Motorsport Maintenance

If you are a motorsport enthusiast, you will know that the cars are incredibly fast and require a lot of maintenance to keep them running at their best. Motorsport is an expensive hobby and repairs can be costly.

In this blog post, we will look into how adopting preventative maintenance on a regular basis will help keep the costs down as well as keeping your vehicle at optimum performance, and output and will help you with achieving the best results.

Extending the life of your vehicle

Difficulty: Moderate

Cost: Low

Just like your daily car, regular maintenance of race cars is the first solution to keeping costs down in the long run and lowering the chances of component failures. Planning in regular scheduled preventative maintenance is one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to keep your vehicle running at peak performance throughout each race season and beyond.

Let’s discuss the importance of engine oil… it is best to think of it as the blood of your engine. If the condition of your oil is not running at the optimum performance then your financial asset is at risk from unnecessary strain, which in turn can cause costly breakdowns.

The first step is a simple oil change. An Engine Flush should also be added just before the engine is drained and idled for at least 10 minutes to allow for a full clean. Unlike other brands which use solvent-based solutions, Millers Oils Engine Flush contains advanced oil based cleaning additives, which gently cleans off any deposits and varnish which may have accumulated over time.

Next, focus on gearbox and differential lubricants. With them being closed system, they don’t usually need to be changed as frequently as the engine, but it is good to adopt this for good practice. Results provide extended life of the parts as high load from racing conditions will force the oil to oxidise and break down much quicker.

Believe it or not, one of the most commonly overlooked steps is changing your brake fluid. A combination of heavy usage, old and well-used brake fluid will over time become contaminated with water ingress and metal components. Changing the fluid regularly will prevent corrosion and system failure, whilst enhancing braking ability and feel.

Finally, give your vehicle some TLC. Fuel treatments can aide in prevention of lacquer build up in injectors preventing a proper fluid spray, valve seat recession and the corrosive effects of ethanol. This is particularly important when it comes to historical racing too. With the push to move to a more sustainable future it is more common now to find E10 and E5 fuels being used (unless of course it is compulsory to use race fuels), the effects of ethanol over time can be detrimental and using the correct treatment is key. Millers Oils has an extensive range of treatments covering ethanol protection, lead fuel replacements and octane enhancers.

Millers Oils Recommendations 

CFS NT+ range, CRX NT+ range, Racing Brake Fluid 300+ & 320+, Alpine range, Extra cool and CVL / CVL Extra, Engine flush.

Oil Analysis

Difficulty: Easy

Cost: Low

Oil sampling is an effective way of condition monitoring your vehicle. It is also a clever way of potentially catching a breakdown before the part gives in all together. For as little as the cost of one takeaway, Millers Oils can test the oil in our onsite laboratory where we observe metals and other compounds within the oil that can indicate which part(s) are under threat within your vehicle and all that is needed is a 90ml? sample of oil. With this sample, Millers Oils can tailor the information that you are looking for to your needs, building the report around your specific query if necessary… saving your waistline and your wallet.

Our team of experts are then able to advise on changing the part if results show it is needed, before a larger problem presents itself. All sample reports are stored in Millers Oils archive for a minimum of 12 months. From this, you can conduct multiple testing to monitor the condition of your engine etc. over a period and compare the information.

Working with Strasse, a long-term partner of Millers Oils, we conducted an oil analysis report on one of their championship winning cars. From the analysis we were able to see that even under the increased stresses of motorsport the oil (CFS 10w60) has still held its own and the condition of the oil is still well within acceptable measures. Wear metals showing at a satisfactory levels however we have identified that with the increase in aluminium that there may be an underlying problem and therefore being able to advise of a possible solution.

Millers Oils Recommendations : Oil Sample Analysis

Engine Rebuild / Refresh

Difficulty: Hard

Cost: High

This is a fantastic way to regain lost performance as the majority of the components are brand new. However, you must ensure that these parts are fitted and bedded in correctly or you risk wasting valuable investment time and money. Assembling the engine with the correct lubricant is crucial in protecting the engine on initial start-up and those components that are subject to high stress. For example, camshafts and crankshaft bearings. Once rebuilt, it is important that the engine is run in correctly using a dedicated running in oil. This is to make sure that the components longevity is maximised by running through the correct lubricant which can vary from vehicle to vehicle. Our team of technical experts will be able to advise on the correct practice for you.

Millers Oils Recommendation – lubricants (contact our technical team) greases – assembly lubricant.

There are some very easy ways to keep on top without needing to break the bank. Yes, you can go out and throw money at something but it is not always the most practical solution.

As always, call our technical team on 01484 475 060 if you have any questions.

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