Hello again,

I am a Swede currently living in Tokyo for a couple of years. Last year I wanted to join a Swedish Time Attack competition during the 2020 season, and planned to fly back to drive a couple of sessions. Being very far from a top tier driver anyway, I prioritized fun over fast and bought a manual F-Type base V6 as my track car (my track car in Japan is a BRZ, so I've learned to enjoy "slow car fast"). I posted some threads here on the forum to try to figure out how to make the F-Type more circuit capable and then... COVID happened and Japan closed its borders, effectively preventing me from going to Sweden. I now had a manual F-Type standing in Sweden that I had not even seen IRL. Sigh.

Come 2021. COVID is still here, but Japanese borders are (kind of) open allowing me to drive the 2021 Time Attack season! Yay! So what I have ordered so far in an attempt to make it a slightly better/ faster track car:

- KW Variant 3 coilovers
- VelocityAP tune + pulley
- LSD from V6S (just ordered today, not installed yet)
- Porterfield R4 brake pads
- StopTech slotted brake rotors (I have the small 355/ 325 mm brakes so not much to choose from)
- Motul RBF600 brake fluid
- Michelin PSS tires (running stock wheels and Club class in Time Attack doesn't allow track-focused tires)
- Carbon roof panel (T2R19985) + liner (to replace the panoramic glass)
- Maxton Design racing front splitter + racing side skirts (need to look fast too)

Obvious next step upgrades when the budget allows would be:
- Better racing wheels (seems incredibly difficult to find though, grateful for any tips here!)
- VelocityAP high-flow 200 cell cat
- VelocityAP valvetronic exhaust
- Anything else? Tips?

I'm still in Tokyo, still haven't even seen the car. A bit frustrating. I hope I can get everything fitted from here.

 

- Remove engine cover (free)
- Upgraded Coolant pump (bosch is an option)
- Water/meth (therock has excellent write up)

 

Here are a few items to consider:

• VAP transmission tune
• larger Intercooler
• Colder plugs
• replacing the motorized spoiler with a fixed spoiler
• replacing the stock battery with an antigravity lithium battery... save about 40 lbs in the back.
• Not sure if your car has 2 batteries but if it does, removing auto start/stop battery would save about 20 lbs.

 

And maybe consider the Michelin Cup 2 tires which are still street tires but also really suitable for track.

 

if youre tracking definitely go for the stickier tires as mentioned above, i'd also really recommend a larger intercooler. i think the carbon roof panel is a waste of money and would be better to invest in the slotted rotors and pads by wortec, there is a thread on this forum about these brakes. they will most likely save you more weight and be less of a headache. also owning a track car even if its a brz in japan sounds awesome...

 

Track mods should be done in this order:

#1 Driver
#2 Suspension/Tires
#3 Power.

Money spent on #1 (driving schools, one on one instructor time, practice) will go much farter than #2 and significantly farther than #3. After years of racing, I could go much faster on a 55 hp bike than most track riders on a 180 hp bike. I found most of the bike skills translated well to the cars. A good driver in a Miata can turn faster laps than an average driver in a Porsche.

 

- VAP TCU tune is for the Automatic trans
- Colder plugs aren’t typically recommended

 

Ahhh good point on the TCU tune...


Any particular reason why the colder plugs aren't recommended?

 

Short answer: Im not sure

Long answer:
Probably because they are sufficient

For the v6 it was never recommended.

For the v8, VAP once offered NGKs that were one step cooler. At time jag oem was HR6. However VAP stopped offering it because Jag changed the OEM plugs by one step (HR7), ngk changed specs/ spark direction, and probably most importantly, their test car has been running HR7 without issue.

For me it’s one of those things that I’ll default to the tuners expertise

 

If you’re looking for aftermarket wheels I would recommend BC Forged, you can get a custom monoblock forged wheel for a great deal IMO, plenty of different styles to choose from, and again, custom built to fit your exact application and tire specs.
I’ll probably be grabbing some for my F type once I figure out which style and finish I’d like to go with.

Dan over there is really knowledgeable and has done a handful of wheel sets for F types

 

Misfire issues w the colder plugs. However, I'm running HR8's in a V8 and haven't had issues... yet. For time attack, the best investment is in yourself. Track time, driving school, autocross. Spend your money on tires and burn them up as fast as you can. After you can keep up w average drivers in better cars, start adding mods. Just my 2 cents.

Above all have fun, its always a rush no matter what your time is.

 

Thanks! I will for sure remove the engine cover!

Regarding the coolant pump, is this a known issue when tracking the car and recommended even if I don't change the intercooler? If so, do you know what part number I should be looking for?

Will check out the write up on water/ meth, thanks for the tip!

 

Thanks for the tips!

Hmm, transmission tune for the manual gearbox? What does it do? Reduce rev hang? Or automatic rev matching?

You don't happen to have part numbers or links to the larger intercooler/ spark plugs/ lithium battery?

On the intercooler, is the V6 and V8 using the same component? If so, shouldn't the V6 have some cooling headroom?

EDIT: Disregard my questions on the transmission tune or spark plugs - saw Obi's answers above!

 

Cup 2 tires aren't allowed in the Club class of Time Attack in Sweden. Michelin advertises the Cup 2's as 80% track, 20% street which disqualifies them. I could go for PS4S, but haven't been able to find them in the size I need (I'm on 18" wheels).

The tire width limitations in Club allow me a maximum of 1000 mm of tire width (translating to 235 front, 265 rear if I go staggered), which leaves only PS SS available with the right ratios (235/45 and 265/40) for 18" wheels if I want to keep close to the original wheel diameters of 677 mm. If I go down in ratio to 40/35 front/rear and in wheel diameter to ~645 mm (which is ~5% delta from OEM) I also have Hankook Ventus RS4, Nankang NS-2R and Yokohama Advan AD08R available (the latter I run here in Japan) that are allowed "street tires". I couldn't find these in stock in Sweden though at the time when I ordered the tires.

Next year if I can get the car fast enough I might run in Club Challenge class though, which allows for Toyo Proxes, Cup 2, Federal 595RS-R, Yokohama Advan A052 and Nankan AR-1 tires as well.

 

Yeah yeah, *every single time* I try to discuss track mods on a forum someone tries to sound smart and throws this in. I have a Fuji Speedway license and I drive on track at least once per month. This wouldn't be my first time competing in Time Attack either. I have a fair bit of track experience and have had a fair bit of training and coaching as well. I know the ideal racing lines by heart of the tracks I will be driving. It really doesn't mean that I am a pro though, far from it, but the low hanging fruit in terms of lap seconds is already picked.

I am doing this for *fun*, and part of the fun for me is toying with the car. If you read my post above you should know that I have already done #2 and #3.

 

Thank you for the tip! Will for sure check them out!

 

See my answer to datriani - trust me I have considered stickier tires... it's not so easy though, matching Club regulations and size limitations.

I do agree with the carbon roof panel being a bit of a waste of money. I do it mostly because, well, I don't think a track car should have a glass roof. So not really a rational choice, but bought the panel new on Ebay for a third of the list price and got the headliner for free so it doesn't cover the cost of the Wortec brakes.

Wortec is a little bit too fancy for me as a consumable, even if they reduce unsprung mass a bit. As a next step, I'd rather upgrade to the 380 mm brakes and maybe custom-make center hubs for Endless' two-piece rotors. Every single top Time Attack team in Japan use Endless rotors for their brakes, so I figure there must be a reason.

EDIT: On the intercooler, do you have a specific product in mind? Is cooling generally an issue on the circuit for the V6 F-Types? I'll be running 15 minutes stints with maybe 4-5 attack laps in sequence only (so no endurance racing really) and Swedish summer temperatures ranges between 22-28 degrees Celsius (72-83 Fahrenheit).

 

Yeah, see my reply to eeeek. I know, I know, but that was not what I was asking. I happen to think that tinkering with the car is a way to enjoy track driving even when not being on track. If I wanted to really optimize my lap time I would never have spent the money on an F-Type as a track tool to begin with.

Like you say, I try to have fun, on and off the track.

 

All of the above suggestions may be helpful but the bottom line is our toys are just too heavy to be nimble on a circuit, Find ways to take about 700lbs out of it and you’ll get a different set of options.

 

Well, I think in essence you are right. And as mentioned above, my track tool here in Japan is a Subaru BRZ of 1240 kg, so a much more nimble car. But - the R35 GT-R is even heavier and can be quite quick also around technical circuits, so I think there are ways to disguise the weight with eg proper suspension settings, wheel configuration and alignment etc. Maaaybe, just maybe, I could find ways to gradually improve the F-Type until it becomes at least midfield competitive. If not, then well, I'll just have the best looking and best sounding car on track - and that's rewarding on its own!