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What brake setup do you recommend for an experienced drver doing muktiple 30mi ute sessions of HPDE?
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That remains to be seen as more and more drivers get out on the track. My goal with the first installment of the article was to get people thinking about how they use their car, and to make them aware of the OEM brakes' limitations.
We will be taking our project BRZ to the local track (Carolina Motorsports Park). After I get some wheel time out there, we should be able to see the deficiencies, and it will become more clear as to what the requirements will be depending on modifications, etc. (we plan to modify our BRZ significantly). All of that said, at minimum I'd recommend good front race pads and quality brake fluid if you are going to track your car. If you shoot me a PM we can discuss which specific pad compounds might fit your needs, and we will have SS brake lines available within the next two weeks or so.
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Also, what about ducting?
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We are developing a custom brake duct solution for the FT86. Ducts are a fantastic way to increase your brake system's cooling/heat capacity. Generally speaking, I typically recommend them fairly early in the brake upgrade process. That said, it looks like ducts may be a bit trickier on the FT86 they are on some other platforms. The windshield washer reservoir is right behind the front drivers' side fender liner, and there's not a lot of room to thread a duct between it and the fender liner. That means ducts may fall down the priority list a bit for people wanting to keep their wiper washers functional, rather than carrying around a bottle of Windex. We're going to see what we can do in that area.
Generally speaking though, ducts are an excellent idea. Forcing air into the center of the discs pays dividends in lowering the overall system temperatures. The cooling air lowers the disc temp, which lowers the pad temp, which lowers the heat transferring into the caliper pistons, which lowers the brake fluid temps, and so on. Also, when the discs are running cooler, less heat radiates to your wheel bearings, suspension ball joints, etc. So keeping brake temps down helps to prevent the degradation of other nearby components...not just the brakes.
In many cases, ducts are a relatively inexpensive solution that prevent you from having to spend more on a larger, more complete aftermarket brake system. They just have to be designed and implemented properly.