Cost of track days
Discussion
C70R said:
I watched a guy doing a great job of driving a VERY capable E9x M3 on Monday, covered in VERY expensive parts, and he'd fitted some on-trend Recaro buckets. However, when he got into the car, you could see that the seats were hopelessly too small for him (he was a tall guy). The belt holes weren't visible above his shoulders, and most of his head stuck up over the top of the seat. I wonder whether there was ever a decision made about which seats were right, or whether it was mostly about the brand first.
Maybe I'm wrong, or maybe I'm reading too much into it?
Surprised to read that it wasn't "All the gear, no idea".Maybe I'm wrong, or maybe I'm reading too much into it?
pingu393 said:
C70R said:
I watched a guy doing a great job of driving a VERY capable E9x M3 on Monday, covered in VERY expensive parts, and he'd fitted some on-trend Recaro buckets. However, when he got into the car, you could see that the seats were hopelessly too small for him (he was a tall guy). The belt holes weren't visible above his shoulders, and most of his head stuck up over the top of the seat. I wonder whether there was ever a decision made about which seats were right, or whether it was mostly about the brand first.
Maybe I'm wrong, or maybe I'm reading too much into it?
Surprised to read that it wasn't "All the gear, no idea".Maybe I'm wrong, or maybe I'm reading too much into it?
james_gt3rs said:
I think some people just enjoy the building more than the driving.
Absolutely. To be clear, I'm not being critical of that at all - to each his own, and all that.Mine was merely an observation about the perception that the entry cost to trackdays is high, and I suspect this might be a contributing factor.
To be fair in my Scirocco I bought some Recaro Pole Positions, a dream seat for me.
I was running Harnesses, but I never tested the seats with harnesses, only the seats by themselves (to make sure they were comfy etc).
I too found the Pole Position harness outlets to be too low for me.
When I come to put bucket seats in my BMW I won't be using Pole Positions, I might try the Profi SPG, but I'm not set on Recaro as a brand like perhaps I used to be.
I guess in time I'm less of a brand snob and care more about cost v effectiveness.
I was running Harnesses, but I never tested the seats with harnesses, only the seats by themselves (to make sure they were comfy etc).
I too found the Pole Position harness outlets to be too low for me.
When I come to put bucket seats in my BMW I won't be using Pole Positions, I might try the Profi SPG, but I'm not set on Recaro as a brand like perhaps I used to be.
I guess in time I'm less of a brand snob and care more about cost v effectiveness.
xjay1337 said:
To be fair in my Scirocco I bought some Recaro Pole Positions, a dream seat for me.
I was running Harnesses, but I never tested the seats with harnesses, only the seats by themselves (to make sure they were comfy etc).
I too found the Pole Position harness outlets to be too low for me.
When I come to put bucket seats in my BMW I won't be using Pole Positions, I might try the Profi SPG, but I'm not set on Recaro as a brand like perhaps I used to be.
I guess in time I'm less of a brand snob and care more about cost v effectiveness.
I use the deeply unfashionable Sparco Sprint L. It's FIA Approved, but it's a steel frame - which is looked down on by a lot of people, unjustifiably.I was running Harnesses, but I never tested the seats with harnesses, only the seats by themselves (to make sure they were comfy etc).
I too found the Pole Position harness outlets to be too low for me.
When I come to put bucket seats in my BMW I won't be using Pole Positions, I might try the Profi SPG, but I'm not set on Recaro as a brand like perhaps I used to be.
I guess in time I'm less of a brand snob and care more about cost v effectiveness.
I chose them because it fits me perfectly (I'm a big guy), the harnesses fit safely, I can base-mount it on sliders (and keep it low), and it's comfortable enough to do a run to the Ring in one hit.
There's just a silly vibe emerging among trackday folk online, where the feeling is "It's not worth doing unless it's the best".
Edited by C70R on Thursday 17th September 14:53
Steve H said:
Think in terms of £100-500 for the entry, depending on circuit, organiser, time of year etc.
You can easily do £100 in fuel on track, £100 in tyres, allow £100 for brakes/fluids/bits.
And then something breaks............
You can do £100 in tyres and £100 in fluids / brakes on a trackday?? What are you driving???? You can easily do £100 in fuel on track, £100 in tyres, allow £100 for brakes/fluids/bits.
And then something breaks............
Furyblade_Lee said:
Steve H said:
Think in terms of £100-500 for the entry, depending on circuit, organiser, time of year etc.
You can easily do £100 in fuel on track, £100 in tyres, allow £100 for brakes/fluids/bits.
And then something breaks............
You can do £100 in tyres and £100 in fluids / brakes on a trackday?? What are you driving???? You can easily do £100 in fuel on track, £100 in tyres, allow £100 for brakes/fluids/bits.
And then something breaks............
To answer your actual question, that’s in a 900kg supercharged Peugeot; there’s cheaper stuff to run but there’s also plenty that costs more and I’ve done a lot to ensure it doesn’t break too often as that’s when the bills can really rocket.
C70R said:
Elatino1 said:
I quite often do 2 tanks of fuel on track and half a pair of tyres. It's not that unusual.
Your tyres only last you two trackdays???What are you doing to the poor things?
I turn up and am on track at 9, it gets half hr breaks between most stints which are maybe 15 mins long and leave at 5. Thia is with cup2s or R888Rs. I have seen people shred road based tyres in 1 day no problem.
Elatino1 said:
A pair of front tyres will be looking pretty battered after 2 track days in my megane yes. I may get another about of them but not really more than that. The rears obviously last a lot longer.
I turn up and am on track at 9, it gets half hr breaks between most stints which are maybe 15 mins long and leave at 5. Thia is with cup2s or R888Rs. I have seen people shred road based tyres in 1 day no problem.
That to me sounds like the joy of front wheel drive. I turn up and am on track at 9, it gets half hr breaks between most stints which are maybe 15 mins long and leave at 5. Thia is with cup2s or R888Rs. I have seen people shred road based tyres in 1 day no problem.
My 1080 kg 400 bhp RWD TVR 4.6 turbo gets 5-6 track days out of a set of R888Rs.
Perhaps I am not trying hard enough?
Took the Clio for its first track day the other week.
Entry fee - £169 w/passenger (Bedford)
Fuel including 70mile round trip - £35 (5 sessions about 20min long each) - 1 full tank pretty much
Nearly new tyres, new discs, new pads, fluid, etc. so nothing needs replacing just yet.
In my younger days most of the trackday cost wasn't the maintenance or entry fees, it was the endless modifications, progressively making the car faster but (to me) no more fun.
Nowadays I put the money into maintenance and enjoy the drive!
Entry fee - £169 w/passenger (Bedford)
Fuel including 70mile round trip - £35 (5 sessions about 20min long each) - 1 full tank pretty much
Nearly new tyres, new discs, new pads, fluid, etc. so nothing needs replacing just yet.
In my younger days most of the trackday cost wasn't the maintenance or entry fees, it was the endless modifications, progressively making the car faster but (to me) no more fun.
Nowadays I put the money into maintenance and enjoy the drive!
Pick something light as people say. I run a DC5 which isn’t mega light compared to the Elise and Catherham boys but much much lighter than modern day hot hatches. Most modern hot hatches can weight 1300-1600kg way way more than old school stuff. This massively accelerates cost in terms of tyres and brakes, also parts. Clio 197 and EP3 are great cars for track use. The EP3 is a bit more expensive but equipped with the K20 engine which is epic which light mods on intake exhaust a Hondata ECU and map will transform the car. Parts are found easily at decent prices.
Elatino1 said:
A pair of front tyres will be looking pretty battered after 2 track days in my megane yes. I may get another about of them but not really more than that. The rears obviously last a lot longer.
I turn up and am on track at 9, it gets half hr breaks between most stints which are maybe 15 mins long and leave at 5. Thia is with cup2s or R888Rs. I have seen people shred road based tyres in 1 day no problem.
Shredding road based tyres in 1 day? Ur, yes that's me I turn up and am on track at 9, it gets half hr breaks between most stints which are maybe 15 mins long and leave at 5. Thia is with cup2s or R888Rs. I have seen people shred road based tyres in 1 day no problem.
Spent over 500 pounds on a set of new Continental Sport Contacts, did less than 1000 miles in them since last year. After the Lockdown this year, I had an opportunity to experience Brands Hatch for the first time. It happened to be one of the hottest days of the year. I was very gentle, overtaken by everyone.
However, it was relatively new treads and they completely melted and the tyres are all lumpy now. Feels like I'm driving on bumpy roads all the time now
Well, it was worth it for a one-off experience.
j1mmy said:
Pick something light as people say. I run a DC5 which isn’t mega light compared to the Elise and Catherham boys but much much lighter than modern day hot hatches. Most modern hot hatches can weight 1300-1600kg way way more than old school stuff. This massively accelerates cost in terms of tyres and brakes, also parts. Clio 197 and EP3 are great cars for track use. The EP3 is a bit more expensive but equipped with the K20 engine which is epic which light mods on intake exhaust a Hondata ECU and map will transform the car. Parts are found easily at decent prices.
I'm starting track days with my 130i, kerb weight is apparently 1450kg. I'll be running track/race brake pads and uprated brake fluid. How do you think I'm likely to fare compared to a DC5 or even an EP3? Recent threads on here have me concerned about the consumables and whether I'll need to get something lighter next year.leef44 said:
However, it was relatively new treads and they completely melted and the tyres are all lumpy now. Feels like I'm driving on bumpy roads all the time now
In fairness if you have a lot of tread (anything more than around 6mm) on a road carcass then that amplifies the overheating problem because there is a lot of block movement, plus the blocks are quite small on a road tyre. Starting at 6mm or less helps a bit, or 8mm is OK on a stiffer carcass like AD08 or NS2R.The way they feel now may also be due to either pick up or build up which will go away with a few road miles.
narbles said:
I'm starting track days with my 130i, kerb weight is apparently 1450kg. I'll be running track/race brake pads and uprated brake fluid. How do you think I'm likely to fare compared to a DC5 or even an EP3? Recent threads on here have me concerned about the consumables and whether I'll need to get something lighter next year.
You don't need a dedicated lightweight car to have fun, particularly if you're only starting. You just need to drive around / manage the inherent limitations of your car, ie shorter stints and a lot of cooling down. And then perhaps if/when that becomes too frustrating consider something else.nickfrog said:
You don't need a dedicated lightweight car to have fun, particularly if you're only starting. You just need to drive around / manage the inherent limitations of your car, ie shorter stints and a lot of cooling down. And then perhaps if/when that becomes too frustrating consider something else.
I second that.My first car on track was a v6 Alfa Gtv, first 20 laps I was building up confidence in the car (and myself), realising how well it gripped and the only reason for not going faster was my own lack of cojones (bravery).
Had so much fun, started planning the next one when I got home.
Tyres were okay but as I pushed harder they did start to wear badly at the front, but on 16inches they are not too expensive to replace. Friend in an MX5 hardly needed to replace tyres. But we were both having lots of fun, after a few days I was just as fast around most corners at Thruxton.
Later I upgraded to performance pads as the stock were losing bite as I pushed harder. Last +4 days now, maybe more depending on tracks.
What I didn't expect was feeling like I did an abs workout the following morning (leather regular seats
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