Nuerburgring-Nordschleife: Tourist drive on 14 August 2009

GTornado · #1 (**permalink**) 08-14-2009, 05:34 PM

Hey guys,

I just returned from my trip to the Nuerburgring-Nordschleife and want to share some impressions: First of all, it was a great day with surprisingly great weather but as usual, I could only drive two laps due to accidents - the race control closed the track. It's always the same, heavy rain or accidents...Nevertheless, these two laps were a blast to drive.

Another interesting situation came up when I asked the race control if I could remove the exhaust sub silencer. As usual in Germany, there are regulations and the track owners accept 100 db for cars. So, I quickly removed the silencer and they had to measure the loudness at 3,000 rpm and I was just below that with 99 db. I was really lucky considering Spoon exhausts can be at 110 db or more when there's enough heat.

Well, the lap times are...I don't know..My dad took the time and he said first one with a lot of traffic was approx. 15 minutes and second one with less traffic was approx. 13 minutes and 55 seconds. Nonetheless, the car is equipped with the 1.3l engine and only got a few modifications as well as the wrong set of wheels.

However, it was a lot of fun. The car has potential, especially concerning cornering. It is similar to a lot of powerful cars, most likely around 70-90 kph.
There's just a huge lack of power and brake performance. The brakes on the EDM Fit are surprisingly good, but after two laps you really have to cope with a spongy feel for some time.

Anyway, I also took some photos with my cell phone (I am by far not a good photographer, just want to share with you guys). This day, you could see a lot of Porsche GT3, BMW M3 Series and some nice JDM cars. I focused on the JDM ones:

Anyone who tracked the Fit there as well?

revd34 · #2 (**permalink**) 08-27-2009, 06:40 AM

i wish i could track my fit there. it seems like a really nice track to go on from what i have seen in pictures

GTornado · #3 (**permalink**) 08-29-2009, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by revd34

i wish i could track my fit there. it seems like a really nice track to go on from what i have seen in pictures

The track itself is nice, but very challenging and dangerous. A lot of people overrate their skills/cars and slow vehicles such as the Fit in a field of sports cars are always critical.

However, it is addicting and I really hope I can get some skills there that may help in certain situations.

nttdemented · #4 (**permalink**) 11-04-2009, 01:37 AM

*sheds tear*

A trip to the Nord is high up on my bucket list. Be it with my Fit or with whatever car they let me drive around it.

Type 100 · #5 (**permalink**) 11-04-2009, 05:54 AM

Very nice! Good for you. Me, I can only drive the so-called "Green Hell" on GT4.

Couple of questions:
Is rain a frequent feature of the Nurburgring?
How are your tires now?

GTornado · #6 (**permalink**) 11-04-2009, 06:39 AM

GT4 is cool as well, but reality is even better.

Yes, rain is a frequent feature in this region, even during summer time. Snow is also possible until Easter. So, this region is quite crazy. Therefore, it is a must to check weather conditions via webcam or whatever. It really sucks to go home without a single lap in dry conditions.

The tires are absolutely fine. They had and still have a lot of grip, I did not notice any decrease in performance. Those Toyo tires are made for more powerful cars and better drivers, so I did not get maximum performance out of it.