Track day prep?

Spuderoony

Spuderoony

Spuderoony

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If I decided to take the Z4 on a track day, what would I need to sort? Current thoughts extend to insurance and a helmet.

Would I need to uprate the brake pads or anything else mechanical? Tyres are all brand new.
 
Insurance is optional, think of it as "If your car isn't disposable then get some". Helmet is a requirement although most trackday companies will let you hire one for £10-15 or so which for a one off will be better value than buying one. Also some circuits are starting to insist on "motorsport approved" lids which tend to be more expensive then the "cheap bike lid" option that many start out with. Best to check with whoever is organised the day you are thinking of attending.

Mechanically the main thing is to ensure that your brakes are in good order. You won't necessarily need to uprate your pads (depends on the circuit, your driving style and how long you spend out there without coming in to let things cool off) however you probably will take a fair bit of life out of them so depending on how old they are you may find yourself in need of some new ones by the end of the day.

Tyre wear will depend on the circuit, as a generalisation an airfield day (which tends to be on rougher tarmac and concrete) will be harder on tyres than a proper smooth tarmac race circuit. Some very soft high perfomance tyres can really struggle with overheating on a trackday (Eagle F1s are notorious for this) and you can easily wreck a set very quickly. If you're looking to do a day in the next few months then you may get cooler and/or damp weather which will help here.
 
kaiowas said:
Insurance is optional, think of it as "If your car isn't disposable then get some". Helmet is a requirement although most trackday companies will let you hire one for £10-15 or so which for a one off will be better value than buying one. Also some circuits are starting to insist on "motorsport approved" lids which tend to be more expensive then the "cheap bike lid" option that many start out with. Best to check with whoever is organised the day you are thinking of attending.

Mechanically the main thing is to ensure that your brakes are in good order. You won't necessarily need to uprate your pads (depends on the circuit, your driving style and how long you spend out there without coming in to let things cool off) however you probably will take a fair bit of life out of them so depending on how old they are you may find yourself in need of some new ones by the end of the day.

Tyre wear will depend on the circuit, as a generalisation an airfield day (which tends to be on rougher tarmac and concrete) will be harder on tyres than a proper smooth tarmac race circuit. Some very soft high perfomance tyres can really struggle with overheating on a trackday (Eagle F1s are notorious for this) and you can easily wreck a set very quickly. If you're looking to do a day in the next few months then you may get cooler and/or damp weather which will help here.
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I think the Falkens are slightly more resistant than the Eagles. And cheaper to replace!

My rear pads are near new, but the fronts probably have about 4k miles of normal driving left in them. All are OEM (and cake my lovely alloys with dust within 30 miles :().

I heard some story about pads getting too hot and 'glazing', or something, making them near useless. That was my reason for asking.
 
Take it as it is. It will be good fun on the track. Just check the pads still have a fair bit left on them and take a tyre pump to the pressures high. Make sure there is nothing floating around in the car too (pens, sat navs etc).

Insurance is up to you. Will be around £100 for a seperate policy for a single track day.
 
depends how hard you are on the brakes, but i have a habit of cooking the brake pads and then they leave deposits in the disc's and judder. had to have the discs skimmed and some pagid rs19's put on after cooking the OEM at brands a few months ago.
 
Spuderoony said:
I think the Falkens are slightly more resistant than the Eagles. And cheaper to replace!
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I've heard that Falkens can go out of their ideal operating temperature range on a track day.

If it were me I would just empty all my junk out of the car and make sure that the oil is at max.
 
If you don't stay out too long to start with include a lap to let everything warm up/cool down a well maintained car shouldn't have any problems. Try to go on an open pit lane day if possible as you don't feel forced to go out and spend the whole session out on track to get your money's worth. I'd definitely get insurance for that extra piece of mind however prices vary depending on car and track.
 
Why do people keep advising to put extra pressure in tyres? on a track they will get way hotter increasing the 'running' pressure even more..

As silent said, if your on oem tyres/brakes then stay out for a few laps at a time and no more, brake fade = dead cars on some tracks/corners.

Also, remember DO NOT use you handbrake when you come back in. you brakes will be cooking and the clamp of the pads will mean the discs (or drums?) will cool down unevenly and warp. Just park it up in gear :)
 
A voice of experience on brakes....

If you do open pit, have self control. I was chasing a 911 last time I went to Bedford and when he appeared my 5-6 laps rule with a cool down disappeared. I slammed the hammer, would it round to 9250 rpm on every shift and over drove the car. This resulted in cooked pads. I went back out and all the pad material disintergrated and I heat damaged the discs.

In reality if your car s safe for te road it's fine for the track. If you have old oil and brake fluid get that changed to be safe, but I don't even use 1mm of tread on my re050a potenzas and really you shouldn't use much brake material if your sensible.

So, there you have it, now book bedfrd on November 21st ;-)
 
a one off?

as duke says remove everything that isn't bolted down, spair wheel the lot.

I certainly wouldn't risk putting a z4 into a wall with no insurance, would ruin your day that one!
 
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