Hi guys!

I have an 06 MT Enthusiast and I drove it for the first at the Jefferson Circuit (West Virginia) yesterday. First off, I wanna say that I LOOOOVE my car! It performs great at the track. I had fun driving it at the skid pad too. I used to drive my RSX-S at the track and it's definitely no comparison to the Z at all!

I let my instructor drove my car just to get a different perspective of how I can maximize the capabilities of my car. Boy! He effin' worked the Z! It made me ask myself: "Am I that bad?" He drove it for few laps and by the time we got off the pit, my brakes were smoking. I have not done any mods or upgrades on my car. It's bone stock!

Now, my question is what's the best break pads and break fluid that I can use that can withstand the heat while I'm driving at the track? Should I get new break system?

Any advise would be appreciated! Thanks and have a good one!

 

Are you sure that you were running the Jefferson circuit or the new Shenandoah circuit? I can see the look on your face after the pro took the Z for a couple of laps. WOW! Do other 350Z drivers know that this car is so freaking fast! LOL. Yes. Some of us push the 350Z to the limits.

Do you need new brake pads? Different fluid? In my opinion, no. The OEM set-up is well suited for HPDE.

 

Car and Driver also noted that stock Z brakes faded after a couple of laps on a track (an article around 2003-4). They suggested the Brembo set-up that's on the Track model. Don't know if you have this or not.

 

I found this little article helpful when I switched to a BBK.

http://www.zeckhausen.com/Nissan/350Z_Track.htm


And these too:

http://www.stoptech.com/

http://www.zeckhausen.com/avoiding_brake_judder.htm

 

Aaaah, bad kudos to your instructor for messing up your brakes!

It's still nice to have an idea of what can be done with our cars and convice us that it CAN go faster!.

Many options are availlable, you can find many ideas on the forum.

Here's my suggestions:

You might have to be patient with the '06 pad design. Not many race pads availlable yet so you might have to do with "street sport" pads for now. If you decide to track your car regularly, a separate "full race" pads will be a must. Swap them when you go to the track and back to regular pads for the street.

On floating caliper like yours, stainless steel braided lines will help the brake feel and modulation. I have the Brembo brake and don't have such lines. I like the pedal feel for now. I'm afraid the pedal would be too high for heel and toe.

Go for quality plain rotors. If the pads are chosen well, you won't have fade and will benefit from the maximum surface contact.

Fluid, you should consider an upgrade to RBF600 or similar stuff (higher heat resistance than 5.1).

 

That's crap... The instructor should never go out and take your car BEYOND its limits -- he would not have done that to his car. That was not an accident and not a surprise to him. If your brakes got that hot, he would known it and been able to feel significant fade well before the components started burning. I bet the track staff got together that night and had a good laugh about how they can F**k other people's car's up.

Did you thank him for glazing (possibly buring) your pads and warping your rotors?

*end of rant*

 

I made a passing joke if he's going to hook me up with new track pads because he owns a racing shop here in the area. I have mixed emotions about my instructor driving my car. I was about to have a heart attack when I was in the car with him and watching him pushing my car to its limits. I was easy on my Z because first, it's still relatively new. Second, it's bone stock. What the heck...it's too late now.

I've learned two things:

1.) Never let your instructor drive your car.
2.) I need to upgrade my break system because I know sooner or later I will drive my car to its limits and I don't have to worry about fading while I'm at the track.

 

Actually, brake overload follows an inverted bell curve.

Beginners will toast their brakes real quick, than learn to brake properly, leading to less wear and then they start to go faster, more wear!

Take your time and have fun!

Oh and yeah, I prefere to ride shotgun in my instructor's own car. Not mine. It also give an interresting perspective when you realize that his end-of-straight speed is the same as your's...

 

Breaks = Brakes?

 

Ha! Good eye! My bad...blame it on the DST! That's the effect of losing an hour of sleep.

 

Point taken, but wear is one thing, burning them up is another.

 

Anytime a car heads to the track whether stock brake system or aftermarket, we recommend that race/track or club race pads be used. Stock pads on cars just weren't designed to take the heat acheived on road courses. Going to track days is a whole new ball game and the conditions reached are beyond those reached by normal street driving or somewhat spirited backroad driving.

Our recommendations are to setup people so that their brakes are there for them all track day long with no fade. It's no fun when you have to hold back because your brakes are fading.

-H

 

This is so true. My mind was at ease and I was able to drive much better when I had the Stop Tech's installed. I could focus on the track course, the instructor's directions, and my Z's responses to what I was asking it to do. Definitely paid for its self after my first event.

 

Yep I can't wait to try my Stoptechs out in a couple of months. Planning on leaving the OEM Porsche in the back and going with Pagid Orange in the front.

 

All I can say is, at the last small track event - my car was the only one that didn't run into brake problems and I didn't put track pads on them. Yet, I am running 355mm rotors on the front and 330mm on the rear. And, I also let my instructor drive it for 20 min, and no I wasn't driving slow (especial since when I drove, I double passed the group on a 1.5 mile road coarse in 20 minutes). Big brakes make all the difference. And changing/bleeding the brake fluid.