Let me start by saying that I stopped running HPDE about six years ago, so I may not be completely up to date on technology, rules, standards, etc.
Fun fact: I was in the very first public groups to run at NJMP, in August 2008. I spent five days there with two groups, three on Lightning, and two on Thunderbolt. My best time on Lightning was 1:21, and on Thunderbolt was 1:46. Here are some pictures:
In the paddock
Worn out tire. (I had brought an extra set.)
The first and most important change to make to your car is high-temp brake fluid. As I mentioned up-thread, I learned the hard way how easy it is to boil your brake fluid under heavy braking. When that happens, your pedal goes straight to the floor, and you keep going. :eek: Fortunately, in this case there was plenty of runoff space, so no harm done. But it was a wake up call.
In your heavy car, this is even more important than in my little 944T. So get a good high-temp fluid that meets the specs of your car (probably DOT 3, but check and don’t get DOT 3 if your car calls for DOT 4, and vice versa). I don’t have time now to do a lot of research on what other products are available, but I always used ATE racing fluid, which comes in two colors, blue or yellow. This is useful when you flush the system: you can tell you’ve gotten all the old stuff out when the new color starts coming through.
As for seats, hard core racing seats are not easy to get in and out of, and aren’t adjustable at all, although in some cases you can get mounting brackets that let you slide them back and forth. So unless the car will be mostly a track car, real racing seats may not be ideal for daily driving, especially for passengers. But there are racing-style seats with good side support and cut outs for harnesses that also have adjustable backs, etc., and might be a better choice. Ideally, you’d want to go to a bricks-and-mortar speed store to see how they feel on your tush, instead of ordering “butt-unseen” online.
Also, don’t think you can cheap out by just switching out the driver’s seat and leaving the old passenger’s seat. Sanctioning bodies always require the same safety gear for both seats, for the safety of instructors.
When you get the seats, I’d recommend also installing 5- or 6-point harnesses at the same time. If you don’t get a roll bar, you can buy the kind that connect to the rear seatbelt mounts, but you must have cutouts in the seat back for those. If the seat has a cutout in the bottom, you can get a 5-point; if not you can do what I did with the stock 350Z seats: have mounting rings welded to the front of the seat’s floor mounts, for 6-point straps. It’s not as ideal as going through the bottom of the seat, but better than nothing.
Don’t go with just four points, because in a sudden stop you can slide under the lap belt. I think many sanctioning bodies don’t allow 4-points for that reason.
I recommend harnesses not only for safety, but also to help improve your driving: I found it much easier to maintain smooth control through corners when I was firmly strapped in, and not being thrown from side to side.
Despite costing up to several hundred bucks a set, harnesses are considered consumables: you are supposed to replace them every two or three years. When I started in HPDE, organizers didn’t care much about that, but in later years they started checking the manufacturing date, and wouldn’t let you run with old belts. In fact, I think that NJMP was the first place I ran where they actually checked. (NJ state law, maybe?) A bunch of guys were pissed off at being forced to buy new harnesses on the spot.
My personal opinion is that if you’re using them heavily, and if they stay in the car all the time and are therefore subject to UV rays from the sun every day, replacing them as recommended is a good idea. I used mine about 17 days a year max, and kept them in a duffel bag the rest of the time. I was pretty confident they were safe beyond the 2-3 year recommendations.
As for installing the seats and harnesses, I urge you to find a speed shop that specializes in race car work, and not just take it to your regular mechanic. They may not have the experience to properly install this critical equipment properly. A good track mechanic may be farther away, and may cost more, but will be worth it. You need to be completely confident in your equipment. Ask some of your track mates for recommendations.
Finally (for now), tires: your street tires are fine for your first several track days, but as you progress, probably the best (and easiest) upgrade you can make is ultra-high performance summer tires. I ran Toyo RA1s for most of the time I was on track. Bridgestone RE040s were my street tire and track rain tire. You’ll need a second set of wheels for your track tires, since you don’t want to wear them out with regular street driving. (So get a nice garage floor jack, to make it easier to change them.) Here’s a cost-saving measure: if your regular wheels/tires are 18-inch, buy 17-inch wheels for the track, and buy equivalent-size 17-inch track tires to match the 18-inch stock tires, so your speedo and odo will read right. The 17-inch tires will be much less expensive, and you may be running through a lot of them. (Yes, this is an expensive hobby.)
Once you move up to track tires, you’ll probably want to get racing brake pads, too. These you can leave in while on the street, although they’ll make more noise than regular pads, and won’t have as much grip when they’re cold. Some people switch out their street pads for brake pads at the track. In any case, learn how to change your own pads and rotors, because once you start spending a lot of time at the track, being confident in the condition of your brakes will be very important. But don’t worry: it’s easy to learn and do.
This will be my last post before leaving for my vacation (time to pack!), and I may have time to check in while traveling, but otherwise I’ll be back next weekend.
Keep the shiny side up!
