seapar

State Farm and others as well vary in their coverage concerning DE events. You need to check with your carrier in your state to be sure. Be aware others have been dropped from their policies just for inquiring. Just saying others have posted this.

DC640

My first day at the track was addictive and I never wish I went. about a year later... Spent 25k so far on all kind of safety/performance upgrades and now I'm getting trailer and I realize... This is the greatest thing next to drug addiction =)

All jokes aside, main thing is that you enjoy. Don't worry what the Jones have. Kinda. U will want their stuff. But learn the car, get instruction/coaching, have fun and be Safe. Safety is always number 1 thing I believe. Go home in one piece and enjoy in good health.

jhg41977

The most expensive part so far has been a small case of GT3 envy.

bluecrab

For me, I find it hard to add up costs of consumables (brakes / tires) and allocate that to each event.

Typically, the cost per event for me is between 400-450 dollars. 300 for the event, 100-150 max in gas. I own my own helmet now (super smart and easy investment).

I am not sure what my wear level for brakes and tires will be in this car. I tend to like to run extreme summer tires on this car for street and track. I run re11 but examples are ad08 and rs3 tires as well. I find that these have excellent wear and manners on the street, but also perform AND wear much better than something like a ps2 on the track. I feel like I almost corded my stock ps2 from one track weekend, though it was super hot outside. For brakes, I just flushed with SRF and will be adding PFC 08 brake pads to use on the street and track. I am anxious to see how long they will last.

For brake pads, stick with stock for now, but flush the fluid out with something like Castrol SRF.

For now, you wont be driving fast or hard enough to put a ton of wear on your brakes or tires, so just make sure everything is in good shape, and have fun.

The above that I posted is just an example of how you can set the car up for HPDE and DD duties without too many compromises.

For reference, I am only a blue solo level driver, so intermediate level having done 8 total days on track. Far less advanced than many on this forum, but closer to your level and recently having made the transition to frequent HPDE driver.

TXE36

One of my acquaintances is testing this right now. Car is a mess and obviously totaled.

The risk element is there. In 4 years I've seen 5 cars totaled at DE events I've attended in the Blue through Red run groups. Our local PCA run groups go Green (newbie) to Red (instructor). Nobody has been seriously hurt.

In one case, the driver was having obvious trouble controlling the car before rolling it (likely avoidable).

Another two cases, the cars caught fire. (likely not avoidable)

Another case, the driver pinched the corner and lifted, departing the racing surface and hitting a wall. (likely avoidable)

Final case was an agricultural excursion that ended in a roll over. (maybe avoidable)

I've had a close call with my E36 that ended with me parking it between the flagger's truck and the T8 flag station at TWS due to fluids on the track.

I'm not saying this to scare you and the events I've attended have been very safe, but stuff does happen on the race track. Generally speaking, don't take a car to the track that you can't afford to lose. Insurance can mitigate that. Also, you are not likely to have damage at your first DE in Green - speeds are lower and there is lots of supervision.

Oh, and as Mike G. said, don't ever add up how much you spend. If it works for congress, it can work for us.

-Mike

leejo

Personally, I use a simple method to decide if I want to buy insurance: if I can't afford to write the check, I need the insurance. There is a 0% chance that I would drive my car at a DE event without proper insurance

With regard to adding up the expenses, I'm really just trying to understand the additional wear and tear impact - not nickel and dime myself out of a good time. I WILL do a DE event, or 20, but I need to have a good ballpark understanding of the overall costs, which several here have provided, so i can manage the CFO's expectations...

Thanks again!

TXE36

Just as a data point, my first two DEs were done with my daily driver, a 2003 Jaguar XJR with factory Brembo brakes.

Tires were reasonably new.
Brake rotors needed replacement and were replaced.
Replaced pads with stock brake pads.
Replaced the brake fluid.
Oil change schedule unchanged from street driving, every 5k miles.

First DE was Sept 2009, second was Oct 2009. Tires lasted until June 2011 when I ran it on the track one day when the M3 blew a head gasket. Tires needed replacement before the track day. Still running the same rotors and brake pads. I daily drive this car - you can see the track wear wasn't much.

In other words, wear and tear from a couple of beginner DEs isn't much and buried in the noise. I ran insurance in the beginning, about $125 for $12K of coverage.

That said, my XJR will never see the track again. It's too nice a car and too hard to replace. However, it is perfectly reasonable to dip one's toe in the water with a daily driver in good condition. If the bug takes, then one can decide how to proceed.

Now I'm going to violate the "add it up rule" and summarize my M3 expenses:

2-3 oil changes a year ~$60 each
2 sets of tires a year ~$600 each
1 set of brakes a year $550 for 4 wheels
3 brake fluid changes ~$20 each

I do about 10 events a year @~$2000, so that's $200 per event for car consumables. I typically burn 90 gallons of fuel between driving to/from and on track, so $320 for gas. I typically do not stay in a hotel. Track fees are about $300. So that's $200 + $320 + $300 = $820 per event.

I do all my own wrenching and the M3 is cheap to run (a full set of rotors is $200). I go through about $1250 a year in repairs and upgrades on average. Some years are much better than others. It helps being a professional tightwad.

There are lots of options. My first instructor used to drive a P-car on the track and now has a Spec Miata. The reason: he could DE the Miata all year long for the cost of one set of tires for the P-car.

The moral of the story, you can do this for just about any budget, but figure at least $800 per event. The top end is practically unlimited. There is truth to the saying that a track habit can make a heroin addiction seem like a vague taste for something salty .

-Mike

leejo

Great info. Thanks!

LuigiVampa

My first track day was with my eight year old daily driver - Audi A4 with tall all-weather tires. I screeched so much going around each turn I sounded like a 1970s cops and robbers movie.

About the third track day I had new wheels and tires.

Fourth track day the back seat and much of the interior went in the garbage.

Then came a larger intercooler, chip, stainless steel exhaust, new suspension, fatter sway bars, new gauges, rip out more of the interior, another set of tires, racing shoes, gloves, new helmet, harness bar, harness, cold air intake, a lift in the garage, a trailer, more tools than I previously owned, and the list goes on and on.

Then, I decided to buy a Porsche and everything got really expensive. Its really a mental condition masquerading as a hobby.

jhg41977

I made 6 days before I got the strut brace, 12 before I added the rollbar, harnesses and hans.

danielyonker

Regarding sliding around in the seat with a 3-point harness: get positioned in the vehicle with your belt on, making sure you are the proper distance from the pedals/wheel (closer than street driving and perhaps closer than you feel comfortable). Slide the seat back on the rails 3-4 inches past where you should be, and let the belt adjust accordingly. Next, put tension on the belt quickly so that it locks in place. Keepin tension on the belt, slide your seat up to the original position. This will essentially create tension on the belt that you would not otherwise be able to achieve, thereby helping to clamp you in the seat and keep you stable.

The best option, assuming you keep at it, is to get harness and roll bar as soon as possible.

Enjoy!

mrbill_fl

I've used those seatbelt locking clips, or a torso strap can also help keep you in the seat. if you only have 3 point belts.


A lot of guys start out in their daily driver, then move to a dedicated track/race car that is cheaper and safer.