u/jbro507

There’s probably a better sub for this question, but you are my people. I am poking around eBay Motors looking for a rear differential from a Fiat to replace in my ND Miata. There are several listed as being from either an Abarth or just simply listed as having a limited slip. Best I can tell only the Abarth came with an LSD, it wasn’t an option on the lusso or Classico.

Each of these sellers lists the VIN of the donor. And again, best i can tell from the auction listings when they were sold as wrecks, none of the donors were Abarths.

So. Either the eBay listings are inaccurate, or my auction research is inaccurate. Can you guys guide me as to which is more likely?

I’d like to occasionally work on improving my at the limit car control. Ideally, in my car. I’m basing this on my dad taking me out to a parking lot in the snow and practicing low grip car control. His philosophy - you should become comfortable and practiced at doing this in a safer environment before you end up learning on the fly on the road. I feel the same philosophy applies to getting better at car control on a racetrack.

Any suggestions how to safely accomplish this in my own car? Maybe I’m overrating getting experience in my own vehicle and doing this at a car control clinic would be best?

And finally, here is your opportunity to call me an idiot. My current way of doing this is to head out on track during a late day session and push the limit in the safest corner or two on the track. I’m Only doing this when there is no other cars around me and if I spin, my learning session is over, I only give myself one spin before I call it quits and go back to 8/10 with the TC on.

I never use the visor on my full face helmet. Maybe I should? That’s my first question.

If nobody berates me for not using the visor and I decide to take it off the helmet. I’m probably going to leave it home. Am I ever going to run into an event where a visor is required? TIA!

Curious to hear anyone with personal experience getting instruction by in car video. I’ve seen it offered online and I’ve had it offered during events where the event promoters don’t offer right seat instruction. Curious if you found it helpful.

If that link works correctly it should drop you to about the 13 minute mark on the video.

I'm hoping to get a better handle on this. I've always heard that smooth, consistent inputs are key to speed, and I often see drivers criticized for sawing at the wheel. I had an instructor tell me to set my steering angle once on entry with a single fluid motion and avoid mid-corner corrections.

Then I watch a video like this, where the driver is making significant steering adjustments through turns one and two.

Is the difference here just pace? My line of thinking is that at 7/10ths, you shouldn't need many mid-corner corrections. Once you push to 9/10ths or 10/10ths and balance the car on the limit of traction, those inputs become necessary and acceptable. Am I looking at this correctly?

Even at 7/10ths, I still make small, smooth adjustments mid-corner because I'm not precise enough yet to nail the exact turn-in point and angle every single time. If I realize mid-corner that the car isn't heading where I want, I make a smooth correction.

Anyway, I think you get the gist of what I'm asking. Curious to hear your thoughts.

I asked a few months ago for N. America bucket list tracks. How about bucket list tracks internationally?

Looking at booking a HPDE at AMP in the fall. Figure the tail of the dragon would be a good overnight stopping point. 10 hour drive to the top of the tail. Spend the night. Pull the car off the tailer at the hotel. Run the dragon down and back. Put the car back on the tailer and then 3 hr to Atlanta. Maybe stop at the Savoy museum (learned about it from Ed Bolian’s YT channel).

Anything wrong with my plan?

Any recommendations for lodging at the top of the tail?

Anything I should know ahead of time about AMP?

Tia!

TLDR: I felt my instructor was unnecessarily harsh about missing an apex by 3 feet at a brand-new track, especially since my main goals were safety, predictability, and fun—not lap times. Curious to get your gut check on whether my perspective makes sense.
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I’m curious to get your feedback on a recent experience and do a quick gut check to see if I’m thinking about this correctly.

A few weeks ago, I had right-seat instruction at a new track. To be completely honest, my first session was a mess. I didn't know the track at all, and I don't learn well from watching videos—I just need to put laps down. I usually get my act together fairly quickly, but that first session at a new track is always rough for me.

I improved as the day went on, but my instructor felt pretty hard on me the entire time. One specific moment is still ringing in my head weeks later. We went out for a session and he said he wanted to work on my apexes, since I'd been struggling with them earlier. As I went around a corner, I got this disappointed-father voice in my earpiece saying, "You missed that one by three feet."

It took me a week to settle in on the realization that I don't know if that actually matters. I own my part in this—I could have proactively shared my goals for the day. If I had articulated them, they would have been:

Be safe for everyone else on track.

Get the car around the track in a predictable manner on something resembling a racing line.

Have fun.

I really don't feel like missing an apex by three feet violates any of those goals, nor do I think it makes me unpredictable or unsafe. (Does it?)

I realize it affects my lap times, but lap times weren't one of my goals.

Looking back, it feels unfair for an instructor to give a driver grief for missing an apex by three feet when that driver was brand new to the track and a total mess just 40 laps earlier.

What are your thoughts?

Track only ND Miata. I like to drive holding the wheel at 9 and 3. Probably want a quick release system for easier old man egress. I want something chunkier than the OE wheel. Advice? TIA.

Anyone have personal experience between them on track? One thing I heard was the ND3 has a middle ground setting on the stability control between on and off?

MK8 R. I’m getting some kind of lighting error. Lights won’t turn off even if I cycle them “auto” to “off”. They stay on even when the car is turned off and left off for 10+ minutes. Any ideas? TIA.

I am aware there is no “1 pad solution” for street / track and I’m trying to avoid swapping pads. That said - what’s a good pad for a mk8 golf R that will spend its days as a daily and will see the track 2-4x a year. I’m willing to be sympathetic to the pads on track as in 2-3 hot laps, cool it for a lap, repeat.

My research has landed me on Endless MX72s