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.
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