County racers offer car care tips

CARIBOU, Maine — The difference between maintaining a car built for racing and a normal passenger car is vast, and many racers find themselves simultaneously taking care of both.

Three professional drivers from central and northern Aroostook recently shared vehicle care tips, offering maintenance insight from a unique perspective.

Austin Theriault, born and raised in the St. John Valley, started racing at Spud Speedway in Caribou when he was only 13. From there, he went on to race in the Nascar Xfinity series, the Camping World Truck Series, and just last year he won the ARCA Racing Series Championship.

Theriault has plenty of advice for average drivers hoping to get the most out of their cars.

“The way I look at it is, a race car is built for speed and short-term use,” Theriault said, “Mechanics look over it and make repairs and maintenance as soon as the race is done to get it in tip top shape for the next race.”

For the average car, however, Theriault said engineers are looking at how consumers can get from point A to B in the most economical way, spending the least amount of money and getting as many miles as possible out of the vehicle.

“Companies pull a little bit out of the average vehicle’s performance. A Toyota Corolla doesn’t need to perform at 100 miles per hour. A mom taking her kids to soccer doesn’t need to be concerned with cornering at 5 g’s,” he said, referring to the gravitational force exerted on an object in acceleration.

Keeping any car in shape requires regular oil changes, but whether owners should use synthetic or regular oil is up for debate, Theriault said.

For racing, manufacturers are not likely to recommend synthetic oil because the oil will be changed frequently. For normal driving, synthetic oil is more expensive but it can last longer, he said.

“I’m not completely an expert,” he said, “but when it comes to oil, the tech might seem very simple, but it has really developed over the past 20 to 30 years. It now lasts longer and is better at keeping engines from wearing. Everything in a car is mechanical, and engineers are always making constant progress.”

He’d recommend synthetic oil for drivers who are not necessarily keeping track of when they change their oil, as it will “give you a bigger window” before the engine is in danger.

On the topic of regular oil changes, Theriault said drivers with newer vehicles could “probably get away with not checking it as much,” and that consumer vehicles vary wildly when it comes to burning oil.

“I had a friend in High School who had a vehicle that burned a lot of oil,” he said, “and he ended up burning his vehicle because he ran out of oil. But you also have older vehicles that some people barely even check.”

He recommends checking once a month, adding that that interval may be too much for certain vehicles, and that it’s essential to have it checked before going on a long trip.

“You don’t want to have trouble when you’re going on a trip,” he said. “It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to oil, because there’s no going back from not having enough. You can’t fix an engine from that when the damage is done.”

Regularly checking oil is one of many habits motorists should form if they want to get the most out of their vehicle, and Theriault said drivers could get over 200,000 miles out of their cars as long as they maintain a good relationship with their mechanic.

“It’s really about having a relationship with the person who does your inspections, and finding someone you trust to do your mechanic work,” he said, recommending extended maintenance between 100,000 and 200,000 miles.

Two other factors many neglect, according to Theriault, are the brakes and suspension.

“Those are ultimately the first line between the tires and the rest of the car,” he said. “The tires are probably the most important, and then the suspension because that holds the tires in place.”

He said suspension issues can not only cause significant damage, but they also can be life threatening.

“Any time you feel vibration, or hear something that sounds loose or shakey, it’s good to get it checked out by a mechanic,” Theriault said.

On the topic of tires, he said that studded tires in the winter can be helpful “if it’s within the budget,” and that they are particularly useful against ice, but not so much against deep snow.

“If you’re going in deep snow, studded tires aren’t much help but studs will help on ice or a road surface with a certain amount of buildup,” adding that, on most County roads, motorists will often have to deal with up to a quarter of an inch of snow even after the plow goes by.

If studded tires are not in a driver’s budget, Theriault suggested using non-studded winter tires.

“A pure functioning winter tire is going to get you much better performance, and if you pair that up with studs I think it’ll be even better by a decent amount,” he said.

Rust, while it doesn’t pose the same existential threat of a broken suspension or a bald tire on an icy road, is another problem that can be prevented.

Theriault said rust typically accumulates when motorists go on a trip or leave their vehicle unattended for an extended period of time.

“It’s even happened to me,” he said. “I went on a trip and left my vehicle for six months. When I came back and looked underneath, it was completely rusted. If you know your car won’t be used for a couple weeks, it’s best to get it washed off and then park it. Surprisingly, most of the time rust happens from the car just sitting there.”

In addition to regular communication with a trusted mechanic, Theriault emphasized the importance of paying attention to tire pressure.

“Checking tire pressure is just as important as checking your oil,” he said. “If you’re driving with over or under inflated tires, it’s going to cause damage to your tire and cost you more money in the long run. It’s also a potential hazard for drivers and passengers because you’re asking the tire to do something it’s not meant to do.”

While Theriault cut his teeth at Spud Speedway as a young man, so did current race track owner Troy Haney, who says he’s been racing there for “most of his life.”

Haney said he had a short racing career, and that the race track has been open on and off throughout the years. Roughly ten years ago, he helped his friend Jerry Williams build a race car for the track, and soon they ended up buying the track.

Haney’s advice is similar to Theriault’s, and when it comes to oil, the racetrack owner said that both synthetic and regular oil have specific advantages.

“Synthetic has advantages for those who want to have less maintenance between oil changes,” he said, “but conventional oil has improved to the point in quality where it’s dependable.”

For oil checks, Haney said some brands of synthetic oil could get a motorist by for a 10,000 mile interval whereas drivers using conventional oil should get the car checked between 3,000 and 5,000 miles.

“I’m probably more old school in saying this,” he said, “but you should change your oil every four or five thousand miles.”

Haney says motorists can prevent rust by regularly maintaining their vehicles, specifically “in our climate” in Aroostook County.

“Washing your car in the winter is good,” he said, referring to the road salt and other products used to de-ice roads that get on cars. “Taking it through the drive through wash will give the undercarriage a pressure wash. Typically I do that with my own vehicles, but I also wash them by hand and take my time under there.”

“Another option is to just move to Florida,” he joked.

In dealing with treacherous ice-covered winter roads, Haney said all season tires can get motorists by without much of a challenge, but studded tires are recommended for the best “safety and control.”

“It’s more about stopping with studded tires,” he said, “and that’s where they tend to help.”

With motor vehicle technology improving exponentially, Haney said it’s not uncommon for motorists to keep their vehicles until they rack up somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 miles and still have some life left.

As far as general tips, Haney recommended ensuring the ball joints, tie rods, brakes, and exhaust system are in working order, and that it’s common to overlook antifreeze and transmission fluid, which should be maintained just as well as oil.

“Regular cleaning is important in holding up the value of a car,” he said. “You’ll get a better return on investment if you keep it clean, tidy and waxed, and take care of scratches and dents along the way. It certainly improves the value when you go to sell or trade it in.”

Like Haney, Kirk Thibeau of Fort Fairfield has been racing for decades and will be participating in a July 3 race at Spud Speedway in Caribou.

Thibeau, like Theriault and Haney, said that maintenance of a high speed racing car doesn’t relate at all to the maintenance of a regular passenger car, and offered similar advice in terms of caring for a normal vehicle.

He said that the oil type used depends on the year of the vehicle, and that any cars from the past decade should use either synthetic or a synthetic blend of oil.

With synthetic oil, Thibeau said a driver can go for a much longer amount of time before worrying about making a change.

“It used to be every 3,000 miles,” he said, “but now it’s up to 5,000 and 6,000. Some are even up to 10,000.”

He also recommended regular washing to combat and prevent rust from forming, and that motorists should be washing their cars weekly or at least biweekly to keep salt and calcium at bay.

For winter driving, Thibeau said motorists could get by with all season tires, “especially with a four wheel drive.”

“Studded tires definitely have an advantage on ice or an icy surface,” he added.

Some red flags that drivers should look for, according to Thibeau, are any small or squeaking noises that occur when applying brakes. He said this means that pads have worn down and that the vehicle may need to be serviced. For gas types, he said the only reason to use supreme fuel is in a performance vehicle built for high speeds. Otherwise, “there are not a lot of advantages to running supreme versus the cost.”

When going in for an oil change, Thibeau recommends getting tires rotated, as it can make a big difference in terms of the car’s life span.

With proper maintenance and care, Thibeau said many vehicles, particularly those manufactured in the past decade can have long lives.

“People used to trade in their vehicles at 50,000 miles,” he said. “Now they’re keeping them until they reach 100,000 and 150,000 miles.”

Thibeau said he was getting ready to start the race season at Oxford Plains Speedway over the April 21-22 weekend and plans to participate in select races in New England and Canada throughout the summer.

“I’m looking forward to coming back to my home track this year at Spud Speedway,” he said.

Haney at Spud Speedway said that the July 3 race there will be a professional all star series tour race, as well as a qualifier for the Oxford 250.

“Most importantly,” he said, “It’s going to be a fundraising race for Catholic Charities’ Feed the County effort.”