Mr. Noob Getting excited, getting prepped
 

Headed down to Fest and will do a track day at Fontana Speedway with my 98 Cali as it cleared not requiring a rollbar. It's been 20 years since my last track day at Laguna Seca, so I'm a little Noobie excited. :rolleyes:

Thinking about car prep, here's what I am completing over the next two weeks. Generally the car is in good maintained shape. Posting here to see if I am missing any considerations.

1. Cooling system check, oil and filter change
   
2. I've upgraded the suspension a notch. (CA Coilovers, F/R Mason strut tower bars)
   
3. This weekend I will do brakes, rotors, rear E34 caliper swap, Hawk Plus pads on four corners and a ATE fluid flush. E36 328i vented rotor and calipers and SS braided brake lines are already in. I'll bring spare pads and rotors to the event.
   
4. Install a 3.45 small case LSD when I get a moment.
   
5. I have a fresh set of rear tires to throw on the Contours, front tires are fine.
   
6. Mounting a fire extinguisher (I have them in all the other cars) along with a small first aid kit.
   
7. Front and rear GoPro's
   
8. I'll pick up a full face helmet and gloves next week.
   
9. I'll use a rental transponder from the track.
   
10. I'll leave the rear seats at home and clear out any non-essential stuff out of the car. I'll pull the driver's side carpet before I start the day.

I had hoped to drop one of the DASCs I have in before the event, but I really don't think I'll have sufficient install and test time before the event with work commitments. :frown:

Have I missed anything? Thanks guys for any feedback here! :cool:

That sounds like overkill to me, but that's not exactly a bad thing.

Honestly, it would be enough to top off all fluids and change the brake fluid to a nice DOT4 fluid. A spare set of pads would be a good thing to have in case you go through your current ones on the track. Everything else seems to be a waste of money unless you were going to have to replace the rotors/brakes/lines/tires in the next few weeks since they would have been shot.

Keep in mind it's a HPDE and not a race. It is to progress yourself as a driver and have fun, not to be the fastest guy out there. You don't necessarily need the LSD or upgraded rear brakes to have fun your first time in 20 years.

Rich;

Sounds like you've thought of most everything, plus the stuff we've chatted about. I still get the same silly grin on my face every time before a track day, and I've done 20+ now...

MINIz, Rich and I are driving down from NorCal to SoCal both before and after this event which is part of Bimmerfest West, (400 miles each way), so we are both really making sure our cars are in tip top shape for both the drives and the HPDE. A little overkill is a good thing..

Haha! Yup James, although I was feeling a little anal with the list as MiniZ mentioned. I appreciated him relaxing it down.

Did I mention I'm installing a new stereo for the drive? Overkill... [emoji41]


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Well, it turns out I just signed up for my first track day too. Doing a NASA Hyperdrive at NJMP, which is just a 20 minute session to introduce people to HPDE's.

My event is on May 17th, and I'll probably get home from St. Louis on the 15th. I'll just have enough time to unpack and get my Star Specs on. No other maintenance after that 1000 mile drive. I like living on the edge. :cool:

Nice! Ours is on May 23, so we get to hear how you liked it before we head to L.A.

Brakes, E34 caliper upgrade and fluid flush all done. Didn't need to do the Emergency brakes as they looked to be 80%.

When I'm done with the list, the Cali will be set as far as maintenance for awhile.

Well, I'll update on my Hyperdrive experience. I thought it would be similar to HPDE1, but it was much slower. I only went full tilt through half the corners of NJMP Thunderbolt as I'd catch up to traffic.

My 318 performed flawlessly. I had my Star Specs on which really helped increase the grip level. In the past 5 days, it has done 1500 miles and one 20 minute session on NJMP. I'm definitely doing a full HPDE next time I register for one.