Does anyone have a list of tools that they bring with them to the track?

I'm going for my first track day next month at VIR and I'll have a friend drive my pickup truck down so I can haul my extra tires and tools down with me.

I have a Craftsman 286-piece tool set I specifically bought for just this type of scenerio, but I'm wondering about what else I should bring. I also have a torque wrench, my lift jack, a single-person brake bleeder system, and a few other specialty items but I was wondering if anyone else had a good list I could reference.

I won't even go into spare parts just yet...

 

You have a jack so I would assume you're bringing jack stands also. A creeper is a good idea and helps on crappy surfaces. A good tire repair kit and maybe a portable compressor (although you can find compressed air at almost every real racetrack, some auto-x events are not as well appointed).

Don't forget tape, racers and duct, has saved me more times than I can count. I like to bring a multimeter as well. Zip ties and Telescoping magnetic pick up tool are a must. Also I highly recommend a comfy folding chair and a good cooler stocked with your favorite libations.

Last but not least, make friends with the people in the paddock surrounding you. I always manage to forget something, but I always manage to scrounge it up from somewhere.

 

lol...
...u sound like you're going to war!

 

-a tyre pressure gauge
-gloves for working in your car while it's still warm
-brake fluid since you plan on bleeding it
-tape, like dude said
-if you're going to bring the air compressor, make sure you get the type with an air dryer of some sort so you don't get wet air in your tyres.

and finally, someone to watch over your 286 piece tool set. you don't want to go home with few than you started with...

 

Sure does. The toolkit is somewhat excessive, but i guess it's better to have what you don't need than to need what you don't have.

I think the reality of it is that you won't need to do much more than perhaps change pads, bleed the brakes, change tyres and tyre pressures. If that. But if you already have the gear plus you have a truck going there why not. Just remember that you're going there to drive.

Actually, I just thought of one more thing that might be a little bit unconventional. An electric fan. A 14" one would probably do. To blow at your car to cool things down. It's not the best idea to change wheels when they're real hot.

 

All the ones you can bring. The one you leave home, you will need.

(Murphy's law for racers or something, works for spare parts also)

On a serious note, bring tools to fix what you can work on, and what will or might wear out. Tools to work on brakes, wheel-changes, tools to put intake hoses back on, etc.. at some point you won;t be able to work on it at the track probably, so not much sense in brining it, but If you see yourself working on it at the track, bring the tools for it.

As far as someone to watch over it, bringing a buddy is good, but I hope you don't have to worry about theft too much, in 15 years of racing and going to tracks, the only time I have lost something was a pair of sunglasses at a spectator event.. private events where there is a good gate guard are probably safe.

At the Redline Time Attack at Summit Point, one of the AMS guys left a video camera on the pit wall and it was returned, racers tend to watch out for each other.

Jon K

 

very good point, most people out there are good enough people, and you're already trusting those people enough with your life out on track, you'd hope they're not gonna yank your 24.95 socket set.

I come prepared for war, and normally i have everything i need in case I need it, or someone else does.

Example, fellow evo guy EXPLODED his bov on track. I had my old forge one in the rubbermaid. Guy next to me had a rubbing issue, i had hammer, jack, stands, etc.

I lost a suspension bolt. I didnt have a spare, but i located a makeshift piece at the local hardware store (sebring has had it's fair share of loose bolts and nuts. )

That all being said, everything i bring fits in a big rubbermaid tub. Got a tarp in case, gallon of water, extra oil, brake flusher, oil, filter, pan. Air tank, etc.

And one of those coleman (i think) plug in coolers, that go into a cig lighter, or a plug in, those are key!

In honesty, you just leave it packed, when you need something, you dig into it. Also, a box of gloves for those brake swaps.

 

Thanks to all the posters so far!

I already have most everything mentioned except for the 100mph tape. I probably need to buy some extra zip ties but I already planned on the brake fluid, and I have a creeper and jack stands. I don't plan on changing brake pads while I'm there, especially when they're about $500 a set (for front and rear). Hopefully I'll just put on the race set when I get there and then take them off before I leave. At least that's the plan.

Some of the things I hadn't thought about were the compressor and the fan. I was wondering if there would be a compressor available down there at VIR, and the fan is another matter altogether. When I think about it, I've been thinking about buying a portable generator for the house for when the power goes out--something small to run a space heater and/or my sump pump; this might just be the reason to go out and get one. That way I could bring it and my portable compressor and solve all my problems at once.

As far as losing my tools goes...I have a lockable tool chest, small enough to lift with two people and one that I can lock into my truck bed with some cables. I'm not stingy, so if I lose one or two that I loan out, I can always replace them.

Once again, thanks for the tips and if you think of anything else, please post away.

 

unless you're going nuts, a good size air tank (the couple gallon ones) will do you fine. Its rated to like 135, and i've never gotten done and had less than 100 psi left in the tank.

Saves a whole lot of hassle, the fan is a great investment though.

Come to think about it, since i was just out at the track, i think i might pull all my stuff out, organize, and take a shot or two, so i really know whats in my box

 

ahhh... you see nobody really gets pi$$ed off having to buy a socket or two. It's when you have the tranny off, car all up in the air, not long to go and you find that the tool which you need for only 5 seconds now recides in a different postcode. And today the wife had the other car. And she's not coming back till late. And in any case you'll need to use to car tomorrow....

That's when one gets somewhat irritable.

I know we're all supposed to have all the tools laid out and all that. But often you're just too excited about a new part...

Anyway, good luck at the track!

 

u sound like you're going to war!

 

Oh, and I think I need to buy an extra "kitchen sink" to round out the list!

 

evo basic tools are 10's and 12' and 14mm

that's all i bring...with gloves, extra meth, vice grip pliers, needle nose, magnetic grabber, extra ho's...i mean hose ...

...thats it.

The way you're coming at it almost takes the fun out of it...u almost seem to be setting yourself up for failure, however, you are trying to cover your back...

 

Fire extinguisher, not for you but for the guy next to you in the pits. It never happens to you but always the other guy.

And of course an OBD-II reader for the other guy.

 

Good idea! a _really_ long one. The undertray cannot be sufficiently cursed.