Preparing Your Car for the Track

Spectate a track day event and the M3, Corvette, 911, Miata, WRX and Mustang all make an appearance. Despite their impressive performance claims, with precious few exceptions, these cars are designated for driving on the street. There is a very serious distinction in the demands of a quick back road jaunt and thrashing a car on the circuit. To get the most from your road car on the track, they’ll need to be upgraded in certain ways.

Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse

Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse

Take, for example, the C6 Z06. On paper, it looks like it would hold up in the most demanding situations. In most cases, it would, but the track is something entirely different. Depending on the track, there are so many sections which challenge the brake and the tire far more than they would ever be challenged on the street. At Laguna Seca, for instance, you’ve got two corners where the brakes are pushed exceptionally hard: in one of which, you’re decelerating from 120 mph to somewhere around 40 mph.

Some of the aforementioned cars might stand up to this abuse, but most won’t – including the Z06. After coaching a student in his low-mile Z06, he explored the limit but was not pushing as hard as the tires would actually take; braking earlier than necessary in the more demanding corners. Because his brakes were getting soft after a few laps, the owner was surprised when afterwards he removed the brakes and found they had disintegrated.

The next day we worked together, he had replaced the stock 340mm front brakes and put on a set of Stoptech brakes which were oriented for the track. Accompanied by these new rotors and calipers were a set of more aggressive pads and track-specific fluid. The brakes took slightly longer to warm up but would maintain good pressure throughout each session and most importantly, he was not limited in the braking sections – he could charge in and test different braking points with confidence. It’s surprising to many people that your baseline 911 or M3 might not last a session of hard driving, but in reality most of these cars aren’t really designed for all-out driving. Their designers have made concessions based on costs and the constraints of everyday driving.

Tires are especially compromised. Tires which most of these cars come with are sport-oriented, but still designed to deal with standing water, a wide range of temperatures and even snow. Any street tire with tall tread blocks will flex and disintegrate when thrown around on the track. These tires simply aren’t up to snuff. Even if you’re not capable of driving these tires to their limit, the experience of driving a mild track tire is much more enjoyable since they not only provide more grip, but with shorter, firmer sidewalls and very short tread blocks, they don’t move around nearly as much as a street tire, thereby providing more progressive and predictable handling.

Controlling excessive movement in the tire is as important as it is in the suspension, which ought to be modified in most of the aforementioned cases. A good set of adjustable coilovers with bump and rebound control will allow you to run on bumpier or smoother surfaces with confidence and precision. Sadly, many performance cars today still suffer in the suspension department since car companies don’t spend as much money on the parts of the car which aren’t easily visible. It may seem preposterous that some suspension kits cost upwards of $10,000, but those kits will allow for so many different adjustments that the vehicle they adorn will handle well everywhere. That said, you don’t need to spring ten large for a set of shocks, but do your homework and be willing to cash out a couple thousand – it’s more than worth it.

When making modifications, there are usually a few trade-offs that should be considered. It’s commonly misunderstood that the more track-oriented you make your car, the more of a nightmare it will be to drive to the grocery store. There is some truth to this. Track tires don’t always work when it’s exceptionally cold or in standing water, track brake pads sometimes squeal and take time to get up to temperature and stiff suspension will put you on a first-name basis with your chiropractor. Thankfully, there are plenty of different options to take, many of which will provide a decent compromise between the track and the street. What should be considered is the price of the options, their lifespan, and your driving ability.

For most of us, we are limited by our finances and won’t easily justify spending thousands on modifications to our car, but if we decide we want to drive our cars on the limit, certain upgrades are necessary. Not only will they help us explore the limits comfortably and safely, but they’ll ensure we get our money’s worth when we do decide to take to the track. Finding the right parts is a matter of compromise. If we have a dedicated daily, making the sports car a little more purpose-built might not be such a bad idea. If we’re not that fortunate and have to commute in our Miata, WRX, M3 or Corvette, we can still have a car that works as well on the highway as it does on the circuit. Find a reputable shop, consult with guys at the track or scour over some forum information and you’ll find a good direction to get started in. Ultimately, you’ll develop your own feel and appreciation for different settings with experience. Don’t fuss too much over the best parts – just get out there and drive the damn thing!

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