Modifications Not (Really) Required for Track Days
Dispelling commonly held beliefs in the automotive community, one post at a time.
Whenever I talk to other car enthusiasts about track days, the conversation tends to play out in the same few ways. The most common sentiment is that going to the track sounds cool, but that their cars aren’t ready for a track day. This is usually followed by a long wishlist of modifications and upgrades that they think they “need” before it’s even possible to get a car on the race track.
To put it bluntly, it’s bullshit. As long as your car would pass a basic safety inspection (read: are the wheels going to fall off as soon as you start moving), it’s likely A-OK for track day work. Indeed, my favorite example is a novice driver who showed up to an autocross event in their automatic, base model Honda Fit. It had crummy, cheap tires, and was as stock as they come. However, despite his initial reservations about his car not being “fast enough,” I was able to coach him through a few laps and show that driving a slow car quickly is just as fun as driving a fast car quickly. Sometimes, it’s even more fun.
So, in kicking off Project Civic Si as my new track day fascination, I needed to get some baseline lap times with the car to understand what I was working with. There’s no point in throwing money and modifications at a car before you ever drive it, as who knows if you’re even fixing, or improving anything, or if there’s even anything that needs to be addressed, at all. Usually, the weakest link of a track day car is the squishy bit behind the steering wheel (that’s us).
However, before I go to the track, there are a few maintenance/safety-related items I wanted to address on the car. Here’s my extreme mod list for going to the race track:
I bled the brakes with Castrol SRF brake fluid (the best stuff in the biz)
I ensured my brake pads and rotors were in good shape (they were)
I did an oil change (it had been a while since the last one)
That’s it. Well, almost, because I did make one concession to this hardcore build and bought a set of new tires. I had been rolling around on some daily driver-friendly all-season rubber, and, to be frank, my pace is quick enough, and I drive cars hard enough to know that cheap, rock hard rubber simply would not be able to hang on the track.
The tires I choose were a set of Falken Azenis RT615K in the stock 215/45R17 size for the stock Si wheels. My selection was based on several factors. First is that the RT615K is considered an “Extreme Performance Summer Tire” with a 200 UTQG treadwear rating. This type of tire is road-legal, but geared for performance driving, and the 200 TW figure makes it legal for most street tire class competitive driving events, which makes them a common sight at any track event.
However, the Falkens are not the grippiest tire in the segment, not by a long shot. Super grippy tires often mask bad driving and bad car setup, so the Falkens should strike a good balance of longevity, durability, and grip for the beginning of this build.
Last but not least, the RT615K were on clearance at Tire Rack, having been superseded by the newer, faster RT615K+ tire model. Can’t beat $95 per tire.
That’s it. That’s my entire “mod list” for the beginning of Project Civic Si. Obviously, more is come as I develop the car, but that will have to wait until I get some seat time in the car and figure out what, if any, weak links the Civic Si has on track. So, stay tuned for the next episode where I head out to the Streets of Willow Springs to set some initial lap times.
