Should You Store Your Porsche for the Winter? Here’s How to Do It Right

The combination of road salt, ice, and harsh Michigan weather can wreak havoc on your Porsche’s performance, appearance, and value. If you’re wondering whether you should store your Porsche during the colder months, the short answer is: yes—if you want to preserve its condition and resale value.

But proper storage isn’t as simple as parking it in the garage and throwing on a cover. To make sure your investment is well-protected, you should follow the right steps before putting it away for the season. As experts in Porsche service in Ann Arbor, we’ve prepared this guide to help you store your vehicle the right way.

 

Step-by-Step Guide to Storing Your Porsche for Winter

1. Schedule a Pre-Storage Inspection

Before putting your Porsche away, have it inspected by a certified technician at ArborMotion. Our shop specializes in Porsche service in Ann Arbor and can check for leaks, worn components, or service needs. Addressing these now means fewer surprises come spring.

Tip: We also offer secure vehicle storage exclusively for Porsche service customers—so you can have your inspection, service, and storage all taken care of in one convenient location.

 

2. Clean It Inside and Out

Give your Porsche a thorough wash, paying special attention to the wheel wells and undercarriage where dirt and debris can hide. Apply a coat of high-quality wax to protect the paint. Inside, vacuum carpets, wipe surfaces, and remove any food or trash that could attract pests.

 

3. Change the Oil and Fluids

Even if it’s not time for your regular service, fresh oil helps prevent contaminants from sitting in your engine all winter. Top off brake fluid, coolant, and windshield washer fluid with a winter blend to prevent freezing.

 

4. Fill the Fuel Tank and Add Stabilizer

A full tank prevents moisture buildup in the fuel system. Add a fuel stabilizer and run the engine for a few minutes to circulate it through the system.

 

5. Protect the Battery

Batteries can drain during long periods of inactivity. Either disconnect the battery or use a battery maintainer to keep it charged without overcharging.

 

6. Prevent Tire Flat Spots

Inflate your tires to the recommended pressure and consider using tire cradles or jacking the car slightly to reduce pressure on one spot. If you’re using summer tires, switch to storage wheels and tires to preserve your performance set.

 

7. Cover It Correctly

Invest in a breathable, fitted car cover made specifically for your Porsche. Avoid cheap plastic covers, which can trap moisture and damage the paint.

 

8. Control the Storage Environment

If possible, store your Porsche in a climate-controlled garage. If that’s not an option, at least ensure the space is dry, clean, and secure from pests.

 

When to Bring It Back Out

Come spring, don’t just start the engine and hit the road. Schedule a post-storage check with your trusted Porsche technician at ArborMotion. They’ll inspect fluids, brakes, tires, and electrical systems to ensure your Porsche is ready for performance driving again.

 
Rennstatt is Your Reliable Porsche Specialist!

 

Storing your Porsche for the winter isn’t just about keeping it clean—it’s about preserving performance, value, and driving enjoyment for years to come. We not only provide expert European auto repair and Porsche service—we also offer secure vehicle storage for our Porsche service customers. It’s a convenient way to protect your vehicle through the winter months and have it ready to go when spring returns.

 

If you need expert help preparing your vehicle for storage—or waking it up in the spring—our team offers specialized Porsche service in Ann Arbor to keep your car in peak condition year-round.

Tackling Serpentine Belt Replacement: A Comprehensive Guide

The serpentine belt is a key component in modern engines, playing a vital role by driving the water pump, alternator, and power steering pump to work together. The serpentine belt can wear out over time, requiring replacement.  

In addition to the serpentine belt, you should also replace the tensioner, idler pulley, and decoupler. These parts work together to maintain proper belt tension and alignment, so addressing them during a belt change is a wise move to ensure optimal performance.

Steps We Take to Evaluate & Replace your Serpentine Belt

1. Access the Belt Drive: Depending on your vehicle, we may remove some components to gain access to the serpentine belt and its components. This might involve removing plastic underbody panels or engine shields. 
2. Release Belt Tension:  We’ll locate the tensioner pulley and loosen the belt. This might involve pushing on a release arm or using a belt tensioner tool. 
3. Replacing the Tensioner, Idler Pulley, and Decoupler: The process to replace these components typically involves unbolting the old part and installing the new one, tightening to the specified torque.
4. Installing the New Serpentine Belt: We’ll route the new serpentine belt around all the pulleys according to manufacturer standards.
5. Re-tensioning the Belt:  We’ll re-tension the belt according to manufacturer standards and double check the belt tension using a belt deflection tool and adjust as necessary.
6. Final Touches: Reinstall any previously removed components and reconnect the battery negative terminal.
7. Test it: We’ll start your engine and listen for any abnormal noises. Turn on the air conditioning and other accessories to ensure everything is functioning correctly. Take the vehicle for a short test drive to confirm proper operation.

Schedule Service at Ann Arbor’s Asian and European Auto Repair Shop

With our help, you’ll have a smooth-running engine with properly functioning accessories for miles to come. To successfully replace the serpentine belt, tensioner, idler pulley, and decoupler (if applicable), please contact us today!

We perform Asian and  European Auto Repair in Ann Arbor, where our top priority is getting you back on the road. Call 734-761-1088 to schedule your appointment today!

Preparing Your Porsche for the Track

Are you ready for track day?

It’s crucial to ensure your vehicle is in prime working condition before you head to the track. 

 

These key components must be inspected before track day to help minimize potential risks and enhance your experience:

 

1.     Brake Fluid Condition - Brake fluid can reduce your braking performance if it’s been exposed to moisture and heat. We’ll ensure your fluid is clean and free from contaminants, replacing the brake fluid if necessary.

2.     Brake Pad Thickness – Worn-out brake pads can compromise your braking efficiency and reduce the distance in which you’ll be able to stop safely increasing your risk for a collision.

3.     Tire Condition – Inspect your tread depth, sidewall condition, and overall health of your tires. Do you notice signs of uneven wear, cuts, bulges, or punctures? Consider upgrading to high-performance tires to enhance your grip and the demands of aggressive driving on track day. 

4.     Suspension Check for loose components – Conduct a thorough inspection of all of your suspension components including bushings, ball joints, tie rods, and shock absorbers. We’ll inspect for signs of wear, corrosion, or loose connections that can affect your car’s performance.

5.     Safety Equipment like seat belts and seats – We’ll inspect your seatbelt for damage and ensure it’s properly anchored. Your seat will also be inspected for structural weakness or issues.

 

If any of these components are compromised, they need to be repaired before your Porsche can enter a track day event. A detailed inspection of your Porsche is essential for increasing your safety and performance on the track! 

 

Schedule Porsche Service in Ann Arbor at Rennstatt!

We'd love to be your go-to Porsche service center. We'll help keep yours performing as Porsche intended. We are Ann Arbor's most experienced independent Porsche shop performing everything from factory scheduled maintenance to engine repair & rebuilds and have been trusted by local enthusiasts for over 35 years! 

Call Rennstatt for Porsche service in Ann Arbor at 734-761-1088  to schedule your appointment today! 

What to Know About Engine Over Revs

This is on the mind of almost every Porsche enthusiast, whether you’re looking to purchase a car or are a weekend track warrior guilty of shifting your car from 4th to 3rd instead of 4th to 5th. We’d like to dig into one of the reasons why avoiding high rpms is so important and the reasons to avoid it. 

Piston weight. 

Understanding the concept of compression and exhaust stroke is important to understanding why high rpm happens. When a piston travels on a compression stroke, both the intake and exhaust valves are closed, which creates compression. Think of this as a cushion for the piston. When a piston travels on an exhaust stroke, the exhaust valve is open to evacuate the exhaust from the controlled burn and the intake valve is slightly open (valve overlap). When the exhaust valve is open and the intake valve is on overlap, the compression cushion goes away. Without that compression cushion, the piston wants to leave the engine. This increases the weight of the piston based on inertial force. This force exponentially increases with rpm as the crankshaft and connecting rod work to pull the piston back after expelling the exhaust from the cylinder. 

For example, in an M96.03 engine with the factory set rev limiter of 7300rpm: 

·       With a rough piston weight of 1.9lbs and a stroke of 3.07 inches, at 7300rpm the piston weight reaches 4,413lbs. At 7300rpm, this happens 121 times a second. 

·       The range for over-rev weights can be much higher. For example, at 9000rpm, the piston weight reaches a whopping 6,709lbs. At 9000rpm, this happens 150 times every second. Let that sink in. 

·       Disclaimer. There are a few ways to calculate over-rev weights. However, regardless of how precise the numbers are, there are still thousands of pounds of inertial force on internal components. 

Why should this concern you? 

Such force leads to internal components being put under stresses that they were not designed for which could lead to stretching the connecting rod bolts, breaking a connecting rod or even cracking or breaking the piston. This is why it is so important to pay attention to engine rpms. You should have your car scanned for over revs pre-purchase, think twice about flashy tunes that increase the factory rev limiter, and last but not least, avoid the 4th to 3rd  'money shift'. 

Schedule Porsche Service at ArborMotion - Ann Arbor’s Porsche Shop!

At Rennstatt, we’ve got a certified passion for Porsche! Our Porsche technicians work hard to ensure that your vehicle is performing at its best. When you’re ready to schedule Porsche service in Ann Arbor, give us a call at 734-761-1088. We’re happy to help you with all your Porsche maintenance and repair needs.

How to Spot IMS Bearing Replacement Symptoms

We don’t want you to fear an IMS bearing issue. We’re here to make your life easier and help you spot the early signs before they develop into something serious. 

But, there really aren’t many warning signs to look out for and if you own a Porsche vehicle with an M96 or M97 engine, you should be aware that the intermediate shaft bearing can fail.

 

You can do some simple checks on a routine basis like:

 

·      If you notice metallic debris in your oil filter, it probably came from the bearing.

·      Oil leaks at the rear of your engine could be a sign that oil is leaking from you rear main seal.

 

If you discover something unsettling with your Porsche, bring it to Rennstatt at ArborMotion. Our Porsche specialist will determine the heart the problem and let you know whether an IMS bearing upgrade is recommended.

 

Schedule Your IMS Bearing Upgrade on Your Porsche in Ann Arbor. Drive Further 

At Rennstatt, we’ve got a certified passion for Porsche! Our Porsche technicians work hard to ensure that your vehicle is performing at its best. The upgrade will take about a week at our shop. When you’re ready to upgrade your IMS bearing, give us a call at 734-761-1088. We’re happy to help you with all your Porsche maintenance and repair needs.

Your Porsche Oil Change

When is your Porsche due for an oil change? For daily drivers, and year-round Porsche vehicles, like the Macan, the Cayenne, and the Panamera, the answer is easy: every five months or 5,000 miles. 

What about the non-daily drivers? What’s the recommendation for a Boxster, Carrera, and Cayman summer-only Porsches?

 

At Rennstatt, we ‘re often asked “When should I change my oil for my Porsche? It’s only been 1,000 miles since the last oil change. When should the next oil change be?” Even with only a few miles of use, it’s still important to have regular oil changes performed. The definition of “regular” changes is five months or 5,000 miles. However, if it’s not your daily driver we recommend having the oil changed at least once per year even if you do not exceed 5,000 miles, ideally just before putting your car in storage for the winter months. 

 

You don’t want dirty oil sitting in your engine all winter. There can be contaminants in the oil. That degradation of oil can have serious and lasting effects on your engine over time. 

 

Schedule Porsche Service in Ann Arbor at Rennstatt!

We’d love to be your go-to repair shop! Bring your Porsche to Rennstatt and we’ll have it running in tip-top shape in no time! No question is too big or small. Call Rennstatt for Porsche service in Ann Arbor at 734-761-1088  to schedule your appointment today! 

Porsche Macan Maintenance and Service - What's In The Shop

This 2015 Macan came to Rennstatt because the owner noticed a coolant leak. When we raised it on the hoist, we could see a number of drips. We needed to do some digging to figure out where the leak was coming from. 

In the course of our investigation, we needed to remove the valve cover. The coolant was leaking into the
valley of the engine and out of the back of the valve cover. While looking into the coolant leak, we also noted that the valve cover gasket was starting to seep. Once the valve cover comes off, the gasket should also be replaced. This ended up being a timely service and helpful preventive maintenance for this Macan.

Schedule Porsche Macan Service in Ann Arbor Today!

We’d love to be your go-to repair shop to help ensure you and your family are safe. Bring your Porsche Macan to Rennstatt, the performance division of ArborMotion and we’ll have it running in tip-top shape in no time! At Rennstatt, we care about your safety! No question is too big or small. Call Rennstatt  for Porsche maintenance and repair at 734-761-1088  to schedule your appointment today!  

A Porsche for All Seasons

Most 911 and Boxster owners put their cars away when the snow starts to fly. But, if you own a Panamera, Cayenne, or a Macan, you enjoy the engineering and excitement of Porsche driving all year long. 

Here’s a few things to do over the winter to keep your Porsche running smoothly:

• Have your oil changed -This keeps the engine well lubricated and is one of the most important things you can do for any vehicle.
• Have your alignment checked - When the weather turns cold and big potholes sneak up, alignments can be thrown off just from your daily drive.
• Have all fluids inspected - If there’s any leak or rupture in fluid lines, catastrophic repairs may not be far behind. Your Porsche specialist at Rennstatt will keep a sharp eye on your fluid levels and quality with every service. 
• Have general mileage-based maintenance performed - Your Porsche is precisely engineered and designed to run efficiently, as long as you take proper care of it. Keeping up on flushes, spark plugs, and brakes are all essential to keeping you behind the wheel for many happy miles. 
• When you do any service with us we perform our Pit Stop inspection which gives you an excellent picture of the overall health of your Porsche.

Did you know - Rennstatt is a one-stop shop for Porsche maintenance for many Ann Arbor Porsche owners?

Schedule Porsche Service in Ann Arbor Today!

We’d love to be your go-to repair shop to help ensure you and your family are safe. Bring your Porsche to Rennstatt, the performance division of ArborMotion and we’ll have it running in tip-top shape in no time! At Rennstatt, we care about your safety! No question is too big or small. Call Rennstatt  for Porsche maintenance and repair at 734-761-1088  to schedule your appointment today! 

Virtually Driving In Reality

It's December, it's already too cold for Motorsports and it's only going to get colder. In Tennessee, they held the 25 hours of Thunderhill this past weekend, and in all the pictures and videos I saw, people were wearing winter coats over their race suits. That is a hard pass for me. It's too cold to be at a race track this time of year. I suppose if you live in Florida or California it may be warm enough, but living in those states you have other issues to worry about, like face-eating freaks high on bath salts and on the other coast, emissions laws. I shudder just thinking about those types of things. It really gives me the creeps. Anyways, right now, in the midwest, it's too cold for racing, and that brings up the question that this edition of Hittin The Apex will cover, which is what the hell do we do in the winter? Well folks, there is only one answer available, Simulated Racing. All other options are not good ones. Ice racing, rallycross, rallying and indoor karting are all dumb. Having said that, it would be wise to have the disclaimer we have her at HTA, which simply states "I don't care if my opinion goes against yours. I have my opinions, you have yours and it isn't my fault your wrong". Back to the matter at hand. If you don’t want to be dumb, get a simulator. There are so many options for simulators, there really is no excuse not to get one. The basics start with video games for the same Xbox or Playstation your kid is spending all their time on. As a matter of fact, I suggest you figure out which game system your kid has, go find a game that you like and has the tracks that you would want to drive on, buy it, come home, kick your kid off the console out into the cold to play or whatever, take the game into your room and have at it! Anyone in your house that protests these acts clearly doesn't support you, and as such they don't deserve your attention. If you are thinking about a higher level of simulator, you and I have just one more thing in common my friend. I have visions of a simulator setup that has an actual racing seat, steering wheels, pedals and a shifter, with at least three screens hooked up to a real deal simulation site like iRacing. Seriously, check out iRacing, I will wait. It's pretty badass isn’t? Virtually any U.S. track is available, with the ability to compete in sanctioned races with other drivers such as yourself without having to leave your home! Short of really racing a car, it doesn't get any better than that. Ever have dreams of driving down the front straight of Road America, hitting top gear while your puppy is sitting in your lap? That's weird, but now you can do it without the dangers of Scruffy jumping out to chase a squirrel! What better way to hone your driving skills then spending hours running lap after lap of (insert your favorite available track here) without having to travel, prep a car, pay the entry fees, get a hotel room or have minimal consequences by running off the road? There isn't a better way, I googled it. Many amateur and even professional drivers log hundreds if not thousands of hours on simulators, just to fine tune their skills. Now, I am not going to suggest a manufacturer of a simulator or brand of computer to use, mostly because I don't know for sure what is best and no one pays me to promote. If anyone would like me to promote something I am available for just about anything they want to give me. I will say though, do your homework, ask a racer, get on the forums and check it out. Something relatively new that I think is very cool is that SCCA actually sanctions an iRacing league with different series in it, that requires you to be an SCCA member, thereby giving some sort of standard so people won't be out there wrecking everybody's race. Like your kid would do. Or you would do. Don’t lie. Simulating in a league like iRacing takes out the AI drivers of video games and puts you in a real, virtual race against other people in their basements with their dogs on their laps. This makes all the difference in the world when it comes to honing your real driving skills in the winter. You can be dumb and look for lost lugnuts with frozen fingers in the snow or be smart and drive Laguna in your underwear in your warm basement. The choice is yours.

Until next month! 

Read more of Nick's blog posts here!

Something for Everyone!

There are so many options out there for everything. You name it, you have to make a choice or twenty to pick what you want. This is a generic statement for anything it seems. You want peanut butter? Organic, crunchy, smooth or a combination of two of those exist. Trying to buy a new tv? Size, format, smart, brand, thickness and features are all factors to take into account. Good luck on getting three people to agree on a couple pizza toppings. A local pizza shop offers over 30 toppings. The choices out there are endless, and the variations of being a car fanatic are as well. Gone are the days where people who liked cars were called grease monkeys because they knew how to "tune up" a car. For that matter, tune ups are things of the past as well, but that is a topic for another type of blog. Nowadays, there are so many different points of attraction that make people refer to themselves as "car person". One of these categories are by the make of a vehicle. People go crazy over a brand of car and that becomes their focus. Take Porsche for example. Porsche has a huge following, as it should, so much that there are 145 different grouping, or regions, of the national Porsche Club. The regions are filled with sometimes over 300 members each, all brought together under one make, Porsche. At one point, and some regions may still make this mandatory, you had to be an owner of a Porsche to be a club member. That is a ton of people, brought together, with one common denominator. I think it is a very cool thing. They even create names for themselves, such as "P Car People" , "Porscheheads", "Sons of Stuttgart", and my least favorite of all "Porschephiles". I don't think I need to go into detail why that is an awful, awful name for such a great thing. Anyway, some people come under not only a singular make, but a model. There so many Mustang (Ford), Miata (Mazda), Corvette (Chevy), and Civic (Honda) clubs that there are clubs for everybody. Some people like countries of cars, liking anything British, American, Asian or European. Further segregating petrol heads are venues of motorsport. Road Racing, Autocross, Rally Racing, Drag Racing, Oval Track Racing and even Demolition Derby racers all have their own niche. Sometimes those paths do cross, and that's ok. Except drag racing........ugh. I am the self proclaimed worst type of gear head, because I am really only interested in SCCA road racing cars. Doesn't matter what kind of vehicle, but if it does not fit into a club road racing class, I probably do not care about it. When a car comes into my shop, I immediately figure out which class it will fit in and then, and only then, I can enjoy it. if it doesn't fit, I am over it. Some of my favorite cars are the Mustang GT 5.0, Porsche GT3 Cup, Chevrolet C6 Corvette, Mazda Miata (NB) and my all time favorite  Honda CRX Si. I will have one of those one day. Sorry, I am drooling a little bit. As I can attest to, there is no wrong way to be a car guy. Or girl. Or dog. There are some funny videos of dogs driving cars, google them! Dogs are great. Sorry, back to the matter at hand. I do not drool over one make, model, engine, drivetrain, or year. I drool over the cars at the local SCCA Club Race Event. I can't wait until May.  Don't do what I have done off and on in this edition and bash people for chasing what they love. I can do it because I am so set in my ways that nothing will save me.  The point that I am making here is that there are so many ways to be a car enthusiast, there is no wrong way to do it. Find what you truly enjoy and soak it in as much as you want to. Go out and explore clubs if you like social interaction and are so inclined. If you are interested in a race you saw on tv, go find a place to watch in person. Always wanted a Chevy Caprice? Weird, but there is a club for you, that probably goes to race tracks and hosts track events as odd as that sounds. I have seen it. It's odd, but for them, it's probably a lot of fun.

See you next month folks!

Nick

Read more of Nick's blog posts here!

The Emotional Rollercoaster of Racing

Good Mid-October HTA fans and readers! I assume that if you are a consistent reader of Hittin' The Apex then that makes you a fan, but you know what they say about assumptions right? They can't be wrong. As I stand to write this, yes I have a stand up desk and no I don't care if you think that's weird, I recently returned from beautiful southern Virginia watching three days of fantastic racing at the 2019 SCCA National Championship Runoffs, held this year at Virginia International Raceway (VIR for those in the know). This beautiful renown track is located almost literally on the Virginia border it shares with North Carolina, right in the middle of the lateral line of the state. When I say beautiful, I mean beautiful. Small, dense patches of trees, trackside condos and even hotel rooms outline the course that features elevation changes and multiple turns both fast and challenging. Taking a quick lap around the track, the hairpin that makes up turns one and two put you into a short chute to dual left turns separated by the shortest of straights known as "Nascar", followed by a quick right that has you heading uphill through some elongated esses before you hit a large right-handed hairpin turn known as "Oak Tree Bend". This was named for the gigantic oak tree that  the turns bent around that of which sadly fell 6 years ago. Once clear of the late apex there you are headed back down hill into a corkscrew style turn known as " The Rollercoaster". This off camber series of turns twists you right then left, and points you towards " Hogpen" an elongated right hand turn that sets you up for the long front straight, back to turns one and two and around again. Fourteen laps around this 3.27 mile course is what six hundred plus drivers from all over the US, parts of Canada and even Puerto Rico showed ready to drive in twenty four different winner take all races that crown a National Champion in twenty eight classes. I have been to many of these end of the year events at four of the eight different tracks they have been to over the years, twenty to be exact, and this year proved to be a new experience for me. Never before have so many cars been in the lead of the race, many running away from the rest of the pack, either break down or spin out by their own doing. Out of all twenty four races, ten of them had this happen, with only one person managing to retake the lead and claim champion. One race had two leaders break on the exact same spot of the track on the same lap! it was crazy! This spectacular and unusual display of error and futility was a first for this prestigious event and that had me reflecting on the nine hour ride home. I have eluded to this before, motorsports is a rollercoaster of emotion. You can experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows within even one two minute lap. That is one of the things I love about racing, it is a gamble! All the prep work, everything done leading up to getting the car on the grid goes out the window when the green flag flies. Debris on the track, overzealous competitors and mental errors are just some of the things that can derail weeks and months of prep and effort. I myself have experienced this rollercoaster, and no matter how low the lows of blowing a tire or getting caught up in someone else's wreck was, it is and will always be worth it to experience the highest of highs, taking that victory lap after a hard earned win.

The Runoffs weekend signals not only the end of the SCCA racing season, but also the end of the season for me attending any track events or really caring about other events that still happening, as I am laser focused on SCCA specifically. It is now time for me to focus on my projects at home both house and race car related, and look forward to the 2020 season. We will see what next year holds for me but as always I am anxious to find out! Join me next month, and every month after for thoughts, musings, rants and stories and even more detailed laps around some of my favorite tracks as I did VIR today.

Until next time,

Nick

Read more of Nick's blog posts here!

Safety: The Result of the Dark Side of Racing!

Full-faced helmets, head to toe layers of nomex, head and neck restraints, window nets, side impact nets, roll cages, 7 point harnesses, fuel cells, electric kill switches, push-button fire retardant systems, and one piece racing seats. These are only some of the basic safety needs of both a racer and race car must have in perfect working order every time they are on the track. Each piece and item regulated and tested and certified to give the racer the safest on track experience possible. The sobering reality is that each one of these items came to be after someone was killed or severely injured enough to make people think change was necessary. Racing is a dangerous sport, and the very staggering fact is that after all these years the possibility still exists for death to occur. The silver lining, if you can see it as that, is the racing community learns from these incidents and works to make the sport safer. No-one knew what a head and neck restraint (hans) device was until Dale Earnhardt passed away in the final turn of the 2001 Daytona 500. For the better part of 12 years, they now have been mandatory in almost all forms of racing. This is just one example but there is at least one similar story for each safety advancement made. With the history of the sport what it is, one thing is for certain, every driver strpping in is aware of the risk. They are pushing a 2,000 lb missile around a track, past limits the car was often designed to do after all. Being aware however, does not mean they are driving scared or thinking about the risks. On track they are laser focused on doing what they love. The risk is only assessed prior to getting in the car.  Niki Lauda famously drove only one lap of the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix because the risk with the weather that day was too much for him. The love and passion for racing is why we as drivers drive despite the risk. You cannot push boundaries, test limits and feel the adrenaline rush of those limits without facing those risks. By now you have noticed that this edition of Hittin' the Apex is a little more monotine, a bit darker. Discussing the sport without addressing the risks doesn't paint the full picture and doesn't do anybody any good, so here we are. I want to make it perfectly clear here. Although racing has a side of ot that is absolutely dangerous, every other aspect of it is amazing and so much fun! Like any sport, the glory is worth the scars and pain. All you have to do is understand that, like any sport, a person is fueled by that passion. Dangerous or not, don't be the person to ruin that passion for them. Until next time!

Read more of Nick's blog posts here!

Failing to Prepare is Preparing to Fail

Hello to all my Hittin’ the Apex devoted followers all around the world and any new petrol head joining us for the first time. I mean that sincerely, welcome to all! This month I’m going to start this entry with a quote, “Failing to Prepare is Preparing to Fail”. This might sound like a cliche, and you’re right, it is, but it is an important one. In every fact of life there are certain consequences to not preparing properly. You don’t study for a test in school, likely you won’t do well. If you are’t prepared to be in a real relationship, likely you will do, or perhaps not do, something that will screw it up. If you weren’t prepared for your grown up job, you are the one to blame for searching Indeed or perusing Craigslist for a new job. Like life, racing requires a ton of detailed preparation. This is why it is vital, for any racing that you want to do, from HPDE events and track days to full on road racing, that you have a very specific idea of what you want to accomplish, and when it needs to be done. I am going to spend this month giving tips  If you are mechanically inclined enough to perform your own prep, this time frame is easily assessed. You know your schedule, your ability and what is needed parts wise. A good idea is to shake down your car immediately after the last event you did. You can check wheel bearings, fluids, brake pads, filters and overall condition, and plan on what needs done before the next event. Those items fall into two categories. This first category is the more vital repairs or upgrades needed. Worn bearings, joints and friction surfaces cannot go through the next event, so they must be planned for now. Get a list together and get parts ordered today. Take this opportunity to make upgrades you have been considering. Have you wanted to improve on your brake system and now the pads are worn? Make it happen now. Is the car in good condition, just need to change the oil and put it in the trailer? Great, now go a little deeper into the car in a “maintenance mentality”. This is category number two. You didn’t break anything, congratulations! Peruse your spare collection and make sure you are ready for anything that could come up. A little low on spare fluids? Order them. Forgot that two events ago you put on your spare drive belt? Get one. Have you had that nagging feeling you should have a backup spare ignition system because you saw that one guy replace his at the track on his car that is completely different than yours and you decided you don’t want to be him? Research and order it. You have no control over how long parts take to get in. Order them now and put them in your spare parts tote, and once that tote is filled, seal it with masking tape. The masking tape serves a purpose. If you seal it once you fill it, you know that it is ready to go on the trailer. If you can, put it on the trailer now. The more you can do today, that you don’t have to do the days before you leave for the track, the better. Now lets talk about if you have a prep shop do all your repairs and prep for you. This is obviously much easier on your schedule, you are letting the pros do it! Some prep shops even deliver the car to the event for you! All you have to do is show up, give them a big check, and hop ion your car and drive. Pretty sweet deal right? In those arrive and drive set ups, they have everything ready to go and down to a science, making it quote literally the easiest form of track activity for you. it also is easily the most expensive. But what about when you are responsible for transporting the car and orchestrating what you want done? This is where courtesy and setting clear expectations for both the shop and yourself falls on you. You are the one who is enjoying you r car on the track so it all is up to you to set expectations. When you will get the car there, what you want or need done, and when you need to have the car back. Understand that you are not the only customer they have and as a reputable shop, they likely are prepping multiple cars for your event. Understand that they may have difficulty in getting parts, and getting the job done in a truncated time table if that is what you have given them. A good prep shop will be up front with you to help you manage expectations. If they cannot match your needs or desires, try to understand why, and change your expectations accordingly. Most HPDE or track days require a simple inspection. Don’t wait until a couple days before or worse yet, the day before a track day to schedule this. Shops are in the service business and will do everything they can to get you taken care of but you have to give them a fighting chance. If anything is needed to pass the inspection it is unlikely and unreasonable to expect them to get it done with the time frame you allowed the. Putting a car on track is inherently dangerous, and any responsible prep shop will not rush a job that cannot be done appropriately, so please be mindful of that. Schedule out inspections and repairs at least a week. They will really appreciate it. All this leads to the main point. You and only you are in control of your racing schedule. Do whatever you need to to bring a safe car on the track. And at the track, before you turn on to pit road, before you strap in to the car, make sure your wheels are torqued, gas and oil caps are on, and the hood pins are inserted in your car. It is embarrassing as hell to have stupid stuff happen on the track that is easily preventable, and more often then not it will also ruin someone else’s day as well. 

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