first track day. any tips?
 

Hi,
I currently own a '04 '8 231hp 6 MT with 30kmiles, loving it as it has been quite reliable so far (beside service, only the coils needed to be changed). Now that I have been driven it for a year, I'm planning to go for a track day with it. I have done some racing lessons (twice on madza 3 mps and once on a rally car ford Escort mark II) but never drove my car on a track (I guess I didn't want to damage it in any way, but now the fun is calling me too much...).

Basically, I'd like to know if I should do anything to the car before going to the track? Any tips from drivers using their car everyday, and then bringing them to tracks?

I understand that this can become an expensive hobby, especially is something goes wrong...What is mostly to go wrong on a track day (beside crashing of course)? i'm planning to drive both with and without DSC, my end goal is to understand how the car behaves when pushed.

Cheers,
Yann

drive stock first before you do any modifications. then modify based on what you experienced at the track. it would be foolish to slap on race coilovers and then find out that you don't like how the car feels. make sure all the maintenance is up to date on the car (brake fluid, pads, rotors, no leaks, etc. etc.) check tire pressure before and after you get on the track and between every session. take some basic tools. don't yank on the e-brake after a hot session. take in all the info you can from instructors and other drivers. ask the instructor if you can ride with him too. just have fun!

if you cant afford to total your car at a track day, then my first tip would be wait to track the car until you can.... other things to go wrong... brackets break, blown rear diffs, brakes and tires get smoked, lots of gas get wasted...

Another safer alternative would be to join your local autoX club... things can still go wrong and break, but there are no walls to hit if you really screw up.

Taken from another thread:

Autocrossing is fun :D

I'm auto-xing for the first time Sun.

Should be fun :)

Thanks for the advices. My car is stock and will probably remain stock. Regarding the walls, there are not many as it is an international circuit (http://www.mondello.ie/contact/?id=56).
Car has been regulary serviced and I'm not aware of any leaks.
I like your idea of autox club. Not sure if there is one near me but I will definitly check this out.

Change your fluid. Brake pads if you can.

Be calm, be safe, don't push it.

Object is to have fun.

brake early and easy...and then go harder and harder to find the limit logically.

I will definitely keep it easy. You are always more cautious when it's your own car... I will report out when my track day is done :-)
I decided to go for the half day instead of the full day, I think it's a lot to take already for my Rx8 which has only been sideways once, and it was not planned (btw, I love you DSC :-)

Turn off DSC for your track event if you wish to learn to drive your car at the track. It is important that you get a transparent feel for your car's reactions.

A must is fresh high temp brake fluid (Valvoline Syntec is readliy available at any parts place, and is the minimum which you should use if Motul or ATE is not easily sourced). If it's your first outing, then all else stock is fine.

A few simple things which can be done to improve your car very much so, without swapping out suspension parts:

-Alignment. See the alignment sticky in the competition forum on this website.
-A great, sticky, Max Performance tire ranging closer to 200 UTQG treadwear rating (Dunlop Z1, Falken RT-615, Bridgestone RE-01R. etc.), or an Ultra High Performance which will give you more tread life for a bit less grip and response in return (Falken FK-452, Nitto 555, Dunlop 8090, etc.) ranging up to 300 UTQG for goes a long way in improving overall grip and lateral transition response. If you need a fresh set of tires, lean towards these kinds of tires if you're not running a dedicated set of track wheels/tires. Don't get a tire higher than 300 UTQG, as it will simply chunk apart at the track.

Other suspension items will come later. I tracked my car in stock form (other than brake pads, fluid and alignment) for a year before modifying any suspension parts.

Have fun. Track incidents do occur (about 1 per track day on average is what I've witnessed over the past few years). It's a calculated risk, but the environment at any well run track day is 100% geared towards safety.

hey, i want my quotes around that greenblur!

:lol:

haha, ok, ill see if i can figure it out

EDIT: I did it! muahahaha

That looks like an awesome course to go out on. Have fun and don't push your comfort zone and you'll have an awesome time.

-Get tech'd early. Hopefully you are going to have an instructor. Try to meet him/her early as well. Getting those things out of the way will make it a little easier to start rolling.

-Make sure you have everything you need. Some HPDEs require specific safety gear or require you to bring your own numbers.

-Check your fluids. Bring an extra quart of oil. If you have OEM pads they're probably fine at 30k but if you can check them you should.

-Spend your first session learning the track and making sure you're getting comfortable with it. Don't bother trying to go super fast on the straights - just concentrate on figuring out the proper entry/exit speeds, apex, and brake zones. Remember slow in, fast out. Also remember to keep your inputs smooth and to keep your head up.

-Take the full day. Your gonna be pissed if you have to leave half-way because this car is gonna make you want to get back out there. :)

-Check/Tighten your lugnuts and your tire pressure. If you have a locknut make sure you have your lock tool. If you're on street tires and it's a moderate day you probably want to start around 32-33 psi and be running around 38-40psi on all 4. If any of your tires are over 40 at the end of a session you should probably bring that down a bit.

-When you first get on the track don't worry too much about being in the right gear. Not sure how fast the course is but unless you're planning on getting over 125mph you should stick to 3rd and 4th.

-That being said as the day goes along you should be between 5k and 8.5k rpms. If you dip below 5k you're gonna start feeling like a slug. Hitting your rev limiter is fine and recommended for short periods of time but if you're on a big, sloping turn and hitting your rev the entire time you should ease off a bit or go into the turn in 4th. You're not racing and the car does heat up significantly over 8.5k so don't sustain it.

-Remember to concentrate on your line. If you get behind someone in a different car they may be taking a completely different line than you. If you follow them your car may not be able to do what their car does. :)

-If your tank is below 1/2 at the end of a session add gas. If it gets below 1/4 the car can run into some fuel pump issues.

-Have fun! The car practically drives itself on the track. Really you just point and the mofo goes. Makes it so much easier to enjoy the trip. :)

Try to drive smooth and consistent, not fast. When you try to drive fast you typically lose speed. Other than that have fun and keep the rubber side down.

Watch your coolant temps. In fact, invest in some real gauges and the Mazsport mod in order to avoid overheating the car. The OEM gauge is basically an idiot gauge and by the time the overheating engine shows up on the gauge, it may be too late. RB has a nice pod and a set of gauges. Not cheap, but neither is an engine rebuild/replacement.

coolant temps are an issue, but i'd recommend the cobb accessport over the mazsport cooling mod.

true, the accessport costs 7x what the mazsport cooling mod does. but if you end up buying the accessport down the road (and who wouldnt) you just wasted $100 buying the mazsport cooling mod.

rofl ... I love that G35 ... :)

too bad I left early that day ... missed all the fun :(

This is probably the only thing I am worried about. I did have the coolant light on one time (I was pushing the car a bit on motorway), I stopped immediately and the light went off. I checked the coolant and it was ok (I did top up though). So if I understand, it can be too late when you get this warning? This is not good... Surely on the track I will bit over 5k rpm most of the time, and I knew that the car would overheat a little, but I didn't think I could get the warning too late.
I will look at this before going on the track. a new renesis engine in Ireland is 10k€...

Nice checklist, thanks!

the low coolant light doesnt mean youre overheating... he was talking about the water temp needle

oh ok. not much variation in regard to the water temp needle, always goes to the middle and never moves afterwards (even when I push the car). It will be probably different on a track though.

Like I said, the water temp gauge is akin to an idiot light. The needle goes to a parking position when the coolant reaches a predetermined temp. And as long as the temp is within the range determined by Mazda to be acceptible, the needle doesn't move. Only when the temp rises above that range, will the needle show an over heating condition. So, you can't rely on the OEM temp gauge to determine when the temp is approaching the danger level.

Seriously consider a set of aftermarket gauges ala Racing Beat pod/gauges. Go here: http://www.racingbeat.com/FRmazda4.htm. They are also available in metric.

^

I honestly think that's overkill for track day #1.

I've been at it a couple years in this car and haven't overheated in hot, humid Florida summers at Sebring and Homestead. Mostly 25-30 minute sessiones, but some 45-50 minute sessions included

+1

As long as he isn't driving in a super hot, super dry environment 20-30 minute sessions at a low experience level shouldn't cause any problems. He should check his coolant w/other fluids but other than that I wouldn't sweat it. The car has overheating problems during extended track sessions or in very hot, very dry (ie. Arizona) weather when the car isn't moving enough to generate any cooling.

Take the plastic cover off the engine and keep your hood up between runs and the engine will have cooled off significantly by the time you go back out.

Dn't listen to the haters, change your brake fluid, and have fun.

I'm in Ireland, it rains 300 days a year and we don't go over 20 degres C during summer and not under 0C during winter :rolleyes:
my track day will be in january so the temperature should be around 3-4 degres C.

my brake fluid was changed last february.

make sure the fluid you use is liek ATE or something that can withstand high heat, or else it'll boil.

The Mazda dealer did this for me. Will check with them because I have no idea what they used.

imput1234 is giving sound advice about minding your brake fluid.
My first thought would be to pay attention to your brakes. A few hot laps and they will get very hot.

Ease off at the first sign of fade and cool down.

Fresh brake fluid bled the day before (or a few days before) the track event is a must. Try to get a hold of some ATE or Motul. As mentioned before, readily available off the shelf Valvoline Synthetic is a good option as well.

Thanks again for all the advices everyone. I will get my brake fluid changed before the track day. And I also checked for the autox thing, but Ireland doesn't seem to have any unfortunately...

I was getting all excited about my track day for next january...But then I got the coolant light again this weekend (which again went off immediately after I slowed down), and did another top up. It's between the F and L so it should be fine...Now, it feels like the car has half the power! I've been on a rough idle for a while but didn't have any other symptoms (car was driving perfectly).
My plugs are due to be changed for the next service, so I will doing this soon rather than later. But this loss of power worries me...

that is part of the track weekend fun.. the coolant light comes and goes. :)

ignore it..

the lose of power is a different issue.. new motor time? ;)

beers :beer:

[QUOTE=the lose of power is a different issue.. new motor time? ;)

beers :beer:[/QUOTE]

I hope not, it only has 30k miles on it! And no extended warrantee over here in Europe (we use 5W30 over here, which I think didn't cause the engine issues you are seeing in the US).
I can also hear a clicking sound in the engine, something I've never had before.
In Europe, you have to "fight" hard with Mazda, and in the best case scenario, they will pay for the engine and you pay for the labour (only if they can find a defect in the engine). If they don't want to pay for the engine, then it will cost around 12000$... :icon_no2:
The car is going to the dealer this morning, so verdict later on. One thing that keeps me positive if the car starts no problem every single time (less than 1 second), so compression must be good.
finger crossed...

sounds like it is a coil / plug / wire issue.. i hope that for you...

clicking sound in the engine is bad.. but more often a coil issue..

the stuff going on here is more about the epa than oil type..

good luck on you!

but compression or vacuum test is paramount..

beers :beer:

back from the dealer, and they did find a fault (bad connection to the battery with one of the ignition coils, that's what he said anyway). They fixed it. Still my idle is a little rough (swing between 900 and 750 rpm) and there are quite a lot of vibration in the car. I'll get the car serviced before the track day (will change the plugs as well) but I don't think I will bring it to the track if it doesn't feel right... :-(

First track day advice

Prep:
1)Change Oil, carry an extra quart
2)Have fresh brake fluid
3)make sure you have enough tread
4)bring tire pressure gauge
5)bring LOTS of water

Day of track day
1) ask if you can ride with someone before you drive your own car on the track, otherwise you'll become an unpredictable moving chicane
2) have said person ride with you around the track
3) remember what you've learned, and have fun.

Out of the box, the RX8 is ready for 7/10s track work:) It's a very drama free car that let's you concentrate on driving.

Absolutely wrong.

You have one of the best instructional tools built right into your car - the DSC/TCS.

When you can drive without tripping it, then turn it off.

You will be so much smoother and so much more aware of your car's initial limits that the first time you drive without it will seem like you are the master of the universe.

I'm planning to drive with it first, and then turn it off. It is very important for me to learn the limit of the TSC as it has saved me a few times on the rainy irish roads.
Thanks for all the advices everybody!

yeah keep the vehicle stock for the first run and see how it feels....have fun