Trackday advice

[gh172]

I haven't had my 172 on track yet but I'm thinking about it (got one booked actually)...

I've done plenty of trackdays before but TBH I was using a more track-oriented car and there was never any issue with mechanical wear and tear. OTOH my 172 is pretty much mint and I don't want to destroy it or de-value it through track use.

I know there's plenty of folks on here who use their Clios on track. I'd appreciate any experiences on how the car stood up to track use, e.g. did things start rattling/falling off, do you end up covered in stone chips, what's the impact on lifetime of tyres, brakes etc. ??

In my old car I could nail it all day, using every kerb etc and the impact was non-existent. Bit worried that I'll just go out and drive the same way in the 172

Cheers,
Gareth

 

[y0z2a]

no stone chips normally

tyres - take a beating if you don't look after the pressures

brakes (standard) will be mullered if you drive at full chat for more than 15 minutes at a time

brakes (uprated) are more abrasive, so will wear quicker, but will put up with abuse for much longer.

Brakes - I get about 8,000 miles or 6/7 trackdays and 3000 miles out of my uprated brakes.

things that can break - engine mounts - but these break on the road, things like driveshafts (if the car has 30,000 - 50,000 miles hard usage)

gearbox is probably the weakest link on the car if you are pushing it and not heel and toeing on the downshifts.

/y0z

 

[gh172]

Cheers y0z

Funnily enough, engine mount is the only thing that broke on my last car, but only because I didn't check the bolts often enough. Is it something you can actively prevent by a bit of spannering before going on track?

Brakes are standard rear, Tarox pads and grooved disks front.

Gearbox is brand new, so I'm treating it gently anyway.

G

 

[Martin_172]

K-Tec do uprated engine mount bushes for the 172 for £37 LINK if ur interested

 

[gh172]

K-Tec do uprated engine mount bushes for the 172 for £37 LINK if ur interested

Cheers - do you know if they're any good? Arguably they'd stress the mounts more if they allow less movement...