Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community - FT86CLUB - View Single Post - Quick and dirty guide to track prepping your car

CSG Mike · 01-02-2013, 04:44 PM

Car Prep

First few times at the track:

Absolutely necessary
- Check your oil level
- Make sure tires have at least 4/32" of tread left (put a quarter in the tread, and if the tread touches George's head, you're good)

Recommended
- Fresh engine oil (if you haven't changed within the last few thousand miles)

Nice to have
- Upgraded brake pads
- Upgraded brake fluid
- GoPro Camera (watching yourself is an EXCELLENT way to learn)

3rd-5th times at the track:

Absolutely necessary
- Check your oil level
- Make sure tires have at least 4/32" of tread left (put a quarter in the tread, and if the tread touches George's head, you're good)

Recommended
- Fresh engine oil (if you haven't changed within the last few thousand miles)
- Upgraded brake pads
- Upgraded brake fluid
- Fresh transmission fluid
- Fresh differential fluid (see a trend here? proactive maintenance is key to a long life!)

Nice to have
- "performance" tires (Hankook RS3, Dunlop Z1/Z2 Star Spec, Bridgestone RE-11, Yokohama AD08, Toyo R1R, Federal 595 RS-R)
- GoPro Camera (watching yourself is an EXCELLENT way to learn)

6rd-10th times at the track:

Absolutely necessary
- Check your oil level
- Make sure tires have at least 4/32" of tread left (put a quarter in the tread, and if the tread touches George's head, you're good)
- Upgraded brake pads
- Upgraded brake fluid

Recommended
- Fresh engine oil (if you haven't changed within the last few thousand miles)
- "performance" tires (Hankook RS3, Dunlop Z1/Z2 Star Spec, Bridgestone RE-11, Yokohama AD08, Toyo R1R, Federal 595 RS-R)
- GoPro Camera (watching yourself is an EXCELLENT way to learn)
- Fresh transmission fluid
- Fresh differential fluid
- GoPro Cameras, or some sort of video device (smartphones with cases work great!)

Nice to have
- Adjustable coil-over suspension
- Aftermarket Rims
- Data acquisition (Aim SOLO is a great option, as is Harry's Lap Timer for the iPhone and Trackmate for Android)

Maintenace

These are merely suggestions; adjust intervals as needed. The best way to determine is to use used oil analysis from a company like Blackstone Labs or Dyson.

Engine - normal oil change interval, as long as your oil cooler is suffient and keeping your temps under 250F (stock oil temp is read post-cooler, so oil temp peak is higher)

Brake fluid - Whenever the feel degrades, or your reservoir is dark

Clutch fluid - once a year (use leftover brake fluid from a bleed)

Trans/Diff - Every 5 days, or 15k miles, whichever comes first.

01-02-2013, 04:44 PM	#2
CSG Mike Join Date: Jul 2012 Drives: S2000 CR Location: Orange County Posts: 14,528 Thanks: 8,917 Thanked 14,175 Times in 6,834 Posts Mentioned: 966 Post(s) Tagged: 14 Thread(s)	Car Prep First few times at the track: Absolutely necessary - Check your oil level - Make sure tires have at least 4/32" of tread left (put a quarter in the tread, and if the tread touches George's head, you're good) Recommended - Fresh engine oil (if you haven't changed within the last few thousand miles) Nice to have - Upgraded brake pads - Upgraded brake fluid - GoPro Camera (watching yourself is an EXCELLENT way to learn) 3rd-5th times at the track: Absolutely necessary - Check your oil level - Make sure tires have at least 4/32" of tread left (put a quarter in the tread, and if the tread touches George's head, you're good) Recommended - Fresh engine oil (if you haven't changed within the last few thousand miles) - Upgraded brake pads - Upgraded brake fluid - Fresh transmission fluid - Fresh differential fluid (see a trend here? proactive maintenance is key to a long life!) Nice to have - "performance" tires (Hankook RS3, Dunlop Z1/Z2 Star Spec, Bridgestone RE-11, Yokohama AD08, Toyo R1R, Federal 595 RS-R) - GoPro Camera (watching yourself is an EXCELLENT way to learn) 6rd-10th times at the track: Absolutely necessary - Check your oil level - Make sure tires have at least 4/32" of tread left (put a quarter in the tread, and if the tread touches George's head, you're good) - Upgraded brake pads - Upgraded brake fluid Recommended - Fresh engine oil (if you haven't changed within the last few thousand miles) - "performance" tires (Hankook RS3, Dunlop Z1/Z2 Star Spec, Bridgestone RE-11, Yokohama AD08, Toyo R1R, Federal 595 RS-R) - GoPro Camera (watching yourself is an EXCELLENT way to learn) - Fresh transmission fluid - Fresh differential fluid - GoPro Cameras, or some sort of video device (smartphones with cases work great!) Nice to have - Adjustable coil-over suspension - Aftermarket Rims - Data acquisition (Aim SOLO is a great option, as is Harry's Lap Timer for the iPhone and Trackmate for Android) Maintenace These are merely suggestions; adjust intervals as needed. The best way to determine is to use used oil analysis from a company like Blackstone Labs or Dyson. Engine - normal oil change interval, as long as your oil cooler is suffient and keeping your temps under 250F (stock oil temp is read post-cooler, so oil temp peak is higher) Brake fluid - Whenever the feel degrades, or your reservoir is dark Clutch fluid - once a year (use leftover brake fluid from a bleed) Trans/Diff - Every 5 days, or 15k miles, whichever comes first. Last edited by CSG Mike; 09-13-2016 at 07:12 PM.