What mods would you guys do or have done to help improve the reliability of the car. Can these cars be track ***** and still be reliable daily drivers? Is it foreseeable that an evo that is taken to the track (and beaten on like an ugly redheaded stepchild ) once a month, last five years as also a DD?

 

Once a month at the track is nuttin. I track an average of three days a month. I had no problems until I got a big turbo kit running high boost, and now it blows up regularly. Most other mods won't affect reliability. Be sure you have gauges for air fuel ratio, egt, and boost. Get. Big radiator if you run in summer heat. Change your spark plugs a lot.

 

ditto. Dont run over 25-30 min a session, get track pads, motul brake fluid, change the oil if not every event, every other. I run like 70 water/30 coolant.

honestly, the driver is the most unrelabile part of the whole equation. You're more likely to go off, or break something because you made a driver error, than you are to have problems with a stock turbo'd car.

 

You're getting good advice. Richard has a lot of track days on his car. Some other things to consider if you are going to track your car a lot. Again, this is advice for building a car that can be a true track ****.

1) Upgrade the brakes. You can keep the stockers but you must do track pads, fluid, and ti backing plates. Cooling ducts make a huge difference on the stockers too. For a small $2K investment you can have a true **** with Stoptechs. I like the Stoptechs a lot particularly if you are do a lot of hot summer track days with slicks or DOTs. They just deal with the heat so much better than stock.
2) Keep your tune conservative and run decent gas. A conservative tune also helps track gas mileage.
3) Change your fluids very regularly. Oil, brakes, diff, tranny and don't forget power steering.
4) For true track **** status, consider a power steering pump cooler, front and rear diff coolers and a tranny cooler. The power steering pump will fail after enough hours on the track. I know several track Evos that are on their third or fourth pump. Diff and tranny coolers are nice for extra long sessions or endurance races
5) Take out all the weight you can. Weight creates more force which hurts performance in every category and increases part wear across the board.

 

Where do you guys trim weight first?

Interior/sound dampening? Brake rotor weight? Wheels/Tires?

I'm a tad hesitant in a daily driver with no interior =P

 

Car things that can be taken out easily -- Floor mats (if you are tracking you have to, at least most event orgz. will make you), spare tire, trunk carpet and plastic, rear seats (easy to take out).

Mods that cut weight - TBE, coilovers, rims and tires (can add or cut here).

List of stuff -- (except that remove bumper supports -- not for d/d)
http://www.buschurracing.com/weight-reduction.htm

Like what WarmPepsi and others have said - fluids and driver.

 

Power Steering failure? on average how many events do you see that happening after? I've got 5 track days and anothe 2 coming up this weekend and everything is stock. Except brake pads, brake fluid, and i'm running on 255/40 R17 Azenis R615's. I've changed the oil every other event which also happens to be around 3000 miles.

I haven't done any kind of 'mods' so should i be worried about anything just yet?

 

Golovko - have you changed your trans fluid? Jon (TRE Jon) and I talked about this one day over the phone for a while. Keeping fresh fluid in the trans and doing open track evens will help the trans in the long run. Esp. those 6sp trans.

 

Ive never had an issue with power steering and I race and track the car a lot. I would def ad the trans cooler but I see no need for rear diff cooler. No need for an after market radiator unless you are running way more than 300whp or have blocked your radiator with a big fmic. Ive run 40 minute races with 153 degree track temps with no issues. I did use water wetter though.
Marty

 

Reliability Upgrades/Maintenance:
- Engine Oil - try to change before every event
- Brake Fluid - I've done the Motul fluid upgrade. I also bleed before every event, might get some power bleeders
- Brake Pads - Got upgraded pads waiting to be put on for next season
- FMIC - Planning a new FMIC to reduce heatsoak. Will go AMS.
- Tune - Got a good tune, told them I'd be tracking it a little so factor that in
- Tires - Rotate before every event, and closely monitor pressure/wear during.

Questions:
- Thinking about brake cooling ducts - recommendations?
- Haven't touched the trans fluid, should I?
- Haven't touched the power steering fluid, should I?

 

Questions:
- Thinking about brake cooling ducts - recommendations?
AMS has a nice brake cooling Kit, Im putting on my race car

- Haven't touched the trans fluid, should I? Tracking the car will really break down the trans fluid, I would highly recommend getting the transmission cooler kit to anyone who is tracking the car regularly and change the fluid, I change mine after every event. As for motor oil I run Mobile 1 20W50, the thinner oils really thin out when tracking the car, to the point that you will see some pretty darn low oil pressures when coming off the track.

- Haven't touched the power steering fluid, should I? NO

For what its worth, I dont like motul at all, not just because its French but because you do have to bleed in regularly. Spend the extra $ and get Castrol SRF, AMS sells that as well.
Marty

 

In regard to the trans cooler - does anyone make a kit for our car? Lines, cooler, bolt-on?

 

Contact Jon at TRE, he told me he was working on a kit.

Marty

 

Ah, ya he said that. But he didnt know when it would be done. So there still isnt one readily available then. I was hoping one came out and I missed hearing about it

 

nope not yet but i guess i will do that after this weekend.