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      06-15-2019, 06:19 PM   #1
dradernh
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What Do You Take with You to the Track?

I don't know if this will be of interest to anyone, but I was inspired to take photos of the car loaded-up for a trip to the track by the 'Real Daily Driver' thread in the General Forum. This is a list of the main items I load into the car and take to the track:

Mounted Track Tires
Tire Inflator (bike pump, but soon a portable air compressor)
Jack (2-ton aluminum)
Jack Stands (2 X Esco "shorties")
Reverse Logic E88JPT Jack Pads (2)
Wheel Chocks (2)
Track Mat
Folding Creeper
24V Cordless Impact Wrench
Torque Wrenches (2)
Tool Bag (breaker bar, sockets, screw drivers, pliers, etc., etc.)
Gear Bag (helmet, HANS, race shoes, race gloves, Nomex socks)
Briefcase (event stuff, book, sunscreen, spare eyeglasses, etc.)
GoPro (incl. spare batteries, alternate backs, etc.)
AiM Solo (the original, basic unit)
17” Laptop
Sennheiser HD 600 Headphones (in a box)
Small Plastic Box (communicators (3) & assoc. stuff)
Medium Plastic Box (folded clothing, Dopp kit, other personal items)
Large Plastic Box (fluids, rags, outlet strip & ext. cord, etc., etc.)
28-Qt. Cooler
24-Pack of Bottled Water
Work Boots
Garment Bag (rain suit, long-sleeved shirts, jackets w/diff. weights)
Camp Chair
24” Floor Push Broom
Whisk Broom and Dustpan
Moving Pads (2)

A hatchback would make the loading process easier, but that's a minor quibble - except when I'm bent over with my arms fully extended working to get the the tires or the jack into the exact position I need them so everything else will fit.

As you can see, there's still a decent amount of room left in the front passenger seating area - this car can really hold a lot of gear!

Gear Waiting to be Loaded


Trunk After Loading


Front Passenger Seat View


Front Driver's Seat View


Rear Seat View (holding mounted tires, unfolded creeper, briefcase, laptop, medium plastic box, etc.)


The Car Fully-Loaded with Gear
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Last edited by dradernh; 08-20-2019 at 08:27 AM..
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      06-15-2019, 09:35 PM   #2
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I'm really impressed that you got a set of tires in there, that must have been a work out. I know it may seem like sacrilege, but I'm definitely considering a Stealth Hitch for a bike rack. Yes, with enough rigamarole, I can get two bikes in the back, the car's capacity is pretty amazing. But the effort involved so frequently is getting old. (BTW, OneUp USA bike racks are the BMW equivalent)
Again, props for showcasing the 2 series versatility.
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      06-15-2019, 11:31 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dradernh View Post
I don't know if this will be of interest to anyone.
Definitely is, to me at least. Thanks for sharing.

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Originally Posted by dradernh View Post
... this car can really hold a lot of gear!
It sure can! I very often get: "You got all THIS out of THAT?!" (pointing at the pile of junk, then the car)

Your list looks very similar to mine. I generally skimp on the convenience items (water/coolers/clothes/chair/creeper) -- most of the tracks around here have decent clubhouses. I do make it up in extra tools / spares, though -- OTOH:
- spare brake pads
- a few spare studs
- cordless drill + left-handed bits + extractors (for the inevitably snapped studs)
- hammer (things sometimes need extra convincing)
- zip ties (very occasional drifter-stitching)
- IR thermometer
- pyrometer (though I rarely ever use it)
- masking tape
- small bag of running gear (because tracking just isn't enough as an obsessive hobby)

Fitting a full set of wheels has gotten much harder after putting in a roll bar and buckets. I can now only fit 2 in the back seat area -- then one in the trunk, one in the passenger seat. In my config, It's *almost* possible to leave a wheel between the driver's seat and the roll bar. I've done it once when I drove a passenger to the track with me -- but it required unbolting the fixed-mount seat, sticking the wheel in, and bolting it back up. Which took embarrassingly long to line up.

Also, I saw you mention HANS? That's an odd choice on collapsing seats with a 3-point belt. I thought a HANS needs good pressure on both sides to do anything?
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      06-16-2019, 01:31 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by Useless Comment View Post
I'm really impressed that you got a set of tires in there, that must have been a work out. I know it may seem like sacrilege, but I'm definitely considering a Stealth Hitch for a bike rack. Yes, with enough rigamarole, I can get two bikes in the back, the car's capacity is pretty amazing. But the effort involved so frequently is getting old. (BTW, OneUp USA bike racks are the BMW equivalent)
Again, props for showcasing the 2 series versatility.
It's work, all right, esp. for this just-about-71-year-old. Faced with doing the lifting and bending or not going, I just do it. The first day at the track is a slow one for me, though.

The Stealth Hitch makes perfect sense to me. I use the wife's Mazda 3 hatchback to carry my bike as it's much easier to load the bike into than the M240i would be.

Below is an engineering drawing of a trailer from Leroy Engineering I've considered for carrying both tires and the bike to the track. It's a very well-engineered trailer, and with all the bells and whistles it specs out to (IIRC) something like $3K. Instead, I decided to keep on lifting and forego the bike at the track.



Quote:
Originally Posted by msendit View Post
- spare brake pads
- hammer (things sometimes need extra convincing)
- zip ties (very occasional drifter-stitching)
- IR thermometer
- pyrometer (though I rarely ever use it)
- masking tape

Fitting a full set of wheels has gotten much harder after putting in a roll bar and buckets.

Also, I saw you mention HANS? That's an odd choice on collapsing seats with a 3-point belt. I thought a HANS needs good pressure on both sides to do anything?
I carry those items - they're in the large plastic bin. It's heavy and unwieldy enough that I almost can't lift it into the trunk.

I wouldn't mind having a roll bar and buckets, but I don't think I'll end up using this car at the track enough to justify them. The 4-point belts hold me in place very well, and so I at least get that same benefit the chair and harness bar would provide.

I'm using Schroth's Quick Fit Pro. It's designed to be used with a HANS device while riding on an OEM chair: https://www.hmsmotorsport.com/produc...ckfit-pro#3317. I feel lucky that Schroth makes this unit, as I wouldn't be running this car with just a 3-point belt. Installing chairs and a rollbar would have been a significant additional expense for the total of nine events at which I expect to end up having run this car. As it is, my cost is running at $442/day all-in.
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Last edited by dradernh; 06-16-2019 at 01:39 PM..
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      06-26-2019, 07:52 PM   #5
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drader,

We had a custom hitch and trailer designed for my father's C5 Z06 which hauled the Hoosiers, Tools, etc. when we went to the track. It was a wicked cool setup. Very similar to your drawing.

The only drawback was potential theft, which we countered with a very robust design. I always thought it was cool to drive a Vette and haul a trailer behind it. Got a lot of funny looks...

Great list. I am getting back into tracking my car and it is very helpful. Thank you.

Impressive packing factor though on your M240. Very well done and most helpful!
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      06-26-2019, 07:55 PM   #6
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One more comment,

Years ago when I was rallying a great deal, I actually had spare tires and wheels on the roof of my car. Being a privateer, no factory support but that might another solution to the packing dilemma.
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      06-26-2019, 10:43 PM   #7
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dradernh That is some impressive packing. (And I'm referred to as the 'superior packer' in my family, so that is high praise. ) I can't quite see with the moving blanket, but are you setting the tires upright, four across, in the back seat? Or are you setting them flat, two high, two wide?

The track event coordinator in my club drives an M2, and he has a trailer very similar to what you're showing for his Hoosiers. He also has a ton of other gear, including two pop-up canopies in his car, so he needed the trailer for the tires. He loves it.

Unicorn123 Another guy with an E46 M3 in our club does the roof rack thing with his car. He doesn't bother to pull the rack off for the weekend. I think he leaves it on just to amuse people.

At this point I'm still just driving my RS4's to the track. I could squeeze them in the rear seat, but that's starting to seem like a lot of effort, and they work fine on the street for driving there. And not having to swap wheels is one less thing to mess with at the track.
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      06-27-2019, 11:18 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Unicorn123 View Post
One more comment,

Years ago when I was rallying a great deal, I actually had spare tires and wheels on the roof of my car. Being a privateer, no factory support but that might another solution to the packing dilemma.
This is how a fellow member of the Boston Chapter brings his tires to the track in the fashion you're describing: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...6#post14180956.

I'm afraid I'm a couple of decades beyond thinking I'd be successful getting tires up onto a roof rack without something going wrong.


Quote:
Originally Posted by ggggbmw View Post
I can't quite see with the moving blanket, but are you setting the tires upright, four across, in the back seat? Or are you setting them flat, two high, two wide?
I stand them upright, tread-to-tread as in the photo below. The backseat area is just wide enough to do this. The pair in the back have the barrels towards the trunk area, and the pair in front have the barrels towards the front seats so the creeper's casters can sit inside them.

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      06-27-2019, 03:50 PM   #9
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drader,

Looking at that Coupe with the tires on it made me burst out laughing. That does not look very stable but it only looks like tires without the wheel so perhaps this is OK for a short trip with some good straps.

My rig was two steel racks with a 3/4" marine plywood deck and 1/2" threaded rod with steel caps running up through the wheel hub location (and big-ass washers / aluminum plate on the underside of the plywood). Not pretty but extremely sturdy, the only disadvantage was the increase in the center of gravity that made the car a little more tippy. I typically lost a tire or two per event. Bought a lot of used tires...but the factory sponsored cars stopped laughing when we made the podium at the end...

Being only 68.75" tall (physical last week, I apparently grew an inch in my 50's) I am not necessarily advocating the roof rack, only presenting an option. I understand your trepidation...
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      06-27-2019, 07:01 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Unicorn123 View Post
Looking at that Coupe with the tires on it made me burst out laughing. That does not look very stable but it only looks like tires without the wheel so perhaps this is OK for a short trip with some good straps.
Yeah, I agree. I should have searched further for a more accurate photo, because I'm certain that he came to the track with his tires oriented 90° from how they're shown in that photo. Plus, they were mounted. Given the number of events and the distances he's traveled to events over the years, they must be very stable on whatever rack he's got up there.

Oh well, at least the Evergreen color is correct!
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      06-30-2019, 10:24 AM   #11
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I've seen several pictures of 911's with this type roof-rack, and it always brings a smile (I think of it as Kombi-style, from all those African adventure shows in my youth). Probably an effective tactic, but I can't help picturing a nightmarish panic-stop that dumps e/t on the hood. But no need for that - your 3-D clown-car packing job has inspired me that I'm nowhere near the limits of inside space.
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      08-20-2019, 08:29 AM   #12
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Appended a photo to post #1 showing how the car sits when it's fully-loaded.
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      04-14-2020, 02:27 PM   #13
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I'm bias but the Milwaukee Tool Pack Out Rollers are awesome track day boxes.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwauke...8426/303005865
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      04-16-2020, 04:52 PM   #14
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Lmao jesus man, literally every time i go, i just take; a torque wrench, a quart of oil, my impact gun, obd2 scanner and a foldable chair lmao. and i go like once a month hahahahah
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      04-16-2020, 05:19 PM   #15
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Riiiiiiight....lmao for sure. torque wrench and impact gun - useful combo there. And no tire pressure gauge - is that b/c the go karts don't have any way to check tire pressure?
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      04-16-2020, 05:26 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by f22_shayan View Post
Lmao jesus man, literally every time i go, i just take; a torque wrench, a quart of oil, my impact gun, obd2 scanner and a foldable chair lmao. and i go like once a month hahahahah
You're that guy sitting with a bunch of others in your chairs with drinks in your hands talking about the top speed you hit on the fastest straight, right?

You may feel that you go to the track quite a bit, and that's fine. The curious driver might inquire as to why another would take all that gear with him. Just a thought.

Whatever. Thanks for sharing.

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Originally Posted by Maynard View Post
Riiiiiiight....lmao for sure. torque wrench and impact gun - useful combo there. And no tire pressure gauge - is that b/c the go karts don't have any way to check tire pressure?
I suspect it's cause he's the sort of driver that walks around borrowing everything else he should have brought with him. I mean, if you brought the OBD2 scanner with you, you're like ¾ of the way there, right!
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      04-20-2020, 09:20 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dradernh View Post
You're that guy sitting with a bunch of others in your chairs with drinks in your hands talking about the top speed you hit on the fastest straight, right?

You may feel that you go to the track quite a bit, and that's fine. The curious driver might inquire as to why another would take all that gear with him. Just a thought.

Whatever. Thanks for sharing.


I suspect it's cause he's the sort of driver that walks around borrowing everything else he should have brought with him. I mean, if you brought the OBD2 scanner with you, you're like ¾ of the way there, right!
lmao someone gets real touchy real fast huh. But you're right, if i wanna be fast at the track, ima just take my whole garage with me and set up like a full blown race team lmaoo.
But seriously man, tbh after I started taking my C7 to the track instead of the BMW the car just has so many less potential issues so i dont really need to take as much with me anymore
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      04-21-2020, 09:05 AM   #18
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Careful, those c7 drivers are the real tough guys. They can set that track handling package and it will drive better than even a pro. They just putter about thru the turns in the wrong lines just to be nice to us peons in unreliable underpowererd little econoboxes. And anybody who says the c7 doesn't need as many parts must be staying well away from the limits.
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      04-21-2020, 01:09 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maynard View Post


Careful, those c7 drivers are the real tough guys. They can set that track handling package and it will drive better than even a pro. They just putter about thru the turns in the wrong lines just to be nice to us peons in unreliable underpowererd little econoboxes. And anybody who says the c7 doesn't need as many parts must be staying well away from the limits.
Thanks, I certainly needed the reminder, didn't I; the kids can still get to me sometimes!

And yeah, it's been my observation that the more capable (and, sometimes, expensive) the car the less the owners are willing get anywhere near the edges of the track. It can look like they're out driving on a country road. I've been fortunate not to have any students in that category.
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      04-21-2020, 04:44 PM   #20
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I recently read an editorial in one of the mags by an established instructor who was getting out of instructing for that reason - used to be that entry-, or even mid-level cars were NA, lucky to be putting out 250-300 whp. Now anybody with credit can show up for their first track day in a 4-500hp car that is easily capable of 120+ on straights, and it really ups the ante in terms of safety concerns (especially given the fragility of the brakes on some of them).
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      04-21-2020, 06:18 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maynard View Post
I recently read an editorial in one of the mags by an established instructor who was getting out of instructing for that reason - used to be that entry-, or even mid-level cars were NA, lucky to be putting out 250-300 whp. Now anybody with credit can show up for their first track day in a 4-500hp car that is easily capable of 120+ on straights, and it really ups the ante in terms of safety concerns (especially given the fragility of the brakes on some of them).
Yeah, there's a phenomenon known as things going way too fast. Novice and intermediate drivers experiencing that are like skiers going down slopes they have no business being on in the first place.

One thing that's nice about BMW events is that with the club's clear and stated purpose of instructing and training drivers to be capable at track driving they don't generally attract the type of driver who comes out just to run and gun.

Even with that focus, wrecks still happen, and on Northeast tracks with all their Armco and other immovable barriers it doesn't take much of a hit at all to really ruin a driver's day. I spun off the track once while going maybe 40 MPH, and I still managed to do $4,500 worth of damage setting the car up perfectly sideways against Jersey barriers. I wasn't moving very fast at all when I made contact, and I judged it to be a pretty good save compared to if I'd gone in nose first. I was very happy the bill wasn't a multiple of what it was. Still, I'd dearly love to have that $4,500 back!
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Last edited by dradernh; 04-21-2020 at 06:26 PM..
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Maynard3804.50
      04-21-2020, 08:06 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maynard View Post
I recently read an editorial in one of the mags by an established instructor who was getting out of instructing for that reason - used to be that entry-, or even mid-level cars were NA, lucky to be putting out 250-300 whp. Now anybody with credit can show up for their first track day in a 4-500hp car that is easily capable of 120+ on straights, and it really ups the ante in terms of safety concerns (especially given the fragility of the brakes on some of them).
Another issue is that the faster cars these days are capable of brutal g-forces if driven hard. Many instructors in our club prefer the newer drivers and less advanced / slower cars so they aren't as beat up at the end of the day.
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