After talking with both the track managers at PMI and LaJunta, we've established a date for the next 350Z/BSpeed track day. June 19th is a Saturday and LaJunta raceways will be ours for the day!

For those that aren't familiar with our track days, they are meant to be an introduction to high-performance driving (complete with exercises) and track driving (not racing). Please read some of the earlier threads (complete with pics) in this forum for more details. It's a great opportunity to run your car at, or near the limit (either of your ability or the car's) and not worry about flashing lights after triple digit blasts.

Gary Miller will be leading this particular track day and I'll let him post more specifics when he returns from a trip after this Memorial Day weekend. Gary has been a consistent participant in all of the Z track days we've held so far and can relate to both the newbie and the more experienced driver. I know he will be an effective leader and will need everyone's help to keep our record of no shunts or tickets intact!

Please post your interest in this event here, so we'll have some idea of how many plan to go. It's almost three weeks away so get those brakes, tires...and your heads, ready for some serious FUN in the sun!

 

David,

You already know about the new gagets I just put on my baby... so I'm anxious to try them out on the track.

Count me there!!!

You're not coming along, even for morale support or encouragement?!?!? Going to miss that hot RED TRACK 350Z !!

 

I am suposed to go see my brother for that weekend in California, I may have to miss yet another one of these David. I do give you great credit however, as that is the only free weekend I have from Bandimere for most of May, all of June and some of July.

I may re-schedule to California trip, we'll just have to see, I'll keep you posted.

Brian

 

Count me in. Great weekend choice also, one of the few that I have open.

 

ack. the only weekend all summer I'm going to be out of town.

have fun guys, I'll see you around.

I'll probably be at SCR on a wednesday or two during test and tune this summer. I'm looking forward to the possibility of getting on the track on a light traffic day.

 

Come to the ZCCC track day there next Sat. You will have a low traffic day that day guaranteed.

Brian

 

Don-

I think you'll be very pleased with both the suspension pieces and the alignment that Allen provided you. Glad you're signed up for the event.

Don't worry, I'll work with Gary around planning the June 19th program. While you know I want to be there- storming around in my RED TRACK 350Z- it's not likely. Unfortunately, the best medical advice says that, at this point, it's not worth the risk . Also, I am trying like hell to give myself every chance to be cleared to race at the July 4th Double National at SCR. Odds are against it, but that's my last shot to challenge for the RMDiv Championship and a bid for the National title. While I'll certainly miss going to LaJunta, there will be other opportunities. I'll look forward to doing whatever I can in advance to make the day in LaJunta an enjoyable one!

 

I'm in.

 

David, you know me... just ribbin' ya a little. We all wish you a speedy recovery. Hey, when's that next edition (summer) of the SportZ magazine coming out? I hear they have some pretty kewl pics in there..!

Allen does EXCELLENT work. What a guy... now I know why you have him on your race team!

 

Don-

The Summer '04 issue is out and you should have it in your mailbox shortly! Kudos to you for your pics from our last LaJunta day, which were published as part of the Koni article. In fact, the group shot you did of all of us was a surprise inclusion! Unfortunately, there must have been a mix-up in communication and you did not receive proper photo credit. I'll see that we get a correction issued in the Fall issue. My apologizes on behalf of the photo editor.

As for your last comment- you know it- Allen is DA MAN! He has a great blend of technical knowledge, intuitive feel for mechanical issues and I appreciate his attention to detail on each project he undertakes. No matter how this summer turns out, I feel blessed to have Allen on my crew!

 

David - thanks for setting this up. I’m looking forward to another track day at La Junta. Here’s hoping you defy the odds, make a miraculous recovery, and are able to join us. If not, we’ll miss you on the 19th, but hopefully you’ll be fully healed and ready to go by next time.

Guys - David asked me to help out with this, and I’m happy to contribute in order to allow us all to experience another track day (or a first track day for those who are new to the group.) La Junta is a fantastic track to learn on, so hopefully we’ll have some more 350Z/B-Speed track-driving newbies come out and get introduced (i.e. addicted) to the fun of driving on a proper road-racing track.

We’ll be doing a very similar routine to what we’ve done in the past. We’ll meet at 8 AM at the rest stop south of Larkspur on the southbound side of I-25. Departing the rest stop shortly thereafter should get us to the track by 10:30. After meeting with the track manager to sign the waiver and pay our absurdly-cheap fee of $35 each, we should still have plenty of time before lunch to do some threshold braking, accident avoidance, and slalom drills in the paddock area before we talk about heel-toe downshifting and head out onto the track for some initial touring and discussion.

Much like before, we’ll drive the track slowly at first, stopping at several key points to get out and talk about the track in detail. This will be helpful for those new to the track, but will also benefit those of us who have seen La Junta before, as we can get another look at the details of some of the turns that we can’t fully appreciate when we’re barreling through at high speed.

Next, we’ll do some follow-the-leader ‘familiarization laps’ of the course at low-to-moderate speeds. This will likely take us to lunchtime, during which we’ll eat at the track (everyone remember to pack a lunch) and talk about what we’ve learned so far and what we’ll be doing during the afternoon.

The afternoon will see us turning up the speeds and running approximately 20 minute sessions to give us plenty of track time without risking a major overheat of the cars or the drivers. By this point, we should all be familiar enough with the basic layout of the track that we can spread out some to give ourselves plenty of room to push our limits and try different things without fear of crunching any metal. We’ll also talk about some passing rules that will allow us all to have fun without worrying about what to do when passing or being passed. To ease any concerns, we’ll only have passing on the straights…no corners will be contested. This is for our safety and the assurance of continued use of the facility. Nobody who wants to do any wheel-to-wheel stuff should bother coming out, as it ain’t gonna happen.

For those who come out – leave your ego at home…there’s no shame in being passed by anyone. Sometimes it can be helpful to take some corners slower when experimenting with different lines/handling characteristics of the car/etc, and this can lead to others who are pushing harder & working on different skills catch up and want to get by. We’re not out here qualifying for the Indy 500, so there will certainly be different speeds being driven at the track. ‘Testosterone poisoning’ is a primary contributor to bent metal, and that will be something for us to keep in mind throughout the day. Something else to note here is that being passed on a straight gives you the chance to hear these engines at high revs as they approach, pass, and accelerate away…always an enjoyable experience!

It’s going to be hot down there, so everyone should be sure to bring plenty of fluids to drink. Sunscreen will also be good, as we’re basically going to be standing around on a slab of pavement in the middle of the desert when we’re not on the track, and there is very little shade available. And speaking of shade - if anybody has one of those free-standing awning/tarp/pavilion cover things, would you please bring it? It’s amazing what having even a little bit of cover from the sun can do to raise everyone’s comfort level.

Also, the elevated temperatures will be that much harder on everyone’s tires, brakes, etc. Please make sure that you have sufficient material left on your (hopefully upgraded from stock) brake pads, that your brake fluid (preferably DOT 4) is freshly-bled, and that you have a decent amount of tread left on your tires. The drive down and back won’t be worth it if there’s an equipment failure that ends someone’s day prematurely!

If anyone has any questions, please post them here. I’m looking forward to the 19th…it should be a blast!

Gary

 

*CRY* I would love to go but there are two weekends out for me this summer. June 19th for a wedding, and July 9th for a wedding. Darn you all. But have a ton of fun. See you all the next weekend for the Durango Drive.

 

Just got off the phone with Carbotech, and they "would really prefer not to sell" me any pads for the track. I am sure if I pressed them, they would sell me the Panther plus, but they believe the race compounds are too much for the Z on the track. Apparently, the calipers become too hot for the plates and the piston causes warping, and they have a new policy to not sell racing compounds for non-Brembo Z's. This is killing me. It is becoming a real pain to get some decent pads for the Z. I imagine Hawk HP+ or the Panther + is about as good as it gets without having to drop a grip of cash on a bbk. Any other suggestions for pads? EBC ceramic redstuff available? I'd rather not show up just to have to stop and let my brakes cool every few laps.

 

Resolute - I'm curious what plate the Carbotech guys said was overheating, and what the piston was warping (rotor, pad backing plate, shim, etc?) Also, were they talking about the fronts, rears, or both?

As for track pad options, courtesyparts.com has the EBC Redstuff front and rear that you could try (do NOT try the EBC Greenstuff.)
Also, you could try the Porterfield R4 (stay away from the R4S.) I know they make this compound for the rear non-Brembos, and others have been happy with it.

Another option for your first trackday might be Axxis Ultimate for the fronts. This is not really a track pad, but you might be able to get away with it at La Junta, which only has 1 really heavy braking zone, and 2 moderate ones. CobaltFriction.com carries these.

Also, I may have some front pads that you could use that are left over from before I put on my Stoptech kit. I'll check in the garage later when I get a chance and see.

 

According to Matt at Carbotec, the stock brakes are undersized, and "Nissan dropped the ball with these brakes." The pads' backing plate has been known to warp from piston pressure and extreme heat from track use. Larger rotors and calipers are needed to dissipate the heat effectively for track conditions. Larry Narcus e-mailed me back to the same effect, stating that "while Hawk does offer race compounds for your application, we really rather not deal with them," and "Sorry, this does not leave you much room working with Carbotech." I mentioned how several people on this forum had recomended Carbotech, but Matt told me several problems occur with the base set-up and they prefer not to "induce any liability with a $35,000 car sliding off the track into a tire barrier because of brake failure." It seems the rear brakes are more prone to fail than the fronts for reasons not made clear to me. The Panther + is all I can get from them it seems.
I have heard good things about the EBC redstuff ceramics for track use, but not their standard redstuff. I will check courtesyparts.com to see what they offer. According to Larry at Carbotech, "I would NOT recommend Axxis Ultimates for the track and certainly not for that calipher system on the track." I asked about them already and also about Performance Friction. No good results on either from Carbotech.
Where might I order the Porterfirld pads from that you mentioned, the R4?
Thanks Gary, I appreciate your help.

 

I can definitely vouch for what they say about the rears fading...even with the fronts upgraded to 332mm Stoptechs, I occasionally still feel a bit of fade (which can only be from the rears now,) and the heat at the rears kills even club race pads after just a few track days. This is most likely due to the tiny rotors and pads in the back, and could be made worse by the Z's brake bias (which mighted be slanted towards the rear more than on most street cars.) None of this is a reason to not track your Z, but it's something to be aware of from the outset.

For the Porterfield R4, take a look at http://www.porterfield-brakes.com and give them a call. I believe the rear fitment in their R4 is about $120. Elsewhere on their site, they mention that they can provide pads in any Performance Friction compound for any pad size that they offer for any of their other compunds. That would be an expensive solution, but PF's 01 compound has received rave reviews from all who have tried it (regardless of what you may have heard from Carbotech.)

Good luck!

 

Recieved an e-mail back from porterfield and they have the R4 compounds for the non-track Z's at:
Front #AP 815 R-4 $159.99
Rear #AP 905 R-4 $119.99
I suppose I will be ordering these. I originally wanted Performance Friction 01 compound because, as you said, they have excellent reviews from many racers including several SE-R cup guys. This is what led me to Carbotech to begin with, as they had great reviews on service and are a PF distributor. But, considering the cost and Carbotech's response, I will save the money for a bbk and look at Performance Friction pads later.
Thanks again.
Will

 

Wish I could make it, but I can't. I do however have some OEM non-brembo front brake pads for anyone interested. Only 175 miles put on them, so they are practically brand new. Perfect for the track and at a cheap price.

Name your price, reasonably, and there yours. I live in the Springs so local pickup is preferred.

Hope you guys have fun.

 

Guys- just wanted to give you my "real-world" feedback on the PF 01 compound. I used it on my Nissan GT5 tubeframe car and can vouch for it's effectiveness. More braking torque than the Hawk Black (which I also liked), but I must warn you: the 01 was abrasive on rotors. My GT5 car only weighs around 1700 lbs. but uses Goodyear Eagle race slicks, so it's a deep braking car.

The Wilwood rotors were pretty chewed up after the '02 season and I've since gone to trying Cobalt Friction's VR compound. In any case, I recommend you either change your pads at the track or as soon as you get home. Compounds like the VR or PF 01 compund will EAT your pricey 350Z rotors when cold!

 

Gary, count me in for this one. This seems like a good opportunity to go to the track for the first time.

Is there any criteria that we need for our cars in order to go on the track? Or is there anything that we need to bring, beside lunch and the $35?

Thanks for setting this up Dave and Gary.

David