cdd

So I've had my C55 for about a month, and I'm looking at taking her out to the track. This is the first performance car I've had--and the first time tracking.

I've been searching the forums on this topic and since I'm hoping there are other first timers looking for tracking info--I'd try and get a little dialogue going.

Here are my questions:

Racing Gear--Outside of the required helmet, do the experienced guys recommend anything else (gloves/shoes) or should all that stuff hold off until one has more experience?

Taping the Car--I've seen some pics where guys will tape their car (front end, headlights, flared fenders, side view mirrors) with blue tape--looks like painters tape. Is this recommended--or just overkill? Also--is that likely painters tape or is there special auto tape?

Auto Upgrades--I've read posts by Fifth Ring that recommends just getting new pads for race day. How about flushing brake lines with new fluid? Is that necessary? Anything else for a first-timer? I'd certainly like to keep initial investment down until I become more serious about this and get more experience.

Loose Gear in the Car--Regarding emptying jack/spare/glovebox...I'm assuming that most places (I'll be heading to Pocono raceway first--then possibly Watkins Glen later in the year) don't have any secure place to store this stuff at the track. So if you do remove it at the venue--you're taking some risk that it might get stolen. What's the likelihood of someone walking away with your stuff while you're on the track? I'd rather not drive 100 miles away from home without a spare tire, but if it's a sure bet to get stolen--then I'll take my chances. Maybe I'll have to upgrade to AAA Plus

Insurance--I haven't snuggled up to my auto policy yet, but what if there's an accident on the track? I'm assuming that most auto policies won't cover claims while you're going 120 mph around a track. Can anyone comment on this? Is there special insurance that one can buy for track day? If so--is it worth it or just a waste?

Other than this--any quick recommendations? Thanks for your help and allowing me to get bitten by the "track" bug! I hope this also helps some others who might have the same questions as we move into racing season.

ChicagoX

Here's my $0.02

Gear: Stick w/ helmet for now.

Tape: If you crack a light, the tape keeps the shards from scattering all over the track. And it helps a bit w/ rock chips.

Upgrades: Brakes, fresh fluid, fresh pads, FRESH FLUID. Did I say fresh fluid? The only other upgrade you need is driver instruction. Best bang-for-the-buck, BTW.

Loose gear: Take it all out, or it will take YOU out in a crash.

Insurance: Get AAA with good towing benefits. If you have an accident, get the car towed as far away from the track as you can, call your agent.

I hope this helps, and have fun.

PS: Here's a couple of track vids shot from my E55 at RoadAmerica:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td7wAI7j_80

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHXY1U4pM9U

PC Valkyrie

If this is your first time, you don't have to change anything on your car. I've taken my C55 to the track 4-5 times now, and I still have a completely stock setup (including stock brake pads). After a tight circuit with a lot of heavy braking, the only thing I've experienced is some brake judder caused by some uneven brake pad deposition on the rotors for a few weeks afterwards which eventually goes away with time.

The only thing is get a helmut and hopefully you can get yourself an instructor (or someone experienced) to guide you around the track to show you the racing line. Driving the racing line is the BEST thing you can do to go around the track efficiently and safely. After that, you can work on gradually increasing your corner exit speed, gradually braking later and possibly increasing your corner entry speed, and finally gradually increase the speed you carry through the corners. But take things slow. Don't try to be a hero the first time out.

The most common newbie mistake is not braking enough before a turn which can lead to you understeering off the track. Keep that in mind. The "slow in, fast out" principal is a good one to remember.

Other than a helmut, the only other thing I've brought with me is a torque wrench to tighten up the bolts if they get loose during the day. Enjoy your time. The C55 can really hold its own against many cars. The only "mod" I've done is changing the stock tires to Michelin PS2's, which grips better than the P Zero Rosso's. I've never exerperienced any significant brake fade with the stock setup.

ChicagoX

I would respectfully disagree and suggest new brake fluid/pads at a minimum. Brake fluid attracts moisture which reduces boiling temp. Old fluid+heavy braking=no brakes at the worst possible time.

Just one man's opinion. Your mileage may vary. Yadda-yadda-yadda.

MRAMG1

AGREE 100%, the "slow in fast out" is EXACTLY what I teach ALL newbies, its safe and lets them learn their own limits, LONG before they reach the cars limits.
LATE braking is a reciepe for disaster for new track drivers. AND YES, do not make the mistake of forgetting to take an experianced driver with you around the course your first time. ANYBODY can benefit from this advice, including PRO's.

See yeah

PS: If you have NEVER changes your brake fluid, then yes do it NOW. I wait till the end of the season, or IMMEADITLY after fading the brakes. Keep in mind faded brakes is simply a BOILING of the fluid, for the most part, so you want to get rid of it FAST afterward. My MB dealer does it for me for $80, so I don't waste my time doing it anymore.

Fifth Ring

New brake fluid, absolutely. You may not need it, but if you have old fluid, it could boil. And if it boils, the best thing that could happen is your day at the track is over. The worst thing is that you fail to stop at a critical time.

I have always dumped my trunk at the track, and have never lost anything. You're among good folks. I wouldn't leave my wallet or a DVD player sitting around, but you really have no choice but to leave lots of tools and clothes sitting around. If it might rain, make sure you have a waterproof container (or at least a plastic bag) to stick things in.

cdd

Thanks for all the responses. To answer the most common question back to me--I will have an instructor. I'm taking a HPDE course through Performance Driving Association (www.pdadrivingschool.com). It seems to be a pretty professional group.

The drivers are broken down into four skill groups and the new guys have a bunch of classroom time first--and I don't think any of our track time is without an instructor.

Thanks again--I'm definitely getting excited to strech the C55's legs.

c32used

I Am But New To This Game Hopefully In The Summer Of 2008 And The Advise Here Is Worth Paying...gl!

AWDman

yeah...stopping is WAY more important than accelerating so go ahead and swop in some good hi temp fluid like motul 600.

MarcusF

For me, shoes make a difference. I’m not recommending a pair of FIA approved Nomex boots, but a good lightweight thin pair of driving shoes allow me to feel the pedals rather than simply stab at them with the only sensation coming G-forces.

jywang

If you are going to tape the front of the car, you might as well tape the painted body area just behind each wheel. You'll find alot of rubber melted to that area as your tire picks up other people's rubber bits and spits it at your fender.

As for brakes, don't forget to NOT apply your parking brakes after each session. Instead, use some blocks to keep your car in place. Hmm nevermind that, our C55 can just be placed into PARK. Applying parking brake could deposit a layer of brake pad to a hot rotor. This is a reason your should go slow and keep off the brakes in your cool down lap.

I think you are usually required to wear a long sleeve shirt so don't forget that. And, since you are also usually required to keep your windows opened during a session, expect alot of wind noise and dust inside your car after the end of the day

There is track insurance but it is expensive and I'm not sure if it is worth it. I prefer to run at 90% knowing that I am running safely within my limits. Do a google search but here are 2 companies that I haven't used but I believe offer HPDE insurance:

http://www.prosure.net/
http://www.americancollectors.com/

Finally, I would recommend gloves. I recommend it for 2 reasons, if something happens to your car the last thing you want to do is burn your hands while grabbing some part of your car. Also, it could prevent injury. Believe it or not, I wore motorcycle gloves once while kart racing and when I hit someone who spun out at high speed, it prevented me from braking my thumb as it got jammed into the wheel as my body flung forward. Oh yeah, don't stick your thumb into the wheel if you can help it.

Have fun!

jywang

Oh yeah. One last thing... Personally, I would not want to track a C55 without a LSD (limited slip differential). I don't have a LSD yet in my car but my experience with autocrossing it is that it is very difficult to keep the inside tire from spinning when accelerating out of a turn. When this happens, the car tends to oversteer and can get a bit wiggly.

In a slow autocross course, it is almost fun to manage the brief loss of traction. But, I wouldn't want to experience that in a 80mph constant radius turn (i.e. Willow Springs turn 2) nor exiting a turn at 100mph+ (i.e. Willow Springs turn 9).

So, be careful if you decide to run with your ESP turned off.

PC Valkyrie

If you track your car with ESP activated, having a LSD will make little difference in the outcome because the computer will brake the spinning inside wheel and cut engine power to prevent oversteer.

With ESP turned "off", the C55 still has electronic tracition control activated, which acts like a LSD (ie it brakes the inside spinning wheel so that the open differential transfers power to the outside wheel with more traction, but there is NO cutting of engine power so the car doesn't bog down). The stability control is still active in the background, but will only intervene at a much higher threshold (ie you can still have quite a bit of oversteer angle before the car reigns you in if it thinks you've run out of ability).

Having a LSD on the C55 will not prevent you from getting oversteer; all it will do is help you get power down exiting a turn, as it is more effective than the electronic traction control (which acts like a LSD anyways). If your tail is going to spin because of decreased rear end traction, a LSD will not stop it. If you don't believe me, just like at M3's.........they do have a LSD, and they will still oversteer all they want when they turn off DSC (their version of ESP).

Bottom line: don't be afraid to track your C55 without a LSD. You will be pleasantly surprised how well it handles, with or without ESP turned off. With ESP off, you can easily get oversteer by being brutal with the accelerator exiting tight turns and drifting because BOTH rear wheels lose traction. A LSD will not prevent that. Of course, if you're really serious, you wouldn't want to oversteer consistently out of turns anyways, as it is definitely not the fastest way around a corner.

Jim's500E

Did anyone mention putting 40-45 lbs of air in all the tires for a track day?