Doing my first TT event this June. I'm taking is quite seriously. Something I thought of, what spare parts to bring. I got an extra belt, plugs, coil packs, brake pads (though not track pads), misc fluids. I'll have basic hand tools and ryobi tools, but I'm not inclined to rebuild a cylinder head or something if that happens. So just curious what everyone usually brings along.
Tire pressure gauge. Small air compressor for tire pressure adjustments. Torque wrench for lug nuts. Nylon wire ties and duct tape. Tire plug kit as I don't have room for a spare and could be used ot get home if needed. Window cleaner and paper towels for windshield.
I take a tool bag with basic hand tools (sockets, wrenches, impact sockets, torque wrench, zip ties, etc.), a jack and two jack stands, as well as a cooler, chair, and my gear. That's it for me, but I only bring my Miata, so I don't have a ton of storage for spares.
We have a video for that! Here is a tour of one of our track toolboxes that we bring to race weekends.
I bring spares for things that are A) likely to fail and B) I'm willing to do the work to change while I'm at the event. The first depends on what car I'm driving, the second on the length and type of the event. A one-off, fun track day? I'll do really simple stuff, but anything more complicated I'll just put the car back in the trailer and go home. A 3-day race weekend is a different story, I've got more invested so I'll go deeper into the car and bring more stuff.
So for my E46 M3 I have tires and brakes (the obvious consumables), fluids (coolant, oil, transmission & diff oils), some engine electronic bits (plugs, coils, throttle position sensors), a drive-by-wire pedal, and a few other things I'm forgetting right now. Longer/further races I'll bring things that might get damaged with contact -- spare radiator and splitter, stuff like that.
Once I started wheel to wheel racing, it's a big step up for tools and spares. At least partly because you're much further from home, more track sessions, and spending lots more money.
The smartest thing I ever figured out was how to pack the spares and tools. I did it by "Certain To Need," "Likely Need," "Might Need," "Don't Want to Need," and "If I Need These, Maybe It's Time To Go Home."
Oil, rags, tire gauge went in the first. Control arms went in the last. Everything else fits in the middle.
Of course, every bin is labeled. This system made it SO MUCH easier to pack, load, and find things at the track.
Sounds like your setup is smaller, but this sorting system might be helpful. Good luck and have fun!
I only bring parts that can be changed in or about an hour plus the tools to change them.
For the vintage races with the Datsun that means the starter, water pump, fan belt, alternator, thermostat and radiator hoses. As for the fluids I bring brake fluid, water wetter, water, engine oil, gear oil and diff oil. I bring one spare tire.
I kept all this stuff neatly boxed up in the van. Now that I have the enclosed trailer I keep the suff in there.
My tools consist of a a socket set, wrench set, pliers and screw drivers.
For the Mustang I don't bring anything; it only get run locally if I need to change anything I can bum a ride back to the house and get the trailer.
Depends how far I'm going. Last track day was 20 minutes from my house, I brought a tire pressure gauge and two wrenches to let me adjust wing angle.
If I'm towing to a track day, I mostly bring tools including a QuickJack. I have a pretty good handle on my consumables, so I don't leave for the track with parts installed that are not going to last the day. I know my brake fluid takes a beating, so I expect to have to do a bit of a bleed at some point. Maybe some tires. Also, a collection of random fasteners, safety wire and speed tape :) If I have an off that breaks something, I'm done for the day.
For a big event like the Targa Newfoundland, lots of spares. They were usually in buckets with lids, with a list of what was inside written on top.
One thing I did for years was have a checklist in the toolbox. I don't have a dedicated set of track tools, so during load up I'd work down the list and grab all the various tools/parts without having to worry about forgetting something.
BoulderG said:SNIP...
The smartest thing I ever figured out was how to pack the spares and tools. I did it by "Certain To Need," "Likely Need," "Might Need," "Don't Want to Need," and "If I Need These, Maybe It's Time To Go Home."
SNIP...
Sorting by triage level. That's a great idea.
Anything bigger that disables the car and I'll probably be coming back with a trailer for the car.
For an hpde, air pressure gauge and air pump, torque wrench maybe, extra oil, glass cleaner and towels. That's about it.
For wheel to wheel racing, the list is only a little longer
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