I get no ice mode w project mu club racers front and rear

Mobil1, Purple, and Cusco (plus their friction modifier) out back. Brand is much less critical than keeping fluids fresh when tracking.

I was talking more about the viscosity. Nissan obviously recommends certain viscosity, do people usually stick with that?

You can go one grade heavier (since you're going to be running a bit hotter then normal driving) but I think most people stick with the normal weights.

http://www.elephantracing.com/images...erature400.gif

40 grade oil will give the about the same viscosity as 30 grade when running at 250F.
Running 30 grade oil at 250F is like running 20 grade under normal temps.
But you would need to change it out when you're done with your track day which isn't that practical for most people.

engine: valvoline vr1 10w30 race oil

Hey PC Mike... what brake setup do you have? Just for my reference...

Figured I'd share my "Things to pack" list for track days or AX in hopes that it may help out others. I have not listed car modifications such as oil cooler etc. Just disposables to bring.

Helmet, long cotton (denim) pants, long cotton shirt, gloves, HANS, Driving Shoes
If it may rain: Poncho/Raincoat, more tarps/plastic, spare shoes and socks.
Wallet, $, sunglasses, car key, cell phone
Tech Sheet and Helmet sheet if needed, logbook if needed
Foldy Chairs, tent, tarp, Flashlight
Metric wrench and socket set, 22mm wrench (caliper bolts), adjustable wrench, torque wrench, zip ties
Coolant, Brake Fluid, Oil, Power steering fluid
Jack and stands
Tire Pressure Gauge, Air
Numbers, Tape, Wax (for under the tape)
Spare Pads
Spare wheel (with correct lug nuts)
Chalk / Grease pen to mark tires
Fuel/Fuel Can
Camera / Laptop
Cooler full of water, snacks, and (for later) great NC Craft beers.

I thought you were going to forget the beer. :)

You obviously don't know me. Just finished a NoDa Coco Loco, and now nursing a Triple C Vehopciraptor 2xIPA :D

Bump for updated wear items section

Struts
Rubber Bushings (diff mounts, tranny mounts, diff mounts, swaybar mounts etc.)
Tie Rod ends
Disposables (tires, fluids)

I hve motul dot 5.1 think it would be ok for the track?

Yes, but make sure you flush and replace often. Why are you running 5.1? Easier to run RBF600.

Read responses.

Motul 5.1 vs RBF600 vs ATE Super Blue - Subaru Impreza WRX STI Forums: IWSTI.com

Vote for sticky. Thread was very informable and has given me insight on do's and don't on track day.

As a total track noob, I shall take my 1st lap with a instructor to learn line following, and brake points. Only pushing my car 60% nothing to hard.

Once I step up to HPDE 2 shall upgrade braking, and oil cooling system. Than follow check list that was given to me in this thread, after my 20 min track run 80 to 90% of what I'm comfortable driving.

Thanks for the link.

On a side note, I was talking to a rep from one of the brake rotor companies (forget which...racing one) and was talking about pad material deposit and buildup on rotors. He suggested to put Hawk Blue pads on for a day around town and see if that cleans it up. I did it on a rotor that was very new and pulsing badly and surprise! It worked! Something to think about...

Tracy Ramsey

I'm gonna try xp12's and 10's maybe 8's out back. Is there an issue going to much of a spread?

Funny thing - I actually had the same problem with a set of newer rotors. They were pulsing fairly bad and I tried re-bedding my pads (changed to a set of EBC yellows). Didn't do anything. Went to a track day and REALLY eased onto the brakes knowing I had this pulsing problem, and by the time I drove home... pulsing was gone. I guess a couple 120-130 to 60-70mph stops fixed that problem up fairly well! (Warning: I don't recommend this as a fix at all lol just interesting how it took that kind of abuse to clean the rotors of deposits).

You'd lock up your fronts a good bit sooner than your rears, so...I dont know if I'd want a spread THAT wide.

I would do 12/10 on slicks and 10/8 on street tires. I run 12/12 but I have stoptechs.

Caliper shouldn't matter as long as it's 4+ piston setup. Pad material should be pretty equal front/rear. 10/10 12/10

12/8 would most likely cause more ice mode as the rears sensors are confused by the lack of comparative braking power.

But that's just my opinion...

I run Carbotech XP8 in the front and rear and i'm on R-comp tires. Brakes are fine by me??

I ran XP8's all around for the One Lap of America. Going to go to the 10/8 combo. 8's were fine, but just want a bit more aggressive in the fronts.

Tracy Ramsey

What is a good baseline for minimum pad depth on the XP10? I have a track weekend coming up in the fall and I'm trying to decide if I need to buy replacements now or if they will make it through one more weekend. I currently only have two weekends on this set of Carbotech XP 10's.


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Track weekend = how many sessions
- 6 x 20 min sessions / day ??
- How many days ??

If you're trying to get 2 whole days in have at least 50% pad material left.
One day... lil more than 1/3 brake pad remaining.

NOW...
How you determine how much pad material is left, is up to you.

:tup:

great thread, just read the entire thing

We should add tire recomendations
IMHO-
MPSS fade when hot, and hard turn in becomes scary
Stock Re050a are decent for beginners
Current running the crap out of my RE-11's, no real complaints, actually pretty amazing tire. You have to put some miles on for the lateral grip to really set in but cornering seems to be there right away
Ive been given the OP to run some trofeos R's, with diff rim and tire this weekend....ill report back on the R compound, which has always been like glue anyway
Oil recommendations for me:
Mobil 1 0w40 seems to just be fantastic in this car
next would be amsoil SS 10w30- very robust oil** then 0w then 5w
Ill be trying out some Xxcess here shortly but Always have had great results with Motul, ANYTHING

A practical minimum pad material depth is 6mm (about 0.25") because once yu go below this amount of pad material, the heat levels will cause wear rate to accelerate.

Which is, coincidentally, about the same thickness as the pad backing plate...easy to compare. If you have less material than the thickness of the plate, time to replace!

Tracy Ramsey

Hey there's some real world advice people.

Imma add that to the 1st page!

I am looking at installing a" Painless Dual Fan Controller Kit". Search it at Jegs.com or Summit.com. It will let you set temps when the fans come on at 50% and 100% (each selectable from 165 to 235 degrees). You can still use speed sensors and the A/C on at 100 %. It will also allow you to manual turn them on at 100% with a toggle switch. I haven't determined if the Z1 water temp probe kit will work with the bottom radiator hose. The probe thru the rad fins is not accurate (see summit .com reviews of the part). The best is to measure the temp return to the block. Hence the use of the Z1 hose adapter for a temp probe.

I should have prefaced this that I have a 180 degree thermostat, an upgraded radiator and 34 row oil cooler and track the car. Still working with water temps. Can control it by turning on the ac witch will turn on the fans to 100 % at any temp and makes it manageable, but not ideal.

osbornsm,

Great post. I just want to share something about stock suspension i am personally finding (may not apply to everyone, but hopefully it does so i know im not alone on this lol). Although its fine for new guys, i am finding some outer tire tread wear so it my be difficult or impossible to have even tire wear the whole time. My tires were fine for the longest time until i started to get comfortable and increase my lap times which = driving harder. Now I cam considering new upper control arms to adjust camber for track day, along with some sway bars.

I talked to forum memeber Rusty about this (not sure if you know him or not). he is very helpful on this too , as were you :)

What do you think about outer tire tread wear on stock suspension?

With the OEM alignment and Sport suspension... i had significant outer wear on my track tires. I had to crank the PSI up to 48 HOT to accommodate the leaning sidewalls.

But i now have -2 deg front camber with SPL camber arms.
Will report tire wear with the OEM toe and -2 camber after my next event.

:tup:

:driving:

WOW 48 HOT! I'm running about 37 HOT. I would think at that heat level your tires get "slippery" and begin to loose grip.

I'm considering sway bars to help with outside wear and keep camber a bit more steady. What do you think?

They should be 40 hot. However that's with - 2 camber. I had to have higher psi with OEM alignment to accommodate the leaning sidewalls.

Great thread!

I'll add that if you're being held up by slower drivers that won't let you by, take a quick tour of pit lane. By the time you're back on track the slow guys are quite a bit ahead and you'll have more open track.

Pay attention to your energy level. When you start getting sloppy, you're tired. Come in and rest.

I found that starting with AutoX taught me to read tire slip angles which helped on the track (and street).

And remember to stay hydrated - on a race or track day, even in cooler weather, I will drink 3 to 4 litres of fluid - not sugar loaded cola drinks but usually just water with a couple of slices of lemon in it.

^^ What he said.

I ran a LeMons race in September, it was an hour stint. I felt okay while racing but as soon as I got out of the car I almost collapsed. More than one driver was taken to the hospital with heat stroke. Pay attention to your hydration and energy.

I start to load up on water the day before if I can. Then pee like a race horse because of the one pill I have to take. If you have to take meds, be careful of them. And know the side effects.

Track Day Best Practices - MUST READ
 

I plan on tracking for the first time soon and will take the hooked on driving class. I don't expect to be driving very hard my first time. I understand it is recommended to:

-change clutch fluid and brake fluid to Motul RBF600

-upgrade brake pads to carbotech X10 front/8 rear

-get on oil cooler

Those seem like they are the main things. But for the first class would I be ok going stock? I wouldn't even be able to do those upgrades myself, id have to go to a shop every time, which is ok but will add up quickly especially being for just the first experience. Also I have HR 20mm stud replacement spacers all around. Is that ok as long as just the lugs are torqued correctly before i start?



Ive always been really interested in doing this but haven't ever done it because I've been overwhelmed with all the things id have to have done since I don't even know how to do it myself, just to get track ready. But I'm really determined to finally get started and I'm trying to figure out everything i need to do to prepare.

Also, I've been trying to practice my rev matching but i really suck at heel toe. Would it be recommended to not use synchro rev match while on the track or is it fine?

Congrats on your determination to get started! I doubt very much if you will be disappointed; and if you're like most, you will be looking to book your second one on the way home.

If you are doing this in cool weather, you can probably get away without the oil cooler for this first one, and stock brake pads should work OK so long as you have at least 50% left on them. Changing fluids is certainly recommended, and I would have that done by a competent shop that can also do your tech inspection.

For your first event, there are so many things to learn that you should resist the urge to push it and instead just concentrate on what your instructor is telling you (I assume you'll have one for each session). If you'll concentrate on keeping your head up to look through the turns instead of driving cone to cone, and being smooth; you'll be far ahead of the guys that are trying to be fastest. And, don't forget to relax and breath (which may be the most difficult part to learn). Hope you have a great time and let us know how it went.

Thanks for the support and the tips! That sounds good. I'm looking forward to it. I'll have to wait just a few months before i can do it since I have some other things I have to pay for first before setting aside money for the class. Otherwise I would do it right away. So after the fluid change can I keep the brake and clutch fluid in there for daily use or will I have to switch back to previous fluid? Or will I have to change fluid again after one light track day?


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