hagakure, also think of going in with someone. If your just getting into it, look for inexpensive tires to use on the track, but good quality brake pads. You can learn just as much without having the grippiest tires. also if you co drive a car with a friend, you often learn just as much driving as you do riding in the passanger seat. If you get a chance let an instructor take you around for a few laps and also let them critique you for a few. They can be of great help after having driven the car for a few laps, becuase 1 if there is a quick fix to a mechanical handling issue they can suggest it (ie tire pressure), before you run around oblivous to the potential problem..

A few things I'd add to the list..
Good quality Tire Pressure guage! - Racing is all about tires.. keeping them stuck to the ground by all means - proper shocks, pressure, etc.
Portable Compressed Air Tank.

 

It is!!! I remember the first time I hit the track a bunch of years ago. I was so nervous and excited and everything. By the middle of my second session I knew I was hooked for life. I started signing up for every school I could afford.

Almost instantly, I stopped caring about how my car (an E30 BMW) looked, how nice the sound system was, how cool 17 inch rims would be, etc. and started to focus solely on performance. I spent thousands to make that old E30 a real handling machine. Everyone thought I was crazy since the thing looks almost totally stock! But more importantly, I learned how to drive the pants off that old thing with its ancient semi-trailing arm suspension. You don't know the meaning of trailing throttle oversteer until you've driven an LSD equipped E30 in the rain on a rubber-laden racetrack!

Now that I've got the Evo I can appreciate it even more since I can actually use it to 100% of it's potential whenever I feel like it. After you've spent 2 or 3 weekends driving an old E30 hard in torrential rain around tracks like Mosport, Tremblant, and Lime Rock, the Evo is a piece of cake.

Emre

 

Hehe, EMre, you make me think that one thing to add into the expense is going from an Evo to any other car.. It does become increasingly more difficult.. The Evo is so deliciously decepetively easy to drive fast.. It's good to have friends to borrow theirs for a few laps..

 

Yeah, the Evo is almost TOO easy to drive. I drove my old E30 this weekend and almost spun a couple of times. Plus, I kept wondering if it was running on all 6 cylinders! The Evo makes most other cars feel pretty sluggish.

Emre

 

Still got your E30 M3? Man, that thing is a blast to drive!

 

I wish! Unfortunately, I've never owned an E30 M3. My E30 is just a regular 325is with some basic suspension mods (springs, shocks, camber plates, upgraded shock mounts, urethane bushings, and strut tower bars front and rear), track pads, 15" BBS wheels, and some other odds and ends (ss brake lines, Momo Monte Carlo wheel, intake, exhaust, chiip, etc.). Nothing too fancy, but it's still pretty effective.

EDIT: Just realized I've started to hijack this thread without really meaning to! My point was that once you take your car to the track, you can pretty much bet you'll get addicted and start spending all of your money on suspension/brake/power mods, brake pads, tires, tools, and driving school fees.

Emre

 

Why not just use Falken Azenis? Best bang for the buck tire IMO

 

Track days with the Shelby Club used to be about $350 a weekend. Seat time will make anyone better. A good driver will make a bad car look good. A bad driver can take a good car into a wall.

 

A couple more things.
An aluminum jack will come in handy. $135 (Sam's Club)
Tool Kit. Socket, wrenches, etc ($depends)
Torque wrench. ($100 Crafstman, don't get the digital)
Air pressure gauge. ($20-40..tirerack)
Stop watch (so people can time you and give you feedback)
Lots of water if you go during the summer.

I was using up almost one full tank of gas. Rolled in on Full and left on fumes. I averaged 6mpg and I've heard of another guy getting around 4mpg. I used a full tank in 60minutes. So if you're going out for a 20 minute session consider going with more than a 1/4 tank.

 

Sooooo true!!! In my last car (Contour SVT), I ran low enough to starve the engine in a pretty fast sweeper. It was worse than intentional lift-throttle oversteer because I didn't know it was coming!!! I caught it, but not before sending the cars behind me into panic!

 

Hey Dan, going to VIR this April?

 

If you go out with too little fuel, the engine can lean out to dangerous levels in high-g turns. This has been a major problem for E30 and E36 M3's that spend a lot of time on the track with Gruppe N or other racing suspensions and r-compound tires. Some guys run aftermarket baffled fuel tanks or dual fuel pumps (one on each side) to help fight the problem.

Don't know how the 4G63 would handle a sudden loss of fuel pressure...but it can't be good! Better to head out on the track with a tank that's at least half full, just to be on the safe side.

Emre

 

Yup!

I (and other cheap/budget bimmer track junkies) usually just overfilled a quart of oil and it worked out pretty well.....

 

sorry... just realized I kept hijacking this thread....

now let's get back to regular program...

 

Track Fee $180, Gas $30. Passing stangs, firebirds and getting a 2nd place trophy in time trials on Bridgstone S0-3s.... priceless.

I bring my own food, and not into changing tires. The Evo is so good you don't have to do all that other stuff. This guy next to me was changing his tires, measuring brake temperatures, adjusting camber and I still went faster than him .