Track Day Preparation

[Nocturnal005]

I am planning to finally take my 420R to the track, aiming for this fall. I finally have enough confidence in the build and have enough miles on everything to feel pretty good about things not falling off. I'm in the SF bay area so I am interested in running Laguna Seca and Sonoma raceway.

 

I did a few searches for track prep, but I didn't see a consolidated track preparation thread. I know these cars are already pretty well suited for the track, but there are always optimizations that can be made. IE addressing brakes seems to be a common theme. Figured it may be useful to put all recommendations in one place.

 

I do have a lot of auto-x and some intermediate track day experience, so I'm looking for more the 7 specific recommendations vs general "how do I start doing track days" input. 

 

Things I'm looking for recommendations on prior to heading out: 

- brakes: feels like the weak point of the car, generally lacking bite. I understand the rears tend to heat rapidly and chew through pads as well. Pad reccs w stock brake setup?

- alignment: is there a good track alignment starting point?

- sway bar settings: upgrade front to thicker optional bar? Rear bar settings that work the best?

- tires/tire pressure starting points (888R)

- cooling: car seems to have excess cooling - does it make sense to block off part of the oil cooler?

- any other unique things I should be aware of prior to running a 7 on the track?

 

 

[CarlB]

These cars do not need much. I would bleed the brakes to get fresh fluid. Set the alignment to 3 degrees of negative camber, 3 degrees of caster, and 1/16th total toe out. Make sure you do not have any toe out in the rear. Zero toe, to a little in, is what you want in the rear.  Starting tire pressure of 20 LBS, You can probably go down a little. These are very generic and will get you started. Brake pads are a personal thing as well. They have different characteristics and I would try what you have and then read about and try something else. The cars are really good the way they come. At some point you might want to change springs and bars, but again I would recommend you go drive it the way it is. As you get familiar with the car, it will tell you what it wants. Everyone's driving style is a little different.  

[Croc]

16 hours ago, Nocturnal005 said:

I did a few searches for track prep, but I didn't see a consolidated track preparation thread. 

 

I did draft one but then some person here stated he thought it was a great idea as he could then sue the club if he messed it up on track and that would pay for his repairs.  

 

Just confirms why we can no longer have nice things.

 

You can google and find the C&L7C version which by virtue of being located in the UK, can post such things publicly without fear of lawsuit.

 

16 hours ago, Nocturnal005 said:

I am interested in running Laguna Seca and Sonoma raceway.

 

One day I will do this - probably have to wait until I retire sadly.

 

I agree with Carl's observations - these cars are good out of the box from the factory following the standard specs.  There is a lot you can customize but you have to know where you are as a starting point.  It may be perfect just as it is. 

 

A note of caution - this thread will produce multiple differing recommendations that likely conflict with each other.  All reflect each person's own experience based on their context.  You should consider everything and make your own decision based on your own circumstances, environment, track condition, your own driver skill/comfort level and car condition on the day.  We will not be there to make the decision for you.  

 

 

16 hours ago, Nocturnal005 said:

....brakes: feels like the weak point of the car, generally lacking bite. I understand the rears tend to heat rapidly and chew through pads as well. 

 

I don't get this.  I never seem to have a brake problem and everyone else moans.  I suspect the answer is that I am dialed into the brakes on a Caterham.  

 

I think the problem is that most people are all dialed into power brakes and have never used manual braking systems before (or its been a long time since you last did).  Yes you will need a hefty foot press of the pedal to get bite but you will also need to have the foot/sensitivity to modulate the pedal pressure for things like heel/toe and trail braking application.  

 

To avoid heating brakes up you need short sharp braking applications and not long applications at only say 80% of pressure.  

 

Make sure your brake fluid is fresh and have driven on this to ensure correct operation before going to the track.  Check your fluid spec is rated for track usage.  

 

Be sensitive to pedal growing softer on track as things heat up.  

 

 

 

16 hours ago, Nocturnal005 said:

- alignment: is there a good track alignment starting point?

- sway bar settings: upgrade front to thicker optional bar? Rear bar settings that work the best?

 

 

Refer here for my starting point for my UK 420R - I have tweaked beyond this for my personal preferences.  Its close to what Carl is suggesting above but he is also reflecting his personal preferences as a driver.  Each driver has an individual style - these cars are so customizable for individuals but you have to start somewhere first.

  

 

Ignore anti-roll bars for now.  Drive as is and decide if it works.  Caterham do a good out of the box set up based on their standard options.  You want a very good baseline of how the car handles before you get sophisticated and change a lot of stuff.  I suspect most people cannot tell the difference on track between setting changes - it takes me laps of repeating corners to discern a measurable difference from a degree of change in caster or camber.  

 

Second point against anti-roll bar changes now - you are proposing to stiffen the car's suspension.  What if it rains?  You want the set up softer for now.  Softer set up helps the weight transfer around the 4 wheels - easier for you to feel what the baseline set up is doing.  

 

Remember your intended usage for your Caterham.  You want to use it on road and track.  So it needs to keep a hybrid set up suitable for both.  

 

There are no trophies on a track day.  The Ferrari F1 Team Principal will NOT be on the pit wall measuring your performance by checking your lap times.  There is no lap timing.  Relax a little.  Learn the car as is.

 

 

 

16 hours ago, Nocturnal005 said:

tires/tire pressure starting points (888R)

 

This is personal preference but you are aiming for an optimum HOT tire temp of around 25degC (someone convert me to F please).

 

So the starting cold tire temp needs to adjust depending on the ambient temps of the day.  

 

Its summer in CA.  Reasonably warm and pleasant.  Follow Carl's recommendation and test after one session.  Don't get too hung up on precise temps as this is a track day, no trophies, etc....

 

Keep in mind these are 888Rs.  You have 1-1.5 hours from new when they are good.  They will go off by the end of the day.  You will know this as there is a point when they start to understeer like pigs on track once hot.  Its not you - its a characteristic of the tire that the UK racers (and hackers like myself) have found over time.  The UK race guys use these tires for just one or two sessions and then discard as they are done for grip.  

 

Don't go too low - anything below 17psi runs the risk of ripping the tire bead off on hard cornering.

 

When you get out on track, take it easy the first 2-3 laps and let your tires come up to temp so you have some grip.  Cold tires have little grip.

 

 

16 hours ago, Nocturnal005 said:

cooling: car seems to have excess cooling - does it make sense to block off part of the oil cooler?

 

 

If it is running the standard thermostat provided by Caterham then it is going to run at thermostat temp that they decided the engine is optimal at.  Its also summer in CA - so I don't know why it would run too cool unlike a winter in upstate NY when the car would genuinely struggle to ever reach optimum operating temps?  

 

I have never blanked off a Caterham grille except for one day at Spa-Francorchamps in snow and ice conditions.  Anyway, engine temps were never my concern that day, it was the condition of my underwear from driving on ice/snow!

 

Try it out - monitor the oil and water temps and see what it runs at.  Water temp should peg at the thermostat spec.  

 

I am a firm believer in letting the oil temps warm up to operating range before heading out on track.  Start the car 5-10mins early and idle it to let everything just warm up naturally.  

 

16 hours ago, Nocturnal005 said:

any other unique things I should be aware of prior to running a 7 on the track?

 

Always spanner check before you get to the track.  The day of the track day I always do an oil level check and visual once over at the beginning of the day and before each session for obvious problems. 

 

Ask @S1Steve about dragging exhausts on track days! (Sorry Steve!).

 

 

One last note - this is a track day.  Your standard car insurance will likely not cover you.  Keep it simple as you learn the car's behaviors.  Don't go like a bat out of hell out of the box.  Take it easy and work your way into things.  The easier you take it initially will allow you to sense a problem early and stay safe while you get back to the pits to diagnose.   You want to drive your car home at the end of the day.  

[KnifeySpoony]

21 hours ago, Nocturnal005 said:

 

- brakes: feels like the weak point of the car, generally lacking bite. I understand the rears tend to heat rapidly and chew through pads as well. Pad reccs w stock brake setup?

- alignment: is there a good track alignment starting point?

- sway bar settings: upgrade front to thicker optional bar? Rear bar settings that work the best?

- tires/tire pressure starting points (888R)

- cooling: car seems to have excess cooling - does it make sense to block off part of the oil cooler?

- any other unique things I should be aware of prior to running a 7 on the track?

 

 

I frequent Laguna/Sonoma and here are my takes

 

Brakes - Bite/braking force will be fine once you get them up to temp. The rear brakes eat pads and are generally poor quality (I had 2 different rear calipers seals fail, one of them catastrophically, early in the car's life). Laguna is especially hard on brakes. Depending on your pace, you will probably want to upgrade the rear brakes. If not plan on replacing pads frequently. The front pads last forever

 

Alignment- Front camber between 2.5 and 3.0.  I prefer the feel of zero toe, but that's down to preference. Standard rear camber ears are 1.5deg and that is not enough for track work. Car will feel ok, but you will get very uneven wear. I swapped to 2.5deg ears and have perfect rear wear now.

 

Sway bar - which suspension setup do you have? Rear ARB is easy to play with at the track. Leave front alone for now. If car balance is way off on your first day, you can adjust the rear bar to try to compensate. Rake/ride height is your other major lever here to adjust balance

 

Tire pressure - agree with around 23-25 hot. Check after every session

 

Cooling - It takes a LONG time to get the oil up to temp and the oil is overcooled for anything but hard running on warm days. Idling for 10 min from cold will have water up to temp, but oil will be still be barely above ambient. Once warmed in the AM session, it will retain some heat and come up to temp much quicker.  I block off the oil cooler for the first AM session (as well as the drive to the track in AM). 

 

Make sure to do a proper spanner check. Any fasteners that go through powder coat (there are many) will loosen. Check your engine mounts, suspension arms etc

 

[CarlB]

A note of caution - this thread will produce multiple differing recommendations that likely conflict with each other.  All reflect each person's own experience based on their context.  You should consider everything and make your own decision based on your own circumstances, environment, track condition, your own driver skill/comfort level and car condition on the day.  We will not be there to make the decision for you.  

Spoken like someone who has had to deal with our litigious society.

[demoray]

If you've not done it before, for nuts & bolts related to suspension, I recommend torquing them then using a paint pen to mark the location.   This gives you a quick visual reference for anything coming loose.

[Kitcat]

Some driver related thoughts. Watch your mirrors. You have a fast track car but you will be on the track with folks who are very experienced and know the track and their car’s capabilities. So there will be faster cars, as your learning curve begins.
 

No one will care if you are slow IF you watch your mirrors and give timely point byes. Rookies understandably tend to get 100% focused on the track ahead and forget about the track behind. If there is a parade of cars backed up waiting for a point bye, you will not be making friends. 
 

If you see a car waiting for a point bye but you are not comfortable doing it right then, tap your center rear view mirror (assuming you have one) to acknowledge them and that you are going to point them bye as soon as practicable.

 

Buy brightly colored driving gloves. They will make your point byes easier to see. If you are using arm restraints (recommended), your point byes will be harder to see as you can’t extend your arm all of the way. So the bright gloves will help.

 

Car improvements? I had a softly sprung 100 hp X-flow Caterham and its weaknesses were its strengths. I could hammer the curbs and never pay a price thanks to the compliant suspension. I had tons of lean but it became a huge safety feature. I never spun out due to the early application of power, in fact I could be pretty flat out every where. The lack of power became another safety feature.

 

In spite of it’s obvious limitations, my Caterham was as fast as most well driven Lotus Elises out there, for instance, with lots more power and their modern suspension. The track is the Caterham’s natural habitat, even a softer street version.
 

But you will be in a very different kind of Caterham and your challenge will be to manage its enormous potential without incident. Which is a long winded way of agreeing with the others who have said, basically, the car is already track prepared, no need to change anything right away. 

 

You can get track insurance through Haggerty. I have for decades.

 

My optimal tire pressure was high teens. And I bleed off pressure after every session.

 

Take a folding chair to sit on, a big hat, and lots of water.

 

And have fun, it can be addicting. You will have an adrenaline high. The focus required to stay competitively on track will drive all extraneous thoughts out of your brain, and leave you mentally refreshed. It’s kind of a exciting version of meditation:).

 

 

 

 

Edited Thursday at 10:37 PM by Kitcat

[CBuff]

As a relative newbie to track driving and my 420.  My advice is just ramp up slowly.  It takes a bit to get comfortable with the larger cars so close to you. Even Miata’s look big when there 8” from your elbow.
 

  I have been fortunate enough to coordinate with other owners and go out and run with other 7s. I usually find a more experienced / better driver (or @Croc if no one else is avail) and just follow them for a few laps. 

 

 I also often size up the run groups and maybe drop down one if it looks less crowded or more friendly to momentum driving.  Having a corvette or gtr come running up behind you can be unsettling.  I often will do a pass thru the pits to find cleaner portion of the track.  It’s more fun to just focus on you and not be worried about the traffic. 
 

I pretty much run my 420 as is. Cold pressure start around 18 with a hot 23/24 range. 
 

On my first few track days I was getting oil blowing out the driver (left) side of the car.  My stock oil catch can had both hoses pushed all the way to the bottom which negated its effectiveness. Oil was just going into the catch can and then blowing right out the overflow tube right out down the left side of the car.  Raising the hose allows the oil to collect in the catch can.  
 

I also threw a sweat band on the brake reservoir to avoid any leaking. Not sure if it’s necessary but “save the paint”. 
 

speaking of paint. Not sure how precious you are about yours. I have ppf on the front parts of the car and down the sides.  You will get a good amount of rubber marks. I now run aero on track but had windshield ppf as well since I took something in the windshield and had to get the bullseye fixed. But I also get a good amount of flak for being a polishing princess. 

[CBuff]

And don’t forget

 

[jhenson29]

44 minutes ago, CBuff said:

And don’t forget

 

…I thought @Croc said there were no trophies. 🤔

Edited Friday at 12:22 AM by jhenson29

[KnifeySpoony]

3 hours ago, demoray said:

If you've not done it before, for nuts & bolts related to suspension, I recommend torquing them then using a paint pen to mark the location.   This gives you a quick visual reference for anything coming loose.

FYI as per my comment above, for fasteners that go through powder-coated parts, a paint mark check is not sufficient. The bolt/head can not have moved and it can still be loose. 

[Nocturnal005]

On 7/30/2026 at 5:16 AM, Croc said:

I did draft one but then some person here stated he thought it was a great idea as he could then sue the club if he messed it up on track and that would pay for his repairs.  

 

Just confirms why we can no longer have nice things.

This makes me sad. 

 

Thanks for all the replies - the notes on the catch can, rear de-dion ears, and overall camber (more than I expected to hear) were pretty useful. I will also bring along something to block off the oil cooler. 

 

 Here is where I will probably start: 

- 2.5F camber, too lazy to adjust caster shims (i am at 2 shims in front of chassis)

- zero or slight front toe out

- stock rear toe/camber

- 20 psi, on Toyo 888

- stock front roll bar (13mm)

- rear roll bar in intermediate setting 

- stock brake pads for now, motul RBF 600+

- will need to check overall ride height but am running 15mm rake

- "9" on the front shocks and "7" on the rear (Cup Bilstein settings)

 

I considered upgrading the de-dion ears to the higher camber ones but it sounds like the ears are diff for the race brakes. So I need to decide on my long term plan for the rear brakes first. I did find these shims - wonder if anyone has experience using the shim method to adjust the rear alignment. I understand it's not as robust as changing the ears and not using shims. 

 

https://www.dpr-motorsport.com/parts/caterham_shims

 

[KnifeySpoony]

You can get 2.5 ears for the standard rear brakes AFAIK. FYI the wheel bears like to self-immolate during disassembly, so if/when you do the ears, make sure you have a spare set of bearings ready to go on. Shims are another option- I have them but decided to just swap ears. I would run a season on the stock rear brakes and see how you get one. Then decide if you want to upgrade. If you start having pads crumbling apart after 4 days, or the caliper puking all its fluid at once, it will make the decision easier...

Edited yesterday at 01:20 AM by KnifeySpoony

[Nocturnal005]

 

Yes, I now know the 2.5 ears for the standard brakes exist - my point was I don't think I should invest in them if the brakes might need upgrading - rather not do it twice. 

 

I'm currently at 135F/150R ride height - I've seen recommendations as low as 120F/135R, what ride heights are you all running? 

[KnifeySpoony]

Ah gotcha. I would say whether or not you will end up upgrading rear brakes depends on your pace and how often you track the car. Certainly no need to do anything at this point. I would run at least a few days and see how your pad wear is. Unless you are a driving god (some people are), you will be learning the car and it will probably take a couple days to learn the car and start really pushing. If you find the rear pads are vanishing before your eyes, then you may start thinking about upgrading. Keep in mind, you will lose the handbrake, and you have to plumb in a bias valve if you do the "factory" race rear brake upgrade. I have a thread on it.

 

For ride heights, I am at 119F/138 rear. This puts my front LCA parallel with ground. Rear can't go any lower with my current dampers - To get this low I had to remove one of the collars, and the remaining collar is wound all the way down. Your cup spring rates are the same as my "track" setup (250/215), but your damper design is different and has helper springs, so you probably have much more adjustment range to go lower. I haven't felt the desire to go lower in the rear, my balance is good where it's at. Very neutral with just a hint of high speed push so you can really lean on it with confidence.