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First time on a track advice


Twisted
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Hello supra owners world I am looking for some friendly pointers and advice.

 

A few work mates who have some heavily modified cars are looking to do a trip to the nurburg ring in April over a weekend and I am pretty excited to go however I don't want to destroy my car by tracking it after a long journey.

 

So basically

What would I need to do to prepare for a journey that long?

What would I need to do to my car to track it safely?

Insurance wise what are my options?

And

Is there any advice for the long journey and more so tracking the supra?

 

I have a general idea what I would do to prepare for a long journey but I want to check with some of you members who have done this before and already made mistakes and have good experience with this sort of thing.

 

Cheers

Tristan

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Would I use 15w50 - Silkolene Pro R, Motul 300V oil? That's what was recommend in the oils guide on here for track use. Or is that for cars that are being specifically designed to be track cars?

Also if I am to use it then is it safe to use on a the journey down?

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Make sure your suspension is in good order.

Check your brake lines, pads and discs for wear perhaps think about upgrading your pads if they are stock items.

Check your tyres have plenty of tread and the pressures are good

Check for oil and fluid leaks,

 

If you are planning to service the car do so just before you go, new oil, brake fluid will help a lot.

 

Take some basic tools, cable ties, gaffa tape, workshop towel etc.

When on track make sure you always have more than qtr of a tank so you don't get fuel surge (unless you already have a swirl pot)

 

Dont go mad straight away do a few laps at 60-70% of your limit this will allow you to adjust to driving on track.

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Nurburgring is a complete hazard type thing. If you break down on the circuit you need something similar to German Aa to get you off. You will be charged for the tolls the circuit would have gained whilst closed due to you being recovered. Drop oil, fuel or diesel and cause a crash ou will be liable. Loads of pitfalls, just read up and be careful. I would do it but just as a slightly faster than usual ride. Lots of horror stories. Read up and prepare!

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See I am a bit of a stickler on this. Why would anyone drive a car on a public highway with other road users on it, children, pedestrians, your own family etc nearby in a car they wouldn't be happy to stick around a track for a few laps? If you think you need additional work to push your car hard for 15 - 20 minutes then perhaps it's time to get the list of things you'd be worried about checked now. Maintenance activities I've performed for track runs have been after I've ragged the hell out of it not before as I keep my car in an over serviced condition not "fit for purpose minimum cost". I would however do the usual levels and spare tyre pressure check prior to heading off across Europe though.

 

As for track driving advice. Don't drive any faster than you absolutely know you can manage, don't drive at any corner you haven't learnt yet any faster than you can see you can get round it, be aware of all of the other users of the track around you and be confident and precise about where you are going-Oh wait, that's right like you should drive on a public highway.

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Don't get my wrong I will quite happily chuck my car around a track as it stands (once repaired of course). The only reason I am asking is that people seem to talk about preparing a car for a track day as if there is a specific set up the car needs to be in and the last thing I want to do is put it round a track and find out that actually I needed to upgrade a certain part first or I don't have something that is written withing the regulations of any track. I have no knowledge of track driving apart from go kart fun :)

 

For the record my car Is always well maintained everything is checked at regular intervals to ensure my car is road worthy and safe

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Also the longest journey I have done is Birmingham to bristol in the supra and with a long journey coming up I would like to know if supras have any problems that can possibly arise from a long drive that are any different to other cars.

 

Naturally I will check all levels, full service prior to the journey and ensure I have plenty of tred left on the tyres. I will take a small selection of tools, and some small bottles of oil, coolant and brake fluid to top up just in case levels go down for any reason. The tape and zip ties are a good idea I will use.

 

I will drive well within my limits. I would be way to worried about totalling my supra to push it too hard to soon

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hi there, main thing- brake fluid. I'd recommend a high temp fluid (I use motul rbf600) but even just a normal dot 5.1 will be better than a normal dot 4 (higher boiling point). Believe me, I've been there, boiling brake fluid is a horrible experience- and unless you take the kit to bleed new through it will ruin your day. I'd be happy to take any stock car out on a track, but in my experience heavy cars boil their fluid.

 

have fun, hope you enjoy it :thumbs:

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As already said,for the car.... make sure your brakes,tyres, suspension is all in good order, fast road/race pads and high temp fluid are a good call if you intend to push things a little (not advisable on 1st trip to the ring!), also make sure the engine is oil and water tight.

Now for you.... ideally do a trackday over here at a circuit with plenty of runoff so you get to know the limits of your car especially if you havn`t been on track much before, then when you get to the ring don`t try and drive it like a racetrack(if you get what i mean), drive it more like a country road out in the sticks, ie drive to what detail you can see, there are alot of corners at the ring to catch you out with very little runoff, also watch the bikes, its abit of a minefield really, just remember on tourist days you have no insurance and even on a trackday at the ring insurance will cost you a small fortune if you can even get cover.and then you still have to pay for barriers if you bin it!

Its a good idea to watch plenty of video`s of laps and maybe get on gt5/6 to familiarize yourself with the place.

Other than that have fun, its a great place and can get addictive easily.

 

Lots of useful info on this site,http://nurburgring.org.uk/insurance.php#.Uuw8I_tko4k

Edited by bignum (see edit history)
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Don't get my wrong I will quite happily chuck my car around a track as it stands (once repaired of course). The only reason I am asking is that people seem to talk about preparing a car for a track day as if there is a specific set up the car needs to be in and the last thing I want to do is put it round a track and find out that actually I needed to upgrade a certain part first or I don't have something that is written withing the regulations of any track. I have no knowledge of track driving apart from go kart fun :)

 

For the record my car Is always well maintained everything is checked at regular intervals to ensure my car is road worthy and safe

 

Also the longest journey I have done is Birmingham to bristol in the supra and with a long journey coming up I would like to know if supras have any problems that can possibly arise from a long drive that are any different to other cars.

 

Naturally I will check all levels, full service prior to the journey and ensure I have plenty of tred left on the tyres. I will take a small selection of tools, and some small bottles of oil, coolant and brake fluid to top up just in case levels go down for any reason. The tape and zip ties are a good idea I will use.

 

I will drive well within my limits. I would be way to worried about totalling my supra to push it too hard to soon

 

And likewise please don't think I am trying to be an arse. I believe that people often over-think taking a car on a track. The supra is a very capable vehicle and as long as you don't take it beyond your own abilities it will serve you more than well on the ring. I used to drive my single turbo aristo to Holland and back when I lived there at sustained high loads with no issues at all so like I alluded to previously if your car is well maintained then you shouldn't need to go to much additional effort to simply do a couple of laps of the ring. The car has been built to take that sort of thing in it's stride. In all reality most GT cars spend their entire existence neutered in various garages and nursed down various roads for fear of damaging them. What is more disappointing than seeing an advert for an exotic that has never seen high revs?? Would you really be in a relationship with a beautiful woman but respect her too much to have sex with her???

 

Yes these cars are now approaching 20 years of age so prudence would dictate a scan over a car you don't rag, but given the cars potential should be maintained so you can be confident that you aren't going to find a failure point when you really don't want one on any given day.

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Take a full size spare tyre too, many people overlook this and you don't want to be messing around trying to find a tyre half way through a 1000 mile trip. I tried to find some michelins last October when I was there and gave up in the end.

 

Are you going for the 4 day tourist weekend at the end of April. If so I will be there then and would be happy to show you round and give you some pointers

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Take a full size spare tyre too, many people overlook this and you don't want to be messing around trying to find a tyre half way through a 1000 mile trip. I tried to find some michelins last October when I was there and gave up in the end.

 

Are you going for the 4 day tourist weekend at the end of April. If so I will be there then and would be happy to show you round and give you some pointers

 

Good idea i will do that as well.

We are planing either 16th-18th or 21st-23rd. I don't know the dates for the tourist weekend but if it's around the 21st then I will definitely get hold of you during it :)

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As already said,for the car.... make sure your brakes,tyres, suspension is all in good order, fast road/race pads and high temp fluid are a good call if you intend to push things a little (not advisable on 1st trip to the ring!), also make sure the engine is oil and water tight.

Now for you.... ideally do a trackday over here at a circuit with plenty of runoff so you get to know the limits of your car especially if you havn`t been on track much before, then when you get to the ring don`t try and drive it like a racetrack(if you get what i mean), drive it more like a country road out in the sticks, ie drive to what detail you can see, there are alot of corners at the ring to catch you out with very little runoff, also watch the bikes, its abit of a minefield really, just remember on tourist days you have no insurance and even on a trackday at the ring insurance will cost you a small fortune if you can even get cover.and then you still have to pay for barriers if you bin it!

Its a good idea to watch plenty of video`s of laps and maybe get on gt5/6 to familiarize yourself with the place.

Other than that have fun, its a great place and can get addictive easily.

 

Lots of useful info on this site,http://nurburgring.org.uk/insurance.php#.Uuw8I_tko4k

 

Cheers for the link bud. I'll do that GT5/6 idea as well.

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I live 2 hours from the ring and have done quite a few laps and nearly stuffed a few cars, here are my tips

1)Flush your brake fluid! if your brake fluid is more than a few months old flush it and put some high quality fluid in. As a beginner you will be on your brakes alot! You Will Over heat them and they will start to fade. if you dont chage your fluid it will boil and they will just dissapear, normally with a very bad result.

2)Don't let your ego write checks your body can't cash. There are locals there who do laps daily, You WILL be passed by one of them in a tatty looking old Golf or e30 shape BMW. Try to follow or stay ahead of him and it will end in tears. Skill and knowledge of the track mean more than BHP on this track.

3) If you think you are doing great you need to slow down. Most people get thier first lap out of the way fine so relax. Statistically Your third lap is the most dangerous because you have more confidance and knowledge of the track and you will push past your limits.

3)ADAC is the German AA, I am covered by them for breakdowns no matter what country I'm in for 90 Euro a year. it is very expensive to be towed off the track or the Autobahn. If you live in the UK you have to call as the system will not accept an address outside of Germany without an operator)

4) Some Rad weld can be a lifesaver if your 15 to 20 year old radiator cracks an endtank while pusshing extended high speeds on the autobahn/ ring

5) spare oil. A liter of oil will cost you 14 euro a liter at a petrol station for cheap crap.

6) A full size spare as has been suggested is a smart idea.

7)Cash, lots of. if you are caught doing something naughty by the police on a foriegn plate they can demand the fine on the spot and if you are unable to pay they will impound your car.

You will find the adrenaline addictive, as well as the beer bratwurst and Unlimited Autobahn. If you are sensible it will be a trip you will never forget, If you are not sensible it will also be a trip you will never forget but wish you could.

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I live 2 hours from the ring and have done quite a few laps and nearly stuffed a few cars, here are my tips

1)Flush your brake fluid! if your brake fluid is more than a few months old flush it and put some high quality fluid in. As a beginner you will be on your brakes alot! You Will Over heat them and they will start to fade. if you dont chage your fluid it will boil and they will just dissapear, normally with a very bad result.

2)Don't let your ego write checks your body can't cash. There are locals there who do laps daily, You WILL be passed by one of them in a tatty looking old Golf or e30 shape BMW. Try to follow or stay ahead of him and it will end in tears. Skill and knowledge of the track mean more than BHP on this track.

3) If you think you are doing great you need to slow down. Most people get thier first lap out of the way fine so relax. Statistically Your third lap is the most dangerous because you have more confidance and knowledge of the track and you will push past your limits.

3)ADAC is the German AA, I am covered by them for breakdowns no matter what country I'm in for 90 Euro a year. it is very expensive to be towed off the track or the Autobahn. If you live in the UK you have to call as the system will not accept an address outside of Germany without an operator)

4) Some Rad weld can be a lifesaver if your 15 to 20 year old radiator cracks an endtank while pusshing extended high speeds on the autobahn/ ring

5) spare oil. A liter of oil will cost you 14 euro a liter at a petrol station for cheap crap.

6) A full size spare as has been suggested is a smart idea.

7)Cash, lots of. if you are caught doing something naughty by the police on a foriegn plate they can demand the fine on the spot and if you are unable to pay they will impound your car.

You will find the adrenaline addictive, as well as the beer bratwurst and Unlimited Autobahn. If you are sensible it will be a trip you will never forget, If you are not sensible it will also be a trip you will never forget but wish you could.

 

To the OP

Read and take note :)

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Good idea i will do that as well.

We are planing either 16th-18th or 21st-23rd. I don't know the dates for the tourist weekend but if it's around the 21st then I will definitely get hold of you during it :)

 

URL:http://www.nurburgring.org.uk/calendar.php

 

Have a look at this calendar mate, the dates you have mentioned wont give you that much track time. Mostly only open for evening sessions after 5.00 pm and they don't guarantee these depending on what's happened during whatever's on in the daytime. The track tends to have regular closures for sometimes hours at a time too following accidents, which are plenty on limited opening as everyone seems to go mad. The weather in early april is very hit and miss too as the track is at altitude, I'd pick your dates carefully to avoid disappointment.

 

We will be there for the 4 day 1st to 4th May weekend, am happy to meet up if your around and sort you some passenger sighting laps.

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