The Maintenance Routine - Tech File

For some time, I have been extolling the virtues of developing processes around the things racers do in an effort to minimize variation and improve results. This is all done to improve finishing positions and to contribute to the number of wins.

Variation is the enemy in any racing program. It causes many of us to guess when we should really be making decisions that lead to predictable outcomes linked to empirical data collected at each race.

One of the things all racers should be doing is comprehensive pre- and post-race maintenance. And I don't mean merely replacing worn parts, repairing crash damage, or even going over the car and tightening nuts and bolts. You should be viewing your maintenance program as a valuable learning activity, no different from a test day at the track or from the weekly racing that you are probably doing now. This is an opportunity to learn more about your car or truck.

We are going to suggest a methodology for pre- and post-race maintenance. First, we need to make a distinction between maintenance and developing a baseline setting prior to going to the track. Maintenance is the upkeep of the car's various systems. Repairing any damage and/or developing baseline settings is accomplished after you have brought all of the systems to ready-to-race condition. Installing a front clip, for example, is not really maintenance; it is a repair. Once the clip is installed, you can do the required maintenance.

The same can be said for setup, although it is very easy to blur the line between changing setup and maintenance. For example: If you are greasing torsion bars, you would not replace the same bar if you know that you're going to change it as part of changing the setup for the next race. You still have to grease the bar. The process of removing and greasing the bar is maintenance, while changing to a different bar is the setup.

In a nutshell, maintenance is done to prepare the race car so you are able to install a baseline setup for the track where you regularly compete. It's something you do after repairing damage from a crash or aggressive driving. Once the race car is repaired, the maintenance begins.

1 Take the car back to its original pre-race settings. Prior to doing so, pay attention to where the race car was after the race. Check the setting of every adjustment: shocks, springs, alignment, brake bias, and so on. This is the time to record the settings on everything that's adjusted to get the car to perform better at the track. This will include filling the tires to the last inflation level and checking the stagger and even the cold tire durometer readings. You should also fill the car's fuel tank to the same level to get an accurate weight. This way you can see what changed over the course of the last race.

2 Place the car on a lift rack or simply put it up on jackstands and do a thorough cleaning of the underside of the car. Lubricate all the grease fittings. Do a thorough inspection of the suspension and the frame. Look for any cracks in the frame, and look for any damaged components. Check for leakage from brake lines, fuel lines, or damage to any ducting that runs under the car. This includes ducting that runs to oil coolers, transmission coolers, or rear-end coolers. While the car is on jackstands, remove the tires and examine the brakes. Look for any signs of overheating on the rotors or the calipers.

3 Take the seat cover off the seat, if your seat has a cover, and inspect the seat and all of the mounting hardware for any cracks or damage. Examine the seatbelts and look for any damage to the webbing, buckles, and mounts. Take this opportunity to clean out the driver's compartment. A shop vacuum is handy for this.