Track driving is bad for your health...
Right, I feel vaguely sorry for the old girl as this week she's done 10 laps of the Nuerburgring and then 2 sessions at Combe. Poor old thing. Engine, gearox, transmission, all faultless and purring away.
HOWEVER, and there's always a caveat with these posts, it has tried on 3 occasions now to cause me some fairly massive problems.
On my fourth lap of the 'ring the front passenger wheel came loose, despite checking the wheel bolts with a torque wrench that morning on several occasions. This was proper scary as the car was making a god-awful noise and massive vibrations. I thought it was going to e going home on an ADAC recovery truck, if I made it off the 'rng at all! Got it back to the hotel, left it for an hour, jacked it up to find that there was 5mm of play in the front passenger's wheel.
no. 1
Then, on the way home the steering flelt vague and wobbly so on my return I jacked it up to find that both the front hub to strut bolts on BOTH sides had loosened to give over a degree of movement. no. 2.
Before Combe I went over the whole car with a torque wrench and breaker bar and checked everything. Nothing else was loose thankfully.
So, off I go to Combe, had a great session with mr. Muirt, mr. Avant and mr. Matt, car was fast, well behaved and sharp. So finished, let it cool down and then about 2 hours later decided to go for another lap. Torqued the wheel bolts before both sessions after my 'ring experience and off I went on my own. Great session again, worked on smooth driving and lines and had great fun. Came off track with a worrying knocking/rattling noise which I assmed was a suspension component giving up under the stran of track work.
On the drive home the rattle/clunk turned into a strange boinging noise on the driver's side strut then the brakes started binding. I completed the 10 mile journey on engine braking and the handbrake assuming a top mount had completely disintegrated...
So I jacked up the driver's side wheel to find that the calliper was loose! no. 3. Then on close inspection I discovered that the carrier was held on with one bolt and had only stayed on because it had rubbed on the inside of the rim, hence the grinding! no. 4 to 6.
So as you can all imagine it's been a week of extreme excitement, adrenaline and one which has scared the living shyte out of me. The car has been fine for well over 10k of road driving in it's current state but 2 track sessions seem to have anihalated any confidence I had in it. I have done all the work myself and have made sure that everytihng that should be FFFT was, anything that should be torqued was, this obviously wasn't enough! The brakes have now been Loctited, nightmare when I take it apart but at least it'll hold up to the punishment, new hub to strut bolts are in the garage, new nylocks for anthing that's not been replaced.
So, in summary, double check everything before and after ay track work, it may be worth your while!
HOWEVER, and there's always a caveat with these posts, it has tried on 3 occasions now to cause me some fairly massive problems.
On my fourth lap of the 'ring the front passenger wheel came loose, despite checking the wheel bolts with a torque wrench that morning on several occasions. This was proper scary as the car was making a god-awful noise and massive vibrations. I thought it was going to e going home on an ADAC recovery truck, if I made it off the 'rng at all! Got it back to the hotel, left it for an hour, jacked it up to find that there was 5mm of play in the front passenger's wheel.
no. 1Then, on the way home the steering flelt vague and wobbly so on my return I jacked it up to find that both the front hub to strut bolts on BOTH sides had loosened to give over a degree of movement.
no. 2. Before Combe I went over the whole car with a torque wrench and breaker bar and checked everything. Nothing else was loose thankfully.
So, off I go to Combe, had a great session with mr. Muirt, mr. Avant and mr. Matt, car was fast, well behaved and sharp. So finished, let it cool down and then about 2 hours later decided to go for another lap. Torqued the wheel bolts before both sessions after my 'ring experience and off I went on my own. Great session again, worked on smooth driving and lines and had great fun. Came off track with a worrying knocking/rattling noise which I assmed was a suspension component giving up under the stran of track work.
On the drive home the rattle/clunk turned into a strange boinging noise on the driver's side strut then the brakes started binding. I completed the 10 mile journey on engine braking and the handbrake assuming a top mount had completely disintegrated...
So I jacked up the driver's side wheel to find that the calliper was loose!
no. 3. Then on close inspection I discovered that the carrier was held on with one bolt and had only stayed on because it had rubbed on the inside of the rim, hence the grinding! no. 4 to 6.So as you can all imagine it's been a week of extreme excitement, adrenaline and one which has scared the living shyte out of me. The car has been fine for well over 10k of road driving in it's current state but 2 track sessions seem to have anihalated any confidence I had in it. I have done all the work myself and have made sure that everytihng that should be FFFT was, anything that should be torqued was, this obviously wasn't enough! The brakes have now been Loctited, nightmare when I take it apart but at least it'll hold up to the punishment, new hub to strut bolts are in the garage, new nylocks for anthing that's not been replaced.
So, in summary, double check everything before and after ay track work, it may be worth your while!
).
(except a towball)
Comment