[richard in NC]

Just wondering what the best paint protection is for track days. Looking for opinions on best value since I may turn in the M2C lease in a year. But I may keep it for the long term instead. In terms of protection and ease of clean up.

Full detail and ceramic coat? Or other finish?

PPF mirrors, hood, etc?

Just good old blue painters tape on the track days?

Or all of the above?

Thanks in advance!

[mcvaughan]

Originally Posted by richard in NC

Just wondering what the best paint protection is for track days. Looking for opinions on best value since I may turn in the M2C lease in a year. But I may keep it for the long term instead. In terms of protection and ease of clean up.

Full detail and ceramic coat? Or other finish?

PPF mirrors, hood, etc?

Just good old blue painters tape on the track days?

Or all of the above?

Thanks in advance!

Ceramic and PPF if you decide to keep it.

[GFEA]

Ceramic PPF is the "best" - lasts almost 10 years and is self-healing. its 6mm thick. the whole car PPF is about$ 6k and the critical areas can be $1500-2500.

A vinyl wrap is only 3mm thick, lasts less than 3 years, but the whole car is $2-3K depending on where you go. Personally I'm opting for a wrap because somethings better than nothing.

I just finished a ton of homework on this and I chose the wrap entirely due to budget reasons.

[SEAT TIME RULES]

https://www.amazon.com/XPEL-TW4T20-T.../dp/B01M5LEEB0

[KHAP13]

Originally Posted by richard in NC

Just wondering what the best paint protection is for track days. Looking for opinions on best value since I may turn in the M2C lease in a year. But I may keep it for the long term instead. In terms of protection and ease of clean up.

Full detail and ceramic coat? Or other finish?

PPF mirrors, hood, etc?

Just good old blue painters tape on the track days?

Or all of the above?

Thanks in advance!

If you don’t want to do PPF and want something better than blue painters tape you could try https://www.trakktape.com/

I have used TrakkTape and had good results. It’s easily removed after a few days, never with any residue, and has given me protection against rocks, bugs and rubber. It can be visible in photos depending on how much time you take installing and how much you put on. For me, it’s easier to install and looks better when I just cover main areas and go with the law of averages. I normally just apply to main parts of the front bumper, mirrors, and in front of the rear wheels. After a few times you’ll get the hang of it. I got the above brand from Amazon as opposed to their website. Be prepared for people to think you have a really bad PPF job...

Here are some pictures.

[NISFAN]

Originally Posted by GFEA

Ceramic PPF is the "best" - lasts almost 10 years and is self-healing. its 6mm thick. the whole car PPF is about$ 6k and the critical areas can be $1500-2500.

A vinyl wrap is only 3mm thick, lasts less than 3 years, but the whole car is $2-3K depending on where you go. Personally I'm opting for a wrap because somethings better than nothing.

I just finished a ton of homework on this and I chose the wrap entirely due to budget reasons.

6mm thick?

[tux2005]

Vinyl wraps and paint protection films have their thickness usually measured in mils, or thousands of an inch, not millimeters. 6mm of material would be massive, it's likely 6 mils or ~1.5mm. I see on at least one of 3M's wrap production pages that they quote 3.5mils or 0.09mm. And 3M's PPF lists 8mils ors 0.2mm.

Ceramic coatings will mostly offer protection from light scratches and swirl marks, they won't provide protection from stone chips, door dings. They may make it easier to remove things like rubber marks (from marbles) and should make it easier to remove brake dust, etc.

Paint protection film will protect against light or medium scratches, swirl marks, etc. They will also prevent brake dust and other fallout from embedding in the paint. There may be some protection from door dings but pretty minor. Rubber marks may be more difficult to remove in some cases, or may be easier, I do know the stock PPF that BMW puts on the rear wheel arches is more difficult to remove marks from than the rest of the paint.

Vinyl wraps are thinner but would generally offer the same sort of protection as PPF but with less protection. I wouldn't really consider vinyl as adding much protection.

Layering a ceramic coating on top of PPF or vinyl will make cleaning easier, I suppose it may make it easier to remove rubber marks but experience may vary.

[AWC-F87]

Originally Posted by tux2005

Vinyl wraps and paint protection films have their thickness usually measured in mils, or thousands of an inch, not millimeters. 6mm of material would be massive, it's likely 6 mils or ~1.5mm. I see on at least one of 3M's wrap production pages that they quote 3.5mils or 0.09mm. And 3M's PPF lists 8mils ors 0.2mm.

Ceramic coatings will mostly offer protection from light scratches and swirl marks, they won't provide protection from stone chips, door dings. They may make it easier to remove things like rubber marks (from marbles) and should make it easier to remove brake dust, etc.

Paint protection film will protect against light or medium scratches, swirl marks, etc. They will also prevent brake dust and other fallout from embedding in the paint. There may be some protection from door dings but pretty minor. Rubber marks may be more difficult to remove in some cases, or may be easier, I do know the stock PPF that BMW puts on the rear wheel arches is more difficult to remove marks from than the rest of the paint.

Vinyl wraps are thinner but would generally offer the same sort of protection as PPF but with less protection. I wouldn't really consider vinyl as adding much protection.

Layering a ceramic coating on top of PPF or vinyl will make cleaning easier, I suppose it may make it easier to remove rubber marks but experience may vary.

Pretty accurate. Good job!

PPF is the king of protection. Then I recommend track wrap in high wear spots over the PPF. Full car wrap in PPF is the way to go.

[Outlaw 06]

No "paint protection" is necessary for track days...

[AWC-F87]

Originally Posted by Outlaw 06

No "paint protection" is necessary for track days...

Different strokes for different folks man. If you want ZERO rock chips or even tiny little pits, PPF is necessary.
Every person has a different perception of "perfect".

[Outlaw 06]

Originally Posted by AWC-F87

Different strokes for different folks man. If you want ZERO rock chips or even tiny little pits, PPF is necessary.
Every person has a different perception of "perfect".

Are you implying that thin pieces of soft plastic stuck all over a car form some sort of impenetrable force field? Rock beats scissors and plastic too.

Yes, different strokes for different folks, but wrapping a condom around a beautiful paint job (or anything else for that matter) isn’t even close to my perception of "perfect".

[richard in NC]

Speaking from experience, track day protection isn't about rock chips, its about countless black spots and small chunks of tire thrown up to various spots on the hood and sides of the car. PPF and ceramic coats can help the cleanup to return the car to the "perfect" state. So I was asking for advice from the track rats in this sub-forum.

But I've also found Griot's Bug and Smudge remover works very well on normal paint/wax jobs.

[Outlaw 06]

^ Exactly. My advice is that plastic wrap isn't necessary at all. Especially to cleanup "countless black spots and small chunks of tire thrown up to various spots on the hood and sides of the car." I routinely and easily clean all of that stuff (and more) off my cars with standard cleaning products.

[AWC-F87]

Idk why I even bother trying to help people out with PPF advice online. There's always someone that knows more than me. I guess my 14 years of laying film and 8 international medals mean nothing lol.

Best of luck everyone. Enjoy rock chips