This is a fairly general question. I'm open to all advice.

I use my 8 as a daily driver and don't have a money tree in the backyard to dump into it........But I am gonna strip the money tree in the future to enroll in track driving schools and do some auto-crossing.

My question is what do I need to do to prepare the car for such things and what expenses will I see in the future. I'm not talking about severe changes to the car; just stuff I need to do to keep the car a daily driver and maintain it properly while driving it hard on the weekends.

For instance, it would seem fairly obvious that I need to get oil cooler/AC condensor screens. And I know I'll be burning thru tires and extra oil changes.

But are there other things I should be aware of before starting this hobby??

and advice is appreciated................

 

Accually, on the minimalist level, nothing but adding air in the tires. This would be for BS. You won't win any trophys, but you can compete.
If you want to do more, get a rule book.

 

Put over 40 pounds in the tires and you're almost ready to go. I'd also get a competition aligment. Eventually you'll want better tires, shocks and brake pads. You will also be faced with a decision to go into BS or STU. Go out and play for a year then decide what you want to do. See the competition forum for more info.

 

Show up.
Get a helmet, even if you only use it for a year, it'll be worth it. In the summer, loaner helmets are really, really bad.

I live in an area that gets cold with a little snow in the winter so I picked up a second set of wheels and threw some all-seasons on them. Even if it didn't get cold here, I'd probably still have done that once I moved up to stickier, more expensive, faster wearing tires.

 

all you need is skill!!

 

Alignment, wider tires, koni yellows

For yourself a helmet, hat, sunscreen, a chair and plenty of water/fluids.

 

You may want to look in the "RX-8 Competition (Racing)" section here. There are many threads where the same and similar questions have been asked and answered.