The Mustang Forum for Track & Racing Enthusiasts

Taking your Mustang to an open track/HPDE event for the first time? Do you race competitively? This forum is for you! Log in to remove most ads.

Register Log in
  • Welcome to the Ford Mustang forum built for owners of the Mustang GT350, BOSS 302, GT500, and all other S550, S197, SN95, Fox Body and older Mustangs set up for open track days, road racing, and/or autocross. Join our forum, interact with others, share your build, and help us strengthen this community!

Doing My First HPDE

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

BlackMetal

BlackMetal

73
115
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Alberta Canada
I recently picked up a 2012 Boss 302. Competition orange with the Torsen diff. It’s bone stock and has Dunlop Supermaxx GT600 tires.
I’ve wanted another Mustang for 25 years ever since my ‘86 got written off, so I’m a happy guy!
I’m booked to take my first HPDE course on May 19th. For the time being I will drive the car in its current form. Investing my money in learning from pro’s on how to drive this car (hopefully) to its fullest potential in stock form. I plan to take at least couple driving courses and attend a few open lap days this year. I live a few hours (each way), from the nearest track so it’s not exactly convenient. I’m going to throw a MGW Race Spec shifter on it to help with this finicky transmission. And that’ll be my only mod for this short Canadian season. When the time comes to do modifications, my first priority will be lightweight wheels and tires (once the dunlops are toasted), adjustable castor/camber plates, brakes pads and brake cooling. I don’t feel the need to invest much money in performance parts beyond that for the time being until I’ve acquired the necessary skills to drive the car safely and efficiently around a track. I think that HPDE will be the best investment I can make for the next couple years…

175318427005667823.jpeg

5106762621163810021.jpeg

6774706733896999256.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Even when just beginning camber plates will help you get better mileage out of your tires. A good brake flush and refill with a quality DOT 4 ( like Motul ) and a decent set of track pads are also solid early investments. New DOT 4 brake fluid is really a must for safety in my mind and getting the car checked over before your first event is another. Glad you found us and being only a few miles away from a track is actually quite good. If they are having a two day event, do stay over , hang out with your fellow Canadian Trackrats and bench race , and though more expensive ,two days of running helps with your learning curve.
 
I agree with the above comment, DOT 4 fluid change and decent track pads are an entry level safety improvement. If your new to road course conditions you'll quickly appreciate how much heat is generated by the repetitive heavy braking. Street pads can start fading quickly, it's far beyond any street driving conditions you might normally encounter.
Best of luck & have fun!
 
Bill Pemberton said:
Even when just beginning camber plates will help you get better mileage out of your tires. A good brake flush and refill with a quality DOT 4 ( like Motul ) and a decent set of track pads are also solid early investments. New DOT 4 brake fluid is really a must for safety in my mind and getting the car checked over before your first event is another. Glad you found us and being only a few miles away from a track is actually quite good. If they are having a two day event, do stay over , hang out with your fellow Canadian Trackrats and bench race , and though more expensive ,two days of running helps with your learning curve.
Click to expand...
I’ve got the car booked in to be inspected and having the brakes flushed and filled with Motul 600 brake fluid next week. I’ll take the advice from you guys and get some pads too. I’ve read here that Hawk DTC 60 and HPS (front/rear) are decent. I also plan to change the tranny and gear oils out before the next round at the track with some Redline products. Hoping that helps it shift a bit smoother. I’ll get to the camber plates as soon as work picks up again (slow season) and it’s financially feasible.
 
Last edited:
IMO, if you are going to track / street your car and are just getting into tracking. Go with G-Loc. Get R12/10 for the track & GS-1 for the street. You can swap pads and use the same rotors. Call our buddy Ken @KNSBrakes. He will set you up.

My advice to you on the shifting lock out. You can avoid it by not slamming shifter into gear. Do it smoothly and it will shift just fine. I was taught that by my instructor at the Boss Track Attack years ago. I was have shifting lockout issues and complained about it and once I was taught to shift the car I had no issues in both of my Bosses.
 
byronj said:
IMO, if you are going to track / street your car and are just getting into tracking. Go with G-Loc. Get R12/10 for the track & GS-1 for the street. You can swap pads and use the same rotors. Call our buddy Ken @KNSBrakes. He will set you up.

My advice to you on the shifting lock out. You can avoid it by not slamming shifter into gear. Do it smoothly and it will shift just fine. I was taught that by my instructor at the Boss Track Attack years ago. I was have shifting lockout issues and complained about it and once I was taught to shift the car I had no issues in both of my Bosses.
Click to expand...
I have notexperienced any shift “lockout yet” .. I can’t quite articulate it. It just doesn’t seem to want to go from first into second very nicely at low speed and RPM when driving civilized around town. She is just kind of finicky feeling. But I will definitely be acquiring some skills and immediate future. I only got the car a couple weeks ago Winter’s just kind of ending here in Canada where I live at the foot of the Rockies. And I really haven’t had nearly enough time behind the wheel of it. Next weekend, I’ll be taking it on a 1400 km road trip. Through the mountains. I really appreciate your guys input and time.

The long-term and goal with the car, is to have a well rounded build that will be majority street use, be able to throw the kids in the backseat and enjoy Sunday drives through the mountains, as well as being able to drive it to and from the track and not having to switch wheels/tires. But..time will tell….the bug might bite me.
 
Last edited:
Red is my favorite Boss colour!! Call me biased :cool:. I remember my first track day with my brand new 2012. Killed my OEM pirelli in one day. I have those same dunlop rim savers as well for my street tries. They last for ever but camber plates will save you a bundle in the long run. Try not to hurry the gear box and keep your shifting to below 7000 so as not to kill the gears with the "delicate" Mt82 tranny. As said above, go for the Gloc pads over the hawks, they last way, way, way longer and don't eat discs so quickly. Have fun!!
 
BlackMetal said:
I have notexperienced any shift “lockout yet” .. I can’t quite articulate it. It just doesn’t seem to want to go from first into second very nicely at low speed and RPM when driving civilized around town. She is just kind of finicky feeling. But I will definitely be acquiring some skills and immediate future. I only got the car a couple weeks ago Winter’s just kind of ending here in Canada where I live at the foot of the Rockies. And I really haven’t had nearly enough time behind the wheel of it. Next weekend, I’ll be taking it on a 1400 km road trip. Through the mountains. I really appreciate your guys input and time.

The long-term and goal with the car, is to have a well rounded build that will be majority street use, be able to throw the kids in the backseat and enjoy Sunday drives through the mountains, as well as being able to drive it to and from the track and not having to switch wheels/tires. But..time will tell….the bug might bite me.
Click to expand...
You might need the shifter bushing replaced. Upgrade to a MGW and you’ll be fine. It’s the best out there.
 
I've been very happy with my Hawk DT60 pads,, like these guys have said, camber plates are an early, necessary mod. The trans in those cars are a bit suspect, but just keep that in the back of your mind. Many guys run them successfully.
I have found that that making a project list is really important, such as where do I want the car to be in a year, what type of mods..ETD. It is very easy to get wound up in the excitement and go through the bank account with mods that are not necessarily helpful. Some of the best advice I got came from @Bill Pemberton. I rarely register in advance classes, too many coconuts driving $500K porsches with $20 dollar abilities. Good luck with your car, the Boss 302s are awesome.
 
blacksheep-1 said:
I've been very happy with my Hawk DT60 pads,, like these guys have said, camber plates are an early, necessary mod. The trans in those cars are a bit suspect, but just keep that in the back of your mind. Many guys run them successfully.
I have found that that making a project list is really important, such as where do I want the car to be in a year, what type of mods..ETD. It is very easy to get wound up in the excitement and go through the bank account with mods that are not necessarily helpful. Some of the best advice I got came from @Bill Pemberton. I rarely register in advance classes, too many coconuts driving $500K porsches with $20 dollar abilities. Good luck with your car, the Boss 302s are awesome.
Click to expand...
Thanks a bunch! I’m very excited for this endeavour. Playing in a high performance machine at a track is something I’ve wanted to do my entire life. So at the tender age of 44 I finally am! As you said, I don’t want to get caught up thinking my car “needs” a bunch of modifications. Although I do have a general direction in mind, for now I’m prioritizing camber plates, brake pads, and a shifter. I’ll keep the car running optimally and invest time driving it at the track as much as I can this season focussing on honing skill.
Next season I’ll take @Bill Pemberton ’s advice and buy some Apex wheels and a wider square tire set-up.
I’m confident as I become more competent behind the wheel, I’ll learn organically what kind of modifications would suit me best.
 
BlackMetal said:
Thanks a bunch! I’m very excited for this endeavour. Playing in a high performance machine at a track is something I’ve wanted to do my entire life. So at the tender age of 44 I finally am! As you said, I don’t want to get caught up thinking my car “needs” a bunch of modifications. Although I do have a general direction in mind, for now I’m prioritizing camber plates, brake pads, and a shifter. I’ll keep the car running optimally and invest time driving it at the track as much as I can this season focussing on honing skill.
Next season I’ll take @Bill Pemberton ’s advice and buy some Apex wheels and a wider square tire set-up.
I’m confident as I become more competent behind the wheel, I’ll learn organically what kind of modifications would suit me best.
Click to expand...
MGW shifter with the long handle
 
Awesome car, congrats! My favorite color they offered on those.

At minimum I would get some fresh DOT4 fluid in there (plenty of good options). Factory pads, assuming they are at least half life or more, will be okay for your first day or two. Camber plates will be a big help for longterm tire wear and more grip too. Enjoy the process.
 
Apex Wheels said:
Awesome car, congrats! My favorite color they offered on those.

At minimum I would get some fresh DOT4 fluid in there (plenty of good options). Factory pads, assuming they are at least half life or more, will be okay for your first day or two. Camber plates will be a big help for longterm tire wear and more grip too. Enjoy the process.
Click to expand...
 
I'm new-ish to track days and HPDE, with a handful of laps at a couple of tracks. The best way to learn something is when you have to teach others, so I researched it and wrote up a detailed guide a few months ago. It's helped me understand what needs to happen and when.

I posted the meat of the guide below. If any of the more experienced folks see something not quite right in it, let me know.

https://trackmustangsonline.com/threads/hpde-progression-for-dummies.21866/
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Absolute Beginner - First track day
Replies
13
Views
1K
WVTrakPak
WVTrakPak
2012Boss302
Weighed my 2012 Boss yesterday
Replies
8
Views
728
TA28
BigChugusTunning
What spitter to run on my s550?
Replies
17
Views
901
mavisky
mavisky
Looking for new owner of my 2013 Boss 302
Replies
2
Views
459
SeattleBoss
Searching for my first car, a 2013 Boss 302 Race Red car number 523
Replies
2
Views
1K
GB899
GB899
Apex Wheels
Cortex Racing
Late Model Restoration
Middleton Motorsports
Modular Motorsports Racing
Optimum Performance
SouthFloridaParts.com
Vorshlag Motorsports
Autoblip
Hooked on Driving
Mustang Geek
SCCA CAM Challenge

Latest posts

Latest lap times

All Upcoming Events

Buy TMO Apparel

Buy TMO Apparel

TMO Vendor Posts

Top