BlackadderII

Hi

I need some advice. The warranty has run out on the Scoob so i want to do my first track day.

Please tell me what i need to sort out before i go. When i've done a search on here i've found things like "be covered on your insurance", "sound emissions", "tyre wear" and "blank out your headlights" but the specifics are a bit lacking as in why and what to do about it.

I've had quite a few event days in taking out cars on the track but never took my own, are there many things i should take with me like spares of things etc.

Any help is greatly appreciated

Thankyou

peterpeter

you will love it.


but why are you taking it on track "now that the warranty has run out"??

I rather have it in warranty if anything went wrong.

All the cars Ive ever tracked have always been under warranty (except a westfield) .

Before the Scoob, I had an Integra (wonderful car), did a track day and a piston spun through the big end....(cambelt had been changed by dealer 2 weeks before, and the pre-tensioner hadnt been done..caused timing to go wrong)

After a huge fight with Honda (who I now detest) they paid to have it repaired ...cost them 4.5K ...that could have been me!!!

You ve got to remember that tracking a car puts it under extra strain.
I know scoobies are really tough, and I preferred a turbo engine to a really highly revving vtec in the teg , but you should have cover.

Aswell as this Subaru seem to have a fair attitude to track days, unlike Mitsubishi and BMW (for a while) who wouldnt honour them if you did track days.

Ive heard Subaru wont wriggle out of it as along as service intervals are kept and oil isnt low.( hell theres even a trackday link on their website)
(this is one reason I bought a scoob instead of an Evo)

As for prepping your car....take a tyre pressure gauge.
wear a long sleeve shirt
take plenty of water,
take a car-fire extinguisher
take cash for fuel
check tyre tread depth before.

With regards to insurance....
Tricky one. depends on the value of the car.
The policy on my GT3 is great because I just call the insurer the day before and pay about £50 for total cover (£1000 excess)
Cant get that cover on the scoob though, and couldnt get it on te Teg.
Didnt bother insuring the teg on track coz it was only worth 8-9k

The scoob is brand new...so might have to look into single day cover..(not cheap) ..about £100 buys you about £10k of cover I think.

"some people" just tape up the plates, and if they have a prang, tow it out onto the road and claim...seems a bit naughty !

Finally pick your track carefully.
Some are much safer than others.

You might want to start off on an airfield or somewhere like Bedford Autodrome..
Goodwood and Brands Hatch and Cadwell might be better with a bitmore experience.


enjoy!

TonyG

Check that there's plenty of life left in the brake pads/discs as well.
You'll also need a crash helmet. You might be able to hire one of these (not all tracks do this though), but be prepared for a hefty deposit (think it was £50 at Bedford Autodrome).
Don't have anything loose in the cabin when you're on track, and take the mats out of the footwells as well.
Take plenty of cash for fuel. You may be looking at fuel consumption as low as 10 mpg depending on your driving style.

corradoboy

Tyres - Make sure there's over 4mm left, otherwise they may well be illegal for the drive home. Inflate 10psi over normal road pressures, and then adjust back down to suit. If it understeers badly reduce the fronts a couple of pounds, vice versa the rears for oversteer. Check the outer edges for excessive wear, as the tyres will roll over to the wall when cornering hard so up pressures a little more if it's looking bad, but don't go over the max recommendation or compromise the car by making it skittish.

Brakes - Make sure there's plenty of life in the pads, as one hard trackday can kill even a new set. Certainly needs to be more than 4mm. If you've not improved any of the brake components, it is worth upgrading the fluid to DOT5.1, and the lines with braided ones. If the pads are OE then consider something better or adjust how you approach the day to suit the standard of the brakes.

Check tyres and brakes after every run on track, and always do at least one steady warm up lap, and one very steady (avoiding brake use at all) cool down. When you come in and park, don't put the handbrake on. If you're not parked on the level, try to get someone to chock the car. Let the engine run for 5 minutes before and after any session.

If you do a fluid service before, then you should just check all levels after the trackday. If you don't do it before, then a fluid service is advisable soon after.

BlackadderII

Whoa some good points there

Just on the issue of warranty. I am going to get the car mapped now that the warranty has run out (i wasnt bothered about tracking an out of the box scoob). When reading on here about PPP or re-map etc etc i opted for the Ecutek map as the car already has the de-cat and exhaust system, intercooler hoses and sti panel filter, so a remap is the cheapest way rather than give Subaru circa £1500.00 for something i can get from a mapping agent for around £750.00.

So in short i couldnt get the map done because my warranty would have been void and i really wasnt that bothered about taking a "out of the box" car on track. I want to see what it can really do when its running at full potential.

Tyre depth? how will i know if i have enough, is there a rough guide?

Helmet? I have an open faced Moto-X helmet, is that okay or does it have to be full faced?

Fire extinguisher, oops didnt even think of that. I have a small powder one under the sink at home, its smaller than a car one, would that do? I'd have to secure this to the floor pan on the passenger side wont i?

Thanks chaps, most informative

edited: Just seen Corrados post so some of the above has been answered

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Hiya,

Good advice from the above. Also remember:

1) DON'T Switch your ngine off when you return to the pits! It'll need a good few minutes to cool off. Easy to get carried away with the excitement.

2) Don't put your handbrake on immediately upon returning to the puts or cover the brakes whilst stationary.

3) Might be an idea to check your pads and discs before going- they're going to take a pasting!

I'm sure other's have more advice.

Enjoy.

NS04

T5NYW

iTrader: (4)

Drive carefully you drove the Car there, so you'd like to drive it home

Remember there is no "fault" in any accident when on the Track, so if someone just crashes into you, you have to pay for your own repairs not him. (i had a famous crash at Japfest Castle Coombe last year £7+K+vat) but luckly covered with L&V road insurance Try edger Lawsons and cover min 1/3 car value

Check oils & water and bottles of water for you.
Pump up your tyres by 8-10psi IMHO. Spare brake pads is a good Idea (check rears aswell) 100 miles on track could be the equilvelent of 5000 road miles.
20 mins session is normally about right for you and your car, both will get tired.
do a full lap without using power or Brakes let all cool down, don't park up with handbrake on.
Check car over and drink plenty of water.
Never run with less than a 1/3 fuel on classics 1/4 newage. can get fuel starvation on tight R/H bends and possible to do harm to Engine.
Try not follow people, his mistake could be yours.
Ease off with a car behind you to allow him to overtake as accelration times will be simular, then holding him up for next corner. you'll spoil his day and your concertration with someone Hovering over your boot .

Most important........... Enjoy the Day

IMHO

Tony

supertouring

Other than the technical aspects I would suggest:

Get instruction - it is usuall free and will make the day quicker and safer
Drive for youself - don't treat it as a race, enjoy it at your own pace
Courtesy - to other drivers whether they are faster or slower than you
Time - spread your track time throughout the day as it is easier on you & car

peterpeter

yikes...how did I forget these...

these are the most important things to remember!!!

but I would recommend a full lap cooling down crusing at 50/60 not touching the brakes aswell.

peterpeter

btw....any of you guys going to bedford next friday night??

its an autocar caterham experience....you take your own car but get a few laps in a caterham too

best thing about these evenings sessions are that the track, which is huge , is just so empty.

Wont be in the Scoob, but would be good to see some others there.

Ritch96

I asked the very same question some weeks ago mate, this is the thread.

http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/showthread.php?t=407531

The advice in the last post certainly stood me in good stead.

I put new fast road/track pads in and over the course of the day removed at least half their life, and i am a complete beginner! I also cooked the fluid off requiring a change very shortly after, wish i had changed to 5.1 before now.

A geezer came up to me about lunch and asked if i had a spare set of rear pads i would sell him, he like me had brought spare fronts but not rear. That was his day over. Next time i will have spare fronts and rears and obviously the tools to change!

I also put my old 15's on for the day cause i'd heard it was rough on the tyres, bloody glad i did as the rubber was peeling off em by the end. Still looking for an old set of (straight) 17's for next time.

The only other thing I would say is take the advice of getting instruction if like me its all new. It was absolutely worth its weight in gold.

Cheers
Ritchie.

Oh just remembered - I got single day cover for about £55 iirc? Think it was edgar lawson? In nottingham i think.

Andy S.

I dont agree with that one but each to their own.

Dont overtake on corners!!! (you will be sent home)

Listen at the drivers breifing its for your safety (dont asume you know best).

Keep checking Fluids before and during the day ie brake fluid, water and oil

When near the end of your session run a couple of cooling down laps before coming in.

Cheers Andy

PS Enjoy your self and safely find out what your car can do!

neilsti

good point about the fuel starve problem, i had this and thought i had blown it!
insurance is a good idea if on a tight/proper circuit even if you get 10grands worth of cover it should pay for most damage to your car, i think!

RRH

yeah right, like you do every time

TonyG

Back to helmets - Open face helmets are allowed. IIRC it has to be a British Standard approved one - if it's legal for use on a motorbike, it's fine for track use.
Oh, and listen to the driver's briefing. If you have any questions, ask them!
And don't forget to take your biggest silly grin to use every time you finish a session and pull into the pits. Everyone else will usually be wearing them.

RRH

Sorry, helmets.

Buy the best you can afford.

Without the brain ,the rest of the body won't, work so its sensible to protect it as well as you are able.

We were talking at Croft last weekend about an instructor (some of you may know who I'm talking about- very lucky chap indeed) that suffered total helmet failure and ended up in a very bad way as a result- the helmet literally broke in half as an 'instructee' put him in the wall side on.

I use an open face helmet when I have passengers, as its easier to talk without a load of carbon fibre / grp etc etc blocking your mouth, but, on the flipside, I've seen some nasty injuries where chin has made contact with steering wheel.

Sorry to be a wet blanket guys.....

gravelexpress

I just did my first trackday last week at Croft - and I am absolutely hooked. Well a bit more than that to be honest - I joined an MSA club with the aim of entering some competititive stuff.

My advice is watch out for the nutters - a westy nearly t-boned me and others because he was being a clown. Sometimes that novice cross is like a magnet for idiots.

Guarantee you will enjoy it - and heres the down side.

Straight away you want to know how to go quicker and spend more on suspension , brakes etc...

RRH

Instruction matey, instruction.

Come down to Oulton and spend some time with Gareth Lloyd

gravelexpress

when I get back I was either going to do a rally experience course and get a national B drivers (rally) OR do one of those car handling courses - 2 of them were recommended in Track and race cars. Maybe Gareth is the better option

RRH

Or have a trip down to Don Palmer