Preparation for my first track day
Discussion
Afternoon all,
I'm considering taking my daily, an E46 328i, on a track day in the next month or so. I recently ran a thread debating what would be the best budget base for me to start off building a dedicated track car, but first off I want to do a day or two in the car I have to get a taste for it and see if it's something I really want to commit to in a big way.
I've quite a bit of instructed track experience already, hold ARDS National B Race and have done Palmersport for the last two years, so I'm not too scared of taking my own car out. I just wanted to ask a few questions about what sort of thing to expect!
Of course, it's a road car, and while it's mechanically sound my first questions are about how long I should expect my brakes and tyres to last. I have 205/55R16 RE050As on it, which are perhaps a third worn. The brakes are, I presume, completely standard equipment and the pads have good material left. How long should I expect that to remain the case?! Is there much chance of boiling my brake fluid on what is, after all, my first day in this car? I'll be gentle and work my pace upwards, but do expect to be going hard towards the end of the day. It will, however, be an open pitlane day so I'll be perfectly happy to let her (and myself!) cool down for an hour if need be.
I hope that one session shouldn't be enough to start causing excessive suspension wear.
Other than that, I'll be driving the car to the circuit, and it is of course my daily so I'm looking into sorting out insurance for the day. I've sent a quote off to CCI to see what they have to say. What would you expect to pay to cover a £2500 standard road car for an open pitlane day?
Apart from that, I already plan to bring some more oil with me in case I start using a bit, as well as other fluids, and she will of course be going with a full tank of fuel! But what else should I take with me? If I had a fully prepared car I'd take tools and spares, but for a single day I hope that won't be necessary.
Any other points that I might have missed? I'm considering Mallory Park on October 13th, in case anyone else is going!
Thanks in advance
I'm considering taking my daily, an E46 328i, on a track day in the next month or so. I recently ran a thread debating what would be the best budget base for me to start off building a dedicated track car, but first off I want to do a day or two in the car I have to get a taste for it and see if it's something I really want to commit to in a big way.
I've quite a bit of instructed track experience already, hold ARDS National B Race and have done Palmersport for the last two years, so I'm not too scared of taking my own car out. I just wanted to ask a few questions about what sort of thing to expect!
Of course, it's a road car, and while it's mechanically sound my first questions are about how long I should expect my brakes and tyres to last. I have 205/55R16 RE050As on it, which are perhaps a third worn. The brakes are, I presume, completely standard equipment and the pads have good material left. How long should I expect that to remain the case?! Is there much chance of boiling my brake fluid on what is, after all, my first day in this car? I'll be gentle and work my pace upwards, but do expect to be going hard towards the end of the day. It will, however, be an open pitlane day so I'll be perfectly happy to let her (and myself!) cool down for an hour if need be.
I hope that one session shouldn't be enough to start causing excessive suspension wear.
Other than that, I'll be driving the car to the circuit, and it is of course my daily so I'm looking into sorting out insurance for the day. I've sent a quote off to CCI to see what they have to say. What would you expect to pay to cover a £2500 standard road car for an open pitlane day?
Apart from that, I already plan to bring some more oil with me in case I start using a bit, as well as other fluids, and she will of course be going with a full tank of fuel! But what else should I take with me? If I had a fully prepared car I'd take tools and spares, but for a single day I hope that won't be necessary.
Any other points that I might have missed? I'm considering Mallory Park on October 13th, in case anyone else is going!
Thanks in advance
A very small overfill (1mm over the MAX on the dipstick) of the engine oil can sometimes be good for track days and can help a avoid oil starvation in the corners.
If your brake fluid hasnt been changed in a while, its a good idea to change it as it absorbs water over time which will make it boil much too quickly.
If your brake fluid hasnt been changed in a while, its a good idea to change it as it absorbs water over time which will make it boil much too quickly.
McSam said:
Other than that, I'll be driving the car to the circuit, and it is of course my daily so I'm looking into sorting out insurance for the day. I've sent a quote off to CCI to see what they have to say. What would you expect to pay to cover a £2500 standard road car for an open pitlane day?
Couple k?McSam said:
Other than that, I'll be driving the car to the circuit, and it is of course my daily so I'm looking into sorting out insurance for the day. I've sent a quote off to CCI to see what they have to say. What would you expect to pay to cover a £2500 standard road car for an open pitlane day?
£70 or so is what I've been quoted in the past. Excesses are usually quite high though.Not affiliated with these folks, but they've done very good deals for competition/track cars, and they do track day insurance.
http://www.reis.co.uk/
Otherwise a bit of oil, water etc, maybe take a few tools in case fettling is required. If it's OPL just take it easy, do a few laps and check everything, cool off etc.
http://www.reis.co.uk/
Otherwise a bit of oil, water etc, maybe take a few tools in case fettling is required. If it's OPL just take it easy, do a few laps and check everything, cool off etc.
I cooked my brakes in my daily a 1/4 way round the ring on my first lap. Either do something about it or don't go too hard on them. It's not nice to arrive at a corner finding the brake pedal isn't doing much and it is more just acting as a place to rest your foot!
Check your pressures are correct and that your tyres aren't damaged.
Check your pressures are correct and that your tyres aren't damaged.
You sound like you have some good experience behind you with regards to track driving, so in preparation for an OPL day (which track by the way?) I would echo some of the other posters comments here:
Oil change and take some along to top up on the day
Buy some new brake pads, spend the money to get some good stuff
At least change your brake fluid, better still upgrade to a higher boiling point
Check your engine and cooling system for any leaks after a good run, nobody else on your track day wants any closure time due to any fluid being spilt!
Remove all excess weight from your car before hand, and make sure you have nothing able to fly around the cabin
Check your tyre pressures and wear again before you go out
As far as a dedicated track car goes, I would recommend an e36 328i, cheap as chips to buy, very easy to work on, parts readily available and lovely balance of power/handling for entry level track day hooning e46 is a tad too heavy for my liking (I've had a few of each).
Oil change and take some along to top up on the day
Buy some new brake pads, spend the money to get some good stuff
At least change your brake fluid, better still upgrade to a higher boiling point
Check your engine and cooling system for any leaks after a good run, nobody else on your track day wants any closure time due to any fluid being spilt!
Remove all excess weight from your car before hand, and make sure you have nothing able to fly around the cabin
Check your tyre pressures and wear again before you go out
As far as a dedicated track car goes, I would recommend an e36 328i, cheap as chips to buy, very easy to work on, parts readily available and lovely balance of power/handling for entry level track day hooning
e46 is a tad too heavy for my liking (I've had a few of each).I hadn't thought of putting a slight overfill of oil in, that's a very nice idea, oil starvation was one of my worries but I figured that on road tyres I would be unlikely to encounter it. Any ideas on the lifespan of the tyres? I had a pretty smooth style but even so.
Thanks also for the brake fluid reminder, that is definitely worthwhile. If I'm doing that, I guess I could go ahead and put performance pads in as well - anyone else have any thoughts on that? Worth it for a one-off session? I have done prolonged hard driving in this car, 200 miles of rural Scottish roads in a day, and while the brakes were well warmed - smoke coming off them when I stopped at one point
- there was never any fade at any point. Of course, track driving is going to be a little harder on them, but it seems BMW did well with their original spec. Matt, what car were you in at the 'Ring to do that?
Krikkit, thanks for the tip about insurance, I'll get in touch with those guys - also about the way to treat the day, that's my plan
Thanks also for the brake fluid reminder, that is definitely worthwhile. If I'm doing that, I guess I could go ahead and put performance pads in as well - anyone else have any thoughts on that? Worth it for a one-off session? I have done prolonged hard driving in this car, 200 miles of rural Scottish roads in a day, and while the brakes were well warmed - smoke coming off them when I stopped at one point
- there was never any fade at any point. Of course, track driving is going to be a little harder on them, but it seems BMW did well with their original spec. Matt, what car were you in at the 'Ring to do that?Krikkit, thanks for the tip about insurance, I'll get in touch with those guys - also about the way to treat the day, that's my plan
B3SVert, you posted as I was typing - top stuff, thank you very much. The track car I'd actually decided on from the previous thread is an E36 328i! 
As regards this session (most likely Mallory, maybe I will do that oil top-off taking Gerard's into consideration), I take all your advice on board. Tyres, yes, I forgot to mention in the first post I plan on taking a small pump and gauge with me to keep a close eye on them - they're all in good condition, anyhow.
I definitely won't have things flying around, empty Coke bottles wedging under my brake pedal, etc
I see that changing the brake fluid is a recurring theme - in that case I will definitely do so, and while I'm at it I may as well change pads. Can anyone recommend pads that are suitable for me to continue using on the road after the day? The stopping power isn't an issue, I already have more brakes than grip, and I don't want anything like what I hear of Yellowstuff, needing a lot of heat in to operate properly, but just avoiding fade would be nice.
As regards this session (most likely Mallory, maybe I will do that oil top-off taking Gerard's into consideration), I take all your advice on board. Tyres, yes, I forgot to mention in the first post I plan on taking a small pump and gauge with me to keep a close eye on them - they're all in good condition, anyhow.
I definitely won't have things flying around, empty Coke bottles wedging under my brake pedal, etc
I see that changing the brake fluid is a recurring theme - in that case I will definitely do so, and while I'm at it I may as well change pads. Can anyone recommend pads that are suitable for me to continue using on the road after the day? The stopping power isn't an issue, I already have more brakes than grip, and I don't want anything like what I hear of Yellowstuff, needing a lot of heat in to operate properly, but just avoiding fade would be nice.
If you've had smoking brakes on the road but with no fade, I would be inclined the leave the current pads in for the first track day and see how they go.
Make sure you allow a full lap for cooling down at the end of each session. Keep the sessions to 10-15 mins (+ cool down) and perhaps at least 30mins in between. Do NOT use your handbrake when parked up. This is all to help manage your brakes. Check the wheel nuts for tightness before you go out and perhaps once or twice during the day.
Do not try to make the last session of the day your fastest. It is almost as certain a precursor to trouble as saying, "Watch this."
Make sure you allow a full lap for cooling down at the end of each session. Keep the sessions to 10-15 mins (+ cool down) and perhaps at least 30mins in between. Do NOT use your handbrake when parked up. This is all to help manage your brakes. Check the wheel nuts for tightness before you go out and perhaps once or twice during the day.
Do not try to make the last session of the day your fastest. It is almost as certain a precursor to trouble as saying, "Watch this."
Alright - I've been looking and seeing biiiig money for performance pads that don't seem viable for road use, so if anyone has any "mid-range" alternatives then I could look into it, but reassuring that my prior experience suggests the current ones might be OK.
A torque wrench is something to add to the list, I did think of that at one point and I wholly agree with the short session timing and cooldown. Good advice, thanks
ETA - Anyone have experience of using EBC Redstuff for these purposes? I used to hear very good things about EBC, but now the messages are rather more varied. Nevertheless, a set of front pads at £65 sounds very handy.
A torque wrench is something to add to the list, I did think of that at one point
and I wholly agree with the short session timing and cooldown. Good advice, thanks ETA - Anyone have experience of using EBC Redstuff for these purposes? I used to hear very good things about EBC, but now the messages are rather more varied. Nevertheless, a set of front pads at £65 sounds very handy.
Edited by McSam on Friday 21st September 16:51
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