Interesting stuff you find on Google.
Good demo of handling and terminal velocity.
Not open to the public however.
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They have a small track at the HQ too.
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Frisco, TX?
Hmm…#notfarfrommyhouse
EDIT: just realised the “corporate retreat and track” is in Denton (county), too… #alsonotfarfrommyhouse
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Technically it’s Plano. It’s a real short track that backs right up to 121. The R&D building isn’t far from it either, it’s on the 121 side too.
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Oops. Wrong side of SRT…
A friend has been to this track for work (commercial video shoot) says it’s a very nice facility, but there are no plans to open it to the public. The rumor is that it’s actually owned by the Toyota USA president.
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I’m one of the engineers in the R&D building. Our little “check road” off 121 is nice to have on site, I drove a truck-sickle (Tundra cold-soaked to -30C overnight) over its Belgian block and rope roads last week for suspension NVH (noise/vibration/harshness) eval. Limited to 60mph but it’s good for low speed stuff. The Argyle track/ranch is for executive and press events only, we don’t even get to use it for development or evaluation. All our high speed ride and handling stuff still gets done by renting out road courses, or using our 10 mile oval and proving grounds outside of Phoenix.
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I’d bet that Toyota could have ECR up in Decatur for a song. Even though the track has recently changed hands, they haven’t done the needed repave yet.
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Just curious, how do you start a car that has been cold-soaked to -30C? Engine block heater and/or special oil so it still flows I’m guessing?
And more practically, wasn’t condensation an issue driving that car in warm Texas weather?
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I usually just turned the key. Sometimes you turn the key and pray a little.
Source: Grew up in Minnesota.
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That’s mighty cold. Brrrrr
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Yep, what Adam said. It’s a brand new vehicle with a fresh battery, starter and oil, so that helped, but it definitely struggled for a few seconds. And yes, freezing condensation was absolutely an issue, we had to Ace Ventura the truck out of the building while running the defrost and wiper heaters full blast to try to clear it. We used the winter mix washer fluid too, that kinda worked (though it tended to freeze on contact at first too). Seats were hard as a rock, it was definitely VERY cold.
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fun… at least you could roll the window down (maybe) and hang your head out while you drove. (that wouldn’t work if it was -30c outside)
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Not too bad. Could have been -30F!
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New surface at ECR goes in starting in Aug.
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I hope that actually happens. I stopped counting when the prior owners kept promising track repairs and a repave. Would love to have ECR as a high-functioning facility.
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For as much as it costs to put a car on the track at ECR, the least they can do is have a better track surface than any given stretch of Belt Line.