Track Day Novice Checklist ('89 325i)

Now that my e30 isn't a daily driver I'm looking to make it my go-fast car and have some fun. At the moment it is stock other than Kosei K1s, BC coilovers, and other miscellaneous stuff. Replacing the front control arms and tierods is happening soon as well as harder offset CA bushings.

I've run time attack style days at a smaller kart track near me but never at a big boy track. The track in question will be Barber's in Birmingham. What are some essentials, in general, and specific to e30s. 

I understand tires and brakes are probably the two highest, but I'm curious to see what I'm missing. 

For a first track day, just make sure you have fresh brake pads of a good compound and fresh fluid. Sticky tires can't hurt either. Take it easy and have fun! Better to spend your money on more practice than on hardware is the general rule...

You just want to be safe and legal your first time. Fresh brake fluid and good pads. Nut and bolt the car. Helmet is legal for who you're running with. Passenger seat/belts are safe for the instructor you should get. 

Make sure you have extra fluids for the car and enough tools to deal with small/moderate things. The goal is to learn the track, learn to drive in traffic, and learn just a bit about speed. Learning to actually go fast will come later though you will feel like you went fast no matter what. 

Dave and Seth hit it on the head, fresh brakes with a decent compound pad will take you pretty far.

You'll end up feeling out the car your first day and seeing how it reacts, is the cooling system keeping up? The brakes? The tires? How's the handling balance? That can all be a lot but hopefully most of those things aren't issues allowing you to focus on learning the track and dealing with traffic.

Quality instruction can also take a lot of the stress away on track by helping to manage traffic and keeping an eye on things while you focus on driving. The BMW CCA does an excellent job running their advanced driving schools and are worth it, other organizations like NASA also do a great job with their programs so really consider doing some schools.

Have fun.

Adam

I'l agree re the spare brake pads and fresh brake fluid. But I would add that a single crate of small but possibly useful spares / repair items wouldn't hurt to bring with you. My thought being there are times when a small part, the proverbial 10-cent one, would be handy hen the unexpected happens - expect the unexpected.  Also, radiator juice, oils etc. and tires.

In addition to the excellent points already made I'll add in:

A good helmet. A good coffee thermos. A comfy folding chair. Backup sunglasses. Plenty of water. 1 layer more than you think you need, mornings on the track are chilly.

I use RaceChrono when I go to the track, leaving my phone in my pocket, so that I can correlate what felt fast with what was actually fast. (Hint: Smoother is faster)

I'll double down on good instruction not only for safety but because they'll get you going faster, quicker. I know JustTrackIt does Barber and I think they do it a couple times a year, they're a good group and they'll pair you with an Instructor and classroom sessions. Once I stopped looking beyond the track right in front of my bumper, I realized that the classroom sessions were a great way to put a face to the cars with you on track and shake hands with someone you might need to borrow a tool from in the future.

As for consumables, there's no harm in stocking a small toolbox with extra brake fluid (in case you cook yours), oil, and any other non-water fluids you might top off. Extra pads take little space but you'll need to take brake changing tools for them to do any good. Personally, I like slotted rotors for cleaning off any glaze rather than bringing extras and I'm not to the point where I have track only pads.

If you can get a copy of the BMW CCA checklist that would be signed off before you can get on the track it would give you a great starting point.  If you do not know the vintage the motor mounts and transmission mounts, I would add them to the list of items to refresh.

Avoiding the BMW "money" shift is the goal. 

In reply to jr02518 :

That's a good idea, here's the checklist and recommendations from our local chapter - http://www.trilliumbmwclub.ca/SchoolInfo

And here is their technical inspection form - https://trilliumbmwclub.ca/sites/default/files/clubforms/TechInspectionForm.pdf

I ran an E30 on track for many, many years. The key thing is to make sure you have good brake pads, preferably something track-oriented (many excellent options from Hawk, Performance Friction, etc.) and fresh brake fluid.

If you want an M20 engine to last, it's a good idea not to bounce off the rev limiter with every shift. Constantly revving past 6k rpm seems to put rocker arms at risk.

Besides that, weak points on the E30 chassis are rear subframe bushings, engine mounts, and wheel bearings. Any good shop can check all that stuff to make sure the car is track-ready.

Extra brake fluid. And all the Torx bits ever. 

Thanks for all the help y'all!

Gonna start gathering all that stuff so by the time summer rolls around I'm ready to go. Can't wait to get out on track. 

Buy a set of seat belt adjuster clips. They'll keep your belt snug so you can concentrate on driving instead of sliding around.

Seat Belt Adjuster Clips

Don't forget to budget $100 and up for any track damage you cause - of course depends on the organizing body and the financial needs of the track. Or don't go off track or be around another car that might punt you off track.