# First track day car: Advice wanted



## charlie13 (Mar 24, 2016)

Hello everyone,
As I said in my very short intro post I do not own a BMW but a 2013 Mustang GT which I love. I have been going to the local drag strip and racing my car for a while now which I enjoy. But after watching some old Top Gear UK episodes where the guys buy some beat up cheap cars and take them on a few track days I got to thinking "That looks like fun. I want to try it!" so here I am. I know I can just take my mustang out on a track day and have a great time, but I always wanted a project car to work on and take on the track without a real concern of totaling it. 
basically looking to have my mustang as a daily driver and occasional trips to the drag strip 
and a road legal but more tuned for the track BMW. The question now is which BMW should I get?
I am not that familiar with BMW's but from what I found so far the E36 3series/ M3 and possibly E46 3 series Maybe E46 M3?? would be my options for my budget of $10,000

Not being familiar with BMWs I do a few questions.
1.What would be the problem areas to address on my project car before taking it to the track?
2.What do I need to do to the car before being allowed on the track? 
Such as roll cage needed? like at the drag strip a roll cage is needed if your car is capable of 
a certain time 
Being my first time out on a track and since I am on a budget I don't need nor could I afford a 200mph legitimate race car 
3. So, what can I do to my project other than fix the problem areas? within budget of course

If I am missing anything from my Thread to help give the most helpful advice you can Please let me know 

Looking forward to hearing from Y'all


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## f1fan (Jun 22, 2007)

Ok, where to start***8230;***8230;. Research what you want to buy and what you want to do with it. Learn from others. There are all kinds of websites and organizations that do what you are thinking about doing. Buy a car that is already prepped for what you want to do. Rule of thumb, if you buy a $5000 track car you will end up spending another $5k to get it where you want to. $10k car, you may get lucky with little initial costs, but consumables are not cheap either, along with the new tools needed to work on the new ride. Buy a car that has a documented history and from an enthusiast. They will have done what should be done and tell you what still needs to be done. Any doubt, move on. The cars are out there. People get the itch for a different build/type of car all the time.

1. Safety 2. Suspension 3. Brakes 4. Tires

My car, like every other car, has its weak points and opportunities. The previous owner did a lot, but there is always something. The benefit of buying an older car like mine is that the threads on all the problem areas, products that work well, and lessons learned are endless. Read, read, read.

My $0.2 Good luck.


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## goddom (Feb 1, 2016)

Usually for track days you don't need a cage. So that's good. It just needs to be in good working order. You do need a helmet.

My focus would be on brakes. Make sure your brakes work. Bleed them before going. Know how to bleed them and come prepared to be able to bleed brakes at the track. If your tires aren't great - that doesn't matter as long as they have tread on them. In fact cheap tires for your first track event it probably a good thing - it will keep your speeds down and they scream more so you have a better idea when you are coming to the limit. Race tires don't have tread blocks so they are much quieter and you don't know you hit the limit until you loose traction.

I have an E36, apparently they are known to have week coolant systems. So make sure that is in order. 

I would do ZERO modifications to the car for starters. Make sure everything works and your suspension is in good shape but I would stick with a completely stock, nothing fancy suspension. It makes for a good baseline. After you get some track time and start pushing the limits of the car and are ready to go faster then you kind of have a better idea of which direction you want to go in terms of suspension upgrades. 

Have fun!


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## XKxRome0ox (Mar 3, 2003)

Any suggestions for helmet? 
Newbie here 
I don't want to break the bank 
But I do want a good helmet that will save my noggin


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## goddom (Feb 1, 2016)

Any SNELL rated helmet is fine. The questions you have to answer is if you plan to do racing in the future or ride in an open cockpit car. If yes, then get a closed face helmet with a visor. If not, then an open face is fine but I would get the one with the chin bar.

Helmets that I or a friends have that they liked are G-Force, Impact, Bell, and Simpson.

A note on ratings - SNELL 2010 is old, the new one is 2015. They update every 5 years so you can sometimes find good deals on the older helmets. Often race groups will be OK with helmets that are 10 years old. So the 2010 should be good until 2020-2021.

So I think any of those brands are pretty safe bets.

Look at Summitracing

also try Performance Bodies - they sell the Impact helmets at a resonable price it seems.

http://www.performancebodies.com/Pr...atid=79&categoryName= Impact Helmets &pid=638


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## XKxRome0ox (Mar 3, 2003)

Thanks for the response 
Wish I could have had the extra info earlier though 
I already ordered a HJC helmet (snell M2015 certified) because I wanted to get the helmet in time before Saturday
It's a motorcycle helmet actually, but it is allowed at the autocross and all the southern California track events

By the time I "graduate" to anything bigger that requires a SA2010 or SA2015 rating, I will have gotten plenty of use out of the HJC


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