I am not sure if you are being serious or not but the theme of my thread was to show that NO the track does not rip your car apart. Did I wear out my tires faster... yes.

Jason

 

I wax my car before each event to because you will get some small rubber blops on the car which you can rmove easily if its waxed properly. And you kill a hell of the lot of bugs.

But in my last event (after 6 of them) with a car almost five years old and 40,000 miles my instructor came up and said first thing..."Did you just buy this car new."

These cars arr engineered to be perform like this. You wll not rip them about.

The saying goes.."you will run out of talent before the car does".

 

Go to home depot and get 'Goo Off' product - it is perfect for that, I get black cone marks off my clear bra with this product just fine - nothing else seemed to work well.

 

You forgot Brakes, hood, windsheild.

I am only giving you a hard time. The track is the best way to enjoy these cars IMO.

 

Thanks Jason - great write-up. I've recently contracted a case of 'Track Itch' but have been hesitant to do so for the reasons you mentioned. I've tracked other cars so I know how much fun it can be. I'm slowly gearing up to letting my OCD wane...

 

Hey Northvan, if you wouldn't mind what are some of the things that are showing signs of wear. I've done 3 DEs this year with one more to go. I've managed to keep the body and paint clean. No paint chips. I have noticed the red calipers are losing a litttle luster and the Porsche lettering on them does not look as white. I'm sure it will take a few more track days to show more signs of wear. Just want to know what to expect.

I agree with you, it's worth it. I can't imagine not tracking. Everyone buys there Carrera's for different reasons but, if you bought it because you appreciate handling and feedback the only way to safely enjoy your car is on the track. I think track days in my Carrera s is the best fun you can have with your clothes on.



































































-+

 

Thanks for posting this, Jason.

As far as extra wear on your car goes, the usual consumables will wear out. Tires, brake pads, brake rotors. However, track cars often see extra maintenance. I change my oil a couple times a year so it's always fresh. Brake fluid is replaced every year with top quality stuff. The car is inspected every year by a qualified shop too.

I've done about 30 track days in my GT3 and the LSD is now worn out. The factory part isn't durable enough for track use when you start driving at an advanced level. That will be upgraded this winter.

With ultra sticky tires, my "butt sensor" is now showing worn shocks that are hard to detect when using street tires so I'll be replacing them early compared to a street only car. They're great for street but when I'm strapped in with my 6-pt harness I don't like what I feel.

That's it for me.

When I'm at the track I shift fairly conservatively at about 7000rpm (8200 rpm redline) and the motor can do that effortlessly. If I always banged it off the rev limiter then I'd be working the motor hard. So I don't do that.

I also rev match when I'm shifting (including heel/toe downshifting) so the tranny, engine and clutch stay happy. It's always smooth.

I think a ton of guys are like me and take care of their cars when doing track days so the general bad rap "track cars" get is undeserved lots of the time. Sure, there will be some guys who thrash their cars at the track but you'll also come across guys who start up their cars in the morning and promptly redline the engine when it's cold on some back road by their house. Or people who don't shift smoothly or who slip the clutch for an hour each day while sitting in stop/go traffic during rush hour. Or folks who don't do timely maintenance. I'm sure we all know some people like that. I bet they aren't track guys though.

Cheers,
Allan

 

+1. If you start running regularly, you will move up to advanced groups running faster, braking harder & following closer and a few more issues arise.

Brake fluid - you will want to bleed brake fluid before each event - you will find pedal getting softer by end of many events from too much heat and stock pads disappearing in a few days - don't let pads get thinner than backing plate before changing or heat transfer will increase significantly, and make sure to do a real cool down lap - seriously consider track pads like Pagid yellow RS29s and brake fluid with higher boiling point like Motul RBF 600 or Castrol SRF.

Windshield - In upper groups with higher speeds & closer following distances you will find your windshield getting etched by track debris - looks like it was lightly sand blasted. There are some companies offering clear windshield protection but I have yet to see a car with this so can't report on effectiveness.

Paint - Seeing etched windshields on advanced group cars makes you wonder how bad your paint would look if you didn't put clear protection on front, mirrors, rockers and rear fender flares (do full rear flares, much larger than stock patches and do inside of wheel wells - especially behind the wheels or these will be among first areas showing etching from the track).

The big stuff - Biggest issue is keep your ego & competitive streak in reasonable control - the real damage to cars comes when a driver gets too aggressive and leaves the track, or worse, rolls the car. Unfortunately, you will see this happening if you go to the track more than a couple times. Best prevention is ego control and driving within your skill level, but an advanced car control course like those given by Skip Barber is also a big help - go spin and slide their cars for a day and spin avoidance and recovery becomes more second nature. When you first go to a new track, ask where people tend to get in trouble and spin, leave the track or roll, ask why they get in trouble there - be well informed & more cautious in those areas

HPDE events are a blast and I wouldn't consider giving them up to keep my car more pristine. If you remember you are not racing and there are no million dollar checks for "the winner", you car should look great for years with the right protective measures - clear protection, regular wax and careful maintenance, especially of brakes, tires and oil.

Keep on tracking! But be realistic, once you progress beyond the novice / early intermediate groups your car will start to show signs of the track. Usually by that point you have become hooked enough that you have a different perspective - you see it as part of the price of having all this fun.

 

Aside from what Allen has mentioned that there is also some increased paint marks from debris on the track. I also burn a little more oil on the track then on the street, I use about 1/2 quart for every 3-4 days.

I think considering how hard I run, my car is doing really well, I haven't had anything break, I have yet to make a warranty claim on it. My current milage is 31,000 Km (almost 20,000 miles) and I have done 26 tracks days in this car, about 8,000Km (or 5000 miles) on the track.

 

Similar experience - my car is new to me May 2009 and I have done 23 track days with it this year. Paint is great except I did get 3 chips right through the clear protection - 1 on front bumper, 1 on rocker and 1 on rear flare - to repair perfectly would require replacing clear protection in those areas. Front caliper paint shows signs of heat - dulling, yellowing particularly of white lettering. Windshield noticeably etched. Car uses oil only on hot track days 90+ degrees. Otherwise, car has been trouble free - knock on wood.

 

I forgot to mention that the wear on my car with 30 track days also includes about 40 autox days, avg maybe 5-6 runs per day. So with 200+ timed runs where you're driving at 10/10ths throwing the car around, the shocks and LSD wear I've experienced would be quite reasonable.

 

Auto-X we have here at Devens is usually in area of 60-80 seconds depending of course complexity, and from what I can say t is an ultimate fun and it helps to learn your car as nothing else. Cutting straight lines on a track without learning first at auto-x at what moment your tires begin to melt and become butter and what is that exact edge where you loose all traction at all, well, at auto-x it is definitely safer as there is plenty of space there and nothing to crash into.

You got cones of course and some damage from `em but it is not as bad as to enter a corner on a track at 96mph where your tires could keep you on at 94mph max.

 

I did my first driver ed also at CMP, SC. It was amazing and thank you for sharing.

 

My brakes are a custom black red finish, I have had my rotors smoking after some sessions. All that abuse and the brakes still work without any fade!

 

Awesome! Doubt if lack of fade is due to custom caliper paint - what pads and fluid do you use? I use Pagid RS29 yellows and was using ATE Super Blue, haven't had any fading since I switched to Motul RBF 600.

I forgot to note my 18 year old son also drove the car 10 days this season - so car has actually had 33 days of intermediate and advanced HPDE, often with back to back sessions as his group ended and mine started. Currently a few days into our 3rd set of front pads and rotors for the season. Rotors always die from excessive cracking before they wear anywhere near minimum thickness. Some days you can hear the rotors cracking as they cool - even with the GT3 cooling ducts and cool down laps.