track prep and advice

[Zornyan]

Cheers for the advice guys. Just ordering up some pads, got e46 325mm discs, yellowstuff pads ok at £75? Or do I need the £220 odd pagid rs pads?

[Jonny Wilkinson]

115 for the novice day.

250 for open pit or 150 if you book a couple months in advance.

I'd say Novice day is a no-brainer.

Open pit is good if you like the freedom of going out when you are ready and popping back in to tweek the car.

As a novice, you are better off doing fixed sessions. If they are running 3 groups, 20 minutes on track will seem like ages after the first two sessions and 40 minutes off track will pass really quickly with calm down time, wee breaks, tea breaks, car fiddling, seeing what others are doing on track and chatting to like-minded strangers

As regards substantial breakfast, it depends what that means. Some cereal before you set out and a bacon roll when you get there is fine. A full English with extra toast will either make you puke (if you get nervous) or sluggish.

[Fake Ben Taylor]

For your first day the biggest bit of advice I can give is - don't over think it!!

Forget buying new pads, discs, bigger brakes etc
Forget buying seats, harnesses or whatever.
Forget buying decent tyres.

Just book a day through a reputable company (javelin, open track etc), drive down and drive within the cars limits. You'll have a lot more fun and learn a lot more.

This is from someone who put off track days for years as the car was never ready or how I wanted it and then bought a Clio and just went out. Should have done that from the beginning!

Go out. Have fun and drive within the cars limits. Worry about uprating stuff afterwards if and when you find it wanting.

[Zornyan]

I complete agree Ben, I've been wanting to get on track for years but always think "better do this first" I've already got seats ready to go in. The brakes I've got laying around so thought I might as well get them on, the fluid is old by looks of it anyway. More so what's a half decent pad?

[Jonny Wilkinson]

Ferodo DS2500 seem very popular with the S14 boys so maybe if there is a similar pad for Bimmers ???

[zeppelin101]

The only thing I wouldn't want to do a track day on is random brakes. Most other stuff is optional, but if you end up in the barrier because the brakes melt...

[BLAKTOOTH]

http://www.carbonelorrainebraking.co.uk/ - RC5+ will do you. DS2500 don't like heat and dust like a bastard!

http://www.nankangtyre.co.uk/perform...torsport/ns-2r - set of these will probably keep you on the tarmac or some RSR's or A048's etc

Super blue dot 4 brake fluid is good gear.

[Pete C]

The prep for my last track day consisted of:

1) Buy Ford Puma 1.7 for £170 from online salvage auction
2) Brim tank with fuel
3) There was no third step

Gave it death all day long, killed the front right tyre (anti clockwise circuit), other than that it did a great job of embarrassing faster stuff through the technical sections and I didn't even manage to use a whole tank of fuel despite over a hundred on track miles!

[Jonny Wilkinson]

The prep for my last track day consisted of:

1) Buy Ford Puma 1.7 for £170 from online salvage auction
2) Brim tank with fuel
3) There was no third step

Gave it death all day long, killed the front right tyre (anti clockwise circuit), other than that it did a great job of embarrassing faster stuff through the technical sections and I didn't even manage to use a whole tank of fuel despite over a hundred on track miles!

You raise a good point. I found I could ride closer to the limit on a £1200 track bike than my £7500 road bike because I figured the worst case was I was going to be £1200 and a set of leathers down at the end of the day.

[Fake Ben Taylor]

You raise a good point. I found I could ride closer to the limit on a £1200 track bike than my £7500 road bike because I figured the worst case was I was going to be £1200 and a set of leathers down at the end of the day.

That and on crap tyres and crap brakes (which don't spontaneously kill people, deacon has only ever done track days on cheap pattern pads I believe) the speeds you're capable of mean that a little off isn't a big thing and your corner speeds are so slow etc its more fun being on the limit of a slow car than terrified of a really quick car

[Zornyan]

Fair enough, I'll bleed the fluid and chuck what I've got on. Then take it from there. Tbh my current tyres are fairly grippy. Was more concerned about how much they will wear on track if it's worth getting a spare set of wheels with tyres

[BLAKTOOTH]

Like a condom in the wallet, I'd much rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

[kxruss]

For your first day the biggest bit of advice I can give is - don't over think it!!

Forget buying new pads, discs, bigger brakes etc
Forget buying seats, harnesses or whatever.
Forget buying decent tyres.

Just book a day through a reputable company (javelin, open track etc), drive down and drive within the cars limits. You'll have a lot more fun and learn a lot more.

This is from someone who put off track days for years as the car was never ready or how I wanted it and then bought a Clio and just went out. Should have done that from the beginning!

Go out. Have fun and drive within the cars limits. Worry about uprating stuff afterwards if and when you find it wanting.

This^ although i personally would change the brake fluid for one with higher boiling point.

[docwra]

Brake fluid is more important than pads or rotors, when you get fade generally its the fluid thats causing it. Get it changed before you go out, no questions.

A novice day is a good idea but OPL isnt a problem as long as you drive within your limits and follow the rules, Snetterton is OK for run off but Ive seen people get caught out at Coram and Russell and hit hard stuff.

The only other advice I still remember from my first briefing:

"If someone appears in your rear view mirror, then they are going faster than you - let them past"
"If you come off the track and crash, its only ever one persons fault. Dont push harder than you are comfortable with, dont race or chase anyone, just concentrate on having a good time on your own"

[sprint]

Having done plenty of track days the best advice is go and enjoy yourself. Iv got mates who have spent years building 'track' cars and never been on a track... A decent fluid along the lines of ate blue or a good 5.1 will do you fine, some half decent pads and personally I'd always like a matching set of tyres ideally but no need for anything fancy at all! I did something like 15 track days without ever using a semi slick, loved every single one of them because the cars would move around and I felt like a hero learning to control it.

As someone has already said over thinking it is the worst thing you can do. Iv only ever done open pit lane days at 'proper' circuits so my advice to you would be to do the same. Personally I'd rate brands as super safe for a learner but some people don't seem to agree with that, the only places you could realistically hit something are way past your braking zones. I did a 20 minute first session and felt familiar with the track straight away, that day wasn't in my car so that left me with loads of time to learn the car etc, personally I'd say book an open pit lane msv day there and enjoy yourself

[Zornyan]

Ordered up some yellowstuff pads as they were cheap and I'm doing the brakes next week, also someone I know offered me some 8j square e36 motorsport alloys in exchange for the old 18s I took off the car. So that sorts me some decent track wheels.

Just organising with a mate when we might go,hoping to book for end of may if lucky

[Fake Ben Taylor]

Let us know how you get on, its addictive though

[Zornyan]

I shall! I've done plenty of drift days in the past, but I've been meaning to get on track, and half of me knew getting the e36 that alot of people told me they can make really good reliable track cars with the right mods.

There's a couple novice days between end of may and middle of June that we are looking at. Just got to finish doing the work to get my mot sorted in June, slap on what I've got and go for it! Actually looking forward to have some bloody fun again as opposed to just working on the damm car!

[shaboy]

I shall! I've done plenty of drift days in the past, but I've been meaning to get on track, and half of me knew getting the e36 that alot of people told me they can make really good reliable track cars with the right mods.

There's a couple novice days between end of may and middle of June that we are looking at. Just got to finish doing the work to get my mot sorted in June, slap on what I've got and go for it! Actually looking forward to have some bloody fun again as opposed to just working on the damm car!

As said, you don't need a 'track' car to have fun on track, I had just as much fun on my first track session in a virtually standard S14a as I did on my next one with a highly modded one.
Brakes are the only thing I would say need doing and you've got that sorted by the sounds of it so get out there and give it a go, drive within your limits and not the cars, you'll soon get to that after a few sessions

[Pete C]