So I got a buddy who has a 2021 IS350 RWD with DHP who is looking to get into tracking his car and he has asked me to ask the CL gods a series of questions since he doesn't have an account.

1. Obviously tracking a car (non-competitive) implies more wear and tear on the car. What are some things he should look out for? Should he be worried about potentially breaking the car? Obviously the car is not an F car, so would the powertrain be able to handle 3-4 hours of a track day, while still getting him back home?
2. Any suggestions or experiences with tires on the track? Not just the grip and handling but the wear and tear as well? How long do your sets last? What set are you running?
3. Same as number 2, but this specifically on brakes? The Akebono's are all the talk on this forum but mainly because they product less dust, which theoretically means they have less stopping power. Therefore, what are some good pads for track day?
4. Anything else he should focus on? Tips and suggestions are always welcomed.
5. Lastly, he's a very responsible person so what are some Track Day Insurance companies that you guys suggest he use that you have perhaps use in the past?

He says thank you in advance for all your help. I will relay all messages to him.

 

^^ What a kind gesture to offer to do for a friend

 

For insurance, I have always heard Hagerty is pretty good.

If it were me, I'd consider a separate set of wheels and tires for track use. I'd also probably keep it to 3 or 4 laps at a time for something like Road Atlanta if I had a bone-stock IS 350 with no cooling upgrades. Though, you 350 people probably have less to worry about in that department than the 500 owners...

 

You should tell him to create a CL account if he's serious about his Lexus. Since he's a friend of yours, I'll go easy on him.

 

For the most part, your buddy should be alright on the track in his IS350 without running into many issues. It's a good idea to have fresh synthetic engine oil and if possible, a higher viscosity than 0w-20 to withstand the higher abuse from the track. A set of UHP or max performance tires is also recommended at a minimum (I like Michelin PS4S tires as a 300tw tire). I highly recommend the stock pads and brake fluid be swapped to higher temp versions as a safety precaution. DOT 4 brake fluid and a set of high performance street or track pads will help resist brake fade or the brake fluid boiling over.

 

My friend likes to lurk in the darkness. Plus he told me he's scared of you...
He appreciates the insight. See he's a bit concerned by your strategic use of the word "many". This kinda implies that there will be some issues. You seem to have experience tracking your IS350 so what are some of the issues you have run into? Also, any suggestions on pads or DOT4 fluid? He sends his thanks.

 

The car doesn’t have a display for oil pressure, oil temperature or tranny temp but there might be an OBD reader and screen that does this.

Also I feel like i watched a review of the IS350 FS DHP and during hard braking the oil pressure light came on suggesting the oil pan baffling and pumping wasn’t really up to high G work. But might have been a different car.

My wife has a 23 350 RWD FS and it’s a great car but fairly softly sprung, might be a handful on track with stock suspension

 

I read a review where that happened, and it was Car and Driver, if I recall correctly. They presumed the incident to be due to a pre-production issue.

 

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/roa...d-to-know.html

Track insurance: Lockton Affinity https://locktonmotorsports.com/,
Hagerty HPDE insurance https://www.hagerty.com/insurance/motorsports-insurance

These guys came up when I was googling the URLs above, but never heard of them before that www.opentrack.com/

 

I primarily had an incident with boiling over the brake fluid when slamming on the brakes at the end of a triple digit straightaway which left the brake system temporarily useless (luckily the track I was at had a runoff spot so I could coast the car to a stop). The culprit was using brake fluid that was over 3 years old. My lesson learned was to ensure that the brake fluid is still in good condition (no more than 1-2 years old and to test the fluid for water absorption) prior to a track day. Since doing so, all has been well.

My preferred brake fluid is Castrol SRF (it has both a high dry and wet boiling point) along with using either EBC Yellowstuff brake pads (for autox or tight technical tracks) or Project Mu Club Racer brake pads (for higher speed tracks).

I've yet to have cooling or oil issues on the IS350. Depending on what tires your friend uses on the track, it would only limit the amount of cornering load that the tires can take (and ultimately impact lap times) but most street tires should be able to endure a day at the track.

 

I'll state the obvious and likely unpopular opinion but track use subjects a normal street car to abuses never really accounted for during design & development. Accelerated and increased wear, including those exacerbated by heat. Will issues, if any, be noticeable right away? Maybe not. Maybe after 1-2 years of this, you feel your car isn't as sharp as it used to be, or you experience noises you didn't before, burn oil, leak fluids, etc. Bushings and balljoints are subjected to tremendous and extended/sustained forces they weren't meant for. Maybe gears, bearings, etc. wear in such a way where they don't necessarily fail, but now they don't have the tolerance they once did. Now you may hear noises or experience loss of performance/crispness--all a shame on relatively new car. Suddenly parts that were 100k mile parts, become 50k mile parts. Then you're also flexing and stressing the unibody. you're just setting yourself up for a situation where you're throwing new parts at the car more often and sooner than expected in the car's life.

I have track, autocross, and canyon experience from back in the day. Those kinds of events are best left to lightweight ratted outtrack toys, your E36 3 series, S13/14s, 350zs, NA/NB Miatas and so forth. To me, new cars don't belong on the track, particularly if they're your expensive under-warranty daily drivers. Just not worth it.

Besides that, modern newer cars are too big, too tall, too heavy, have their weight up high,tall/heavy greenhouse etc. They're not really track-ready. then we get into damage from debris, paint chips etc. if you're having to worry about your car, it's just not fun.

Perhaps if you are really wanting to just learn your car, maybe an occasional light duty autocross ooooooooooonce in a while. But regular 3-4 hour track sessions? I'd vote hands down, no!

 

100% agree. Excellent points. I'll look past the fact you have a Tesla now. You're soon going to be the expert on noises and wear. Ok I'm done.