Hey everyone, I'm new to the forums. I'm currently in the market for a Z. I've been thinking about making a track car for a few years and figured now would be a good time.
My budget is around $12-15K, including price of the car and any basic upgrades (I will need aftermarket seats - stock seats hurt my lower back.)
I don't need to be the fastest guy around the track, but I do want to be safe about it.
What would be the minimum I would need to do to take a stock Z around the track for some enjoyable weekends?
With my research I've come up with the following - performance brake pads, high temp motor oil, oil cooler (?), new tires.
Anything I'm missing?
I can always add more stuff later - just looking for the most basic needs right now.
Thanks!

 

Driver mod

 

Yeah, for sure. Totally agree about driver mod. I just read some things online about track car safety so I don’t destroy the car. That’s why I was asking about minimal things I should check/fix/replace on the car so I can drive it there and drive it home! I didn’t mean actual mods to the car. Thanks for the reply.

 

Agreed on the driver mod!

Really, I'd suggest some good somewhat heat-resistant brake pads (Hawk HP+ are my choice for now), and flush the brake fluid with something higher temp, like ATE Type 200 or Motul RBF600.

Other than that, seat time, seat time, seat time.

OP, is this the first performance driving you'd be doing...?

 

Depending on the year and condition of the Z you buy, some of that budget will be needed just to bring it back to spec. For example, the early 03-05 Z33 base, enthusiast, performance and touring models had the smallest disc brake packages. The rear brakes tended to be toast before lunch at our Nissan Sport track days. Brakes are the limiting factor in your track time and fun. Consider upgrading to a BBK, either Brembos or Akebonos are affordable with better lines and fluid. All new fluids are mandatory for a 20-year old car, but let's continue this discussion in this thread.

 

agreed with dk, brakes are a huge part. Upgrade those and get some good 100-200 treadwear tires. Then do safety, seats, harnesses, roll bar and give it hell!

 

Yes - this will be my first time on a track for performance driving. I have 2 tracks about an hour from me and there are several HPDE track day groups that offer instructor-led racing for beginners like me. They require instructors in the car with me full-time for the first 4-5 track days until they consider me ready enough to drive alone. Then they have 3-4 driving group levels depending on track experience and driving capabilities.

At this time, I don't know if I want the car to be 100% dedicated to tracking - but it will be mostly for tracking purposes. Do you think a roll bar is necessary at this time? The car needs to be street legal as well because I will always be driving this car to and from the tracks.


I've been reading up a little bit about consumables and just monthly expenses for a 350Z track car. Given the car is heavy and 300 HP, I've read it's more expensive to upkeep these cars then lighter, less HP cars.
In your experiences, what should I be expecting? How much are you all spending per year to maintain the cars?
Excluding HPDE fees and gas - tires, brakes, fluids, etc. I'm prepared to pay about $3000-5000 yearly for 12-15 track days. Is that reasonable? (This is after the initial investment to get the car prepared for tracking)
I've always wanted a Z - so hopefully I can make this work, or I may need to look for a different car with less maintenance costs.

 

Comparing to my previous Audi track car and my Boxster the 350Z is a bargain when it comes to maintainance and part pricing. There is a huge selection of parts, but you'll want to do your homework so that you buy parts that will hold up to track duty. Your costs will be event fees - $200-250 per day, so at least $3k for 15 days alone, tires - aggressive street tires say $1k per year, fuel - usually a tankfull per track day plus whatever you burn getting there, for 15 days probably another $1k. There is your 5k budget already, and you haven't bought any brakes or fluids, much less any upgrades to the car or fixes for anything that fails, and things will fail on a car that's getting close to 20 years old. I'm not trying to discourage you, I'm just saying that for a 15 day/year schedule you'll need to at least double your budget. Good news is that at that pace you could become an instructor yourself after 2-3 seasons and then your entry costs are greatly reduced in exchange for your time and expertise.

As far as initial prep goes you want to buy a car in best mechanical shape you can find and even then you'll want to go thru it and replace anything that might've deteriorated over the years, such as hoses, brake lines, belts, rubber mounts and bushings, etc. You'll also want to either get a model with upgraded brakes or upgrade them yourself asap. The rear brakes on base model do fail, ask me how I know. And you'll want to upgrade cooling, both upgraded radiator as well as a large oil cooler.

 

well said Dr. I agree. for example I just went to VIR in march, I spent $350 on a 2 nights a hotel, $500 for 2 day hpde 2, $100 in diesel to get there with the truck and trailer and another $100 or so on fuel for the Z. Another $100 or so in meals and beer so it really adds up quick, and thats no cost of fluids and wear and tear on the car. So its basically a grand a weekend give or take. As far as the roll bar, Id wait for that until your in hpde2 solo and possibly make it a dedicated track car.

 

Appreciate the insight. I'll try my best to buy a car in the best mechanical shape - I may have to wait a bit for the right car. I am not counting event fees and fuel as part of my budget because without those costs nothing matters and there's no track driving. My $3-5K 'budget' is dedicated to maintenance only. So in your example, if we remove event fees and fuel (which is around $4k) then I might be able to get away with my initial yearly budget. If I go over the budget - so be it. I'll still have a blast driving! Your financial examples are very helpful in my research as I figure out this out - thanks!

 

You may also be able to save some $$$ at tracks by camping. I used to camp at Texas World Speedway for free, and they even had power hookups.

Most of the tracks in the SE allow some form of camping, which is typically cheaper than a hotel.

 

Yup, I stay in the trailer on most tracks. With electrical hookup I have heat, a/c, lights, a microwave and an air bed. Quite comfy and a lot cheaper than renting rooms (once the trailer is paid for).

 

yea alot of people camp to save cost, definitely a good option if your on a budget or like camping!

 

Dot4 brake fluid, quality brake pads,and a front brake cooling kit. Honestly those three items are a must. Probably an oil cooler kit from z1 Motorsport a or equivalent as well.

 

Big +1 on all the fluids being replaced before any track use, including power steering fluid, and differential and gearbox oils.

You’re also going to want to go through the entire suspension and steering to check for loose fasteners, worn bushings, failing wheel bearings, stripped/galled studs, bad ball joints, torn CV boots, etc. As DK said, the platform is 20 years old and not all of them have seen regular maintenance. You don’t want to find out you should have replaced that ball joint when you enter a braking zone.

On the engine side, the regular maintenance items of an air filter, oil and filter change, spark plugs, a well-tied-down battery in good condition, and an alternator that’s working well will help stave off failures under track stress.

Throw in a fresh PCV valve to help fight the tendency for oil to fill the plug wells.

You don’t need the hottest 200 treadwear tire as you’re first starting, but you should be looking to put on quality, recent, rubber. Those all seasons with a build date of 2014 aren’t it if you’re looking at safety.

Other than that, grab a tote for your hand tools, torque wrench (for lug nuts), a spare quart of oil, some glass cleaner, some brake cleaner, rags, and tire pressure gauge and throw it in the back of the car with your helmet, lawn chair and small cooler full of snacks and hydration and you’re ready for your first track day.

Play safe!

 

all good info there!