Track preparation advice?

[Tomhorner]

Thinking of taking my S2 on my local track in July when they next have one on, has anyone got any advice or anything that should be done before taking it on the track? It's got a 13 row oil cooler mounted up on the front and standards brakes all round, all be it quite new discs and pads.

Look forward to hearing your advice thanks!

[Costash]

Better brakes that's main thing.

[Error404]

As above, brakes are going to be the first weak point, you some track focused pads really, even then they overheat very quickly
If you can afford it, get some 996s or similar on there.
Make sure you fluid is new and good quality, and well bled. Likewise the clutch. Fresh fully synth oil, then you are good to go.

[Rusty]

Keep an eye on your tyre pressures. They'll rise a lot from the best so you need to set them when you come off each session until they stabilise. Aim for 34 front, 36 rear just after you come off track.

When you park, don't put your handbrake on and after around 1 minute, roll the car half a wheel turn forwards.

Leave the engine running for a few minutes when you finish to allow the oil and coolant to circulate properly.

Make sure you warm the car, tyres and brakes up over the first 2 laps of each session and importantly, give your brain time to focus and get used to the speed everything happens!

[Tomhorner]

Thanks for the advice appreciated, would you put track pads with standard discs? Which ones would you recommend? Also how much does a 996 conversion cost and what do I need, lastly what tyres do you recommend and wheels if any? I have standard S2 wheels on at the moment with Michelin pilots on all round. Sorry for all the questions

[Ian Simmonds]

Make sure it's on Max on the dipstick....

If it's low you run the risk of cavitating the oil during hard cornering with a road sump...

[macspring]

All of the above, but if your Michelin Pilots are nice and new and fresh, I wouldn't use them as your wreck them.

Consider buying a set of standard tatty S2 rims and some tyres you know won't fail but you don't care about.

People sell OEM S2 rims on here pretty cheap as most want bigger / wider rims for road work.

Track use is very hard on a car, especially an 'old' standard S2 - imho.

Is your rotor the right one and new with a new distributor cap ?

Do you really need to do this to your S2 ? - Just askin..................





As you were.

[Albert]

if you are keeping stock brakes get best race pads and preferably make some air ducts to cool down the brakes

[Greg_S]

Also make sure you have decent and new brake fluid as you are likely to boil the fluid. I did when I did a track day with stock brakes and 350hp.

[Bowie69]

For a first visit to a track, if you aren't running silly power, make sure your stock brakes are in the very best order, and go for it. You do not 'need' anything to do a track day in any car except for it to be in good order, i.e. SAFE. As with any motorsport you drive to the limits of what you have, as long as you stay within that, and the limits of yourself, you will be fine.

I doubt on a first visit you will go even close to fast enough to tear up your tyres, and your brakes will tell you when they have had enough, by a spongy pedal -at which point, you back off or abort depending on how confident you are -which to me, sounds like you aren't exactly swimming in it?

[Tomhorner]

Thanks for all the advice so far, I will keep my eyes open for a cheap set of wheels, as far as tyres go is there any people would reccomend? I will keep my eyes open will look into changing the brake fluid as it hasn't been for a while, again any brand or type that you will think better than the normal dot 4 stuff? The car I think from memory with out looking at the rolling road read out is 282hp at the wheels certainly goes well enough for what I need when I'm using it normally

[Ian Simmonds]

Thanks for all the advice so far, I will keep my eyes open for a cheap set of wheels, as far as tyres go is there any people would reccomend? I will keep my eyes open will look into changing the brake fluid as it hasn't been for a while, again any brand or type that you will think better than the normal dot 4 stuff? The car I think from memory with out looking at the rolling road read out is 282hp at the wheels certainly goes well enough for what I need when I'm using it normally

Collectively, we haven't put you off yet then?

[Tomhorner]

Haha no you will have to try a bit harder for that �� There to be used arnt they not sat in the garage

[Don]

just as important is taking some advice on how to drive on a track. If you haven't done it before there are some good basic videos online. Will help to keep your car going where you want it to

[s2driveruk]

get as much weight out the car as you can...will help to ensure the brakes are not working harder than they need to (and they are under a lot of pressure anyway as they are not a good feature of the car to begin with.

If the car is stock, the body will roll a lot so my advice would be to go for smooth lines over speed any day. Getting a decent lap is down to flowing around it and i would spend the time learning that side than just nailing the throttle out of the pit lane. If you get some decent pads, bring them up to temp along with tyres on the first couple of laps and you will have fune. Nothing fun about arriving late into the first major braking zone to find zero grip and nothing in the brakes!

As Andy says...watch for pressures on the tyres, still have flashbacks to my track day tyres over-pressured and was like driving on ice lol...drop them a bit and they were unbelieveable for grip....so much so that they surged the oil to the point of needing a bottom end rebuild!

Final bit of advice....find some space by not being the first to leave the pits on a session....use your mirrors and indicate to signal you have seen the faster car behind you and they know your intentions

Have fun, an S2 is a blast on track and it's been far too long since I had mine on one