Thanks Mike. Time to do some research.

 

Wilwood 570 brake fluid has worked well for me for 30+ years. Remember to give your brakes a quick bleed AFTER your track day is over.

 

For stuff that's a lot cheaper, ATE Blue and TYP 200 (same as ATE blue, only normal color) works great and is less than 1/2 the price of the Wilwood stuff. I haven't ever had a problem with brake temps using it.

Then again, most of the time I just run Valvoline Synpower fluid you can buy at Autozone and have never cooked it either....

I don't fall into the class of insisting on using $20/pint brake fluid unless you're driving a car with tiny brakes at their absolute limit. for what you're doing, a good quality fluid will do the job. If you get to using a race-only pad and are running slicks and aero, then you'll need more brake and will possibly need better fluid. you simply don't need it in 99.9% of the cars people are putting it in there.

Get you some good double-duty pads like the EBC Yellow and change the fluid with some Valvoline or ATE and the world will be a much better place.

 

^ This guy knows his stuff. Matt is pretty much my mentor and the person who helped me understand the sport and its nuances better.

 

Being a bit of a tightwad and thinking of myself as practical, I appreciate a sane approach to this. I have not even been able to find a date for a track day event that fits my schedule so there is no reason for me to go overboard. So I appreciate Matt's advice and that of all the others.

 

There's just no reason to spend $500 on brakes for your first DE day. All of the tracks around here don't even use helmets for 1/2 the first day. you're literally cruising while they're giving you instruction on where to be, hand placement, how to shift properly, what gear to be in, etc.. You'd be amazed how much you find out you don't know when you get an instructor in the car.

Anyway, the point is that you just don't need huge mondo brakes for your first track day. street pads are fine, long as they have some meat on them and you have fresh fluid.

That said, it's a completely different issue if you're driving a 3000GT VR4 or a Twin turbo Z or a hemi 'Cuda... the stock brakes on those cars are NOT up to the task. I've driven all of the above at Hallett with the student (car owner) in the car while I showed them the lines. Brakes failed on all three within 3 laps and I was going easy on it.

A G has much better brakes from the factory though, even the pads are better than what most Z32s have.


As for track events, where are you located? Maybe we can help you find some car clubs or something near you... ?

 

+1 on Stop-Tech street performance pads for HPDE

Can someone please confirm that bending the front half of the rotor's dust shields help? Thanks

 

Wilwood 570 fluid is only about $6 a pint.

 

Matt I'm in South Carolina, near Charlotte. Carolina Motorsports Park is about 1.5 hours away and has events regularly. There are NASA events, a good local Mustang club goes there twice a year and there is also what appears to be an excellent regional Z club with a reputation for having good events with top notch instructors. I have a partner at work who races a 944 there regularly with a local Porsche club.

My problem is my own schedule. Just can't line up a date. There is a professional group that runs events probably twice a month. I think they are called Turn One. They run one day events, and they are more expensive than most 2 day events, but they have a lot more days that I could actually get to. I need to research them specifically and find out if they are worth spending the extra cash on compared to the 2 day club events.

 

Try checking in with your local club or even track, they may have days available for non-members where you pay by the hour, half day or full-day. It costs a bit more, but at least it's on your schedule.

 

Make sure that instruction is offered by whomever you run with.

 

I have been using the carbotech xp10's on the street and they are phenomenal even when cold. The only problem with them is the noise. They are loud...dump truck loud.

 

Im new to tracking the g35, but not track days in general. For someone who runs in the upper intermediate to lower advanced groups, what does everyone recommend for a track day brake setup? I've tried to lighten the car up a bit, moved the battery to the trunk and installed recaro seats. Thinking of making this car a track day vehicle and driving my other car on the street more. Thanks!

 

I say, let the type of track you'll be running on determine how much brake you need.

 

Thanks, just wondering whats out there for a full on track setup if i go that route. This car isn't exactly light and i have a few high speed tracks i frequent.