As we move up through the skill levels at HPDE events there is always one question (or variation of the same question) that always comes up, “what should my next mod be?”
Every time we hear this question my response is always the same, regardless of the car and current mods. The next mod is always seat time. There is no substitution for experience and time behind the wheel of your car, no matter the current configuration. You want to know why an Andy Pilgrim can take a rental Kia to a race track and kick the crap out of every novice/intermediate/and some advanced drivers in their 500hp corvettes and super cars? Experience and numerous hours, days, months, years behind the wheel of a car on a race track. Of course, he probably has balls of steel as well but that’s a different article.
This isn’t to say that cars don’t need to be modified, but if you start upgrading the capabilities of your car without first mastering the car in its current configuration, you tend to lose out on driver development. The car will mask driver deficiencies that could otherwise be caught and corrected with more experience and driver skill. For example, if you are driving track events on street tires you will find that the tires speak to you and they squeal and whine at you when you are stressing them to or past their limits. With more experience and some work on your approach to driving you can learn to adjust your driving line or driving style to not overwork the tires as much. Maybe they are trying to tell you that you are entering the turn too soon (which is a common mistake for people just starting out) and the car is being asked to make a turn that it just can’t, your line is off and as you try to add more steering input all of the sudden your car is under-steering or “plowing” and you are going straight. With more track experience you can understand this situation and know what to do in order to correct the car’s behavior and go about your business. Not only that but also with more experience you will know to enter the turn later for an improved line which wouldn’t upset the car as much.
If you have improved your driver skill level through seat time and experience then you have probably learned the cars “language” and what the car is trying to tell you. With that you can anticipate when the car is upset or unsettled and how to correct that mistake before it’s too late. Once you can speak “car” and are doing the right things, then you will notice that you are overworking the components, but in a different way. At this point you can consider upgrading those components of your car for better performance as you have reached the limit of the part even with proper driving. But there is no point upgrading your car if you don’t know why the components are failing and why you need to upgrade, and that only comes with seat time and experience. You should let your skill level increase on the same car in the same configuration until you and more experienced drivers riding with you determine that you are ready to add mods to your car. At that point, add mods incrementally as you continue to re-learn the car in its modified configuration. HPDE events are educational events as much as they are fun events. You want to learn and grow as a driver while having fun in a controlled environment.
