im sure its been discussed before. but do people ever have overheating issues when taking their cars to the track? or any other problems i should know about or look out for?

 

Overheating - make sure you properly warm the car up and let it cool down after each run. When was the last time you did a coolant flush?

Brakes - bring along a set of spare brake pads or install race pads. Change your brake fluid if you haven't already.

Tires - check your pressures with a good gauge. Make sure you bring you spare tire/tools in case anything happens.

Other - bring an extra quart of motor oil. Empty the car of loose items, including your floor mats.

 

why take the floor mats out?

 

It's rare, but they could get caught on the accelerator or brake pedal causing potential disaster.

 

If you don't have an oil temp gauge then get one. You can overheat but i don't think you'll have a problem as long as the ambient temp is not in the high 90s and your session is longer than 15-20 min. Just use common sense. Remember unless your trying to win a race take it easy one lap every ten min and you should be good. Change your oil before the track day and make sure your brakes and brake fluid are good. Torque your wheels properly. Haven't had any problems on the track with the evo, but i don't compete.

 

I had some problems overheating last year but that was in the nice florida heat. I believe it was near 97 out and I was on a 35 minute session. My oem water temp gauge said everything was ok but the Defi water temp gauge was 230F and rising. If I have the same problems this year I may switch to a more efficient radiator and fan setup.