Do you change your oil after track days?
Do you change your oil after track days?
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Old Trout

Original Poster:

1,705 posts

205 months

Friday 15th March 2013
quotequote all
As per the title?

My car has just done a track day on the same oil it was run in on and the better part of me suggests it would be good to change it (5,500 miles).

It is getting done at the moment at but the OPC have tried to talk me out of it twice now.

copperman05

245 posts

200 months

Friday 15th March 2013
quotequote all
It certainly wont hurt, race cars can suffer from fuel dilution so I suspect a good session on track can push an oil to its limits. My advise would be the change every 2-3 trackdays but if running in oil perhaps even sooner...


PHOENIXUK

2,200 posts

231 months

Friday 15th March 2013
quotequote all
Of course it will not hurt but IMHO waste of money, Mobil1 and the like will take all you can offer, take the advice of the dealer.

MadMark911

1,755 posts

179 months

Friday 15th March 2013
quotequote all
Can't hurt and it's your money / P&J! biggrin

Personally, I have the oil changed in my cars every year, regardless of mileage as I think the 2 year service intervals are rediculous on a high performance car. So in the GT3 that meant that it was changed after only 3,000 miles (1,500 miles in my tenure), but I swear she ran smoother after it was done!

Old Trout

Original Poster:

1,705 posts

205 months

Friday 15th March 2013
quotequote all
PHOENIXUK said:
Of course it will not hurt but IMHO waste of money, Mobil1 and the like will take all you can offer, take the advice of the dealer.
I hear what you are saying, however I would be VERY surprised if the service deck jockeys know anything about oil technology. They only know about service book guidelines from what I can tell.

I will probably be happy now for another 3-4 track days. I just think that running in and track days on the same oil doesn't feel quite right.

SFO

5,189 posts

213 months

Friday 15th March 2013
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change the oil, 5500 miles from new is a good time to replace factory oil

mikecassie

673 posts

189 months

Friday 15th March 2013
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If you feel it worthwhile do it. I would do it after every 2 trackdays on my Cayman S. But I bought Mobil 1 from Costco and did it all myself, so was approx 1/3 the cost of the OPC doing it for me, they do pull your pants down for the cost of oil. And labour......

Fire_2

138 posts

240 months

Friday 15th March 2013
quotequote all
I try to change it after a trackday

fioran0

2,410 posts

202 months

Friday 15th March 2013
quotequote all
Ask them to keep some of your oil and send it off for used oil analysis. This will give you a clear picture of how its fairing and you can make a plan for you going forward.

Trev450

6,757 posts

202 months

Friday 15th March 2013
quotequote all
I do around 5-7 sprints and 3-4 trackdays a year in my track Evo and change the oil at the end of every season. The useage is certainly hard but the mileage is probably less than 2K.

Gibbo205

3,572 posts

237 months

Friday 15th March 2013
quotequote all
PHOENIXUK said:
Of course it will not hurt but IMHO waste of money, Mobil1 and the like will take all you can offer, take the advice of the dealer.
I am not 100% sure on this but I could swear someone who works for one of the Oil manufacturers, Castrol I think said after about 12,000 road miles the oil's protective properties are not as good when fresh.

As such a track day vastly changes that and I change my oil always after a track day or every 5000-6000 miles.

Oil change = 100
New engine =

Whats for sure by 20,000 miles the oil is not protecting the engine as well as it was at 1000 miles!!

Popolou

1,255 posts

237 months

Friday 15th March 2013
quotequote all
An oil chae after a tracck day is perhaps slightly overkill but i too have done it. But, i consider the forst change after run-in the more critical one purely to ensure that everything is ok down below wink

PHOENIXUK

2,200 posts

231 months

Friday 15th March 2013
quotequote all
Gibbo205 said:
I am not 100% sure on this but I could swear someone who works for one of the Oil manufacturers, Castrol I think said after about 12,000 road miles the oil's protective properties are not as good when fresh.

As such a track day vastly changes that and I change my oil always after a track day or every 5000-6000 miles.

Oil change = 100
New engine =

Whats for sure by 20,000 miles the oil is not protecting the engine as well as it was at 1000 miles!!
No I am not a 100% sure either, thats why it is my opinion.



Edited by PHOENIXUK on Friday 15th March 14:48

fioran0

2,410 posts

202 months

Friday 15th March 2013
quotequote all
If we are just putting out our changes, I do engine oil every track weekend, transmission oil every 4.
As I said above, send some used oil away for analysis and see exactly how it is. No more guessing and you know exactly whether you can run longer or need to shorten.
I've only used blackstone labs but there will be places closer.
It was $35 for a full test which includes amount of additives left. This lets you know how its standing up if you want to work out when to change.
Everyone's uses it differently so if you're at all interested this removes any guessing. You know exactly what schedule you need to be on.

Edited by fioran0 on Friday 15th March 15:13

cure

231 posts

175 months

Friday 15th March 2013
quotequote all
I would have changed the oil before that track-day, after the run-in period.

OlberJ

14,101 posts

263 months

Friday 15th March 2013
quotequote all
Run in for me is a change after 1000 miles.

Track day is alledged to be around 10 times as hard on the car as normal (hard to quantify as depends on your normal driving and on track driving) so take the track day mileage and adjust into your service schedule.

Once a year oil change minimum IMO.

Gibbo205

3,572 posts

237 months

Friday 15th March 2013
quotequote all
fioran0 said:
If we are just putting out our changes, I do engine oil every track weekend, transmission oil every 4.
As I said above, send some used oil away for analysis and see exactly how it is. No more guessing and you know exactly whether you can run longer or need to shorten.
I've only used blackstone labs but there will be places closer.
It was $35 for a full test which includes amount of additives left. This lets you know how its standing up if you want to work out when to change.
Everyone's uses it differently so if you're at all interested this removes any guessing. You know exactly what schedule you need to be on.

Edited by fioran0 on Friday 15th March 15:13
Transmission oil is that same as gearbox oil m8?
Is it a big job on a 997.1 C2S or pretty simple like oil change? How much and what type of oil is required?

Rockster

1,515 posts

190 months

Friday 15th March 2013
quotequote all
Old Trout said:
As per the title?

My car has just done a track day on the same oil it was run in on and the better part of me suggests it would be good to change it (5,500 miles).

It is getting done at the moment at but the OPC have tried to talk me out of it twice now.
I would have advised you to change the oil *before* the track day. the run in (original oil fill) oil no doubt is full of trash and dilution from water and unburned gasoline. New engines are known for that.

Best is to go to the track with fresh oil. Then if you want to drive the car with that track oil in it you can, though of course there are various things to consider. If your idea of tracking is to do it every chance you get in the good weather months then drive the car for short trips in the bad weather, I'd suggest you change the oil at the beginning and at the end of track season and possibly at least once in between.

Oh, whenever a dealer or OPC tries to talk me out of having some service done (like an oil/filter service) I always listen politely then insist on the work being done. My money. If I want to change the oil every week that's my business. If the dealer/OPC balks I would ask the GM where he would suggest I take my cars for service? His service department apparently doesn't want my business. and I would remind him where I have my cars serviced is from where I'll likely buy my next car.

911Thrasher

2,573 posts

229 months

Friday 15th March 2013
quotequote all
I always get my car services before a trackday: better to see before than on the day if something is wrong.
Always had new oil and brake fluid a couple days before the track...it never hurt the car.

copperman05

245 posts

200 months

Friday 15th March 2013
quotequote all
PHOENIXUK said:
Of course it will not hurt but IMHO waste of money, Mobil1 and the like will take all you can offer, take the advice of the dealer.
This is poor advise in my opinion, Mobil 1 (0W40) although a good oil by all accounts its not really designed or intended for track use, especially if still unchanged from factory. If your doing several track days I would consider using one of the more track focused oils from the likes of Millers or Fuchs.