Wear Items & Club Racing

[dtothepowerofp]

I've been BMW club racing for just over 3 years and I am curious to know from those with more experience than I have what the life span of certain items are. I know this is probably a very subjective and complicated topic since every part on a race car is a wear item and there are variables that are unknown but I need to ask what the "unwritten" policy is.

I have 2 sets of D-Force wheels that I bought new in March 08. Under close inspection they are in excellent condition but 2 of the 8 are very slightly bent. One was bent (08) hitting a curb on a warm up lap as my brakes were cold and everyone in front of me came to a stop. (That was close but I didn't hit the car in front) I don't know why the other one is bent. The wheels balance fine so they aren't out much. I'd rather be cautious and replace them before a problem.

My suspension is TC Kline DA's that were almost new when I got them. They seem to be in great working condition. No leaks or other reasons to believe there is a problem. Should I send them off to be checked?

I changed my front control arms and bushings last winter and all wheel bearings have been replaced each winter whether they showed signs of play or not. (Some did slightly)

Is there a rule of thumb in regards to wheels, shocks, control arms, etc? I'm sure I'm forgetting some things right now but these are parts that have been on my mind lately.

Muchos gracias,
Dan

[BobWright]

Whew......have you opened a can of worms here Mr. Parker !!!

[dtothepowerofp]

Ladies and gentlemen, I release your statements from any type of liability.

[RangerGress]

I'll dive in and provide a data point.

Replacing this stuff is more a matter of events rather then time. So it would be more useful if folks provided their answers in terms of events or state how many events they do.

I've been racing for 4yrs. I have some vague ideas as to a replacement schedule based on what other folks have written or said, but often things get replaced just because it was convenient at that time. Or I just felt like it. So my replacement schedule is entirely non-rigorous.

I do 14-18 events per year.

Oil, 10-15hrs.
Pads, when I don't think I can get another session out of them.
Rotors, when they have a crack that I can catch a finger nail in.
Front brake lines, 2yrs.
Rear brake lines, 3yrs.
Front bearings and studs, 2-3yrs.
Rear bearings and studs, 4yrs.
Control arms and tie rods, 4yrs
Shocks and struts, 3yrs
Wheels, haven't. But I have lots of wheels so wear is spread out.

Guys that have higher budgets replace things a lot more often. Many of them are doing fewer events than I, and are driving a long ways to do them. Therefore each event is a big deal so they spend more money to ensure that they don't have a failure that weekend. In contrast no one event is that big of a deal for me. If I have a failure at an event, assuming it didn't put me into a wall, someone will have the part if I didn't bring a spare. And chances are I can install it at the track. If the problem sends me home, that's not a crisis...... I don't pay any attention to accumulating race points and the beer & lies Saturday night is going to be the same fun whether the car ran fine or if I hosed 1 event of 18 because of a failed whatever.

[TOOLEAN]

Good post Ranger.

[dtothepowerofp]

Thanks Ranger! You are a voice of reason.

[jtower]

Thanks Ranger! You are a voice of reason.

repent! the end is nigh!

[BobWright]

repent! the end is nigh!

Now THIS is more like what I expected........

[BobWright]

Danny

I am planning on doing... 8-10 events per year

GOIng to do.....wheel studs every year ...cause I have already had them fail.
Wheel bearings, every 2 years.
engine oil, every 3 events
Diff and tranny, twice a year
Brake fluid..2-3 times a year
Shocks...thinking 3 years until rebuild
Bushings....heck, dont know.,..all are one season old now.
Guibo...every 2 years or less
power steering cooler line and hose, every couple years...cause the failure is awful when it happens.....
Ummmm, will keep thinking !

[dtothepowerofp]

Thanks Bob. We definitely change fluids at similar intervals. I figure a $2,500 diff can use a relatively inexpensive fluid change 2-3 times per year. That and I love the smell of diff fluid.

Does anyone throw away wheels that have 40+ events on them even if they appear to be ok with a visual inspection? Light weight and abused a lot more than most street wheels makes me think it's time to either sell them or toss them.

[TOOLEAN]

Does anyone throw away wheels that have 40+ events on them even if they appear to be ok with a visual inspection? Light weight and abused a lot more than most street wheels makes me think it's time to either sell them or toss them.

I wouldn't, personally. If they balance and have no visible damage I would run them all day.

I didn't see the following mentioned....
During a Pad or Pad/Rotor change I will always bleed and grease the pins. In fact those bleed screws are something I keep spares of because they eventually round over after so much use.

I was just talking to a local endurance team that runs an e36 2.8l in events like the 13hr VIR and they actually change Head Gaskets after each weekend. Could be a little on the conservative side but they have a very good track record.

I would be really interested to hear from folks like James Clay about their procedures.

[jcrist]

Thanks Ranger! You are a voice of reason.

AND he's expanding his garage, which means he may reduce the time span in some of those replacement windows....

[jcrist]

I wouldn't, personally. If they balance and have no visible damage I would run them all day.

I didn't see the following mentioned....
During a Pad or Pad/Rotor change I will always bleed and grease the pins. In fact those bleed screws are something I keep spares of because they eventually round over after so much use.

I was just talking to a local endurance team that runs an e36 2.8l in events like the 13hr VIR and they actually change Head Gaskets after each weekend. Could be a little on the conservative side but they have a very good track record.

I would be really interested to hear from folks like James Clay about their procedures.

In regards to White Lighting (the BW endurance car owned by Jason Marks) "never open a good running engine".

[BobWright]

HEAD GASKET !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I just went 5 years on one...........

But if I drove like Tim Smith......I could understand this.

[dtothepowerofp]

I've found if I park near the right people it's like having a spare car in my back pocket. Of course it's the items that should be tossed for the sake of safety and reliability that I'm more concerned about here.

[tammer]

Does anyone throw away wheels that have 40+ events on them even if they appear to be ok with a visual inspection? Light weight and abused a lot more than most street wheels makes me think it's time to either sell them or toss them.

I vote no. If you think about it, race wheels are lighter and perhaps more fragile, but they have an easier life. No potholes, construction zones, etc. Far fewer miles (you may run a few thousand miles per year on track, spread over 2-3 sets of wheels. Maybe 2k miles/year/wheel max?).

If you have a big agro or really nail a curb, then a close inspection is warranted and anything more than a minor bend should probably be grounds for tossing instead of repairing (or repair and make it a dedicated rain wheel, when you are less likely to be banging off curbs and forces/stress on the wheels are lower).

A wheel that's holding up through typical use with no signs of stress wouldn't worry me. I think it might be wise to check for lateral runout on all wheels after 40ish events, though. Wobbling is different from a bend in the barrel, and it's harder to detect.

-tammer

[kishg]

I'll dive in and provide a data point.

Replacing this stuff is more a matter of events rather then time. So it would be more useful if folks provided their answers in terms of events or state how many events they do.

I've been racing for 4yrs. I have some vague ideas as to a replacement schedule based on what other folks have written or said, but often things get replaced just because it was convenient at that time. Or I just felt like it. So my replacement schedule is entirely non-rigorous.

I do 14-18 events per year.

Oil, 10-15hrs.
Pads, when I don't think I can get another session out of them.
Rotors, when they have a crack that I can catch a finger nail in.
Front brake lines, 2yrs.
Rear brake lines, 3yrs.
Front bearings and studs, 2-3yrs.
Rear bearings and studs, 4yrs.
Control arms and tie rods, 4yrs
Shocks and struts, 3yrs
Wheels, haven't. But I have lots of wheels so wear is spread out.

Guys that have higher budgets replace things a lot more often. Many of them are doing fewer events than I, and are driving a long ways to do them. Therefore each event is a big deal so they spend more money to ensure that they don't have a failure that weekend. In contrast no one event is that big of a deal for me. If I have a failure at an event, assuming it didn't put me into a wall, someone will have the part if I didn't bring a spare. And chances are I can install it at the track. If the problem sends me home, that's not a crisis...... I don't pay any attention to accumulating race points and the beer & lies Saturday night is going to be the same fun whether the car ran fine or if I hosed 1 event of 18 because of a failed whatever.

you forgot engine replacements ranger :P

[RangerGress]

you forgot engine replacements ranger :P

My first inclination was to list a bi-monthly engine replacement cycle. But I am so prone to screw around and poke fun at everything, I thought that just this once I should try a serious answer.

[BobWright]

My first inclination was to list a bi-monthly engine replacement cycle. But I am so prone to screw around and poke fun at everything, I thought that just this once I should try a serious answer.

I failed yesterday too.......Anthony took my responses seriously......fool.

[TIATO]

For my typical 15-18 day test/racing season:

Air Filter - 1x season
Shocks - 3 season rebuild interval
Fr. Control Arms - Every 2 seasons
Engine Oil / filter - Every 6 track days
Trans Fluid - 1x season
Diff Fluid - 1x season
Fr. Pads (PF BBK) - 1x season
Rear Pads (PF BBK) - 2x season
PF Friction Disks - FR - Every 2 seasons
PF Friction Disks - RR - Every 4 seasons
PF Calipers - 3 years service interval
Trailing Arm Bushings - Every 3 seasons
Wheels - 3 season cycle out to street use
Wheel bearings - as needed
All suspension hardware (bolts, nuts, etc.) - 4 seasons or as needed
Clutch disk - Check every 2 seasons for wear
Flywheel friction surfaces - Check every 2 seasons for wear
Center Support bearing - as needed. Just replaced original (car is a '96)
Guibo - Every 2 seasons (depending on visual inspection).
Brake Flush - 2x season
Coolant Flush - 1x season
Critical suspension fastner check - before each event.
Nets: As required
Belts: As required

[TOOLEAN]

Great list Mario! Just curious, do you really wear your rear brake components twice as fast as your fronts or is that just your procedure?

[TIATO]

The rear pads wear roughly twice as fast as the front. They are significantly smaller than the front and do a lot of work keeping the rear of the car straight under heavy braking. Front and rear are PF06.

Rears are swapped out at 20% remaining. Interval wise I find it more natural to swap in new rear pads at season start and middle. As stated fronts last me a full season. As a matter of fact, I'm starting this season with last years set up for a 3 day (non race) event at the glen.

However I have noticed that since I had coaching last year, the pads are starting to wear a bit faster.

[gretzky]

Harmonic Balancer is a wear item. I change it every time my engine breaks. Seriously, check for any type of stress on the rubber. Every 3 yrs for me.

Dont forget window nets, an obvious wear item.

Kirk

[CP Louie]

Trust me you don't want my input..... Chris

[BobWright]

Trust me you don't want my input..... Chris

I have your Pretrip Inspection list framed on my wall....with an appropriate flood light to give the proper mood to the reader.......