First Track Day - Preperation
 

Hi,


Im looking at taking my blob wrx on a track day it March, its a beginner event and im looking for some help with protecting the car as much as possible.


Could you experienced guys recommend things to fit or do etc to look after the car as much as possible?


I've read about oil starvation and such problems so any help would be appreciated.


Thanks


Chris

Check fluid levels obviously, check tyres, and brakes.
Oil slosh (and fuel slosh as well on RH turns) are something you have to live with unless you start some fairly serious modding like a windage tray or baffled sump.
Oil slosh will be limited by how much grip you have in the turns, how severe the turns are, and how many turns in a sequence (such as chicane).
Fuel slosh should only affect you on RH turns if you have less than 1/4 tank left, but again it will depend on how hard/fast you corner.
Don't underestimate brake and tyre wear.

Thanks for the reply.

Dont plan on doing alot of track days i have just been bought one for my birthday, is doing this one track day unlikely to cause any problems?

Ill make sure all fluids are fine, brakes, tyres etc and might even service the car before i do it.

Any more advice guys?

It's almost impossible to say for sure.
If the car has had a hard life then one track day could be all it takes to break something.
I'm not scaremongering, that's a simple fact.
I suspect you'll be fine though as 99% of track day attendees are.
The main thing is to have a good time and don't try to break any records :D

Yes with this being a beginner event im happy to just take it slow and enjoy myself but i need to car almost daily so didn't want to blow it up!

Thanks for the advice though, ill make sure everything is running well and all fluids are topped up and see how i get on!

Thanks again

I did my first track day already and before I went there I checked all the fluids, filled up and put my spare set of wheels as I didn't want to trash my new tyres, overall I had two runs of 10 laps each so it was about 20-25minutes of hard drive, on next day I changed oil just to make sure I've got fresh as it's also my daily.

Yeah that's about the same im thinking to do! Thanks for the reply

If you can buy a set of track tyres do so, use some uprated brake fluid & fit track pads all round or just the front if finance is an issue. Make sure you can access extra fuel during the event.

Don't let the petrol gauge run lower then 1/4 full.

I personally do a warm up lap then 4-5 hard laps followed by a cooling down lap.
Enter pits or car park, don't apply your handbrake as it can catch fire. Bonnet up to let everything cool down. 20 mins later off again!

Keep a keen eye on water & oil levels, top up as necessary. Use lower tyre pressures than normal driving and again keep an eye on these throughout the day.

You will be nervously excited but just drive within your limits and the cars limits and you will have a great day.

It's your call whether to change the engine oil and filter after the event.

If you can manage it some tyres for the track are very useful. I used my road tyres on a track day and ended up with a bubble/high spot. Think about what happens if you need to drive home on the same set.

On my old classic the brakes faded quite easily after a few laps so uprated pads came in handy. As everyone else said check fluids carefully.

Have fun, it's a great day.

All of the above, but ultimately the thing thats most likely to break your car is you smashing the arse out of it.

Just remember, it's not a race, you don't have anything to prove, you're not Colin Mcrea and you need to drive the car to work on monday. :thumb:

Great advice thanks lads! quite excited now!

Tyre inflator and pressure gauge are a must, the tyres will gain a few psi as they warm up, check the pressures after the first session while still hot. Then deflate to the correct pressure while still warm. Remember to reinflate for the drive home. Take a torque wrench for the wheel nuts and check after each session.
You will use a lot more fuel than on the road, a twenty litre jerry-can should suffice.
If you haven't got a baffled sump it will be critical to keep the oil at or slightly above the upper level.
If you're using standard brake pads and fluid fade could be an issue under hard braking, pads wear very quickly. Check there's plenty of material before you go.

Don't be a tyre squealer :) drive smooth pay attention to the marker cones (if any).
There will always be someone faster than you so apply the correct etiquette.

Enjoy.

Really glad i asked now, got a list of things to get now so thanks all.

Chris