track day preparation

zia

Active Member
following are check's made to vehicle's/and preparation before going on track.

1.. first make sure you are covered by insurance to go on track (adrian flux i think or buy fron dedicated specialist)

2...make sure all fluid are ok before going on track (oil/water/brake etc)

3..check tyre's are in good nick as they will take pounding depending on track surface and if they wear to the effect that they become illegal then there's possibilty of getting nicked by cop :lol: (min tread depth 1.6 three quarter of the circumference of tyre) if you can take set of spare wheel's that way you can change before going out onto the road.also some track tyre's are illegal for road use and dangerous if condition change i.e rain

4..brake pad make certain that there is plenty of life left on the pads and disc's as you will lean on them harder when going flat out.

5...check the the suspension is good order no fooked shock's /bushes
etc

6.. take with you any necessary tool's to change pad's and wheel's

7..take some gaffer/duck tape to cover light's

8..also helmet there two type's one that cover the most of the face and the other which cover's the head (scooter type) :oops:

9...all track have briefing session's you must attend otherwise no going out on track.

10...no loose tool/jack/etc in the vehicle while on track

11..know your own limit's and your car.

12.. when coming off do not leave the handbrake on or keep foot on pedal otherwise brake's will warp

i think that's it. if i,ve forgot anything feel free to add.

zia
 

Fast Guy

Moderators
Staff member
Check the tyre pressures while you're checking they're in good nick.

While on the track, keep an eye on the temp gauges if you can :wink:

Just park it in gear with no hand brake when you've finished.

A hand held fire extinguisher could be useful if you have any incidents :oops:
 
S

Stoned

Guest
I feel after Silverstone it's an excellent time for you to re-read point 11 Zia :lol:

11..know your own limit's and your car.
Just kidding matey :wink:
 

zia

Active Member
in order to learn you need to experience :wink: :D . once it all setup running wise am going to book it in for full track day to see how far i can push it. i am sure i didn,t hear the tyre's squeal as yet. :p

zia
 
6

6Miester

Guest
13. Make sure the track you are using does not have a low db limit! I was checked twice last time and only just scraped through. Iirc the limit was 100db and the Goose was very close!

They checked at 4500rpm.

14.If you have standard brakes....they will die so budget for new ones!
 
N

Ninj-r

Guest
I think you also have to wear long sleeves or something to cover your arms. :?

Also chuck a bit of octane bootster in.










& don't crash :shock:
 

Jgti-R

New Member
don't forget to take your driving licence to the track! (both parts if you have a new one!)

remember to warm up and cool down your R!

take a change of underwear! :lol:

make sure you have enough feul! :roll: you'll go through it quick!
 

jonee

New Member
r

take some glass cleaner and some rags. because you never know when them pesky cosworth pooers will blow up in front of you, and cover your screen in oil.



jonee
 
G

gtir404bhp

Guest
well that wont happen to me because ther will be no cosworths in front of me. they,l be behind lol:thumbsup:
 

PaulB

Member
I need to check with my insurance on the track, if they dont do it Il go on anyway !

What kinda tyre pressures would you run on the track then !??!
 
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pulsarboby

Guest
big mistake paul, your best off keeping lips sealed to insurance companies regarding track days;-)

if you do happen to have an incident on track your best off making up a story and say it happened on the road! all you are doing by admitting your using car on track is upping the premiums, and giving them more ways via small print to avoid a payout.

i always remove my number plates whilst on track on bike or car, as its a known fact that some insurance companies send people out to various trackdays throughout the country, and are clocking number plates, thats why many cars and bikes remove there plates;-)

another couple of little tips is:
high boil point brake fluid......how many people uprate there brakes but forget the fluid! 5.1 will do nicely.

most damage on track to car is caused through excessive running temps.
it is a good idea to link up the fans so they run constantly via an independant switch, leave the fans running when you come off track for around five minutes so the engine cools sufficiently, before your next session (assuming its a sessioned event)

heat is the biggest killer of an engine, due to oil dangerously thinning and causing huge amounts of wear.

if you have a heater blower motor then turn it on if temps start to rise as this will also aid in the cooling.

tyre pressures are down to each individual driving style and types of tyres fitted, and also track temp.
i like as an average to run around 38 front and 40 rears!
but theres a lot of factors to take into consideration, as just mentioned.
so bit of trial and error im afraid
 

PaulB

Member
Top guy bob. I havent mentioned anything to insurance companies, but i will be removing my plates if thats the case.

I am running 5.1 brake fluid after using that after fitting my 310mm wilwoods, so i should be ok, Im not gonna be doing huge sessions, just wanna get a nice feel of the car.

I think i will have a look at popping a little switch under the dash to pop the fans on with. I was thinking of summat like 35psi fronts and 35 rears, try to help it oversteer a little.

Top advice bob. Are you up at knockhill in a couple of weeks?
 

ashills

Active Member
pace ward do good prices on track day cover well worth it if uve put alot of time and money into your car
 

MarkTurbo

Well-Known Member
pulsarboby said:
i like as an average to run around 38 front and 40 rears!
Is that cold pressures :shock:

How come you run the rears higher than the fronts? I usually run 35 front and 32 in the rears, on a dry track once you've done a few laps the pressures will rise by at least 6-7 psi possibly more (unless your using nitrogen) so that 40psi could be nearing 50 psi on a hot day :shock: Going too hard just makes the car feel loose through the corners!

Cooling wise as long as you've got a decent oil cooler you should be ok, oil temps soon go through the roof without one ;-) I think i had it upto 120/130 degrees at castle combe once without one :lol: Ive got a 24 row cooler and the oil temp never rises much higher than about 90 odd degrees now, and water temps never get above normal either.

I used to have track cover on one of my policies, i think the excess was something like £1000/£1500 and there was loads of clauses attached to it. I dont bother now, if i hit it i hit it :lol: If it happens i'll just take it on the chin and repair it or hope theres some bits worth selling on if the car is throwaway :lol:
 
O

Odin

Guest
I use Mintex racing blue brake fluid and can recommend it highly, I noticed the difference straight away using it.

I agree about the oil cooler being fitted, I wouldn't go on track with out one, I don't think I could risk it with the standard rad ether.


Rob
 
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pulsarboby

Guest
the guy i bought my astra gte off used to run 50 psi hot all round, and he was the class winner in lma saloon car!
his idea was to find a perfect pressure for less tyre wall movement which would allow the rear wheel to lift on hard cornering. i tried this and found the pressure too high but i found with increased rear pressure over front, it compensated for understeer on a fwd, and the Rs are inclined to also understeer so i will be doing the same in that and see what happens!

as i said its just a guide and really is down to many other equasions and driving styles, a case of trial and error if you wanna put it that way:-D

you cant have enough cooling though, especially if you are really caning the car and flat out through all gears on track.

your car will last longer that way;-)
 

PaulB

Member
Smashing, I think il do a bit of trial and error, but the idea of having the rear pressures harder is an understandable one.

Ive got my mocal oil cooler to fit this week too.

Rock on Knockhill !
 
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pulsarboby

Guest
good luck paul:thumbsup:

unfortunately due to my engine failiure i wont be doing any trackdays or testing for a while, untill the vehicle is inspected!

shame as i currently have 3 already booked, but hopefully should be back in action in around a month.

will go to knockhill sometime this year though, looks like a very nice circuit, and quite tricky, but i like a challenge:lol:
 

PaulB

Member
Good stuff, what was the reason for engine faliure?

Im just really going for the crack and to get a feel of the car around the track. Its not up to track spec by any means.
 
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pulsarboby

Guest
cant go into that on the forum paul im afraid. due to the rules etc!

sure youll have a great time though, and thats what counts:lol: not how fast you are!
as long as you and your car come home intact, and you have a big beaming smile on your face, then you've had a good day!
 
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