Club Lotus Castle Combe Track Day 26th May 2018

[Alan_M]

Hi, I have just booked to go on this. Are there any other members booked in for this?

It will be my first track day, so any advice on preparation, what to bring etc, would be good.
I will be checking through brakes and tuning carbs to make sure it at least goes and stops

[Lotus-e-Clan]

If you are going to do 1G cornering then overfill the sump a tad. Do the sump oil level check 1 to 2 minutes after stopping the engine and before it has warmed-up completely. Fill to a millimeter over the HIGH level. You don't want too much oil that you get windage, but better that than momentary oil stavation in a 1G corner @ 6000 rpm!

Also remember that at high rpm the amount of oil in the cam boxes will be significant (due to high oil flow at high rpm) and that oil has to find it's way back to the sump! So make sure the oil is warmed up throughly so it flows well before giving it the beans on the track.

Make sure your oil cooler is doing its job too! To be safe, change the oil (and filter) before and after the track day to make sure you have oil that remains within spec.

[barker_001]

I'm looking at coming along for the event, although I don't intend to take part in the track day. Is there any form of booking needed or admission fee for this, there doesn't appear to be anything mentioned in Club Lotus News.

[Hawaiis0]

I'm looking at coming along for the event, although I don't intend to take part in the track day. Is there any form of booking needed or admission fee for this, there doesn't appear to be anything mentioned in Club Lotus News.

No just turn up. Track runners need to pay for their track time (£100 ish). All get a free run at lunch, and possibly a late run in the afternoon if all quiet

[barker_001]

Thanks Stu, that sounds like a good day out. And not too far from me either.

[Alan_M]

If you are going to do 1G cornering then overfill the sump a tad. Do the sump oil level check 1 to 2 minutes after stopping the engine and before it has warmed-up completely. Fill to a millimeter over the HIGH level. You don't want too much oil that you get windage, but better that than momentary oil stavation in a 1G corner @ 6000 rpm!

Also remember that at high rpm the amount of oil in the cam boxes will be significant (due to high oil flow at high rpm) and that oil has to find it's way back to the sump! So make sure the oil is warmed up throughly so it flows well before giving it the beans on the track.

Make sure your oil cooler is doing its job too! To be safe, change the oil (and filter) before and after the track day to make sure you have oil that remains within spec.

Thanks for the advice and sorry I've been a bit slow in replying.

I am going treat her to a full fluids change. I have invested in some Millers nanodrive CFS 10w60 synthetic for the engine oil, K&N filter and Millers CRX 75w90 NT+ competition synthetic gearbox oil. I will also be changing the diff oil and brake fluid.

[tonypoll]

Apologies if I'm teaching my granny to suck eggs, but...
When attempting to change the diff and gearbox oil I found the drain and filler plugs were EXTREMELY tight, and probably had never been touched since the car left the factory.
After a lot of faffing around I took my car to the local garage where they put it up on a ramp and loosened off the plugs with a very big breaker bar and tight fitting socket. 5 minutes and £5 into their Christmas party fund.
Just don't do what my friend did with one of his cars - remove the drain plug only to find he couldn't undo the filler plug!

[Sirclip]

Hi Alan, I did the track day last year and just made sure that all the levels were OK before. I did have a few problems with the brakes afterwards though, but I was doing some hefty braking. I think that the problem was brake pad/disc 'glazing', so the brakes weren't their best on the way home. It may be worth taking a sheet of 60 grit emery paper, just in case you need to rub the discs over afterwards, but unless you give the brakes a pasting as I did, you probably won't have the same issue.
Martin.

[rbgosling]

I suffered brake fade on the Croft weekend organised by this forum - resulting in a trip into an adjacent field and the consequent "Farmer Richard" nickname!

I swore when I next did a track day I would fit some better pads - probably not full-race-spec but something intermediate, depending on what is available out there.

However, I recently watch an interesting interview with a guy who runs track days in Ireland, who said that brake fade is more often caused by overheating of the brake fluid, so money is better invested in racing brake fluid.

To be on the safe side, I intend to do both!

Interview with the track day organiser can be found here, starting about 17:45, in episode 20 of Soup, my favourite car restoration Youtube show.

[ChrisJ]

+1 for the brake fluid overheating.

I've always had this problem with my Esprit on Track Days - can only last about 4-5 laps of Goodwood and Hethel before the fade kicks in.
My Excel at Hethel didn't seem to suffer as badly, but it was still there.

[chrisw2811]

Rick and I plan to be there - yellow one and a red one. Older daughter is keen to come along and drive the Excel on track, so might be a family group if I can sort the insurance. Fresh brake fluid this weekend!

[Hawaiis0]

.......Fresh brake fluid this weekend!

Just refreshed my fluids and Marshall's Second Law took effect - Don't dabble the week before an event Bleed nipple was corroded and would not shut off

Luckily I had 2 spares

[Alan_M]

.......Fresh brake fluid this weekend!

Just refreshed my fluids and Marshall's Second Law took effect - Don't dabble the week before an event Bleed nipple was corroded and would not shut off

Luckily I had 2 spares

Don't say that - I'm going to be changing mine this week. Debating whether to go with DOT 5 plus or proper competition stuff. Also whether to fit some up rated pads. Let's hope I can avoid Marshall's law.

[Hawaiis0]

..Debating whether to go with DOT 5 plus or proper competition stuff. Also whether to fit some up rated pads. Let's hope I can avoid Marshall's law.

I take it by DOT 5 plus you mean DOT 5.1? Standard is DOT 4

Since DOT 4 and 5.1 are both glycol-based brake fluids they are compatible with each other, which means they can be readily mixed without harming your brake system. It is important never to mistake DOT 5.1 (glycol-based) with DOT 5 which is silicone-based and should never be mixed with any other DOT fluid.

[amarshall]

.......Fresh brake fluid this weekend!

Just refreshed my fluids and Marshall's Second Law took effect - Don't dabble the week before an event Bleed nipple was corroded and would not shut off

Luckily I had 2 spares

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tc_CGyBvNg#t=3m13s