[Andrew]

I'm wondering. What exactly do you do to prep your car a track day?

What kind of wear is done on your clutch?

 

[Stradale]

There is little wear on the clutch but the brakes take a lot of beating though. The tyres would depend on the track (surface). In Sepang there is very little wear but in Shah Alam, a much older track one track day will wear out your tyres. A good practice is to bleed a bit of the brake hose at each corner after the track day, because the brake fluid would have boiled (and therefore not in prime condition anymore) if you have done serious driving on the track.

You have to send the car for a complete once over. Brake pad life, tyres and pressure, oils level, alignment etc. It's a precaution. Many people have just driven to the track withou bothering with the above and came off at the end of the day without any ill effect. But your mind will be at ease if you've checked the car before hand.

 

[4kids3fish]

A very good topic Andrew - there should be lots of useful info posted here.

FM2cWorth, the priorities are
1. SAFETY (big letters)
2. performance (little letters)

I will concentrate on safety here.
Safety is both car AND driver. The consequences of shunting a wall are just too horrible to think about, even if you walk away OK. I once saw a 308 go off backwards into a bunch of tyres (sounds soft enough, eh?), and afterwards they couldn't open the rear OR front bonnet/hood (the chassis was deformed at both ends)

Running gear will take a beating, esp tyres, wheel brgs, rims and suspension mounts. You will be cornering MUCH harder than on the road and hitting the ripple-strip when at max roll angle will put big loads on mounts, steering joints & hubs. Make sure all the suspension & steering is in top order with no slack or worn bushings, bearings, etc.

If the dampers/shocks are worn then you will get mighty "floaty" over any hills, and circuit designers just LOVE putting corners over the brow of a nice hill. :evil: Without tight suspension you will be hanging on by your toenails over the crest while also desperately trying to shed speed and turn-in. Ugh!

As Stradale says, brakes work hard. There is very little time for them to cool between beatings so put in fresh high BP fluid and heavy duty pads if available. Check disks for run-out as any warping will be a nightmare and make the car v. hard to control. Poor dampers will really hurt here also, as they won't control the weight transfer.

Don't forget the engine in the safety equation. If oil levels are low the cornering forces will starve the pump on a wet-sump model, and having too much oil will flood it up the side of the block into the crank's path. Either way you will have immediate problems just when you don't need any. Have safety gear for any emergency (fire, battery-disconnect, clothing, etc).

Finally, prepare yourself. There is always lots of "car-talk" about track days but the driver is more important. Don't drink or take drugs within cooee of the big day, try to get some good sleep, don't try to impress anybody "trackside". If you've been on the track before then running around the circuit in your mind, re-making mental notes of the key markers & positions will always be great preparation.

Good luck and enjoy - there ain't nothing to match the thrill. :green:

 

[Pete04222]

I don't race, but I do go off-roading. Same rules apply as for the vehicle checks. If it looks suspect in the driveway, it will break on the trail (or the track).

If you thought the track was hard on brakes, try filling them up full of mud and then driving down a mountain. I go through a set of brake pads once a year (which is only about 3,000 miles).

 

[cwwhk]

Before track day I always bleed the brakes, change oil, refresh coolant, check tire pressure.

Also best to thoroughly study the track. Know all the braking, turn-in, apex and exit points.

 

[Andrew]

How about this? Here is a link that says these are for track use only. I guess if you put these on you are using your car on the track only?

http://www.ferrariforum.net/store/detail.php?id=105

Or can you fit these on and off each time (which would be a pain as you have to bleed everytime, no?).

 

[Rosso]

But I thought I've seen the Tubi exhausts with a thing that says "track use only," at least on a few sites that I've seen, but I know that alot of cars use them on the street. I have no idea...I'm lost on that one.

 

[4kids3fish]

My guess is that the pads probably need some decent heat to get them gripping, and so just tooling down to the shops with them is likely to end with a v. hard pedal that doesn't seem to do much stopping.

I also guess that "track use" Tubis are just too loud for street??

 

[Stradale]

But I thought I've seen the Tubi exhausts with a thing that says "track use only," at least on a few sites that I've seen, but I know that alot of cars use them on the street. I have no idea...I'm lost on that one.

That's to absolve Tubi from any responsibility if the owner is prosecuted for too much noise on public road.

 

[Pete04222]

But I thought I've seen the Tubi exhausts with a thing that says "track use only," at least on a few sites that I've seen, but I know that alot of cars use them on the street. I have no idea...I'm lost on that one.

Anything that is not Department of Transportation approved must be labled for "off-highway use only" or "for track-use only". It doesn't mean the part is high performance, it only means the part doesn't fit DOT standards. Most of your after-market lighting fits in this catagory.