Track day paint protection

[Networkgeek]

Hi folks

I've just booked a track day and was just wondering what you lot do to protect your paintwork?

A friend of mine recently did a track day in his E46 M3 and the front of his car now has a lot of stone chips, way more than before the track day.

Obviously, there are things to do which will help reduce the amount of paint damage, eg not driving up the chuff of the car in front.

I've read about PPF and I'll most likely do this, but just wondered what others have done.

Thanks
NG

[SAS Tom]

Seems more common in America but people over there seem to put masking tape across the front of the car.

[mmm-five]

Suppose it would matter more if it was a garage queen, but mine was always a daily driver, so got more chips from normal driving than it ever did from track days.

Was it an airfield day or a proper track?

Had someone gone off into the gravel and brought stones back on with them?

I've seen people fit a couple of layers of cling film in the past, but I just do a season of track days and then get the bonnet/bumper resprayed.

[Networkgeek]

mmm-five said:

Suppose it would matter more if it was a garage queen, but mine was always a daily driver, so got more chips from normal driving than it ever did from track days.

Was it an airfield day or a proper track?

Had someone gone off into the gravel and brought stones back on with them?

I've seen people fit a couple of layers of cling film in the past, but I just do a season of track days and then get the bonnet/bumper resprayed.

The track-day was at Thruxton. In the past, I've done airfield track days, and suffered some serious paint damage afterwards. I don't recall him saying anything about anyone going off in front of him, but it's possible.

That's not a bad idea using cling film, I wonder how effective it is against stones? I've not had a bonnet and bumper respray before, how much does this usually cost you?

NG

[Networkgeek]

SAS Tom said:

Seems more common in America but people over there seem to put masking tape across the front of the car.

Interesting, I haven't seen that done before. I have seen people put X's on their headlights, which I presume is to stop lots of shards of glass to land on the track in the event of a crash?

[SAS Tom]

Networkgeek said:

Interesting, I haven't seen that done before. I have seen people put X's on their headlights, which I presume is to stop lots of shards of glass to land on the track in the event of a crash?

Yeah that’s right about the headlights. I haven’t seen it done over here on the body but plenty in America seem to do it.

[QBee]

I have never had a problem with stone chips at any UK track day other than a live RAF base.

Race circuits are usually very clean of stones - far better than your average B road

[Far Cough]

https://www.xpel.com/shop/paint-protection-film/tr...

[Fonzey]

QBee said:

I have never had a problem with stone chips at any UK track day other than a live RAF base.

Race circuits are usually very clean of stones - far better than your average B road

This ^

Airfield days can be a nightmare, but a proper circuit and you'll probably get more stone chips on the way to/home from the circuit than you will on track.

[1781cc]

I stopped caring about paint chips after burying the car backwards in the gravel at Donnington - I left the circuit at over 100mph! took me about 3 years to get all the kitty litter out of every possible crevice on the car. Its fine protecting but if you push it hard sooner or later you or someone else will throw gravel at it

[Tommie38]

Not driving too close to people ahead of you will have a massive impact.

I once tried to pass an obviously slower car and rather than let me through, he tried to stay ahead, overdriving the car and eventually clipping a gravel trap. I can’t remember whether it was the bonnet or the windscreen, but I remember a massive stone flying up and hitting my car.

Nowadays if somebody looks like they don’t want to let me past I will back off a bit. Not like we are racing.

[bigothunter]

1781cc said:

I stopped caring about paint chips after burying the car backwards in the gravel at Donnington - I left the circuit at over 100mph! took me about 3 years to get all the kitty litter out of every possible crevice on the car. Its fine protecting but if you push it hard sooner or later you or someone else will throw gravel at it

Driven properly, track cars will get peppered with stone chips. If that's not acceptable, you are using the wrong car.

[1781cc]

bigothunter said:

1781cc said:

I stopped caring about paint chips after burying the car backwards in the gravel at Donnington - I left the circuit at over 100mph! took me about 3 years to get all the kitty litter out of every possible crevice on the car. Its fine protecting but if you push it hard sooner or later you or someone else will throw gravel at it

Driven properly, track cars will get peppered with stone chips. If that's not acceptable, you are using the wrong car.

Which is exactly my point, my car up close looks rough as f**k and I don’t care, it’s how it feels that matters to me. Sometimes there’s a pang of “I wish the paint was better” but that’s a hangover from looking after my road car.

I guess the only people who should be concerned about damage to paint at those brave enough to be tracking super cars and whatnot