Highpower500

Some people say if you are too worried about damage to your car you shouldn't be doing track events, but I'd really like to explore the capabilities of my car. I made it through two days of a HPDE event at Watkins Glen last year with no issues. I'll be doing my first autocross event in a few weeks and I'll be shocked if I don't take out some cones in my first few laps. My 2003 Z06 is black so everything shows. The paint looks amazingly good for a 10 year old car, so I'd like to do whatever I can to keep it that way. There must be some way to reduce the odds of damage to the finish of my vehicle. I suppose a bra for the front might be an option. What are some other things people do to protect their street vehicles that also see track use?

Bill Dearborn

Depends on the cones used. Most leave little scuff marks that can easily be removed with a little polish. The cone leaves a small part of itself as an extra layer ontop of the paint. One group I know uses very old and very tall cones (24 to 30 inches) that have seen a lot of abuse and they have dirt ground into them from being dragged by a car. Hit one of those with a painted part of the car and you get scratches. Otherwise, a few minutes with some polish on a rag usually gets the scuff marks off.

Bill

froggy47

There is some new stuff that sprays on a protective coating, and it peels off when you want to.

Google it. Or check my YT channel I have a vid on putting racer tape on.

l98tpi

if you are only worried about cones, there is no need. But where the most damage occurs is from the small rocks blasting against the paint, mostly at the rear behind the ar tires. And the front just behind the front tires if you run wide tires on the front. The is clear protective film that you just place on like a decal and can peel off when it is worn out. Or you can use the blue painters tape. I see that stuff a lot.

DigitalWidgets

I just do the blue painter's tape protection for the high "road rash" areas, which for me are the mirrors and the rear brake ducts:



I concur with the opinions that the cones aren't your biggest worry. I've taken out a couple of cones, but the marks literally wiped right off (just a bit of elbow grease). I don't know if layers of Rejex helped or not, but there was absolutely no damage left after these hits:





What I found after a weekend at El Toro Airbase (Orange County, CA):

hklvette

Isn't that stuff called Plasti-dip? Looks neat...

TommyBoy72

My rear bumper behind the rear tires is screwed thanks to rocks and A6s. If I had this car since new, I think I would have tried this stuff masked off. That way, unlike plastidip, it wouldn't look terrible between events and just reapply maybe every year:




It is basically spray on clear bra.

lathrash

A lot of people have a hard time removing that stuff. There are some guys on the forum who have tried it and were not happy with it.


I just use a lot of blue painters tape. If you buy the widest size, it doesn't take that long to cover the key areas...

Attachment 48375566

DigitalWidgets

I will add one more comment on the painter's tape. I apply a coat of Rejex every 2 or 3 months, and use Mequire's Ultimate Quik Wax just about everytime I wash the car. Sometimes I have a heck of a time getting it to stick to the car. The ends just immediately lift up. You can make it work with patience, but it does make the task a bit more tedious. Once you get it on though, it seems to do OK for the weekend.

It might just be the tape I'm using (Lowes cheapo bulk stuff). I've seen other guys use stuff that looks a lot more expensive. If anybody knows of any brands that work better than others (and don't cost an arm and a leg), I'd be interested.

And for what it's worth, when I peeled it off the mirrors two weekends ago, it definitely had some noticeable dings in the tape....it was worth the time and effort.

One last comment: Interesting, I guess the mudflaps on the GS protect the paint behind the rear wheels...I've got absolutely no road rash behind the rear wheels. I also don't really get any damage behind the front wheels either. But the rear brake ducts and the mirrors take one heck of a beating!

Datawiz

You could always do what I do.



Seriously, another thing you can consider is contact paper from Home Depot. I've used the clear in the past and it works great. I also autocross my black DD '06 and I use black contact paper. It works perfectly and is MUCH stronger than blue tape, and nowhere near as obvious as the blue tape.

FKING1

Painter's tape.

Highpower500

Good stuff, thanks I really appreciate it!

acrace

For parking lot autocrosses, I just use Scotchcal (clear film with an adhesive). I don't care to apply painter's tape before every autocross. So I use Scotchcal or, for my C6 Z06, Cleartastic (with the adhesive, not the static cling one). Replace every year or two, car always looks good, and it's protected. For my C5 Z06 I made some simple splash guards out of a flexible composite material (barely noticeable) and the C6 Z06 has the Apsis splash guards. That really saves the rockers and lower fender/doors from the debris kick-up from the sticky R-compound tires.

I've always had good luck with Meguiar's cleaner/wax (the one in the brown bottle) to clean up pylon marks and apply some protection at the same time.

jstout

I used to use painters tape and a lot of it. Took a lot of time to apply. Now I use Road Warrior Plus. It is a roll on paint protection that works really well against rock, debri, sand, rubber, tar, etc. Follow the directions and it peels off when you are done. I like it better than the spray on because I don't have to tape and paper to keep it where I want it. Goes on quicker. My .02. There are a couple of dealers, but you can buy straight from the company that makes it at their website. I think it is roadwarriorplus.com. Jery

Greg00Coupe

Oh man the answer is........duct tape!!!

l98tpi

That is the last type of tape you would want to use. It will definitely protect probably better than any other tape, but it is a total b***h to pull off of paint. The adhesive is a pain to remove too.

93Rubie

I use a car bra, works perfect. I know of another Corvette guy that uses one too. No issues, for auto-x anyhow. For road course, make sure it does not flap at high speed.

I also run little rock guards they help a ton. I HATE messing with tape and such. Any chips, that is what Dr. Color Chip repair is for.

Highpower500

What kind of car bra do you use and where did you get it?

SouthernSon

www.roadwarriorplus.com

This stuff is really amazing. Roll it on with a small paint roller, it dries clear and protects. When or if you want to remove it just wet it and peel it completely off.

jstout

yeah that is my experience with the road warrior plus product. It is pretty amazing when the front of your car and the rocker panels are black with track and road crap, and you peel that stuff off to reveal perfect shiny paint. Jerry