I have an 06 Base with no Brembos and am wanting to participate more in my local autox. I know that the OEM Brembos, or any BBK, will be a better choice, due to the superior heat dissipation and less fading, but with as little as I might be tracking, once a month, maybe twice, would the cost of upgrading be worth it? I've looked into the non-Brembo upgrade packages, drill/slot rotors, steel lines, better pads, fluid, etc., and think they look good but would this be ok for my autoxing? The courses aren't that big so it wouldn't be a huge amount of time spent on the brakes to fade them per run. Any suggestions on this guys, espically the trackers and auto-crossers. Thanks.

 

The non-brembos will do fine for autocross. You don't use the brakes enough in a short 60 second spurt to warrant a bbk. Some autocrossers even prefer OEM pads because they work very well when cold.

If you plan on some weekend racing at a real track, then you will definitely want to upgrade pads. If you plan on a lot of track time on road courses, then a BBK would definitely be a worthwhile investment.

 

cmon bro...the 06 has bigger brakes than previous models too...if you don't think you can control your car on the track buy a slot car

 

And at whatpoint did I ever say I couldn't control my car? Jesus what a helpful post that has nothing to do with the original question....

 

You'll be fine with stock brakes, auto-x doesn't last long enough to even warm up slicks usually.

 

OP - I also have an 06 (Enthusiast). I do autoX and track my car about once or twice a year.

Here is what i've learned.

1) OEM pads / rotors are fine for autoX. I ran stock pads and rotors (on Potenza RE-01R's) until just recently when I (due to being the same price as OEM pads) bought some Hawk HPS. I noticed that I had more stopping power with the HPS, but that also means you can lock your brakes up faster. You will have to adjust your braking. Having more braking power doesn't seem (personal opinion, I am not an expert) to have much affect if any. However, if you ran slicks/dot tires for autoX, having more stopping power potential may be beneficial. Meaning, the HPS might be perfect if you run a slick, where as OEM pads may not provide enough initial bite to take advantage of all the grip a slick/dot tire has available. Talk to some AutoX's that have been doing it for a while. You will get more and better feedback. But remember, everybody has an opinion, so don't take what anybody says as the gospel. NOTE: Mods to brake systems, etc (yes, i saw your mods in the footer) can affect AutoX class.

2) Tracking is a little bit different ball game. I ran about 3 track events with OEM pads and rotors. The 1st time i didn't have much problem. I was not "good enough" to really push the car and generate a ton of heat where OEM pads and dot 3 fluid start to lose their ability to do their job (I ran on stock Potenza RE-40s for my first track day). I would actually suggest tracking your car with OEM equipment a couple times as i did. You really start to understand what you are doing, how heat affects the different systems (what a soft pedal feels like and what causes it) and how to compensate (break harder for shorter periods of time, etc). I would not have learned these things if i had some big brake kit with dot 4 fluid. This was a great learning experience for me.

I will be attending my 4th track weekend soon. I have decided to get a dedicated set of stock rotors (drilled and slotted are truly not needed for once a month or less tracking). On a side note, have you ever noticed that F1 cars do not have slotted or drilled rotors...hrmmmm. Anyway, I will also be getting a set of dedicated track pads. I've learned a lot by working stock brakes up to this point. I am now at the point in my ability where my brakes are my limiting factor. Meaning, because i am driving faster and generating more heat through braking, my pads are not able to keep up. Oh, i forgot to tell you, after the 2nd track day, I bought MOTUL brake fluid to try and compensate for my soft pedal. It helped, but now it is time to upgrade to a dedicated set of rotors and track pads. This will allow me to switch out and be ready for the track. No bedding in period (other than the first time) b/c i won't be going back and forth between pads.

Don't forget that whatever pad you run you are going to have tons of wear. Expect it, be happy about it, this is fun stuff! Be sure and keep an eye on your pads. I went out with brand new pads on my last track day (i had OEM pads with about 2 weeks of driving and one autoX on them). By the end of my 2 track days (because i was getting better and becoming much faster) I had destroyed my pads, literally vitrifying (also called glazing or turning an outer layer of the pad to glass) the face of the front pads. Definitely time for a new pad.

What I've written is above is based on my personal experience to this point. Good luck, maybe i'll see you out someday in STL...

 

wow totally awesome post by Rzander. To the OP, check this thread about my first track experience.

https://my350z.com/forum/autocross-r...z-awesome.html

In summary the stock non-brembo brakes are completely fine for a novice driver.

 

Wow Rzander that write up was amazing! It definately helped me out alot in my thoughts. I've done an autox with all OEM set up and it was definately a learning experience for me. And you're right about me being bumped in class for my mods. Blah but that just means I need to push harder to get better and more track time under my belt. Thanks again for the great write up!

 

You're welcome!

 

RZ... if you upgrade your oem brake lines to stainless steel... that should take care of your soft pedal... rotors, pads, and fluid won't help that problem at all. SS brake lines are the best way to cure mushy pedal feel. You can get a full set for about $100... well worth it.

 

What he said.