**i'm dictating this as well as i can, don't take my word for it, though, read your own manual and be responsible for your own stuff**
i think most of us have heard that al oppenheimer stated "if you keep your car stock, yet it breaks at the track, we'll cover it under warranty!" but of course we must follow the protocol outlined for us so i wanted to put it together for those guys who may have *ahem* lost their manuals. i've seen a little of this info around by reading through various threads but i wanted to put it all in one thread to help keep our cars covered under warranty.
Regarding track events and competitive driving i read a couple things that may be of interest:
pages 197-201 for those of you following along at home:
engine oil:
2.0L engine: keep the oil at or near 1L above the upper mark on the engine oil dipstick which shows proper range.
6.2L engine: change oil to 0w-40 or 5W-40 that meets dexos2 specifications (if that's not available use: valvoline synpower mst 5w-40, mobil 1 esp formula m 5w-40).
auto tranny: have transmission fluid set to track specific oil level prior to track usage...change after 30hrs track usage...sets/changes should be performed at dealer
rear axle fluid: axel must have 1,500 mi before track driving ... drain and refill after the first racing or competitive event and then every 24hrs of racing/competitive driving. [*note* on page 208 in the break-in area, it states: "should the vehicle be used for racing or competitive driving (after break-in), the rear axel lubricant must be replaced before hand." this seems like a direct contradiction with what's being said in the track section... not sure if i should replace it before or after my first event....)
brake fluid: dry boinling point of fluid should be >534F ...
"do not use silicone or DOT-5 brake fluids" ... i'm not an engineer, so i can't discuss this, but it's very clear that it says not to use the stuff... someone in another thread was advising a guy to use DOT-5...based on this, i won't be using it.
brake burnishing: it's the most extensive pad-bedding i've ever seen... with
new pads (<200mi), brake at 0.4g from 60mph to 30mph 25 times!! with 0.6mi between applications; then, for 25more times
brake at 0.8g from 60mph to 15mph without ABS activation, again with 0.6mi between applications, drive for 10mi at 60mph without touching the brakes, then brake 25 more times from 60mph to 30mph at 0.4g with 0.6mi between applications!! if you have more than 200 miles on your pads, you can skip the first section.
so that means, with new pads you're basically driving
55+ miles (minus the actual braking distances), and with "used brakes" with over 200mi on them...
you're at 40+ minus braking distances. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!? come on guys... show of hands.... who has done this? and did you get a good GoPro vid of it? mind...blown.
front tire deflectors, lower control arm deflectors, and disc splash shields (SS only): detailed info on how to replace the standard shields with the track-day shields including the proper torque of the bolts. (if someone does this and has photos that'd be awesome!)
this is all i've come up with so far. i just thought some guys might want to see this and make sure you cross your Ts and dot your Is... most of it makes sense to me except the crazy brake pad bedding procedure and the recommendation on rear axle lube swap timing.
hopefully someone will search at some point and find this useful!
Can't wait to get my car on the track but it looks like i have a little work to do to get it ready even though i'm taking it bone stock!