Track Day Tips??

[W8PMC]

I've a few track days booked in over the next 8 weeks & i'm curious to know of any week spots or areas to watch with the F10 M5?

As an example, the GT-R was well known for getting up to Engine Temp & warranty issues started to arise once you exceeded 119 degrees with certain oil change/check service requirements becoming a must. Also, the GT-R's stock brakes although excellent on road became a little delicate when pushed hard on track.

Anything i need to watch out for on track & any enhancements worth doing?

[contractor]

warranty impact? Black tape to go over the number plate, spare gallon of fuel in case you run out on the last lap

[W8PMC]

contractor said:

warranty impact? Black tape to go over the number plate, spare gallon of fuel in case you run out on the last lap

I didn't think track days had any impact on warranty's nowadays, certainly not for performance cars?? Who would i check this with as i'm sure the dealer either won't know or will just make an answer up? Tracked my GT-R plenty of times & 2 were at Oulton Park supported by Middlehurst (largest UK NHPC).

I'd expect i'll tire well before the car needs refuelling as all the track days are open pit so no time pressures

[contractor]

Certainly the BMW AUC has no-trackday provisions in it, but I don't think there are any exclusions in the 3yr manufacturer warranty. How did you fund your purchase? Are the any clauses in the lease agreement or contract hire stipulations etc?

Putting tape over the plate avoids your reg ending up on photos that may propogate the internet etc.

[W8PMC]

contractor said:

Certainly the BMW AUC has no-trackday provisions in it, but I don't think there are any exclusions in the 3yr manufacturer warranty. How did you fund your purchase? Are the any clauses in the lease agreement or contract hire stipulations etc?

Putting tape over the plate avoids your reg ending up on photos that may propogate the internet etc.

AUC? Approved Used Cars? It's a Business Contract Hire & nothing in there regarding Track Days. Obviously insurance is invalidated for time on track but that's the same with virtually all insurance policies & not a concern.

BMW even have the M Meter App which links through iPhone & Connected drive to analyse track driving so it would be a bit stupid if this activity was against Warranty rules & i've never had an issue with previous performance cars being tracked.

[-Z-]

W8PMC said:

AUC? Approved Used Cars? It's a Business Contract Hire & nothing in there regarding Track Days. Obviously insurance is invalidated for time on track but that's the same with virtually all insurance policies & not a concern.

BMW even have the M Meter App which links through iPhone & Connected drive to analyse track driving so it would be a bit stupid if this activity was against Warranty rules & i've never had an issue with previous performance cars being tracked.

Interesting! I'm business contract hire as well but assumed that they would a clause preventing trackdays, have you been through the T & C's? If you Have then this makes me happy lol.

Are you insuring through someone like morris.co.uk or not bothering?

[HoHoHo]

Tips in the following order:

Insure if you can
Fill up with fuel
Warm up car
Don't crash
Drive within your limits, not the cars
Don't crash
Cool it down
Don't crash

Fill up with fuel
Go home

Personally I'm not going to track mine, I'm not sure the F10 M5 is a 'track day' car and it may be disappointing. It's heavy and given some loud pedal I'm not sure how long standard brakes would last! I know a friend with an E92 M3 had serious brake fade after a couple of laps of Goodwood which ruined a perfectly good expensive track day!

Obviously you've done track days before (as I have in my old 997), I'll be interested in seeing how you get on.

Be safe and report back

[W8PMC]

Not so much looking for track day tips as have done probably over 100 track days in the UK & Europe over the years & also gained my Race License doing Scuderia Handseat at the Nurburgring in 2008 (did this in a B7 RS4);). Also clocked up about 150 laps of Nordschleife over the years & all of these in road cars. Some tracks better suit the bigger performance Saloons, such as Spa where power & speed are more beneficial that lightweight & small, however other tracks such as Castle Combe are much better suited to the little cars as it's not a power circuit.

Was looking for any specifics relative to the F10 M5 as this will be the 1st time i've had this car on track. Are the brakes good, are engine/transmission oil temps an issue (all the upcoming track days i'm attending are open pit) any shortcomings that i should be aware of with the M5? As the 3 tracks i'm driving in the next few weeks are new to me, i'll be taking instruction at all of them

I've never taken out Trackday Insurance as it's never of value given the high premium & low %age payout so it really only benefits if you total your car or kill people, neither of which i intend to do. Did have inclusive cover with Competition Car Insurance when i had my GT-R as they covered 5 UK & European track days per annum (excluded Nordschleife) within the policy.

Edited by W8PMC on Friday 21st February 11:37

[HoHoHo]

W8PMC said:

Not so much looking for track day tips as have done probably over 100 track days in the UK & Europe over the years & also gained my Race License doing Scuderia Handseat at the Nurburgring in 2008 (did this in a B7 RS4);). Also clocked up about 150 laps of Nordschleife over the years & all of these in road cars. Some tracks better suit the bigger performance Saloons, such as Spa where power & speed are more beneficial that lightweight & small, however other tracks such as Castle Combe are much better suited to the little cars as it's not a power circuit.

Was looking for any specifics relative to the F10 M5 as this will be the 1st time i've had this car on track. Are the brakes good, are engine/transmission oil temps an issue (all the upcoming track days i'm attending are open pit) any shortcomings that i should be aware of with the M5? As the 3 tracks i'm driving in the next few weeks are new to me, i'll be taking instruction at all of them

I've never taken out Trackday Insurance as it's never of value given the high premium & low %age payout so it really only benefits if you total your car or kill people, neither of which i intend to do. Did have inclusive cover with Competition Car Insurance when i had my GT-R as they covered 5 UK & European track days per annum (excluded Nordschleife) within the policy.

Edited by W8PMC on Friday 21st February 11:37

Sorry, didn't mean to appear to patronize!

I'm not sure about brakes to be honest - as mentioned, a friend's M3 cooked its brakes in minutes around Goodwood and wouldn't call him an aggressive driver.

Are you happy with standard tyres?

[W8PMC]

HoHoHo said:

Sorry, didn't mean to appear to patronize!

I'm not sure about brakes to be honest - as mentioned, a friend's M3 cooked its brakes in minutes around Goodwood and wouldn't call him an aggressive driver.

Are you happy with standard tyres?

Didn't read it patronising Just wasn't sure if i'd said i'd tracked many times.

Never had a real problem with brakes before, however before Spa in Sept (that's a very fast circuit), i'll upgrade the pads & brake fluid.

Never been one for putting track tyres on a heavy road car as is asking for trouble. MPSS are well rated for track use & my old GT-R is now shod in MPSS & performed brilliantly at Spa last Autumn & although a more track focussed car, the GT-R isn't that much lighter than an M5

[HoHoHo]

W8PMC said:

HoHoHo said:

Sorry, didn't mean to appear to patronize!

I'm not sure about brakes to be honest - as mentioned, a friend's M3 cooked its brakes in minutes around Goodwood and wouldn't call him an aggressive driver.

Are you happy with standard tyres?

Didn't read it patronising Just wasn't sure if i'd said i'd tracked many times.

Never had a real problem with brakes before, however before Spa in Sept (that's a very fast circuit), i'll upgrade the pads & brake fluid.

Never been one for putting track tyres on a heavy road car as is asking for trouble. MPSS are well rated for track use & my old GT-R is now shod in MPSS & performed brilliantly at Spa last Autumn & although a more track focussed car, the GT-R isn't that much lighter than an M5

When I've tracked Goodwood (my track experience is somewhat limited to a couple of tracks), the E39 M5 on one occasion died and a regular with an 800hp GT-R had to take it ewasy as the tyres went off (or whatever it's called!)

I'm not a fan of big heavy cars on track. As fast as we know the M5 is, I think it's too heavy.

I didn't take insurance on any of my track days in my 997, as you say the excess is too high and I took the risk.

[nickfrog]

W8PMC said:

MPSS are well rated for track use

They're OK up to a point but they're essentially very good road tyres, not track tyres.

I actually used them on track a few weeks ago at Goodwood on my slowish/lightish 260hp 125i. I manage to ruin the shoulder of the front left, which is a frequent occurence. OK, Goodwood is mainly right corners which doesn't help, but it was only a shake down to see how the car would be on track so I was at no more than 8/10ths.

I would imagine your car has more front neg camber than mine (I only have 1 deg), which should help but I would keep a close eye on the shoulders early on still.

[W8PMC]

HoHoHo said:

When I've tracked Goodwood (my track experience is somewhat limited to a couple of tracks), the E39 M5 on one occasion died and a regular with an 800hp GT-R had to take it ewasy as the tyres went off (or whatever it's called!)

I'm not a fan of big heavy cars on track. As fast as we know the M5 is, I think it's too heavy.

I didn't take insurance on any of my track days in my 997, as you say the excess is too high and I took the risk.

Thanks.

I do agree about heavy road cars on track, but some fair very well such as the GT-R & i'd hazard a guess the M5 will be good fun & competitive on power tracks.

I always watch tyres for wear, pressure & temps so am glad nobody has mentioned any potential mechanical issues to watch for. The reason i have always enjoyed tracking any of my cars is it's the only place you can really push them as on the roads nowadays is just too risky for so many reasons.

The MPSS on GT-R's are excellent so i'm hoping the same will apply to the M5, but i'll know by the middle of next week

[M3Driver]

I knew about the uprated brake pads, but how do you know they use a louder exhaust for the 'Ring Taxi?

[jimmyVX]

W8PMC said:

I've never taken out Trackday Insurance as it's never of value given the high premium & low %age payout so it really only benefits if you total your car or kill people, neither of which i intend to do. Did have inclusive cover with Competition Car Insurance when i had my GT-R as they covered 5 UK & European track days per annum (excluded Nordschleife) within the policy.

Edited by W8PMC on Friday 21st February 11:37

I have always taken out track day cover, never been too concerned about crashing my own car, more someone else collecting me somewhere on the way around!

[JCHill]

M3Driver said:

I knew about the uprated brake pads, but how do you know they use a louder exhaust for the 'Ring Taxi?

Not sure it's louder but it's certainly not standard. The bore is massive and my mate has the burn marks to prove they're stuck out more than normal! hahaha

Epic experience if you don't mind the hassle to book it!

[simonF10]

I tracked my M5 recently and took out trackday cover with Moris. It was £170 and I thought that was reasonable given the potential costs that could be incurred due to mishaps.

The M5 was good fun to take on track, like the enterprise on the straights but struggled on the slower tighter corners (as expected).

As stated above not really a track day car but it was good to get somewhere near the limits of the car in the relative safety of a circuit.

[W8PMC]

simonF10 said:

I tracked my M5 recently and took out trackday cover with Moris. It was £170 and I thought that was reasonable given the potential costs that could be incurred due to mishaps.

The M5 was good fun to take on track, like the enterprise on the straights but struggled on the slower tighter corners (as expected).

As stated above not really a track day car but it was good to get somewhere near the limits of the car in the relative safety of a circuit.

Cheers Simon. May well check them out.

I'd not expect the M5 to be anything other than fun on track & i'm sure it i'll take some scalps, but as you say, for me it's more about exploring the car fully which is impossible on UK roads. On track next Tuesday & the following Thursday. I'll report back my findings.

[W8PMC]

Well that turned to rat st as my M5 failed on the instructor led sighting lap at sub 60mph

Drivetrain failure, exactly the same symptoms as the occurrence in November which turned out to be a faulty injector on Cylinder 1.

Error cleared after an hour so was about to head out & it came straight back Result was me & my car being recovered home (150 miles) & tomorrow the car with get re recovered to a local dealer.

Am commencing formal rejection proceedings as i no longer trust this car

[contractor]

W8PMC said:

Well that turned to rat st as my M5 failed on the instructor led sighting lap at sub 60mph

Drivetrain failure, exactly the same symptoms as the occurrence in November which turned out to be a faulty injector on Cylinder 1.

Error cleared after an hour so was about to head out & it came straight back Result was me & my car being recovered home (150 miles) & tomorrow the car with get re recovered to a local dealer.

Am commencing formal rejection proceedings as i no longer trust this car

That's bad luck mate. Hope you get it fixed asap.