Where do you put your tools on track days?

[TheArchitect]

As per my title really. I see people recommending taking jacks etc but do you keep them in your boot whilst on track?

[GreigM]

Recently discussed here http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[TheArchitect]

Cheers! Even tried searching and didn't find it!

[Herman Toothrot]

TheArchitect said:

do you keep them in your boot whilst on track?

I do, got a soft Hold all I shove all my limited tools in.

Really you should have confidence your car isn't going to need loads of spannering when on a track day, prepare it at home before the day.

[philevo6]

Herman Toothrot said:

I do, got a soft Hold all I shove all my limited tools in.

Really you should have confidence your car isn't going to need loads of spannering when on a track day, prepare it at home before the day.

Dont agree with that at all.....even the best prepped track cars can have issues on track.
From race teams to private cars....ive lost count of people asking me for random tools on trackdays to get them out of trouble and going home very early

Edited by philevo6 on Monday 23 September 20:24

[mattdaniels]

TheArchitect said:

As per my title really. I see people recommending taking jacks etc but do you keep them in your boot whilst on track?

I would never go on track with a trolly jack in the boot unless it was clamped in some way.

[Herman Toothrot]

philevo6 said:

Dont agree with that at all.....even the best prepped track cars can have issues on track.
From race teams to private cars....ive lost count of people asking me for random tools on trackdays to get them out of trouble and going home very early

Edited by philevo6 on Monday 23 September 20:24

I do about 6 to 8 days a year & have for the last 11 years, never needed any more than is in my tool bag that consists of oil, brake fluid, coolant, zip ties, screw driver, pliers, adjustable wrench, foot pump & wheel bolt socket.*

My 1st car I used on track used to blow boost hoses, loose coolant etc etc, but that was because it was a pile of st (MR2 turbo) so got rid. Learnt its a waste of cash spannering on the day of a track day, better value to be had by attending in a working car you have total confidence in. Plus you don't piss everyone else off causing red flags. Best was a VX220, had so much confidence in that I took absolutely nothing at all with me, faultless could be driven for double the time generally recommend and never missed a beat.

Problem is people like to badly modify or buy old piles of st to drive on track when they'd get better value in newer better more standard cars.

• Had one bottom end engine failure, no fixing that recovery truck required.

[Slagathore]

Leave them in the paddock. Never seen any dodgy behaviour or ever worried anything would be nicked.

Only ever took a spare set of wheels and tyre pump, then borrowed the tools from my boss if I needed to change them, but they were always left out in the paddock for easy access. That was about all I could manage, any other problems and it would probably be the end of my day, unless I could get help from anyone else at the circuit.

I was asjusting the front suspension on my car when a guy walked passed and asked if I needed a hand or any tools. I guess he thought I had a problem, but I just explained I was just fiddling with the suspension.

Only ever really seen friendly people like that on track days.

Nothing to say some s wouldn't drive in and nick stuff, but I think most of the participants on the day are pretty vigilant and would notice any dodgy behaviour.

[mattshiz]

In the drivers seat

[TheArchitect]

All seems good then, think I'll put together a small bag of essentials then and not worry too much. Cheers

[pikeyboy]

Make sure if you have any odd ball bits you have the tools for them. Most other stuff can be loaned from nice blokes like me who take mountains of st they never need.

[QBee]

I have never seen or heard of tools being nicked. As already said, they are a good crowd and if they have got it they will lend it if you are in need.
I have a personal rule - never take anything I cannot afford to lose and that would be easy to nick, so yes to spare fuel, oil, brake fluid, trolley jack, as none of that is expensive, even a second set of wheels on occasion, but if I take my new bright yellow DeWalt impact wrench I either hide it well or strap it down in the boot of the car. A well strapped down tool roll in the boot is probably your answer if you are going to spend the whole day worrying otherwise.
Final thought - I tend to go with mates and park together, and get a pit garage if at all possible, but i have been known to wander up to a random father/son combination with a Westfield on a trailer, admire said track tool, and ask if I can park my stuff with theirs under their trailer to avoid it getting run over. Never been refused yet.

[framerateuk]

I took a load of tools to my last trackday with the Caterham as I'd made some suspension adjustments before going and wasn't sure how well they would work on the track!

Turned out I needed nothing, and the tools sat where I parked my car all day long without a problem.

On a normal trackday though, I will take a toolbag filled with various spanners, a socket set, duct tape (crucial!), cable ties, jubilee clips, screwdrivers, wheel nut remover and some oil. Oh, and plenty of cartons of fuel! I would like to carry spare brake pads too.

It all fits neatly in one bag and is there for peace of mind! I would like to carry a jack,axle stands and wheel chocks, but they take up a LOT of room in a Caterham and it's not always possible - especially if you're already carrying two helmets.

[pikeyboy]

Make sure if you have any odd ball bits you have the tools for them. Most other stuff can be loaned from nice blokes like me who take mountains of st they never need.

[motorhole]

I started that other post and was given the reassurances you've been provided with here.

Nevertheless, I have a padlock on my toolbox and a 1.8m 1/2" braided cable and padlock to lock everything together. Wheel, coolant bottle, toolbox, jack and bottles all locked together on last trackday with no trouble. Makes them more difficult to nick. Can even lock them to a solid post or something if one is available

[JonRB]

For a Spa trip earlier in the year I took a lockable trunk that was filled so full of stuff it needed a stronger guy than me to lift it out (I'm a bit of a girl). Hardly needed any of it but was good to know I had it.
I asked one of the other members of our group if I could keep it in the garage they'd rented, which they were happy to let me do. Especially is it gave people something to sit on.

For the track day I'm doing next week, I may bring it again (but with way less stuff in it) and bicycle lock it to a handy immovable object.

[Andy Bell]

i fall into the taking too much crap bucket and store in car but you never know when something may go wrong in car. Or someone elses car and always nice to be able to help. Its a pain to load but i know as soon as I do not take it I will need it.

[framerateuk]

motorhole said:

I started that other post and was given the reassurances you've been provided with here.

Nevertheless, I have a padlock on my toolbox and a 1.8m 1/2" braided cable and padlock to lock everything together. Wheel, coolant bottle, toolbox, jack and bottles all locked together on last trackday with no trouble. Makes them more difficult to nick. Can even lock them to a solid post or something if one is available

I've done this before. When I used to take a full set of spare wheels to trackdays, I just used a long bike lock to tie them all together.

[QBee]

I slimmed it down for the last track day I did.
Put the track tyres on at home and drove to the circuit on them.

Tools were:
Phillips screwdriver to remove my front numberplate for better airflow
13mm spanner to fit track silencers
1 litre of oil for emergencies
Cloth for wiping windscreen and dipstick
Shower cleaner for cleaning bugs off windscreen
Food and water for driver and passenger seat ballast (wife)
Debit card for fuel supplies.
RAC card for insurmountable failures

Didn't need anything else, and as it was a TVR track day and I was in a TVR, I reckoned if I had someone else would have had it covered
I have to say the car held the road a lot better with the balancing weight on the passenger side - must get my car corner weighted.

[Willem82]

Part of the fun of having a track car is working on it and making it faster, or at least trying to!
Doing that requires tools, especially if you have an older car like my 1994 mx5. Without tools I would've been stuck on two of the six track days I've done this year, brakes both times, once a bolt holding a caliper worked itself loose and once I completely tan out of rear brakes. Both times I needed a jack and stands and my normal toolkit.

A couple of times other guys have borrowed my tools, used spares I've brought with me etc.

All the tools go in the mx5 on the way to the trackday,and are dumped either in a garage or under a gazebo which I sometimes bring, or under a tarp.

Never worried about anything going missing...

W.