So you’ve signed up to drive on your first track day. Congratulations! Your very first racing experience is an exciting adventure that you will always remember. It’s not also uncommon for first-timers to have track day jitters.
To help calm your nerves, it’s always best to prepare for what’s coming as far as your car is concerned. You need your car to have optimal performance and to avoid being dead last.
Today, we’ll talk about some car tuning and racing preparation tips to help get your car ready for the big track day.
1. Install the Best Racing Brakes and Tires
Your car’s tires and brakes are two of the most essential components for daily driving, and they’re even more important when doing laps around the track. Tires are needed for traction and brakes are for slowing down and entering corners. You need the best racing tires and brakes to achieve a faster lap time and avoid premature wear and tear of the components.
If you want to be competitive on your first track day, bring upgraded brakes and tires to the race.
2. Get an Alignment
One of the best modifications that you can get for a racing car is an overall, factory-spec alignment. This makes your car’s alignment just the way the manufacturers intended.
Before going on your first race, take your car to an alignment shop. The technicians will check for things that have succumbed to wear or in the process of wearing out. They can inspect for things like leaking ball joints, poor wheel bearings, and movement in the tire rods – all of which can result in poor handling and will compromise your safety.
3. Get Rid of Unnecessary Weight
These days, cars come with plenty of bells and whistles. While these features are great for daily commute and family long drives, they do add a lot of unnecessary weight on the racing track. Removing unnecessary weight is one of the best racing tune-ups to cut some serious time off your laps.
Some of the things that you can remove are spare tires, personal effects in the glovebox, floor mats, air fresheners, pretty much everything that you don’t need on the track. To remove considerable weight, you can take out the passenger seats, AC core, cabin carpeting, and interior paneling.
4. Replace Worn Belts and Perform Car Tuning
Preparing your car to be race-ready means that you should be up to date with repair and maintenance.
To ensure that the engine is in good health, all fluids should be topped off to avoid potential failure while on the track. Additionally, inspect the accessory belts and replace them if there are any signs of wear. The last thing you want to happen while on the track is to cut the race short due to a snapped belt.
Are You Ready for Track Day?
With these car tuning tips, you should be on your way to enjoying your first race safely and confidently. Contact HG Performance for any preparation help and then take a deep breath and get ready to rule the road.