Hey everyone! I'm going to track a car for the first time in a few weeks. I always thought my s13 would be first, but thats on its way for sale. Back to topic, I was wondering what I should be aware of the first time tracking? From what I searched/read, it seems that the rear brakes wear pretty quick. What else should I be prepared for? How much pad and tire do you normally run through in a single track day?

 

The most important thing to remember is to have fun and be aware that it is adicting.

Wear and tear all depends on the road course and how hard you push the car.

For brakes, it also depends on the brakes and pads. Worst case you will probably go through 1/3 of a set of front stock pads and 2/3 of a set of rear pads (on a non-brembo system). Best case you will probably use about 1/4 of your pads.

For tires, same thing depends on tires. Worst case you use 1/6 of your tires with the most wear on the front left. Best case, 1/20 of your tires maybe.

 

My first day on the track w/ the Z (at thunderhill, Ca. Car had 5,000 miles on it) I went completely through the rear brake pads...metal to metal did not sound good on the drive home. I had been to the track 2 other times in different cars, so I felt somewhat comfortable to push the car...I would say to bring another set of pads just in case. (The basic idea that I've found is that when a novice [Me] pushes a car hard, they'll eat through brakes much quicker than when experinced drivers puch hard...if you don't push it too hard, your brakes will last longer)

Have fun! I love track days - if I had more $$, I would be there every day!

 

StaticCling has it about right... for your first time on track, that really should be about what you can expect.

For a clear, concise read of how you should prepare in general... CLICK HERE for the checklist on www.trackpedia.com --- its ALL you need to know

Have fun, and I'll leave you with this bit of advice to help save your brakes...

DON'T RIDE THEM

The biggest mistake first timers make (and I've posted about this VERY often) is that they tend to brake 'easy' or start braking too early and staying on the brakes too long. It feels like you're 'taking it easy' because you're not forcing the car to stop... the problem is, the longer you're on the brakes, the hotter they are gonna get... and that is either going to boil your brake fluid, or cause your pads to prematurely wear.

Keep your straight speeds in check... the Z is capable of high top end speeds... my advice, keep it under 120 and you'll be fine. When you brake for your turns, brake quick and firm but don't jerk it.

Hopefully your instructor will go over this with you as well

 

Thanks for the good starter info everyone. I'll be going to buttonwillow in case anyone is interested. Now it's time to search for some pads for the 06 non-brembos.

 

try to keep both hands on the steering wheel. and not 1 on wheel, 1 on shifter...

try to not freak out if people are behind you / tailling, concentrate on the road ahead...

take an instructor first time, let him drive and watch him, not go 'weee!' (although that may be fun the first couple of laps)... pay attention to his hands, location, footwork, braking points, etc..

and dont cheap out on your helmet. get the best you can afford..

have fun!!

 

This outlines exactly why I recommand getting race pads for the race track. It's way cheaper!

Now first350 has to buy new pads for the street AND for the track.

 

any recommendations on where/which one to get? I want to track often, but doubt that I will due to $ & time contstraints. (I seem to only have one of those at a time ) Do some helmets expire in X number of years or is that autocross only?

Do you think there will still be a lot of rear bias with the 06, considering it now has bigger rotors and dual piston calipers?

 

Once you get 3,4,5 events under your belt, yes... get track pads... but not before

Get a high quality dual purpose pad like Hawk HP or even Axxis Metal Masters (loved them on track in my Z32) ... use a high-temp brake fluid, any of these will be great: Motul 600, AP Racing, ATE Super Blue

There's no need to go spending $250+ on track pads for your first few events... if you melt your pads your first few events, I'm sorry to say its not cause of your exemplary driving skills... you are doing SOMETHING wrong!! Learn good techniques and you'll be a MUCH better driver for it than if you simply mask your problems with equipment (same goes for tires)

 

How much does 2-3 sets of pads cost? 250$ comes up real fast. The pads for the non-Brembos are what? 60$ And these brakes are known to toast the rear faster (ABLS and brake bias), so we can expect to change fronts and rears pretty quick.

The instructor should point out any problem with the student's braking technique. In the mean time, they will have less chance of running out of pads.

If you know you will be doing more events, get the pads. I ran my full HPDE season last years (11 track days) with one set of race pads. And I'm still running on my original Brembo pads on the street. ~400$ total (fr/rr pads + fluid). That's pretty cheap IMO.

And I didn't have to deal with a 3300lb/300HP car coming into a turn ar 110 mph with fading brakes...

 

My main point is this... for someone's first time on track, they shouldn't have to go out and spend $600-$800 on top of their entry fee. Your $400 plus a previous comment about the best helmet (most likely talking about a $300 helmet) is totally unnecessary for a first timer in my humble opinion.

 

Well if the Noob goes out and gets a $150 motorcycle helmet and ends up liking the sport, he'll probably want/need to get a better SA-rated helmet for specific track events. then have to spend an additional 300-500$ more for a good one. i'm just speak from personal experience.. and i know other people that have done the same. It's safety. do you have a $150 head? i dont think so. just do it right from the beginning and buy a nice SA rated helmet and be done with it.

if you dont like the sport, then ebay or trade it to a track junkie for some racing games and pretend at home.

 

For the record, I said absolutely nothing about a motorcycle helmet... on the contrary I specifically stated to get an SA2000 or SA2005 helmet. There's nothing wrong with buying a $199 SA2000 G-force for someone just getting into the sport... it goes through the exact same safety tests as the $400 Bell or Simpson or Beife. Use it for 5 years as experience is gained and when the time comes to move up to competitive wheel-to-wheel events, THEN go for the big-buck stuff.... or don't so long as the equipment meets spec.

I'm not trying to say that any points made in this thread are not valid... I'm just saying when a guy is concerned about whether or not he can afford to do events, there are alternatives to help.

A $200 SA rated helmet is gonna protect your head under HPDE, non-competitive conditions just as well as a $400 SA rated helmet will. Sure, it might not be as light, or look as cool, or have vent tubes and HANS device connectors... but in terms of impact performance, its just as good so long as it's the right size.

As for the brake pads... buy a good set of dual purpose fronts and rears, and keep the stock pads that come off the car as back ups. No worries about whether the pads are up to temp or not, or bedded in properly cause driving with them on the street a week or two before the event will take care of that. (You'll spend the first session bedding in the race pads with the rotors... thats a WHOLE 'nother thread about using track-specific rotors with track pads too... no one's mentioned the cost of that)... no wasting time in the paddock changing pads = more enjoyment of the event = not missing a classroom session or a chance to ride with an instructor... or worse, an on-track session of your own.

OK... I'm done... flame away

 

So we do recommand getting extra pads?

With track pads, just drive to the event and back home on them. They'll clean the rotors. Find a road near the track to bed them. No need to loose time in the pits.

 

As long as the Noob knows that track pads don't work too well when cold (which they will be on the street)... and every manufacturer states they are not to be used as street/daily driving pads... so don't follow too close I'd hate to see a track weekend ruined on the way TO the track.

Maybe its a semantics thing... by track pad I'm talking about pads like Porterfield R4, Carbotech XP10/11 ... stuff like that .... ones that need to reach a certain temperature (not usually seen on street driving... 250 degrees + or more) in order to operate properly and safely. You should not be driving to and from anywhere on public roads with these pads on the car.

And yes... extra pads are always a plus (if not a must) but the stock pads will suffice as a back up, or more likely the case, the set you get home on. But again... my whole point is that a Noob should be much more concerned about learning a decent line around the track and good track protocol rather than top speed on the straights and maximum braking force... that will come later.

OK... NOW I'm done

 

I second (or am I third in this thread?) the recommendation for having at least a back-up set of pads to drive home on. I basically wore out a set of almost new rear pads after just four sessions during my first track day in the Z. Then again, the track was hard on brakes and I know how to use them pretty well (I am not a noob). Smoke was pouring out of the wheel wells when I came into the pits. (Just to note, I have had brakes catch fire on occasion.)

I drive to the track now with my Hawk HT-10s installed in my front Stop Techs and carry the Axxis Ultimates with me just in case. But these HT-10s have lasted so well I haven't needed fronts for over a year. The rears are another story. I find that the Hawk HPS pads are good for the street and okay on the track for several track days (but even with good fluid I need to bleed them frequently).

I would not recommend tracking the car on the stock (especially rear) pads, period. Get some Hawk HPS pads and good fluid. Just my two cents.

 

Well my options for pads for an 06 are pretty limited right now, so it seems that if I do get another set, it would be OEMs. I'm going to upgrade the brake fluids.

Any recommendations for places to get a helmet?

 

Object in the Mirror Are closer than they Appear

You know what that means? It means Try and sue us, we’ll win because you where warned. This is why track pads have the Not for Highway use warning…

I understand your point of view on safety Stacy. But give some credit to the noob who is going to drive the car you will be a passenger in. A student should not be concerned about speed, I agree. You also said noobs are prone to cooking their brakes by dragging them. I also agree.

Why would a track pad NOT be a good, safe idea? It would solve that issue. Is it “cheating” ? No way! It’s not like showing up for your first HPDE on a set of Hoosier! That is a recipe for disaster. The better pads will simply make the brake system work better, be more reliable. The tires, and ultimately, the driver, will make the car drive the correct line. I’d rather my student didn’t have to learn to drive around a problem like fading brakes over learning the line, finding the flaggers stations and keeping an eye on traffic…

How yeah, by track pads I mean… track pads. Specifically the ones that “start” working at 450F and are good beyond 1500F (Cobalt Friction Spec VR in my case). Very abrasive when cold (any street condition, we agree on that too) they just grind my rotors on my way to the track, so I put them on the day before the event. Funny thing, they still bite more than the OEM. Above freezing anyways. And since I’m the one driving, I can adjust my driving accordingly. Any noob can do that…

Anyways, to each his own. I wish someone had advised me about getting proper pads the first time I went to the race track. It would have saved me the expense of getting new rotors and plenty of brake pads.

“Keep your speed below 120”??? KM/H right? Not MPH I hope?!

 

Has anybody checked the '05 vs '06 pads? They could be the same, with a caliper simply offsetted to get a bigger disc. I don't know.

If they are, you could get any pads that would fit on a previous Z. See with your dealer.

 

I run Stoptech 13.1" F with Track model rear brakes, and during the entire DE season, I run my XP10/XP8 pads on the street as well as on the track. They stop MUCH better even while cold than the Axis Ultimates! Their initial bite is simply awesome! So good that I need to check my rear view mirror to make sure the car behind can stop without slamming into me! Yes, they do squeal like a pig, but, I really could care less.

So, yes, I recommend RACE pads for noob's!