So since the "normal" maintenance on daily driven cars are like ~4k mile oil change, 45k belt etc etc that kind of stuff.. When do you guys normally do your maintenance on your track cars? I'm mainly asking for those who drive strictly to the track only and maybe to there and back.

Motor oil
Tranny oil
Coolant
Brake fluid
Clutch fluid
Belts
Spark plugs
etc

 

Oil I try and change after every 2-4 events... I don't do a whole ton of them so that's 3months right there... I could go much longer but I usually end up taking something apart that requires changing the oil anyway so it gets changed often.

Tranny I just changed after about 8 years... oops?

Coolant I also have flushed a few times when pulling the head but I don't do it often. The car is stored in a 50°F warehouse in the winter... come to think of it last week is the coldest it's been in a couple years.

Belts when worn. Timing belt depends on use and condition and tension.. if stock then g2g for a while.

Plugs I've had for prolly 8-9 years... damn time flies. The NGK's still seem to be working great.

I am no maintenance freak by any means... my car doesn't get out much and I'm sure there are many things I should be doing more often than not. Full-time race cars will be completely different and i'm sure some guys on here can chime in with some really good info.

 

Oil I change every event.. I usually go to about 3 a year.

trans i change every other event

coolant I change every year

belts when worn

timing belt I have used the same for a while : toda belt:

spark plugs every few years

brake pads whenever worn down and the same with rotors

brake fluid every track event

the car is currently sold but got another that I am building up for the track and it sits in the garage most of the time so it's protected during the winter and such

 

When me and my father were going to track events on a regular basis(about 6 or 8 in a year) we would just do basic things. This was before we started having a host of mechanical problems that have plagued us for the past few years. I have my fingers crossed though that this weekends SCCA race will go well. We have yet to make it through an entire weekend this year. Its getting rather frustrating. Honestly the car seems like more of a toy to work on rather than something that was built to be driven. Lol

Anyway, we would change the oil and filter after every race weekend, change the coolant yearly, new pads and rotors every couple race weekends(because that's about how long they lasted), change brake fluid yearly, new tires every 3 or so weekends(depending on how long they would last, sometimes they made it 4 weekends), go over every important nut and bolt before every weekend(mainly suspension related things), and generally fix **** when it broke. Originally we did not nut and bolt it before every weekend, but we noticed a missing starter bolt one time and figured we should start. Haha

Ahhh what else...all belts every year, spark plugs and wires every year, trans fluid... changed that last weekend after about 10 years. Lol Generally always go over the motor after every event and check for leaking gaskets and replace as needed. Check the oil after every track session just to be safe. One other thing we did was a compression test after every event, just to keep an eye on the health of the motor.

Now here lately, two motors ago which was last years made it 3 races before a bearing burned up, then this years made it 8 laps before it let go in a spectactular fashion. Most luck we've ever had was with stock motors. We had a stock b16a(motor we started with) last 4 years at about 6 events a year before a mis-shift killed it.

Now that I've just completely strayed away from the original question I'll quit while I'm behind.

 

My car is trailered but I quoted this and changed a couple things because it was pretty close to what I do.

Im actually replacing a brand new water pump and tbelt from this past weekend at Sebring due to the water pump seizing.....and on it goes.

 

i do basic maintenance and checking over of the engine stuff..... i feel the most important thing is to pop the wheels off after every track day and check over everything suspension/brake related.

i've caught potentially horrific problems that have been fixed by just tightening or zip stripping something, instead of pulling the car out of a wall, etc.

a buddy recently told me that some important nuts were loose/backed off/ missing on his suspension, and thats probably why it felt funny at the last event we were at. just reinforces to me that nut/bolting the suspension is pretty important.

 

My maintenance schedule is pretty close to others:

I check my fluids every event, but since I run amsoil dominator race oil I don't change it every event, usually every 4-5 events.

I change my transmission fluid as needed, usually 2-3 times per season

I flush my coolant at the end of every season

Belts when worn

Timing belt is visually inspected after every race and changed when needed.

Spark plugs when needed

Brake pads when needed

Brake fluid ever other event

I also do I visual inspection before every single event. We've gone through every bolt and nut on the car and torqued it. We then paint a mark on the bolt/nut so we know where it should be. Usually after every event and before any event I check each one of those bolts/nuts and ensure that the mark is still where I expect it and re-torque anything as necessary.

I also do a visual inspection for any leaks, hose damage etc ...

 

Surprised no one is safety wiring. Kind of tedious, but the peace of mind is worth it on atrack car.

 

I swear Sebring is the car killer track. If your car makes it through a race there it is indestructible lol. Failed oil pumps is the most common thing I see there. It seems like catastrophic failure is so much more common at Sebring than any other track.

BTW to actually contribute before each event I make sure all the fluids are at the proper level and fresh. I check over the fuel lines, all fittings, then check nuts, bolts, bearings, ball joints, bushings... Basically everything because wrecking a car over 100MPH is not exactly fun or easy on the wallet if it can be prevented with an inspection and replaced for much less than a new car. Usually I spend a few hours going over everything, it's peace of mind knowing that everything is secure. IDK if anyone else has ever had that sudden feeling in their gut like oh **** I forgot to check whatever

 

Oil every two events
Trans oil every 15K
Clean intake filter every 2-3 events
Visual check of all fuel, spark and air components every event
Retorque on suspension components
Check brake wear and tire wear every event

 

Every first session of every track event. I like the idea of someone else posted earlier of marking the bolts to know where they should be after torqued and I need to make a spread sheet of things to check.

 

Checking rubber bushings should also be part of your routine and poking around the car in general. I had a motor mount bracket that had a bolt backed completely out.

 

Prior to every event i usually go through the car thoroughly to prevent any mishaps on the way to the track or at the track.

Check all nuts/bolts/bushings - suspension components.
Brake lines - Pads/Rotors
Wheel Bearings and Axles

As far as routine maintenance goes...

Oil change every two events - Filter every two - three
Coolant - every year
Trans Fluid - every year

Tires when worn
Brake pads/rotors and worn.
Belts when worn

For those who know me can conclude that I am a paranoid individual...

 

Is there a rule of thumb for changing brake fluid? I see some of you change it every event, or after a few events. I did all new brakes/fluid at the beginning of the year and went to 4 events and i still haven't changed it. I was thinking once a season, since im in canada and our race season is roughly 4-5 months.

 

Best thing I have ever done to insure proper maintenance is have a professional regularly do it for me. My trackside support, transport and maintenance is Done by Evil Genius Racing in West Sacramento, California, and they are fantastic! All I have to do is drive, and they are also remarkably reasonable. Worht th epeace of mind to me that things are done correctly, routinely.

 

Bake fluid absorbs moister very quick. So for a racecar I would recommend it after every day at the track. Or if the caliper temps are getting over 350F when you do a hot pit. At those temps the fluid starts to degrade and since its absorbing moister from when you opened the bottle, it no longer has the dry boiling point shown in marketing hype on the lable. Dont believe the boiling points when looking at fluids anyways. Most of them is all bs.

 

Lol @ my new brake setup working very good... did 4 track events this year (2 wet) and havnt changed my fluid since mid last year... oops? Bah maybe I just suck at driving

 

Just did my prep on the rally car for upcoming Lake Superior Performance Rallies.

Changed oil
Bled fresh fluid in brakes and clutch

Typically I change trans fluid every 2 events(ish). But I also open the box up every 2 events to take a look at the internals and make sure everything looks good since I'm running an aftermarket gearset.