The track day scene is currently booming in the UK & Europe, with many wanting to experience driving the awesome circuits available. Our beginners guide to getting your car 'track day' ready boasts the best bang for your buck modifications. We will outline the most important enhancements needed for you to get the most out of the whole experience.
BRAKES:
We would all love to have a fully floating disc set up with AP calipers but in reality this is out of reach for most unless you are chasing lap records, it is really not necessary.
In most cases, a good set of brake pads, motorsport fluid change and braided lines will do the trick without spending crazy money.
We recommend EBC Brakes RP-1/RP-X Compound pads or if you have the budget, Carbon Lorraine pads - various compounds are available depending on your needs but expect high disc wear.
We recommend using MOTUL RBF 660 or MOTUL RBF 700 and for ease, if you have an air compressor, it would be beneficial to invest in a pressure brake bleeder, such as the Sealey unit - it really does work!
Ideally, you should bleed the brake fluid after each track day to keep it at its best.
Braided brake lines help improve pedal feel drastically, and from a safety perspective, offer much better resistance to failure under heavy use. We recommend using an EBC Brakes Braid Kit as this is great value for money, without compromise on quality.
SUSPENSION:
Ideally, the best suspension set-up is a full set of KW 3 Way Adjustable Separate Reservoir Dampers. If you are on a more restricted budget, we recommend KW V2 Dampers, BC Racing RM or DS Series.
These shocks offer great quality, with the main difference being that BC Coilovers come with adjustable top mounts on most applications, which enable camber adjustment to help improve front end grip dramatically.
TYRES:
There are various opinions on what are the best tyres to use, but as long as they offer good grip levels with acceptable durability, that is all you need.
The main options are, (without going through all brands available): Nankang NS2-R which are suitable for track and road use and offer usable wet grip.
Nankang AR-1 are more track focused rather than road.
Nankang CR-S is the ultimate track day tyre, with possibly the best durability.
ALIGNMENT:
This is often overlooked, but in reality, it is one of the most important factors to improve fast driving, whether you are a 'B' road blaster or a regular track day enthusiast; if the car is not set-up correctly, it can be hugely unsettled and make it very difficult to drive at any pace.
We offer various options, from basic fast road set-up, using any adjustability available within the car's standard chassis, to a full track alignment, with corner weighting to compliment the use of coilovers and adjustable arms.
We hope you have found this useful, but if we can help in any way, please get in touch.