Tracking

[quenjose]

Hi mates,

thought there might be quite a few track junkies here... so i was hoping maybe you could share some experience and advice about tracking my car...

i've been wanting to track for quite a while now... bring the R to her native environment
i know more or less the requirements... i.e. extinguisher, helmet, CAMS license... healthy brakes n tyres... etc. but thats not it.

I'm more concerned as to the longevity of the engine after frequent outings to the track... i'm sure everyones heard horror stories of snapped rods or bent valves etc. and thats not i situation i want to be in.

As i've been told by some that if i do decide to hit the track, i should start thinking about rebuilding the engine somewhere along the line... as tracked engines dont last long without constant attention...

also the thing is, like the majority of working australia, i have a very limited budget, and i dont want to spend too much on the car when there are more important priorities (like buying a house... getting married etc.).

Mind you, i'm not saying i want to hit the track every few weeks... more like 3 or 4 times a year would be good.

please share your opinions and experiences, thanks.

[timizkool]

As long as you are on top of your fluids, your engine should be able to take the punishment. Just take it easy and drive smoothly on your first couple of outings

Honda engines are pretty tough!

[T-BaGGeR]

I did a rough breakdown of my track days to see how much it costs me go run.
1: oil change before track $50
2: petrol to get to the track and back (1 Tank)
3: petrol on the track (1 Tank)
4: track fees and license ( Around 180)
5: Tires and pads ( Semi's last around about 6 days)

I think I worked it out to be around $500 for a track day for me.
Hope that gives you a rough guide to how much it is. You don't need gauges, baffled sump, oil cooler, etc if your just going to start out. Spend the money on more track time before mods.


I'm lucky that I haven't had any major mishaps on the track so costs have been minimal. Fingers crossed!

[05dc5S]

Yeah Honda engines are quite hard to break with stock internals unless you do something silly like mis-shifting from 4th to 1st gear.

Built engines are a different story - depends on your builder! (and definitely more costly)

[00dc2]

getting a baffled sump will help you track without worrying about the engine. costs about $500

i swap over my brake pads when i go to the track to a set of higher temp pads. takes me about 2hrs but i'm slow. will save your street pads on the track and your rotors if you decide to leave the track pads on the street. Its just what i do. most ppl dont bother, they just drive around on street/track pads like DS2500 all the time.

you will destroy your street tyres on the track so you will want to get a extra set of wheels and put some semi slick tyres on them. I got a nice set of 16x7 light weight rims for street and use my stock rims with RE55S tyres on the track.

watch your driving though... you want to take it slow and steady first few times as you dont want to over rev the car down shifting etc.. you could bend something. but you dont hear too much of that going on. lots of guys on here track quite often and their engines last a long time! as in years and years.

go Honda!

[ChargeR]

I agree with most of what has already been said. If your car is in overall good repair and you maintain it meticulously you shouldn't see a decrease in engine life. Particularly with only 2-3 days a year. 15ish track days on my car in the last 2.5 years and it doesn't seem like it is about to blow up. If it does clubITR will be among the first to hear about it .

you will destroy your street tyres on the track so you will want to get a extra set of wheels and put some semi slick tyres on them. I got a nice set of 16x7 light weight rims for street and use my stock rims with RE55S tyres on the track.

I am going to go ahead and disagree with you here . Street tyres are a great, convenient and economical choice for the track in my opinion, and generally result in less wear and tear on the car due to the lower levels of grip. And there is less chance of oil starvation which seems to scare some people. It is my recommendation to start on a nice set of high performance street tyres.

Changing to dedicated track pads and rotors is also a great idea though. I just cannot be bothered so I drive around on my dusty and sqealy track pads all the time.

[DvS-]

I did a rough breakdown of my track days to see how much it costs me go run.
1: oil change before track $50
2: petrol to get to the track and back (1 Tank)
3: petrol on the track (1 Tank)
4: track fees and license ( Around 180)
5: Tires and pads ( Semi's last around about 6 days)

I think I worked it out to be around $500 for a track day for me.
Hope that gives you a rough guide to how much it is. You don't need gauges, baffled sump, oil cooler, etc if your just going to start out. Spend the money on more track time before mods.


I'm lucky that I haven't had any major mishaps on the track so costs have been minimal. Fingers crossed!

when i went on an open day.. i filled up before i left the area, got to wakefield (about 2 hours drive) did about 3-4 x 15 min sessions.. drove home and still have a little over 1/4 tank..

[T-BaGGeR]

when i went on an open day.. i filled up before i left the area, got to wakefield (about 2 hours drive) did about 3-4 x 15 min sessions.. drove home and still have a little over 1/4 tank..

dang! how the hell?
Are you running on lpg?

[DvS-]

dang! how the hell?
Are you running on lpg?

BP 98.. LOL
maybe not over 1/4 but around there.. i didnt even use the 20L bottle i brought along till i got home.. rofl..

[quenjose]

thanks for the replies guys

yeah, i think i'm gonna take it easy first with street tyres.... have got RE001's on at the moment. But might consider semis quite awhile later once i've got a feel of things, plus i may have a problem with storage at the moment.

I'll definitely consider swapping my pads out though, thanks for the tip.
But swapping rotors? is that necessary?

Do many people here run baffled sumps on street tyres?

And do ppl generally try n limit your revs on the track? to say a tad under redline for safety sake, or do u guys just touch redline all day?

[vippy84]

BP 98.. LOL
maybe not over 1/4 but around there.. i didnt even use the 20L bottle i brought along till i got home.. rofl..

maybe it will be the same scenario if i hit the track in the future. In my case, it is because I cruise on the track, hence the 1/4 left on the tank. LOL.

[DvS-]

thanks for the replies guys

yeah, i think i'm gonna take it easy first with street tyres.... have got RE001's on at the moment. But might consider semis quite awhile later once i've got a feel of things, plus i may have a problem with storage at the moment.

I'll definitely consider swapping my pads out though, thanks for the tip.
But swapping rotors? is that necessary?

Do many people here run baffled sumps on street tyres?

And do ppl generally try n limit your revs on the track? to say a tad under redline for safety sake, or do u guys just touch redline all day?

i went on with street pads, cheapo brand tyres (im povo lol) and no baffled sump.. get a baffled sump though.. just cruise the first session or so.. go at ur own pace.. learn the track then just increase your pace throughout the day..


when i went out to track, i shifted at about 7.5 to 8k.. (b18 motor)

[T-BaGGeR]

you don't need a baffle sump if your on street tires. I run no baffle sump with semi's
Don't worry about the redline, you should be shifting just after the peak of your power band, where ever that is.

[DvS-]

you don't need a baffle sump if your on street tires. I run no baffle sump with semi's
Don't worry about the redline, you should be shifting just after the peak of your power band, where ever that is.

not having a go at ya, but why is that?

[T-BaGGeR]

not having a go at ya, but why is that?

I have friends that run no baffles with semi's and no problems. I don't run a baffle either but in saying that, I have one to install but im just too lazy to put it in.

He is just starting out so I don't think that he will be pulling high G's at high speeds. street tires arn't sticky enough.