I do this every year to make sure it's Dragon ready...the following are some suggestions.

Brakes: make sure your pads and/or rotors aren't worn. Top off brake fluid.
Suspension: check to see that there is nothing loose or missing.
Tires: Ya need good tread to grip, so check that. Bring a tire gauge, and a portable compressor ( you can get a very small one at most auto supply stores). If you don't have runflats, make yourself a flat tire repair kit with that gunk in a can, compressor and tire gauge.
Top off all fluids.

I'm lucky since I can take my car to Lucky Dog and have them go over the car and check stuff out. I have zero mechanical ability, so I get them to do it, but if you are diy go through the above checklist.
Feel free to add any more suggestions to this thread. We all want our cars to be in tip-top shape before driving the Dragon, or it'll find any flaw and exploit it to the fullest extent allowed by physics.

 

All good ideas, K. Even if you are coming to the Dragon and not anticipating lots of gonzo dragon action, it's still a long trip for most, and it's always a good idea to have the car in top shape for safety and peace of mind. If you partake in some spirited driving, your brakes will get used a lot. If you have about 30k miles on your car, there is a good chance the rear brakes are near the end of their life (the rears wear more than the fronts). Some (Yucca) have found themselves with completely shot brakes after several runs. Luckily there will be quite a few vendors with goodies and tools available to take care of some quick repairs this year, like last.

Treat your car to some goodies and care, you aren't the only one going on vacation!

 

I'm already getting front control arm bushings, stainless brake lines, and maybe some new tires. But I'm doing it more to prepare myself for some track days than for the dragon. I also carry a full size spare (S-Light) on long trips because I don't have faith in a patch/slime over long distances.

 

Very good sugestions. We all need to take care of our cars and ourselves.

Keep it safe.

 

This is an excellent reason to actually put the car on a lift to check major components when you do your pre-dragon safety checklist. On the occasion my brakes failed, I HAD checked my brake pads visually through the wheels before leaving for the dragon. However, I failed to check the inside pads and didn't know that I had a defective rear caliper which was causing excessive wear to the inside pad.

Now I take my MINI in to my local mechanic to have a trained set of eyes make a quick inspection of the important stuff. In fact, my MINI is there right now. . . .

 

We made sure we got an alignment done. After this DARN "ICE" season we had, we needed it! It is always a good idea to ensure you will be driving in a "straight" line on those curvy roads. I don't like compensating for not being correctly aligned

 

also - don't forget to test out new suspension components and MINI mods on roads that you are familiar with - not a great idea to get stuff bolted on a day before Dragon and then jet down without knowing the limits of your car. A MINI or two have been known to go into the woods at the first curve out of Fontana Village.

 

Umm I'd say if you haven't done it in the last few months; don't "top off" but bleed brake fluid; and if possible have oil changed within previous few thousand miles.