. Fancy giving me a passenger lap?