GolfGTIforum.co.uk
General => Shows, events, track days, motorsport => Topic started by: Fielder5757 on 30 May 2005, 01:23
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Right. The time has come for me to take the big step from Street racing Boyracer to a track day regular. Im working a lot of hours through the summe and im hoping the extra money will let me get my car onto the race track and off the street. This is mostly due to police trouble and the fact that theres a lot of people on the street race scene when shouldnt be aloud to park a car, Let alone race it.
Problem is im not 100% sure where to start. The cars in good condition. Could do with an oil change mind you. But its passed its MOT, Ive lowerd it and fitted strut braces. Its got a new intake and exhaust system and the interiour is stripped. The breaks are still the standard 1.6 Driver breaks, however i heard that GTI disks and pads can be fitted to the breaks without any modifications.
So where do i go now? The cars almost ready, Ive read about track day insurance, is this 100% nessary? Will i also have to buy a helmet or can i rent it? And what other modifications should i consider? Also, what sort of prices / costs am i looking at from track days? im not looking to jumping into racing or anything along those lines. I just want to put my car where it belongs and learn new things about driving.
Thanks in advance folks ;)
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deffo do the brakes first mate... is it shorter springs on standard shocks you've got too ? i wouldn't push it too hard on the track on those
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the brake calipers are the same as gti ones. you just need gti discs and pads.
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What have you done about Insurance Fielder ?
This sooo often gets overlooked and what started out as a fun day ends up in tears !
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Most places do tuition for first timers and beginners , i started with a "track day" on an airfield , the advantage of this was the course was changed during the lunchtime break , as for you car , just go out n habe fun you dont need to do anythin with it , i would recoment insurance , for 2 reasons 1 , if you go off big time n bend your car it wont cost you , and second if you crash into someone else you dont want to be payin for there repairs out your pocket , specially if its some thin expensive
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i'd do brakes first... 239s are ok as long as you're not heavy on your brakes while driving, and that you aren't doing too longer sessions. otherwise i'd say go for 280s.. will see you through comfortably.
make sure brake fluid is fresh as old stuff will boil quicker and cause problems.
track day insurance is all well and good but at nearly £100 a day is it really worth it for a mk2 golf?? as for a helmet.. most places require them so worth investing... ones you can borrow are normally old and stink! lol
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Thanks for the replies people :cool:
On the issue of brakes. Im working over time at work so i can get a set of GTI pads and disks by the end of the month, Im also looking into doing a rear disk conversion as there fairly easy to do and 99% of the parts can come from a scrappy.
Ive looked into tracks and bedford airfield seems pritty good, a bit expencive tho. At the moment the cars sat on Boge shortened springs and standard shocks. However its also got front upper and front lower strut braces.
As i can work full time over the summer (on a 3 month holiday from uni) i intend to get to the tracks some time near september. This will give me plenty of time to buy the nessary mods. However im stuck on helmets, everyware i look im seeing £300 and £400 price tags, Anybody know a place where i can get a plain helmet for a more down to earth price?
Insurance is still a bit of a grey patch, A lot of confusing options. :shocked:
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http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/catalogue/category_list.asp?CLS=MSPORT&PGRP=MP007&GRP=MC004
Your local motorbike shop should have basic open face lids from £100.
Do you really need discs on the back of a stripped out golf? If the fronts are good (gti discs and upgraded pads) I think the money coul be better spent elsewhere.
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i was thinking that, but if i can get it done for less than £100 it would be nice, would also fill a gap behind the rear alloys.
Cheers for the link, Im going to take a look in the local LOOT mag and vairious car boot sales for a second hand helmets, hopfully ill be able to get one for around £60, Also, With brakes, anybody have any recomendations for disks and pads? Im hearing pro's and con's for all brands and types, im just after somthing that will give me good stopping power and will be practical for use on a daily driver.
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Be careful with second hand lids, They can look ok but be knackered. I heard all sorts of horror storys from when I had a bike of second hand ones splitting apart with a heavy knock because they'd been bashed before.
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Be careful with second hand lids, They can look ok but be knackered. I heard all sorts of horror storys from when I had a bike of second hand ones splitting apart with a heavy knock because they'd been bashed before.
I second that.....the helmets are designed to take one large impact and then you have to get a new one or it will fail totally on the next big impact.
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^^ thanks for the heads up, i hadnt thaught of that.
I just got back from ordering a set of cross drilled brake Disks and greenstuff Disks, So that should be two items to cross off the list. All i need now are a set of gass shocks, a helmet and a oil change....unless theres anything im missing off that list?
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reading some things, greenstuff might be a bit soft for trackdays, redstuff are more suited :undecided: have you put the battery in the boot? bit more weight balancing :tongue: and you need a mount for the camera :wink:
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Hey Fielder!
Right you've had good advice on the helmet and brakes I agree with all here on those, the greenstuffs should be fine for track day use. Red's would be better BUT they take a while to reach operating temperature and if you want to continue using the car as a road car you may find that they scare the living poo out of you around town as they never get hot enough to be as effective as standard pads.
Insurance is really quite simple. Track days are on private property and all people taking their car on track do so at their own risk. If you stack your MKII into the back of someones Aston Martin then Boo Hoo them because you have no legal obligation to pay a penny for the damage. With insurance on your car it only covers YOUR car. So again if you hit the Aston then the insurance company would cough up for your motor but nowt for Mr Rich Boy, that's his look out and he shouold have his own insurance. Now this is all well and good protecting your car but there is something far more important to protect. YOU. I would highly recommend insurance just so that if you have a big off and hospitalise yourself that you have a policy that covers your medical expenses etc etc.
Track days are awesome fun and once you've done a few you'll be well and truly bitten by the motorsport bug. If you're anything like me you'll then want to get into ome grass roots competitions. Hill CLimbing and sprinting is a great way to start and armed with the Blue Book for competition regs you can quite easily and without great expense be racing against other people for real money and trophies.
Nick
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to solve the pad problem ive got a set of green for everyday use and im getting a set of red just for trackday use, best of both worlds :tongue: ive heard of people wearing new greenstuff pads out in one day of track use :undecided: i suppose it depends how you drive, and golfs are a lot heavier than minis if thats what your basing it on
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to solve the pad problem ive got a set of green for everyday use and im getting a set of red just for trackday use, best of both worlds :tongue: ive heard of people wearing new greenstuff pads out in one day of track use :undecided: i suppose it depends how you drive, and golfs are a lot heavier than minis if thats what your basing it on
Ah......there nothing like a bit of lead foot breaking to slam you into the windscreen :undecided:
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thanks for the advice on insurance, its been helpful, looks like it wont be a necsity, i might get it if im on a track, but as im still learning i think ill be on the airfields for a while.
A little update on the motorsport front. The brakes are here next to me, should be going on tomorrow while the cars having a full service and the cooling system sorted. the bolt that holds hte disks in has snapped so it has the be drilled out, Im looking at getting a set of gass shocks then the car should be all set as far as the basics go, After that i think it will be time for a racing bucket at some point and acctually getting the car to the track.
If anybody has any more advice feel free to post it up. If anybody has any more recomendations for more parts to get then it would be appreatated :cool:
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meh i just clicked this and you lot talking about fielders helmet :grin:
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:undecided: :huh: :rolleyes:
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LOL, dirty girl!
Back on track, cars back all serviced and shiny sporting its nice drilled disks. Pics to come :tongue:
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how about a bit more camber?
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I'm not sure what happens to the suspension under cornering on the Golf. The mini handles much better better with a 1.5 - 3 deg of negative camber on the front wheels. Effectively giving you maximum tyre to tarmac contact on the outside wheel of a corner and increasing grip. This is great except you loose tyre to tarmac contact on the straights so it's a kind of trade off. Proper racers will alter the camber depending on whether it's a twist circuit or one with lots of straights.
I have tried giving the Golf some negative camber on the front to see if it handles better, but due to not being able to set it up properly I've just worn the insides of my tyres badly. Didn't seem to make a huge amount of difference but I haven't tracked it yet and to be fair the level of grip on a proper circuit is 100 times better than the public roads so I'd never be able to figure out if it is an improvement.
Ooops sorry for the long thread, can you tell I'm bored at work?
Nick
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The difference between a good helmet and a bad one can be life or death. Don't buy a second hand one.
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camber angles are critical. around about half a degree is good for the road but for all out trackday fun you want 3-4 degree negative. but you try getting your local tyre shop to adjust the camber. after adjusting the camber be sure to readjust the toe as well making it straight ahead
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My mechanic runs his Mk2 with a vr6 engine conversion at 5 degrees negative camber for track days, to counter act the weight of the bigger lump and improve grip / reduce under steer.
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I adjusted mine to 3 degrees for trackdays, but like a tw@t I left it a bit too long before I readjusted it as it handled so well :cool:
( its amazing how quickly tyres get goosed :rolleyes:)
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Hmmm while this threads up i might as well post my track day progress.....
acctually theres no progress, The cars been neglected latly (badly) becuase ive been buisy with my new job. But coilovers are a comming ;)
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how about a bit more camber?
As in the verge :wink:
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how about a bit more camber?
As in the verge :wink:
Well most peeps on here like there V Dubs ' DOWN IN THE WEEDS ' :grin: :grin:
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^^but a mr veedub16v took his car for a drive along the verge to miss a cyclist riding the wrong way down a one way road, and consequently said hello to the sign post :undecided:
Dunno if he has posted pics or anything up
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^^but a mr veedub16v took his car for a drive along the verge to miss a cyclist riding the wrong way down a one way road, and consequently said hello to the sign post :undecided:
Dunno if he has posted pics or anything up
NOT GOOD :sad:
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nope
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I would run a Mk2 with around 3.5 degrees of neg front castor, but this is dependant on the wheel and tyre that you are running, something with a square shoulder for example: an Avon ACB10 would need to be stood up and little more at a round 1.5degrees.
Brakes wise I would definately suggest a harder pad, something like a Mintex1144 or even an 1155 if you really use them for trackdays. Disk wise, well you get what you pay for, personally I have never found a problem with running standard (ie non drilled disks) and trackday pads providing they are clear of the rim and if needs be are ducted.
Removing the interior is a good idea for trackdays as it puts less stress on the car (by reducing the weight), You'd certainly want to remove any sub boxes etc from the boot.
If you were running coilovers then it becomes slightly more complex as it begins to involve corner weights, but for the moment you are clear of that.
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I have wondered what handles better ,mk2 golf or mk2 jetta any opinions re stripped out trackday car ? :undecided: