[9MPG]

Considering taking mine to a track day next month. Wondering what experiences folks have had?

 

[TNCHARGER]

I tracked mine last year at Rockingham in NC. Ran 11.6 fairly consistently. Best runs were holding RPM about 1800. Big difference launching my low 11s Challenger 426 stroker....TH is just plug & play..

 

[Vaako]

Did a forum search

https://www.jeeptrackhawk.org/forum/537-forum-member-reviews/5328-quarter-mile-time.html

https://www.jeeptrackhawk.org/forum/537-forum-member-reviews/5676-fun-auto-club-raceway-quarter-mile.html

https://www.jeeptrackhawk.org/forum/561-what-did-you-do-your-jeep-trackhawk-today/5162-track.html

There’s probably more, so happy searching.

 

[9MPG]

To clarify, I meant the actual track, not the drag strip. Specifically Button Willow.

 

[TNCHARGER]

To clarify, I meant the actual track, not the drag strip. Specifically Button Willow.

LOL...drag strip is considered a "track"...maybe you should have asked about a road course track..

 

[9MPG]

Did a forum search

https://www.jeeptrackhawk.org/forum/537-forum-member-reviews/5328-quarter-mile-time.html

https://www.jeeptrackhawk.org/forum.../5676-fun-auto-club-raceway-quarter-mile.html

https://www.jeeptrackhawk.org/forum/561-what-did-you-do-your-jeep-trackhawk-today/5162-track.html

There’s probably more, so happy searching.

Thanks for the links. The last one looks to be the only one referencing the race track rather than the drag strip, and only one person has tried it. Hope I don’t roll it lol.

 

[9MPG]

To clarify, I meant the actual track, not the drag strip. Specifically Button Willow.

LOL...drag strip is considered a "track"...maybe you should have asked about a road course track..

Lol didn’t mean that to come off disrespectful, was just clarifying. Consistent mid 11s in a stock SUV is absolutely nuts though. I remember when we used to get excited hitting 14s in muscle cars not too long ago.

 

[Toynut]

Most of the articles I have recently read pertaining to taking the Trackhawk on a road course summarized remarkably similar observations. Apparently they run great for a lap or two, beating out much higher performance vehicles, however, severe brake fade and overheating cause the drivers to give up their aggressive manners and let slower traffic eventually overtake them. Brakes have actually caught fire in some instances. They all recommend installing high performance friction material and using a higher spec dot 4 or 5.1 brake fluid. Ceramic brakes would be a very expensive ticket, unfortunately.
Oh...., bring a change of tires to the track as well.

 

[TNCHARGER]

Lol didn’t mean that to come off disrespectful, was just clarifying. Consistent mid 11s in a stock SUV is absolutely nuts though. I remember when we used to get excited hitting 14s in muscle cars not too long ago.

No sweat...If I was going to run a road course track I would take my Charger Hell Cat instead of the TH...As mentioned the Jeep cannot take the "heat" of a road course in stock form...but aftermarket can cure the issues..

 

[xaos]

Big Willow I bet you will kill your tires in one day. I did so on my M5. That's a big heavy powerful car but nowhere near as big and heavy as the TH. Personally, I would never take the TH on a road course except for a few quick novelty fun laps with the buddies in the back seat. Way to heavy.

 

[Shooter]

My Porsche Cayenne GTS was a beast on the track. I'm hoping the TH will be the same way.

 

[Shooter]

I did track the Trackhawk last Thursday on a 2.5 mile road course.

While the turn-in wasn't as crisp as my Cayenne GTS, it did get around the corners, but felt a little sloppy. The 3-season tires grip OK but there is some understeer. Maybe taking the front tire pressures to 45+ lbs. would help this situation.

The brakes were fading a bit, with the pedal getting a little spongy after 3-4 laps. Felt like it could have gone a couple more laps without a huge problem but that would have been about it. I'd say the brake improvements suggested by others are likely a good idea if you intend to run a full 20-minute type session or multiple track sessions in the same day.

 

[Craig]

If you want to run the TH at a road circuit the best thing is to use it as a tow vehicle for a car, then see if they'll let you do a few laps with the TH at the end. If you At the end of the day its horrible on the track unless you're just out there to be the guy that gets a laugh for running his SUV on the track (I use to run with a group that at the end of lapping would have a 5 minute "tow vehicle" session which is perfect for the TH).

Too high a center of mass, brakes are too small, weighs too much, doesn't have enough cooling to do more than 2-3 laps of a decent circuit at full go before it starts to overheat (not that it matters as the brakes are gone by then). Drag strip sure, road course stick to the "tow vehicle" group...