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Track Day in a 240, Need Input/Advice

brendon_ak

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 7, 2011
Location
Hood River, OR
Hey All,

Been some time since I've posted on here and had a killer weekend at the Thermal Club so I've got a wild hair to get my 240 up to snuff to track. Currently it has an oil leak preventing me from driving it so I've already got my first box to check. Because my brain can't stop thinking about how much I want to drive my car I thought I'd ask some of you that track or autocross your cars about how they're setup.

Here's where I'm at:
1979 245
B230FT 13mm rods, OEM gaskets/seals, new water pump, t cam, Yoshi catch can
15g w/90+ mani
T5 w/yoshi stage 2+ clutch, flat flywheel, 1pc driveshaft
lh2.4 and EZK, chippable boxes (currently stock)
Stock radiator, e fan
Denso alt, no PS or AC
boxed control arms and trailing arms, Ben's suspension all the way around, spherical rods out back, full poly save for rear axle bushings
25mm sways f/r
15x7 wheels, 215/50 rubber

That about covers the big bases. I have a set of sport seats that I'd like to try and get in there, otherwise a cheap fixed back seat would be a good idea. It seems like the only big problems are keeping the car cool, so oil and coolant are the big systems to watch. I know I'm not going to make big power and that's fine, I'm more concerned with a reliable system at this point, power can be added via turbo/cam later.

Who tracks their car, input?

Here's the car
 
A fixed back is really necessary for trackdays. Try to find a used sparco, you can get something thats expired from a track car. Fiberglass > tubeframe seat.


What oil cooler do you have? Stock radiator is fine.
 
What track? ORP will kill brakes and tires if you're really going for it. PIR is much more forgiving.
On the track, you can starve the engine of oil under hard braking and turning. Over filling it with a 1/2-1qt of oil is a cheap fix.

Car seems to be pretty sorted except for brakes. Simple cooling ducts (hose) to the front and some better pads will help.
 
A fixed back is really necessary for trackdays. Try to find a used sparco, you can get something thats expired from a track car. Fiberglass > tubeframe seat.

But it's so much more fun to be flopping around inside the car.
 
Put good brake pads in it. We ran blue Hawk road race pads. Not the dual duty stuff. Beyond that, don't spend any more money on the car. Spend money on track time so the driver improves.
 
Are you bringing your car out to the Autocross this weekend? I race with this club as well as a few others. I encourage you to join us Sunday. It is a fun group to run with. This Sunday we are at McKay High School right off of Lancaster Drive in Salem. It won't get any closer than that.

http://www.wmclub.org/schedule/
 
Are you bringing your car out to the Autocross this weekend? I race with this club as well as a few others. I encourage you to join us Sunday. It is a fun group to run with. This Sunday we are at McKay High School right off of Lancaster Drive in Salem. It won't get any closer than that.

http://www.wmclub.org/schedule/

Do this!! Find an SCCA autocross or another grassroots event, go check it out, and sign up!

For the first couple events, find someone you trust at the event that has experience at autocross/track days to possibly pull double driving duty in your car.

This does a couple things, you get an experienced driver to watch, and they can give you pointers in real time, as well as alert you to any issues with the car that you may not even be aware of (that squishy brake pedal we learn to live with? That's actually an issue elsewhere....)


I learned tons from Autocross, keeping your eyes up is one of the more important tips, and I apply it to everyday driving, Road stuff, and dirt oval racing.
 
+1 to getting a sport seat of some sort. I feel like seating position and overall driver comfort/vision is one of the most important things if you are trying to focus on driving your best. Things that go along with this - getting a comfortable helmet, wearing comfortable shoes, being hydrated beforehand, eating good food before, etc.

I believe the stock oil cooler and stock radiator are totally up to snuff. The stock oil coolers are made by Setrab and are great units. I always had BMW trackday dorks at the old shop I worked at jonesing for my spare 240T oil coolers. On my Lemons car, with good airflow to the oil cooler it is extremely stable at 240 [ironic, huh] for stints up to two hours long.

I do run an oversized radiator from a Mustang [all aluminum] on that car but I have plenty of faith in the stock radiator, based off of past experience and with our other Lemons car [that does not put out as much heat without a turbo, however.] Just make sure the cooling system is nice and clean. I like keeping a spare water pump [and a thermostat] on hand just in case anything happens at the track. Spare hoses are good too.

I see you are running a Fuchs like wheel. I am also guessing you are running adapters. Two things here, one is that it is always nice to have a completely different set of wheels for the track than what you run on the street. Tracking a car can be really tough on tires, so having an extra set of different wheels with some more aggressive rubber than what you might normally run on the street is nice so you have better grip on the track, and you don't destroy your street rubber.

It's up for debate, but personally I am not a fan of running wheel adapters on a track car. I did it anyways on one of the Lemons cars, and with everything torqued properly there were no issues. I just hate having thoughts in my head on the track like "How are the wheel bearings holding up to that load?! Are these ****ers gonna snap any second?" when I am on the track when I should be focused on what is going on around me :-P

Also, brake pads are really important as mentioned. I would invest in a good set, I like Porterfield R4's. You've got that nice GT airdam, so it would not be too hard to rig up some brake cooling ducts from that to the brake dust covers.

That just about covers it I feel like.
 
I appreciate the feedback!

I'll be tracking at The Thermal Club, we have a spot there, it'll be done next winter. Ideally I'll be able to drive the car down in Nov and leave it to track till I drive it back in Mar, or at least that's what I'm telling myself.

This isn't a "track day" type of thing, more of an evolution where I can be track in the winter, and still enjoy my car in the summer, maybe? I've done so much to the car already if it turns into my track whip I'm fine with that, I'll find another 245 to make into a daily.

My wheels and adapters are a point for sure, adapters are hubcentric, wheels are lugcentric which means I have to pay lots of attention to mounting them. Thermal will swap 4 tires for $60, not bad. I'd rather do it myself but alas I no longer have a tire machine. Since I have such small wheels I'm not opposed to better rubber when the time comes, also I'm not opposed to keeping slicks or track tires at our place.

Rear bar: I've seen lots of people ditch that for the track, the flat axle will articulate more and stay more planted, while a huge bar up front keeps it planted, no?

I have a 740 oil cooler and oil filter relocator, both of which I think are causing my huge oil leak problem . Needless to say it sounds like the cooler stays.

Autocross: I just opened a bicycle shop so I'm working the morning of the 29th! I'll try and swing by, does it go all day?? I need help fixing my simple oil stuff!
 
Here's some shots of the weekend
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Here's our car next to our buddies Singer
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how old is your brake system fluid??
i would say if it's older then 1 year flush it. That way you will also include proper system bleeding and you are sure the brake fluid is OK.
 
It was fresh as of 2016, so no, it needs to be flushed. Good thought on the brake fluid.

What about pads/rotors? I've got stock vented rotors up front. I have a RX7 kit in my parts bin, is that a good idea? I want to be able to keep my Fuchs if at all possible.
 
Perhaps more of a city traffic thing, but consider adding a SAAB tee in your bottom radiator hose, buy the 87/82 *C switch. Don't trust LH to keep your engine cool. Two center control wires (small) are just ground paths to select Low or High fan. Is your radiator large enough for the heat load?

Good luck.
 
Were did you see all those cars? Never seen a Singer in person.

Let me know if you race, I'll come watch.
 
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A number of people run sans rear bar. This typically promotes understeer in all situations but it also prevents the turn exit spins (of both the tires AND the car lol)

It can be beneficial for a novice I suppose... that said, it can be beneficial to learn when to saw the wheel and balance the power at the rear end as well.

This said... the 25mm bar at the rear is no joke. I've spent a fair amount of time going sideways, dealing with various definitions of over-steer. Putting a 25/25 on my 245 and I almost spun (dangerously spun btw) my car with a 50-60mph transition that required throttle modulation. I would suggest putting the stock bar back on in lieu of the 25mm until you find a desirable corner balance (like corner weights) FR for the car.
 
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