Packing a Mk2 for a Trackday

[kbrew8991]

figured this could be an informative thread (maybe even sticky or FAQ worthy)

This is my method for packing my Mk2 for the track. I do run an NA on usually 205/50/14 fronts and 225/50/14 rears... but I think you could fit turbo-friendly track tires in the same area as long as we're not talking over 225ish fronts and 245ish rears. YMMV there, and I'd love to update this with a maximum tire size that will fit in each area... The front trunk IME seems limited by tire diameter, as does the area behind the passenger seat, and the front seat area seems constrained by tire width. You may see better results in some instances by shoving your rear tires in the front tires area, etc

Also - I recommend the use of TireTotes and/or Lawn&Garden size trash bags. This should keep that brake dust/track dust/tire boogers/etc contained. You guys should already be storing your tires in some sort of bags anyway to keep them fresher (as well as in a constant temperature area away from ozone sources such as electric motors, etc)

Lastly - The tricky part of this method is getting the right size stuff. The rear trunk gets pretty tight depending on your toolbox and suitcase size ime. Also, the other tricky part is getting used to the order that you need to load things so that everything fits, especially the passenger side. The info that I use for the passenger side area is at the bottom. The front trunk is pretty obvious, and the rear trunk depends on what items you carry and what sizes they are...

at any rate
FRUNK AREA:
1 wheel&tire in the front trunk with the spare removed (front wheel&tire fits best)
pair of spare rotors in boxes stacked on top
spare complete set of pads in boxes stacked on top
spare bottles of extra high temp brake fluid stacked on top
small spaces left for misc supplies/tools/etc

PASSENGER COMPARTMENT:
Helmet in helmet bag (on the floorboard as far forward and to the driver side as possible)
Cooler on floorboard just in front of passenger seat (will measure dimensions on mine later)
extra space for misc stuff beside helmet on floorboard
1 wheel&tire fits behind the passenger seat (front wheel&tire fits best)
2 wheels&tires sit on top of the passenger seat
extra space behind driver's seat
extra space inside storage bin(s)
- note: the key to getting all this stuff on the pass side is having the pass seat in precisely the right spot, one click too forward and it doesn't fit -

TRUNK:
suitcase
toolbox
folding chair
sleeping bag
possibly room for small tent (esp if suitcase moved behind driver's seat)
extra space for trophies and misc supplies

Passenger side loading order:
1.) helmet on floorboard in its special spot as far forward and as far towards driver side as possible, may need to rotate around several axis to fit other stuff around it later
2.) slide seat forward & tilt seatback forward
3.) load storage bin
4.) put tire behind seat on top of storage bin
5.) tilt seatback to the first click (as close to straight up as possible) and slide entire seat as far rearward as possible
6.) place cooler on floorboard in front of pass seat
7.) load misc stuff in front of cooler and beside helmet
8.) place the remaining 2 tires on top of passenger seat
9.) thread passenger seatbelt through spokes of the wheel and latch it to attempt to secure the wheel.

disclaimer: - be wary of the items you store inside your driving/passenger compartment - they can and will become missiles in the event of an accident or even spirited driving - keep that stuff on the track - you're responsible for whatever you put inside your car, so don't sue me if you get hurt by something YOU put inside YOUR car. This is only intended as a guide of how it can be possible to fit common trackday items inside your Mk2 MR2. If in doubt at all, put it in one of the trunks, they're isolated from the driver. Seatbelts are intended to secure people, they may not do a good job in the event of an accident of securing a wheel and tire assembly. Try this at your own risk.

[Bak@EMSPowered]

Great post!! You need to add pics to demonstrate

[kbrew8991]

Might just break out the camera when I pack for Road Atlanta next weekend

if not, I hope the words are descriptive enough...

[HarrisRacing]

A Brave man drive's his car to the race track. It's far easier to pack all the stuff inside the expedition and pull the car on a trailer. Then again, my car doesn't even have side windows.

Patrick

[mopwer]

That's 10# of crap in a 5# bag, my man!! Good job! Lucky for me, I don't need the overnight stuff (yet).

I'll be doing a Drivers Ed. with the local PCA at a track. We will get 4 x 20 min. sessions for something like $160! Not sure what tires I'll be running, but its looking like some new RT 615s on my big street wheels, so I don't need to worry about packing the extra R compound tires. Running mid next month. Any recommendations for my first track day?

Still trying to figure out how to keep my A2W intercooler from getting so heat soaked. I drop a frozen water bottle in my water tank in the trunk, but that only lasts for maybe 5 minutes. Maybe some dry ice!

Greg

[Gairloch]

Originally Posted by mopwer

Any recommendations for my first track day?

I thought this was a very good question so I started a new thread on the topic.

http://www.mr2.com/forums/road-cours...tml#post292971