JediJoker
Audio Engineer/Enthusiast
In the spirit of the beer and wine threads, I wanted to start a new thread for those of us who enjoy cars and driving.
My first word was "gah," which meant car. I was a Car & Driver and/or Road & Track subscriber before I hit double digits. Although I was later than some American teens to get my driving permit and license, I took to it early on and have been hooked ever since. I did my first track event in 2010—a Skip Barber high performance driving school at the iconic (then) Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, California in their sports cars (Lexus ISF, BMW E93 M3 DCT, Porsche 987 Boxster and 997 Carrera manuals, 2nd-gen. Lotus Elise Supercharged)—and thereafter joined Audi Club North America to continue my education and do track days in my own 2001 C5 A6 2.7T quattro 6-speed manual sedan.
After nine years of ownership and countless thousands of dollars spent on maintenance and upgrades, I traded the A6 for a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI 6-speed manual (that's a Golf Variant for you Europeans and other non-seppos). Even stock, although it's less powerful and only marginally lighter, the Jetta is a much more engaging and fun car to drive on the track. As it sits, the only modifications it has are wheels (17"x8" ET45 Enkei TFR), tires (200TW Falken Azenis RT660 in the stock 225/45R17 size), brake pads (StopTech Sport, 309 part number prefix) and fluid (DOT4 Castrol React SRF). Compared to the Audi—which had full-on suspension (Bilstein PSS9 coilovers, Hotchkis anti-roll bars, 034Motorsport adjustable control arms and endlinks with spherical bearings), big brakes (350mm w/Brembo 6-piston calipers in front), wider tires (Falken Azenis RT615K in 235/40R18 on 18"x8" ET35 O.Z. Superturismo LM), more than 100 additional horsepower plus 30 additional foot-pounds of torque with a wider torque/power band, all-wheel drive, and just 400-or-so pounds of additional weight—it's a relative showroom example, and yet I'm matching or even beating my best A6 lap times in the VW.
I just drove Buttonwillow Raceway Park in Buttonwillow, California for the first time last month (in the "CW1" clockwise "Star Mazda" configuration) and had a blast. I was amazed how much of the track was full-throttle in fourth gear, despite the corners, which makes it unlike any other track I've driven in the Jetta (Portland International Raceway—or "PIR"—in Portland, Oregon; Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington; Thunderhill Raceway Park 3-mile "East" course in Willows, California). It doesn't have any great changes in elevation like Thunderhill, Sonoma Raceway (in Sonoma, California), Laguna Seca, or Pacific, but does have significant undulations unlike PIR. It has a nice mix of high speed sweepers and slower, tighter, more technical corners. After two days there, I can confidently state that it's my new favorite track. Unfortunate, then, that I live over 800 miles away...
So, gearheads and drivers: what automotive experiences, musings, and news would you like to share with the QQ community?
My first word was "gah," which meant car. I was a Car & Driver and/or Road & Track subscriber before I hit double digits. Although I was later than some American teens to get my driving permit and license, I took to it early on and have been hooked ever since. I did my first track event in 2010—a Skip Barber high performance driving school at the iconic (then) Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, California in their sports cars (Lexus ISF, BMW E93 M3 DCT, Porsche 987 Boxster and 997 Carrera manuals, 2nd-gen. Lotus Elise Supercharged)—and thereafter joined Audi Club North America to continue my education and do track days in my own 2001 C5 A6 2.7T quattro 6-speed manual sedan.
After nine years of ownership and countless thousands of dollars spent on maintenance and upgrades, I traded the A6 for a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI 6-speed manual (that's a Golf Variant for you Europeans and other non-seppos). Even stock, although it's less powerful and only marginally lighter, the Jetta is a much more engaging and fun car to drive on the track. As it sits, the only modifications it has are wheels (17"x8" ET45 Enkei TFR), tires (200TW Falken Azenis RT660 in the stock 225/45R17 size), brake pads (StopTech Sport, 309 part number prefix) and fluid (DOT4 Castrol React SRF). Compared to the Audi—which had full-on suspension (Bilstein PSS9 coilovers, Hotchkis anti-roll bars, 034Motorsport adjustable control arms and endlinks with spherical bearings), big brakes (350mm w/Brembo 6-piston calipers in front), wider tires (Falken Azenis RT615K in 235/40R18 on 18"x8" ET35 O.Z. Superturismo LM), more than 100 additional horsepower plus 30 additional foot-pounds of torque with a wider torque/power band, all-wheel drive, and just 400-or-so pounds of additional weight—it's a relative showroom example, and yet I'm matching or even beating my best A6 lap times in the VW.
I just drove Buttonwillow Raceway Park in Buttonwillow, California for the first time last month (in the "CW1" clockwise "Star Mazda" configuration) and had a blast. I was amazed how much of the track was full-throttle in fourth gear, despite the corners, which makes it unlike any other track I've driven in the Jetta (Portland International Raceway—or "PIR"—in Portland, Oregon; Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington; Thunderhill Raceway Park 3-mile "East" course in Willows, California). It doesn't have any great changes in elevation like Thunderhill, Sonoma Raceway (in Sonoma, California), Laguna Seca, or Pacific, but does have significant undulations unlike PIR. It has a nice mix of high speed sweepers and slower, tighter, more technical corners. After two days there, I can confidently state that it's my new favorite track. Unfortunate, then, that I live over 800 miles away...
So, gearheads and drivers: what automotive experiences, musings, and news would you like to share with the QQ community?
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