CO track thread

[blefevre]

Let's see how this goes. As I am actually serious about getting my car on a track this season this thread will make it so we don't get lost in general chat.

Provide opinions on the following. I am only going for a setup for learning, I don't care about speed.

I need brake lines. I was going to get the turner ones. Opinions?

Brake fluid. Is super blue good enough?

Tires - are star specs good enough? They are pretty cheap. So are 205's RE11's

Helmets: Open face vs closed face. I want open because it gives more visibility while learning and I have glasses. David mentioned problems at pueblo with open face?

GO!

[bluefox280]

Avoid the super blue; get Motul or other high-temp fluid.

Helmets: contact PMP directly; but I don't recall a problem with open-face.
There are NASA members with open face helmets that race there without issues.

- Erik

[fsmtnbiker]

Super blue and typ-200 are perfectly fine. I use one of the two in every car I work on... Including my own car for the last 130k miles.

Star specs, RS-3s, RE-11s are all just fine. I'm partial to the star specs but I hear the RS3 may have more ultimate grip.

Turner brake lines are fine. They are most likely stoptech lines.

Helmets come down to preference. I like open face for autocross.

[blefevre]

Thanks!

Motul is 3x the price of super blue. I will only switch if I need to.

My brake system is leaking somewhere so that will be the first thing I get to. Turner lines and remanufactured calipers, hopefully the booster and cylinder are doing okay.

[clarkkey594]

I think Chris covered it all. lol

[Cloudbase]

My advice would be to join BMW CCA if you're not already a member and do the HPDE in May at HPR. Great instructors, the focus is on safety of you and preservation of your vehicle. It also includes a free car control clinic before the track day. You get split up into run groups based on vehicle capabilities and experience. Plus there are established passing zones and rules so you don't have to worry about some knuckled head endangering you or your ride. It's a great environment to learn in and will make going out on your own much afterwards much less intense. Plus riding in the instructors cars between sessions is an invaluable learning experience.

The tech inspection is free at Bimmerhaus on certain dates. ATE Super Blue is fine. I got a pressure blessed too if you need it.

I run Star Specs too. You've seen mine. They've got two full track days and about 5000 hard miles on them. Grip on the track is confidence inspiring and wear life is exceptional.

I've got turner lines on the M Coupe. Worked great.

I would go with closed face Helemt. I think the CCA requires it (could be wrong). Plus you'll be used to it if you move up to something more advanced.

[blefevre]

My advice would be to join BMW CCA if you're not already a member and do the HPDE in May at HPR. Great instructors, the focus is on safety of you and preservation of your vehicle. It also includes a free car control clinic before the track day. You get split up into run groups based on vehicle capabilities and experience. Plus there are established passing zones and rules so you don't have to worry about some knuckled head endangering you or your ride. It's a great environment to learn in and will make going out on your own much afterwards much less intense.

The tech inspection is free at Bimmerhaus on certain dates. ATE Super Blue is fine. I got a pressure blessed too if you need it.

I will be in South Africa during the event.

[Roland H]

1. Super blue will be plenty fine. Motul is 3x the price for very little benefit in boiling temps.

2. Go for the star specs - great tires.

3. Helmets - I prefer open for AutoX, closed for track (since you have the windows down), but it's really up to your personal preference.

4. Start with the BMW events for track driving if you can. SCCA PDX is also good, but if you have 0 track time, the BMW events might suit you better. FAAST, PCA, and NASA also do HPDE training as well. <- scratch that, since you'll be on the wrong side of the equator during the BMW event.

5. Have fun.

[Cloudbase]

The Porsche club hosts events similar to BMW. They have more too so it might work with your sched

[Roland H]

The Porsche club hosts events similar to BMW. They have more too so it might work with your sched

They tend to get their feathers ruffled easily though, so be careful who you pass, and leave plenty of space. ;)

[blefevre]

So 205/50/15 Star specs are nearly the same price as 225/45/15 RS3's. I still have a few months of winter on the track wheels so I have some time to decide but I doubt prices or sizes will change.

[Roland H]

The star specs will last longer, and will be easier to learn with.

[iamsam]

Just wing it!

I ran AutoZone brake fluid, the cheapest Kumho tires, a steering rack w/ play in it (SCR let me go with that one.... ;) )

plenty of tire howl, and tons of fun!!!

oh yes, and BMW dealerships usually do free inspections, but there is a caveat: They will find EVERY little problem your car has, not pass your car, and offer you gigantically inflated quotes to fix said problems. I would rather just pay the $40 to have SCR do it, and have the car pass.

[Roland H]

Note: If your car is falling apart, SCR will not just "pass it." Sam's car is perfectly safe for mild track use, it's just not orthodox in a few areas, and SCR realizes that lol.

EDIT: PCA tech is usually very strict though. It's generally a good idea to get your car teched at least 2 weeks in advance, that way you can fix any problems and still go to the event you paid good money for.

[iamsam]

Note: If your car is falling apart, SCR will not just "pass it." Sam's car is perfectly safe for mild track use, it's just not orthodox in a few areas, and SCR realizes that lol.

right of course. SCR is totally professional about this, but they also don't have that idiotic mentality that the dealer has where anything aftermarket is scoffed at unless it came straight from BMW, Dinan, etc etc, and they (the dealer) TRY to find problems so they can extract money from you when you are desperate to fix. SCR is alot more reasonable about it imo, employing a mode of thinking popularly referred to as "common sense".

I went over this in another thread last summer, but the BMW dealer said that my steering rack will literally overheat since I drained the fluid from it and capped it off. The way I see it, that is physically impossible, since there aren't any high friction areas in the rack (like moving pistons for example, like in an engine) that can even generate heat. Going to the BMW dealer was a fat waste of my time. And trust me, they really took their merry time. I think I was waiting there for three-ish hours.

/rant