Preparing MCS for track?

[Hubert]

Dear all,
Just out of interest, is it going to be very costly in terms of preparation and maintenance for taking the MCS to the track, say for several 30minute runs? Could someone with track experience provide a to-do-list on what preparation is required? (For example, brake upgrades and how to deal with high oil temp)
Thanks.
Hubert

[Tonyt3]

Best thing you can do is have a seperate set of wheels and tires for the track... money well spent in my opinion.

[bluemcs]

Quote: Originally Posted by Hubert

Dear all,
Just out of interest, is it going to be very costly in terms of preparation and maintenance for taking the MCS to the track, say for several 30minute runs? Could someone with track experience provide a to-do-list on what preparation is required? (For example, brake upgrades and how to deal with high oil temp)
Thanks.
Hubert

Hub - You've got all that stuff but did you do the brakes and upgrade the brake fluid? Probably THE most important thing you can do for the track. All the other stuff may make you go faster but the brakes could kill you if they fail. I've seen it happen too many times in my very limited track exposure.

If you do nothing else get a set of Ferodo 2500's for the front and change the brake fluid to one of the DOT 4 race brands. That way you will stop and you won't lose the brakes due to boiled fluid. Given that you have spent all of that money I would do rear ferodo's, and rotors as well. Oh, and if you do it, do it a few hundred miles or so before you go to the track so the pads can bed properly.

[Hubert]

Thanks guys,
I haven't done any track oriented changes to my car yet.
IMHO, these are the stages of the brake upgrade for track:
Stage 1 - Race pads (Ferodo 2500/3000 or Mintex M1144/M1155) + SRF or Motul RBF600
Stage 2 - Drilled rotors for better heat dissipation
Stage 3 - Front big brake kits

What about the oil temp? I was reading the melted cat thread and those oil temps really worries me.
I thought anything above 120 would not be acceptable!? How about changing the engine oil? How come I've never heard of an oil cooler upgrade for the MCS?

[cwwhk]

Hubert:

As posted by others in terms of equipment, brakes are what you need to pay most attention to for any trackday event. It's always best to bleed the brake system with fresh top quality brake fluid just prior to and immediately after trackdays. My AP 304 mm kit came with DOT 5.1 fluid (compatible with DOT 4). Not to be confused with DOT 5 which is not compatible.

Ferodo DS2500 sounds like a good choice since my Formula Renault uses Ferodo race pads. I will be getting the DS2500 for my MCS rear stock calipers with grooved disks to complement AP 304mm fronts.

I also suggest you observe cautious driving technique. For instance, take 1 warm-up lap, then for next 5 laps start at say 80% driver/car capability, then progressively ramp up to 95%. Then take 1 cool down lap quite slowly with minimal need for braking. This will give your engine and brake disks a chance to cool down. Once into the pit, as much as possible try coasting to a stop without brakes so the pads don't stick to disk and possibly cause disk warpage. Once car come to stand still, DON'T use the parking brake for the same reason. Just leave car in 1st gear.

By doing 7 lap instead of say 15 lap per session, your car will undergo far less stress. Besides, it will give you a chance to sit down between sessions and think about the braking, turn-in, apex, and exit points to improve for the next session.

It's very hard to resist the urge to go hog wild as soon as you get on the track, but believe me a full day at the track is infinitely more fun than having your day cut short by mechanical breakdown or getting caught in the gravel traps. I have seen too many accidents at trackdays where drivers do serious damage to their cars and themselves by getting too eager too soon. Don't mean to preach; it's just my observation.

If you are planning a track day at ZIC, PM me and I can give you some pointers on the braking points at ZIC. I am interested to take my MCS to ZIC too, do you know if there is any scheduled ZIC trackday for Minis coming up? Good luck.

[Hubert]

Hi cwwhk,

I knew this thread would catch your attention. Thanks for your advice!

Yes, I noticed everyone doing warm up and warm down laps during my previous trip at ZIC.
By the way, I heard that GTI Engineering in Chai Wan is the local dealer for the parts sold at GGR, and that includes the AP brakes you've got. So when you come to replace your brake pads in the future, you might want to speak to them instead. Did your AP304 kit come with the stainless steel braided brake hoses? What brake pads does it come with?

I have no plans to take my MCS there in the near future, cos I'm planning to learn the track using my Elise first. Unfortunately, afaik, we're the only 2 MCS owners who would consider taking the cars to ZIC, so nope, I won't foresee any Mini track days anytime soon, unless we can convince others that taking our cars to track doesn't mean trashing them

Do you know where I can get a good race helmet for a good price? I only know Kingsmart for Sparco.

[Hubert]

Ah...fuel.
I remember that the quality of fuel supplied at ZIC is rather poor. Don't know how much damage that'd do to our cars. Have you ever replaced the fuel tank of your F car (or other cars) due to rusting?

[cwwhk]

Hi Hubert:

Thanks for the tip on GTI Engineering. I just got the same tip from ERdoc. I guess I should have checked around locally before buying from overseas. My AP kit came with 2 cross drilled disks, 2 4-pot calipers, 2 stainless steel braided hose (Goodridge), mounting bolts and shims, 2 cans of DOT5.1 brake fluid, and set of pads (does not say who made the pads, but I assume AP or Ferodo).

I got the Sparco full face helmet 3 years ago from Kingsmart. At the time it was the only place in HK and acutally cheaper than mail order from UK. Don't know if it's still the cheapest. Sparco helmet is actually quite good (ie. light), not like Bieffe or some other brands. However, I have since switched to Arai GP5, for better cooling ventilation during the summer. Talk about expensive, but I figure for what it's holding maybe it's worth the money?

Whatever brand you end up getting, I recommend you get the full face version with Snell 2000 certification. Before you buy, make sure you try on the helmet. Different brands fit differently. You may find a particular brand fit your head shape better. Make sure the helmet fits snugly, such that it won't move around your head when you give it a twist. Of course not so tight as to cause pain. Most people when buying a helmet for the first time tend to buy one size too large because they are not used to the feel, which is not safe. Don't forget that if you intend to wear a Nomex balaclava, try the helmet on with it.

I have heard fuel supplied at ZIC is very inconsistant. Not so much in terms of water in the gas causing rust, but quite dirty sometimes so can clog fuel filters. Nobody I know gets gas at the track side station. Besides they will charge you more than double the street station price on super unleaded. Even more for their racing gas which is of dubious quality anyways. Fill your car up at one of the main street gas stations at Zhuhai, and you should be OK. If you run low on fuel during track day, there is a Sinopec station just to the right of the main road. I would rather trust that one over ZIC's gas.

Good luck on your Elise trackday. Meanwhile I guess we will just have to try and convince a whole bunch of other MCS owners in HK that ZIC trackday is a good idea. Until then, I will have to be content with Formula Renault practice sessions and get ready for 2004 race season.

[Hubert]

It's funny to see that nobody gets petrol from the ZIC station, yet they still don't bother to improve on the quality of fuel that they offer.

Where can I get the Arai helmets locally? Or other brands?

Good luck on your next Formula Renault season!

[Hubert]

So no takers on the high oil temp issue?

[cwwhk]

Quote: Originally Posted by Hubert

It's funny to see that nobody gets petrol from the ZIC station, yet they still don't bother to improve on the quality of fuel that they offer.

Where can I get the Arai helmets locally? Or other brands?

Good luck on your next Formula Renault season!

Hung Hing is the HK distributor for Arai. That's where I got mine. My employee knew someone and got me a bit of a discount. Don't remember exactly what I paid but some where between HK$5,000 to HK$7,000. Arai GP5 uses that it calls Super Complex Laminate construction, there is a cheaper version GP5K or GP5S or something like that which is substantially cheaper and uses Complex Laminate construction. A racing buddy of mine got the cheaper version, which was almost half the price. Besides the different shell construction, I did notice different ventilation layout. Check out Arai's web site at www.arai.co.jp to get more info.

Telephone number for Hung Hing is 2337-2463. In case you are wondering, I am not connected to Hung Hing but happen to have their bag with the tel # in front of me. Visor tear-offs for next visit to ZIC.

As said before, get a set of tires for track use. No point in destroying the stock tires on the track because their preformance is so-so anyway. Also, remember you are not driving a race car, but a street car. Don't pound the car over curbing, and be careful on the cut up apex curbing (the kind that make your car vibrate like mad) because all that shaking can't be too good for the car. And lastly, pay attention to the brakes. Brake wear is increased substantially when the brakes are overly hot, so don't cook 'em unless you want to replace them. Try to brake a little earlier and lighter than you would normally, and pretend that it is threshold braking. It won't make any difference in how much you learn, as long as you keep your braking constant.

Have fun

-Andrew

**edit**
I didn't have any problems with high oil temp, but I was shifting a bit short of redline every time.

[Hubert]

HK$5000+ is really outside my budget. I guess I'll have to stick to a heavier helmet with less ventilation

Hi Andrew,
Thanks for your reminder. Have you got an oil temp gauge on your car?

[bluemcs]

Quote: Originally Posted by Hubert

Hi cwwhk,

I have no plans to take my MCS there in the near future, cos I'm planning to learn the track using my Elise first.

Damn, that's what I always say.....why dirty up the Mini when you can run the Elise.

[Hubert]

Quote: Originally Posted by bluemcs

Damn, that's what I always say.....why dirty up the Mini when you can run the Elise.

Hee....the 2 cars are built for a very different purpose. It would be nice to take the Mini on the track for once to test it's limits.