this fall im going off to college in NH so i will be very close to NHMS for their open track days and the BMW club track days. my car is lightly tuned and i was wondering if those of you who have spent some time on the track could point me in the right directions with regards as what to do next to be ready? thanks

 

Buy a helmet that fits and flush your brake fluid with racing fluid (I like ATE super blue 'cause it's easy to find). Then look at schroth quickfit harnesses and SS brake lines (check out http://www.grassrootsgarage.com/brakes.html). You'll wear through pads and tires quicker with track days, but ask other guys what they use and you'll get a feel for what you need. Definitely stay away from R-compound tires until you have lots of seat time and the desire to minimize your margin of error.

I figure you need your brakes to last all day so you don't have to worry about that and you can focus on your line, brake points, and shift points. Then you can make the car go faster.

 

i have a sparco evo seat and a quick fit in the car now so i will be strapped in. brakes? i have pads on the way so you suggest lines and rotors? thanks

 

UNH?

 

saint anselms. do you go to UNH?

 

Ah, cool. I went to UNH and graduated this past May.

 

cool. so a little brake work and i will be all set?

 

Probably fine with just fluid change, Super Blue, and good pads CarboTechs or Hawks Plus. (unless your rotor are shot?) Some places are strict on helmet class to be safe get a auto racing helmet (SA) not a motorcycle helmet.

 

the front rotors are shot so i will replace those and the fluids in the brakes and tranny. also considering IE ss lines.

 

Brakes need high temp fluid and good track pads (dont have to be dedicated). And decent tires. And then the safety stuff like helmet and gloves. Make sure to get your brakes up to par, most important thing you can do before you go out onto the track.

 

right now the setup is completely stock but i have mintex redbox pads on my bench. are those pads going to be sufficient for the track? thanks

 

[quote=freeskier;2416886]right now the setup is completely stock but i have mintex redbox pads on my bench. are those pads going to be sufficient for the track? thanks[/quot

I think redbox are basically replacement pads?
If the oems are shot replace with with redbox and take them on to track day. It will be good to see the difference in fade and compare to CarboTech or HP Plus pads later on (on your 2nd or 3rd track day) But do change the fluid, since later on you can put pads without changing fluid. And an SA rated helmet

 

To get the car ready, all you really need is better brake fluid and better pads. I haven't gone to stainless steel lines yet. I wouldn't say lines are a necessity.

You need a helmet.

You should also make sure you have a big plastic box to hold all the crap you take out of the car, and a tarp to put over it in case it rains.

Sunscreen.

A big water bottle.

The Boston and White Mountain BMWCCA chapters give $100 off of your first track event.

Look for the other MINIs at the track and say hi!

 

I'd also highly recommend dedicated track pads unless you want to buy new street pads a few times a year (depending on how often you go). I run carbotech xp10s all around and still have some fade issues, but they're far better than the stockers. I also have r-compounds though, which are significantly harder on brakes.

Other than that, get a helmet and if your harness is a 4-point, make absolutely sure it has ASM technology. Without some sort of asm system, 4-points are more dangerous than your factory 3-points.

 

ok, so it looks like i should be all set then. at track days at NHMS, are ther alot of other mini's?

 

There are typically 6 or so MINIs at NHMS BMWCCA events. Most of us have been at it for a few years, so are up in the top two run groups.

Definitely introduce yourself, and we'll do our best to help you out... either getting your car ready and finding your way around the paddock, or finding your way around the track.

 

Get a torque wrench, if you don't already (by your setup, I'd bet you probably already have one) you'll need to check your lugs periodically. The car just doesn't go as fast with three or fewer wheels...

Tire pressure monitor is a must too--you want to make sure you're running the same pressures, and you'll be surprised where they'll be at after a few runs...You might want to fiddle with tire pressures, see what works best. I run them fairly low (low 30's cold), it took me awhile to get there, I had a mental block that this seemed too low, but after a kick in the pants by an instructor, I finally got there, and it makes a world of difference.

As for brakes, I agree with whats been said above. I wouldn't recommend going to the track with street pads; I've tried it, and its just too frustrating with fade. I'd get dedicated track pads for the fronts, and swap them to street pads when you're done. I leave track pads on the rears for the whole season; not ideal, but the brake bias is such that I'll get a full season out of the pads/rear rotors before they'll need changing.

I do have SS lines, and I agree they aren't a must. All they help with is pedal feel--the pedal is firmer with them, which I like, but with regard to actual braking itself, there is at best minimal, and probably no improvement in stopping power. Its a worthy upgrade, I like how the pedal feels with them, but not a necessity.

If its your first day on the track, prioritize. Don't worry so much about speed initially, get the line down. You might want to try keeping in one gear until you're comfortable. That's where most of your speed is anyway, keeping a good line--if you learn the line, you'll find you'll be much faster at the end of the day than those guys out there trying to push the limits right off the bat. Then work on your braking, and shift points. Don't try to do it all at once; you'll end up doing all of them poorly, its too much to learn in one day. If you come out of the day with a good handle on the line, you've done well, and you'll be able to build on it next time. This is probably the single most useful thing I've learned; I was bullheaded at first and tried to do too much too soon; the more patient I've gotten learning and driving the track, the better I've gotten as a driver.

Listen to Snid, he's one of the helpful folks on here who has pointed me in the right direction....

 

thanks alot guys. i nwas poking around NHMS's websight and wasnt sure when the next bmw club track day is, any help. and i totally agree on the line, while this is my first time on the track in my own mini, i have ben on other racetracks in driving and racing schools. thanks again guys.

 

Look at http://www.wmc-bmwcca.org and http://boston-bmwcca.org

The next BMWCCA track event is August 25. You'd have to hurry up and register really soon, as it may already be full.

After that, I think there's only October 4-5 left.

 

I feel compelled to put together a more in-depth post, so here goes:

What do you need to get ready for the track? I'm writing from the point of view of someone on a budget.

First, stuff that has nothing to do with modding the car:

• A "track box". You need to empty out the car, so all that stuff needs to go somewhere. Many tracks do not have garages you can use, so there's no shelter. Some don't even have paved parking areas. So, you want a box to put the stuff you take out of the car in. I use two boxes. A large one for random stuff I won't need to find during the day, and a small box for important stuff I will need to find during the day (phone, wallet, track schedule, tire pressure gauge, sunscreen, etc).
• A tarp to go over the track box
• Sunscreen - you will get sunburned standing outside all day
• Rain gear - it will rain at some point. A rain jacket is a must. Rain pants are a nice addition.
• Water - you will get dehydrated. Get a large water jug and fill it with ice water before you get to the track. Buying bottled water is expensive.
• Tire pressure gauge - get a dial style gauge that has a pressure relief valve.
• A cigarette lighter powered air compressor - in a pinch, you can usually borrow someone else's
• torque wrench for wheels - they're expensive, and most people have one, so you can just borrow one. But, bring your own socket that will fit your lugs if you plan on borrowing a wrench.
• notebook / logbook - at some point, you'll go to register for an event and they will ask you how many track days you have done. If you have a log book, you'll know. You'll also have someplace to write down people's names, email address, notes about the tracks, etc
• A camp chair is nice, but you honestly don't have that many opportunities to sit down anyway... But, when you do get 5 minutes to sit, it's nice to have a chair and not the ground to sit on
• If the budget allows, an easy-up canopy is really nice. But, again, you can usually just "borrow" someone else's shade for a rest.
• Bring an extra pair of socks and an extra shirt to change into at the end of the day. Driving home in sweaty clothes sucks.
• I regularly get headaches, so I'm always sure to have a bottle of aspirin in the track box. If you have other medical things, be sure to be ready for them.
• Scotch tape - some clubs will want you to tape a piece of paper with numbers on it to the windows
• Blue painter's tape - some clubs want you to tape up headlights, can also be used to make numbers on the side of the car
• Stuff to bleed you brakes. On a two day event, you should probably bleed your brakes after the first day. That means you need the right wrenches, a bottle of brake fluid, and a hose and bottle to collect old brake fluid in. And you need to find someone to help. Just ask. Pretty much everyone at the track will be happy to help.
• A jack - you can usually just borrow one, or the scissor jack that came with the car will work in an absolute pinch. You'll need to to change to your track wheels if you have them, rotate your wheels between days of a multi-day event to even out wear, and bleed brakes.
• A quart of motor oil - just in case
• After you've done a few events, keep your next set of brake pads in your track box. That way, when you use up the pads that are on the car in the middle of the day / weekend, you can change pads and keep going. That also means you should have the tools required to change brake pads. This is not needed for your first few events. But is when you're doing 6+ days a season. If your brake rotors are almost used up, you need your next set of rotors in the box also.

Okay, so what about the car? I'll try to give multiple steps for each area. Don't go hog-wild for your first event! Start slow...

• Brake fluid - the tech inspection for the track will ask you to change brake fluid every 6 months / 3 months / something like that. So, the first step is to switch to ATE Super Blue. It's not that expensive, and good enough for 80% of the people / cars / tracks. The next step up is Motul RBF600. Much more expensive, but if you're boiling Super Blue, you need it. Start with Super Blue though.
• Brake pads - start with Hawk HPS or something like that. I loved the Hawk HPS and used them for two seasons (not the same set of pads). You can run them on the street. They don't squeal. They hold up to track level heat pretty well for you first dozen events or so. Once you start getting faster, you will overheat them. Then, you have two choices. Track pads or a TCE / Wilwood kit. The TCE / Wilwood kit is the way to go if you do it from the start (of when you get serious with track events). Replacement pads are much cheaper for the Wilwood caliper, so you end up saving money in a few years. Nobody explained that to me in time, so I'm still using stock calipers and track pads. If you go that route, get Carbotech XP10 front pads and XP8 or XP9 rear pads - http://www.hmsmotorsport.com/ can get you the pads, and they track a Cooper S regularly, so they know what they're talking about.
• tires - start with whatever tires are on the car right now. Really. Unless they're almost bald and you need to get new tires anyway. The next step is to get a second set of wheels and tires for the track. With the second set of wheels, if you cord a tire at the track, you still have a safe way to get home. For your first set of "track tires", go with Hankook RS2 z212 or Dunlop DZ1 StarSpec. I've used the Hankooks and they're a great "next step" tire. Good grip, good lifespan, and cheap. I haven't used the Dunlops, but the reviews are really good. Do not go straight to R-compounds!. When you're ready for R-compounds, which may take a couple of years, Toyo RA1 was the standard, but it's been replaced. I don't have experience with the Toyo R888. And, if it's going to be a few years before you're ready for R-compounds, who knows what will be out there.
• Wheels - light, cheap, strong - pick 2. For a budget, Kosei and Rota are the common choices. Make sure to pick a wheel size that has the tire you want available for it!. Also known as, buy a 15" wheel or a 17" wheel. Do not buy a 16" wheel. For Toyo R-compounds anyway.

Everything else is up to you and not "essential".

Driver safety is paramount. When you start thinking about seats / harnesses / etc, here's my advice. Stay with the stock seats and seatbelts (maybe with a CG-lock) until you are ready to do the whole thing. That means a rollbar, one-piece racing shell seats, and 5/6 point harnesses. Anything inbetween stock and the full monty is going to be a compromise. Do not compromise with safety.

Power mods? You don't need them.

Suspension mods? Camber plates will extend the life of your tires and make the car handle better. So they're a great first mod.

I'm sure I left some stuff out...

 

thanks so much snid, you have been a huge help. just a few more quick questions if you dont mind? what do you recomend for a helmet on a budget and do you recomend gloves? i will most likely be at the event in october. thanks again guys.

 

For a helmet, get an "SA" rated one if at all possible. An "M" rated helmet is usually accepted by most clubs, but not always.

I use a G-Force Pro helmet.

freeskier, if you can get to Danvers, MA, go visit HMS Motorsport... they have tons of stuff for you to try on (helmets, gloves, shoes, seats, harnesses, etc, etc, etc), they're a very knowledgeable bunch, and they drive a MINI regularly on the track. They are the north american distributor for Schroth, so they do push Schroth stuff pretty hard. That's the only criticism that can be leveled on them, though.

I bought gloves for an early season driving school, and have been using them since. I really like them, but they're not a necessity (unless your hands get really sweaty).

 

Definitely not a necessity but I found that I really wanted (halfway needed) an LSD after my first events in the Mini...I have quite a bit of previous experience though. Its nothing you need. Everything snid mentioned is pretty much spot on. Along with water, I'd also bring some snacks. You should and will have time to leave the track for food, or they may have food there, but having your own just in case is always nice.

Have fun out there!

 

I starting using a neck brace recently. I think it helps support your head and helmet as well as improves safety. Cheaper than a Hans.

I think gloves are important as well.

Also get some shoes that can help you with your heel to toe if you don't already have some.

 

a neck brace is no substitute for a Hans device. it may make you fee1 more comfortab1e, but is of absolutely no use in the event of an accident. i used to wear one while racing formula fords before the invention of the hans. it was the best we had back then. it is rea11y use1ess, however. neither is "required" for a beginning DE driver. i now have a hans, 4-pt cage, racing seats, and 6-pt harnesses. i did this because i am now way faster than i was when i started and fee1 that this the wise thing to do at this point.

i use g1oves as a part of my menta1 preparation as much as for an advantage in driving. in any endeavor (driving, cyc1ing, weight iifting, kayaking, etc), i use the physica1 act of putting on the g1oves as a "psyco1ogica1 switch" to prepare for the activity. g1oves on, ready to go.

shoes: i drive w/ racing shoes because i have them. i can actua11y hee1/toe better w/ wider shoes, but the fee1 isn't as good. certain1y not required at the OP's 1eve1 of experience.

i don't mean this post to be offensive, but i thought that my point of view has some merit and shoud be offered.