essential equipment / set up for track days
Discussion
I have just got a 306 gti-6 and I plan to get it on the track as soon as possible! I've never done a trackday before and have been reading up as much as possible. I have read some general info regarding things like not putting handbrake on when stopped, and some pointers on general attitude, such as, "when you think you are getting good - you aren't! - park up and have a rest for a bit"! which i thought sounded good advice.
Anyway - i'd like some info on any specific equipment or car set up that anyone might reccommend.
I have the car booked in for a new cambelt this weekend.
The oil and coolant was changed a year ago (5k miles ago) - is this worth changing?!?!
I am getting some braided brake lines fitted and some dot 4 fluid (this particular one seems to have a higher boiling point than dot 5.1 anyway?!?!?)
Will ask the mechanic if i need new pads and if so then im thinking ferrodo ds2500
If i need new disks then i was going to get brembo's but people have said that the peugeot supplied ones are fine???
Anyone know what calipers the 306 gti-6 came with (2000 plate)?
I was going to get some track day tyres but there is another thread on here now saying to stick with road tyres - i would have thought tyres were something people really pushed as a necessary upgrade! Will gladly put off buying them - especially if they only last 2 track days!
Do i need to upgrade any of the suspension before my first outing?
Cheers for any advice.
Anyway - i'd like some info on any specific equipment or car set up that anyone might reccommend.
I have the car booked in for a new cambelt this weekend.
The oil and coolant was changed a year ago (5k miles ago) - is this worth changing?!?!
I am getting some braided brake lines fitted and some dot 4 fluid (this particular one seems to have a higher boiling point than dot 5.1 anyway?!?!?)
Will ask the mechanic if i need new pads and if so then im thinking ferrodo ds2500
If i need new disks then i was going to get brembo's but people have said that the peugeot supplied ones are fine???
Anyone know what calipers the 306 gti-6 came with (2000 plate)?
I was going to get some track day tyres but there is another thread on here now saying to stick with road tyres - i would have thought tyres were something people really pushed as a necessary upgrade! Will gladly put off buying them - especially if they only last 2 track days!
Do i need to upgrade any of the suspension before my first outing?
Cheers for any advice.
There was a thread not so long ago about what people thought was necessary to take along to track days - such as oil / pads / jack / general tools etc.
I am in the same boat as you and getting the car ready, and my advice would be to take it as it is for now (with the basic health checks done) and then improve it as and when you can afford / feel necessary.
I kind of wish I'd put my car on track in complete standard form before shedding all the weight / doing the suspension etc - just to appreciate the difference once its done.
Over to the more experienced track dayers...
I am in the same boat as you and getting the car ready, and my advice would be to take it as it is for now (with the basic health checks done) and then improve it as and when you can afford / feel necessary.
I kind of wish I'd put my car on track in complete standard form before shedding all the weight / doing the suspension etc - just to appreciate the difference once its done.
Over to the more experienced track dayers...
For the first trackday I'd be incline to take the car standard so long as everything is in good condition
Check tyre tread, brake pads, oil and water.
The 306 GTI is a good handling car from factory so should be fun as it is.
I'd have thought on you first outing £25 or what ever it is for an 1/2 hour with an instructor, to teach you the lines will be more worth while than worrying about mods.
I've done 7 or 8 trackdays and a number of sprints in standard cars (E30 M3, E36 M3, integra type R and clio 172) and only after the last two have been thinking that a set of road legal slicks might be worth a try as the current tyres are having a hard time.
Most of all enjoy it.
Check tyre tread, brake pads, oil and water.
The 306 GTI is a good handling car from factory so should be fun as it is.
I'd have thought on you first outing £25 or what ever it is for an 1/2 hour with an instructor, to teach you the lines will be more worth while than worrying about mods.
I've done 7 or 8 trackdays and a number of sprints in standard cars (E30 M3, E36 M3, integra type R and clio 172) and only after the last two have been thinking that a set of road legal slicks might be worth a try as the current tyres are having a hard time.
Most of all enjoy it.
I'd agree with most of the above. Your car should go fine out of the box, there's always improvements to be made but they can be done in stages and the car should be fairly forgiving to drive in standard form. Just watch you don't lift off the throttle mid corner as Pugs can be a bit tail happy 
.
The advice about instruction is well worth going for, the better TDOs will include free instruction on their days and it's the best performance upgrade available.
I'd say you will notice a real improvement for using track tyres, especially on drier and warmer days but no reason why you shouldn't finish the standard ones off first.
Aside from that you seem to be doing the right things in getting the car prepped to be safe and reliable so get yourself out there and have fun
Steve H
.The advice about instruction is well worth going for, the better TDOs will include free instruction on their days and it's the best performance upgrade available.
I'd say you will notice a real improvement for using track tyres, especially on drier and warmer days but no reason why you shouldn't finish the standard ones off first.
Aside from that you seem to be doing the right things in getting the car prepped to be safe and reliable so get yourself out there and have fun
Steve H
cheers for all the responses - i cant wait now! I was worried that i might waste a day / money by going without all the necessary mods but as it has been stated bove, the gti-6 is a capable car anyway and it will be good to go standard and slowly learn what it is i need. It will be good to see the difference that certain mods make. I might even try get it on a rolling road now too and then again once any engine mods have been carried out.
Reading other threads - someone made a good point - that they wouldnt fancy going on a novice only trackday as nothing else would scare them more than a circuit full of novices! i can understand that as many of the "first track day experience" threads talk of a fair bit of skidding off etc! and also the reduced track time isnt good. However, i had wondered if it would be worth doing for the extra tuition???
Either way i will definately be paying the extra money for a bit of extra in-car instruction!
Just got to hope that this snow has passed by mid feb! Would book jan but this snow is unbelievable - having said that - Feb is usually worse!
P.s. - do they sell petrol at the tracks? i presume they do!
Reading other threads - someone made a good point - that they wouldnt fancy going on a novice only trackday as nothing else would scare them more than a circuit full of novices! i can understand that as many of the "first track day experience" threads talk of a fair bit of skidding off etc! and also the reduced track time isnt good. However, i had wondered if it would be worth doing for the extra tuition???
Either way i will definately be paying the extra money for a bit of extra in-car instruction!
Just got to hope that this snow has passed by mid feb! Would book jan but this snow is unbelievable - having said that - Feb is usually worse!
P.s. - do they sell petrol at the tracks? i presume they do!
torqueofthedevil said:
Reading other threads - someone made a good point - that they wouldnt fancy going on a novice only trackday as nothing else would scare them more than a circuit full of novices! i can understand that as many of the "first track day experience" threads talk of a fair bit of skidding off etc! and also the reduced track time isnt good. However, i had wondered if it would be worth doing for the extra tuition???
That was probably me, it's one of my favourite rants . You may not get any more or better tuition on a novice day than a normal one and at least on a normal day you'll be able to see how some more experienced drivers take the corners. Instruction doesn't always get charged for, Circuit Days do it for free and I think that BookaTrack might as well and (at risk of a quick shameless plug) we always have free instruction available on our club days at Trackaction-Online.Fuel will be available at most circuits but it's always expensive so a full tank plus some cans is a good idea. You may get fuel surge in the 306 (I do in my 106) so anything below half a tank and it loses power suddenly on right handers! You can fit a proper swirl pot but I just keep it topped up.
Steve H
Novice days are good for some novices and not good for others. A lot of its in the mind and if you personally feel more comfortable with everyone around you in the same boat then do that. If you feel you wont be intimidated by experienced people then dont go on novice days. As a novice it depends where you go, if you turn up at Brands and half of the cars there are race cars arriving on trailers it can be very intimidating for some novices.
Edited by fiveoclockhero1 on Wednesday 6th January 09:27
IMO getting a 2nd set of rims with either non-legal road tyres or if you have the money some R888's is the way forward -- that way you save knackering the shoulders of your road tyres (ie put the spare set on at the circuit)
Also, assuming your car is sound then the main thing to watch out for is your tyre pressures -- you will have to drop them quite a lot as they warm up, so do go start gently - come back in and check pressures -- down to probably 30 to 32psi (see what other pug owners recommend) & go again. As you get a bit quicker you may find you have to drop pressures 3 or even 4 times so that they stabilise at that level. IMO overheated tyres probably causes more novice spins than anything else.
Also, assuming your car is sound then the main thing to watch out for is your tyre pressures -- you will have to drop them quite a lot as they warm up, so do go start gently - come back in and check pressures -- down to probably 30 to 32psi (see what other pug owners recommend) & go again. As you get a bit quicker you may find you have to drop pressures 3 or even 4 times so that they stabilise at that level. IMO overheated tyres probably causes more novice spins than anything else.
Edited by legaleagleboy on Wednesday 6th January 11:14
Steve H
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we always have free instruction available on our club days at Trackaction-Online.
[/quote]
Cheers, i will have a look. so far looking through the various TD organisers it seems that the higher profile ones are cheaper?!?! - i was surprised to see some airfield trackdays even more expensive than places such as Oulton Park.
Steve H
[/quote]
Fuel will be available at most circuits but it's always expensive so a full tank plus some cans is a good idea. You may get fuel surge in the 306 (I do in my 106) so anything below half a tank and it loses power suddenly on right handers! You can fit a proper swirl pot but I just keep it topped up.
[/quote]
Ok cheers for that advice, will have to get some big gerry cans - it seems pretty thirsty! I might go for a swirl pot at some point. Have you had any problems with oil starvation? Would a baffled sump be needed? I had read somewhere that it was recommended but not sure if that was overkill. Could you use an oil swirl pot?
Cheers for the advice on tire pressures, all this info is the sort of information im after. Will get a tyre pressure gauge.
[/quote]
we always have free instruction available on our club days at Trackaction-Online.
[/quote]
Cheers, i will have a look. so far looking through the various TD organisers it seems that the higher profile ones are cheaper?!?! - i was surprised to see some airfield trackdays even more expensive than places such as Oulton Park.
Steve H
[/quote]
Fuel will be available at most circuits but it's always expensive so a full tank plus some cans is a good idea. You may get fuel surge in the 306 (I do in my 106) so anything below half a tank and it loses power suddenly on right handers! You can fit a proper swirl pot but I just keep it topped up.
[/quote]
Ok cheers for that advice, will have to get some big gerry cans - it seems pretty thirsty! I might go for a swirl pot at some point. Have you had any problems with oil starvation? Would a baffled sump be needed? I had read somewhere that it was recommended but not sure if that was overkill. Could you use an oil swirl pot?
Cheers for the advice on tire pressures, all this info is the sort of information im after. Will get a tyre pressure gauge.
+1 for tyre pressures.
The fastest way to trash expensive road rubber is to overheat them.
Do a few laps and come in and check them whilst still hot.
Adjust the hot fronts (driven wheels) back down to about the reccomended cold pressures.
You may find as you get quicker that adding 3-4psi to the rears help also but its not a biggie in the early stage.
You can probably leave them there for the day and pump fronts back up a bit for the trip home.
If you are knocking off the front tyre corners (easy in a road car)then slow down your entry approach and be less aggresive.
You won't be cornering any faster, simply ruining the tyres - you can get to the canvass here before the middle tread is even at 3mm!
The fastest way to trash expensive road rubber is to overheat them.
Do a few laps and come in and check them whilst still hot.
Adjust the hot fronts (driven wheels) back down to about the reccomended cold pressures.
You may find as you get quicker that adding 3-4psi to the rears help also but its not a biggie in the early stage.
You can probably leave them there for the day and pump fronts back up a bit for the trip home.
If you are knocking off the front tyre corners (easy in a road car)then slow down your entry approach and be less aggresive.
You won't be cornering any faster, simply ruining the tyres - you can get to the canvass here before the middle tread is even at 3mm!
torqueofthedevil said:
Cheers, i will have a look. so far looking through the various TD organisers it seems that the higher profile ones are cheaper?!?! - i was surprised to see some airfield trackdays even more expensive than places such as Oulton Park.
Just make sure you are comparing evenly, some trackdays will be sessioned and others may book very large numbers in even if they run open pit so you end up queueing just to get out on track - cheapest isn't always best. There seems to be a couple of almost impossibly cheap Oulton days out there at the moment so I guess they are either being overbooked or being run as loss-leaders to raise the profile of the TDO; if it's the former then best avoided, the latter means it's a bargain but I'm not sure how you would know in advance!The best thing to is try to get a recommendation of who to go with.
I wouldn't even consider track tyres (e.g. R888s) until you stiffen the suspension - stickier tyres will cause the car to roll even more, placing more strain and causing more wear on the outside front (as well more strain in general on the suspension).
Besides, keeping to road tyres for a while allows you to get to the car's limits more easily, which is where the fun is. Stickier tyres lift that limit which in turn raises the stakes if you get it wrong.
Just use good road tyres (i.e. that won't overheat and lose grip after 2 laps) and as mentioned, buy a good tyre gauge and keep an eye on the pressures after each session.
Enjoy!
Besides, keeping to road tyres for a while allows you to get to the car's limits more easily, which is where the fun is. Stickier tyres lift that limit which in turn raises the stakes if you get it wrong.
Just use good road tyres (i.e. that won't overheat and lose grip after 2 laps) and as mentioned, buy a good tyre gauge and keep an eye on the pressures after each session.
Enjoy!
As already said I would definitely get some tuition, there is no point doing anything to the car unless you know how to drive on track.
Personally I would then change the engine and gearbox oil, coolant, brake fluid and brake pads - all these get a good hammering on track and none cost very much or are much work to change so IMO it's worth getting them right.
I have a 205 GTI (although most of the mechanicals are 306/309 now) and I started on trackdays with it more or less standard and I have pretty much changed every mechanical part on it in the past 18 months, just the steering rack and gearbox to do, which are lined up for Feb. I like to do things slowly, so that inbetween each trackday I change on part so I can see the effect is has on the handling/driveability - for me doing the work on the car and seeing the difference is at least as much fun as doing the trackdays.
Personally I would then change the engine and gearbox oil, coolant, brake fluid and brake pads - all these get a good hammering on track and none cost very much or are much work to change so IMO it's worth getting them right.
I have a 205 GTI (although most of the mechanicals are 306/309 now) and I started on trackdays with it more or less standard and I have pretty much changed every mechanical part on it in the past 18 months, just the steering rack and gearbox to do, which are lined up for Feb. I like to do things slowly, so that inbetween each trackday I change on part so I can see the effect is has on the handling/driveability - for me doing the work on the car and seeing the difference is at least as much fun as doing the trackdays.
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