Porsche Track Day (Beginner) oil question

[ugame]

Hi Guys,

I've signed up for a Porsche track day organised by our local dealer in Perth.

I've read some opinions about changing oil re track events.

My question is simple I guess:

Should I change oil BEFORE or AFTER the track day....or both, or stop being paranoid and just leave it?

Assuming I wont be "going hard" as I'll be put in the beginner group, what's the advice?

Car is 987.1 CS

The oil was changed when I took ownership from the dealer back in....feb. so current oil will be 9 months and around 2000k's "old".

Car has been driven around about once a week. Occasionally less. Probably added 1500k's.

Given I was planning on doing an intermittent oil change anyway, and the track day is late Nov.

Also I'm just planning on going OEM oil rather than thicker unless someone can convince me my car will burst into flames if I use OEM on a beginner track event?

 

[James P]

Change the oil before & just use the OEM recommended oil.. as a beginner you won't be stressing the engine, enjoy the day 

[Troubleshooter]

Just drive it like ya stole it!

[Airhead]

Oils cheap. Engines aint.

 

[Mike737]

Also double check to see what the recommended amount of oil is as you might end up throwing a bit out the back. M96 engines are well known for not liking a dipstick. I'm thinking it might be the same for your engine and a 3/4 full might be the way to go. Double check with a local indie or people who track their 987.1's.

[ugame]

2 hours ago, Mike737 said:

Also double check to see what the recommended amount of oil is as you might end up throwing a bit out the back. M96 engines are well known for not liking a dipstick. I'm thinking it might be the same for your engine and a 3/4 full might be the way to go. Double check with a local indie or people who track their 987.1's.

Cheers for the input.

The M97 is electronic level only. There is no dip stick. But I'll still ask the question of the pros. Great tip.

[Troubleshooter]

5 minutes ago, ugame said:

Cheers for the input.

The M97 is electronic level only. There is no dip stick. But I'll still ask the question of the pros. Great tip.

With the M96, started the Hillclimb trackday with one notch from the top and after 10 hard laps checked when I got home and hadn't lost a notch

[symsy]

Yep change before for peace of mind , although realistcally 2000km oil aint much to stress about .i bet you run out of brakes and tyres before oil becomes a concern  I would be checking them more than anything , along with some decent tyre pressures on the day and you will have a ball.. these cars are very hardy and bulletproof , thats why we all buy em ..

[Bibbs]

The problem us 987.1ers have, is low oil and hard cornering can cause issues. 

Esp at Barbagallo with a loooong right hand bend moving oil to the heads and away from the pickup. 

Top it up till its full, add a 'little' more, and give it some. 

[TINGY]

17 hours ago, Airhead said:

Oils cheap. Engines aint.

 

What he said, if it was me i would change it after the track day.

23 hours ago, ugame said:

Assuming I wont be "going hard" as I'll be put in the beginner group, what's the advice?

Wait until your confidence grows, you will be going harder by the end of the day i'm sure, you will love it

I would change the brake fluid before the track day, it's probably more important.

[ugame]

43 minutes ago, Bibbs said:

The problem is 987.1ers have is low oil and hard cornering can cause issues. 

Esp at Barbagallo with a loooong right hand bend moving oil to the heads and away from the pickup. 

Top it up till its full, add a 'little' more, and give it some. 

Yeah that's what I'd read. I most certainly do not want to suffer oil starvation and thus, the destruction of the space time continuum, zombie apocalypse, and everything else the internet has told me will happen to a 987.1. As the oil reads at the moment, it's actually full to the brim still. A slight overfill is certainly worth considering. 

3 hours ago, symsy said:

Yep change before for peace of mind , although realistcally 2000km oil aint much to stress about .i bet you run out of brakes and tyres before oil becomes a concern  I would be checking them more than anything , along with some decent tyre pressures on the day and you will have a ball.. these cars are very hardy and bulletproof , thats why we all buy em ..

Tyres and brakes are fine at the moment. Perhaps the rubber is a little older than I'd like, and I'm not a fan of it's current combination of Conti's and Pirelli (front to back not side to side at least), but I dont have the budget to splurge on newer rubber at the moment, so I'm just planning to drive it accordingly.

 

Thanks for all your advice guys.

I think from here, I'll chat with the dealership organising the event too and go from there.

In my mind, I was planning on doing an intermittent change at 12 months anyway, so bringing it forward a little for the track day (before or after) really isn't a bad thing.

[Bibbs]

Sounds like a plan. I've found it's more age that causes problems for oil, rather than a track day or two.

You'll enjoy Barbs, if your gearbox ratios etc are the same as mine, you should be mainly in 3rd / 4th (if I remember correctly).

Don't stress about oil starvation too much, as it's aminly for those running R spec tyres (the owners manual says don't).

Any excuse to post a few vids. My first track day in the Boxster, and first at Barbagallo in a few years.

 

[Avon]

Lots of good advice above.  How many kms has the car got?  If its getting up there (over 150k km) and its going to be hot - late Nov can get toasty over here - there might be a case for going to 5w-50 but realistically you'd probably heat stress the engine sitting in a traffic jam more than hitting the track.

 

Take a tyre gauge and make sure they stay under 40psi - the pressure can rise surprisingly with a bit of track punishment and get overcooked and slippery.

 

And as others said, make sure brakes and coolant levels are good.  

 

Don't be too tempted to get lap timing - its easy to outdrive yourself chasing the clock and end up biffing it into the fence / sand.  Just concentrate on listening to the instructors and being smooth and save the timing for a future event.

 

Bibbs advice about Kolb (turn 6 the hairpin out the back end) is worth repeating.  Don't hold redline revs through there and then get oil starve going up the hill.   Watch the oil pressure gauge and warning light and monitor accordingly.  Many a wet sump engine has died exiting Kolb, usually big end bearing..

 

Finally have fun and don't be scared of the track.  The most dangerous and scary part is the trip there and back home.  My wife did a track day recently and was super tentative at first - by lunchtime she was whizzing around confidently.  

 

[Airhead]

5 hours ago, Bibbs said:

Any excuse to post a few vids. My first track day in the Boxster, and first at Barbagallo in a few years.

 

I'm very surprised you were allowed to put a camera on your helmet. Big NO NO at Cams events.

[ugame]

Thanks again guys.

I've done track before but just not Barbs (except karts which was short track) and not in a Porsche.

I guess what I'm saying is, I've got nothing to prove and am no longer a "rest mist" addict. I'm paying for the legal privilege to go fast. That's all  There's no trophy so why risk destroying my car? So, to me this track day is an opportunity to eat an over priced lunch, network with other owners, and get some tips from some pro's on how to handle the Cayman, but not to chase times.

Car has about 48,000 on it. That's all

And I'm very aware that that is both good....and bad  Since owning it, I've done a careful balance of sensible and spirited driving, with a slow increase of the latter as I get to know it, and it's sounds.

Almost every trip I will first check coolant and oil levels. Both are rock steady.

With the rare exception, every use begins with a warm up, and then at least 20 to 30 minutes drive.

I LOVE this car in an unnatural way (joke). I see NOT doing a track day as a waste of a great car, but I also do not see THIS car as my "track toy" if that makes sense?

I have tarmac rally in my sites in the future but recognising my own budget, I'd probably go a 350Z or a WRX (yawn) as sensible options, leaving the Cayman S as my shiney well kept posemobile.

[Bibbs]

16 hours ago, Airhead said:

I'm very surprised you were allowed to put a camera on your helmet. Big NO NO at Cams events.

Hmm, I've done other CAMS events with it mounted on the side. Maybe they just didn't notice/care (Was in a hardtop car).

[Mike737]

On 10/12/2018 at 11:39 AM, Bibbs said:

Hmm, I've done other CAMS events with it mounted on the side. Maybe they just didn't notice/care (Was in a hardtop car).

Can depend upon if CAMS officials are attending the event.

I used to mount it to the helmets left jaw so I would only loose my jaw instead of grey matter. Still not a great idea though and CAMS won't pull you up if its secured to the car (needs a secondary even if inside the car - race tape/zip ties + mount usually satisfies scrutineers)

[ugame]

Stupid question, but re "keep an eye on oil pressure"........how?

Can't see a pressure gauge, so is there a display in the LED readout menu? Or is there a warning light I should be watching besides the general Engine FUBAR light?

edit

From some reading, I "should" receive a "low oil pressure" warning on the dash?

Is this accompanied by a "ping" or anything? Not that I may hear that with a helmet on lol.

/edit.

lol, I was over my IMS paranoia, but I've now replaced it with track day oil surge paranoia.

Tips on driving style to avoid? apart from driving like a granny around 40% of the track?

[Bibbs]

Tips? Late and wide on the corners, turn in hard and power out.

First corner is 3rd, 4th just before the left up the hill. Top of the hill and right, make sure you get your line right as it's easy to go too far left. Down the hill and hard on the brakes into 3rd, hard turn into the long right, and get on the power v early. 4th up the hill.

Brake after the dip (you can brake very late here), and into 3rd, and then up the main straight, 4th, and start again.

 

 

[ugame]

54 minutes ago, Bibbs said:

Tips? Late and wide on the corners, turn in hard and power out.

First corner is 3rd, 4th just before the left up the hill. Top of the hill and right, make sure you get your line right as it's easy to go too far left. Down the hill and hard on the brakes into 3rd, hard turn into the long right, and get on the power v early. 4th up the hill.

Brake after the dip (you can brake very late here), and into 3rd, and then up the main straight, 4th, and start again.

 

 

Nice cheers

 

Wish barbs was on Project Cars 2 so I could practice.

 

Not "driven" the track since the days of "V8 Supercars" on the original Xbox.

[Bibbs]

12 minutes ago, ugame said:

Nice cheers

Wish barbs was on Project Cars 2 so I could practice.

Not "driven" the track since the days of "V8 Supercars" on the original Xbox.

I did similar when I went to the Nurburgring. Went one year with zero exposure and scared myself.

Then did 3 laps a day on Gran Turismo (4 I think), for a full year. Made a big improvement on my lines.

I'm not sure I've ever played Barbs on a game

[ugame]

1 hour ago, Bibbs said:

I did similar when I went to the Nurburgring. Went one year with zero exposure and scared myself.

Then did 3 laps a day on Gran Turismo (4 I think), for a full year. Made a big improvement on my lines.

I'm not sure I've ever played Barbs on a game

That old Xbox game was the only one I've ever seen Barbs on.

Re the ring, I've played that track on every game that features it, over and over and over. I still consider it a good day if I stay on the blacktop for a whole lap lol. Hence....I'm not sure how keen I am to try it in RL haha.