Got a track related question? I'll try to answer.

[jvincent]

Anything will do. It's just to prevent gouging the asphalt.

[ddeflyer]

Originally Posted by jblmr2

Mike, I just completed my 10th track day last Friday. My lap times are improving and more consistent. I've basically followed the recipe you laid out in your sticky. Now I'm looking for some "next steps" for both car and driver. Goals: 5 or 6 track days per season, my car is a DD so I want to maintain a reasonable comfort level for street driving, I'm willing to mod the car but want to minimize the expense. To date my mods are: RS3's in stock size, RBF 600 brake fluid, CL RC5+ pads, Perrin panel filter, Grimmspeed strut brace, Grimmspeed master cyl brace, Harry's Laptimer for both video and data.


My initial thoughts are crash bolts and alignment, slotted/drilled front rotors, and more track time. Input would be appreciated.

Basic alignment, especially getting rid of the toe in, can have a dramatic improvement on the car's handling.

Slotted rotors help reduce some initial pad fade issues and give a slight increase to bite. Drilled rotors do also but they have a much higher tendency towards cracking and shouldn't be used on a track car. Frankly slotted rotors are probably not the best investment and drilled would be bad (other can chime in).

You can't go wrong with more seat time!

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by ZionsWrath

I noticed some tracks require you to have wood under any jacks and jack stands.

I don't know much about quality but I know there are different grades available. If I got a sheet of ply wood and cut it to size for my stands and jack, what grade/quality would I need to support the car?

FWIW, in terms of how long a piece will last you, the more plies the better. I use 3/4".

[CSG David]

Originally Posted by uncivilised

how many track days/heatcycles would RS3's take before they're trashed?

What tread depth is the fastest for said tyres?

got a track day in a month and my rs3 are quite low. thinking i should get some new ones and wear them in a bit

They can be trashed in 1 track day if you don't know how to monitor the tire temps. When the tires wash out and lose grip, it means you have overheated them and also means you should backoff on your driving. With proper maintenance, the tires can last as long as 8 track days. Average is about 4 days or so. The BRZ/FRS seems to utilize tires extremely efficiently so it puts heat in the tires quite well.

Consider getting proper equipment to get the proper alignment settings. @ddeflyer purchased Raceseng CasCams and SPL RLCA from us to dial in the proper camber. Both are excellent items even with coilover kits in the future. The Raceseng is modular in that sense you just need to replace the spring perch and a nut (I believe).

[Tt3Sheppard]

Will be attending my 3rd track day in the FR-S late this August and I'm wondering if its time to replace my front/rear rotors. Car has about 44k on it and I do have another set of OEM rotors to replace the olds with. I know that 1mm of wear is when it's time to change but when bringing to the track should I be looking out for other types of wear on the rotor?

Going to be using HC+800 front pads and stop tech street pads for the rear.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by TrogDor the Burninator

Eh ... I think this is geared more towards the bushings on suspension arms and links, and not the manner in which the strut attaches to a camber plate. Again, always best to check with your Regional Director though. I usually ask these questions in my NASA forums and get a pretty quick reply.

One thing I'll say about suspension though, specifically spring rates if you are looking to make any changes in the future. I had a set of RCE Tarmac II clubsports with 400/400 spring rates. I moved to the KW V3s that have a slightly softer front rate to rear rate (340 Front and 400 rear) and was very happy with the softer front. Turn in was much more precise and though there is a hair more body roll, the steering at speed into corners was fantastic.

I know many more people think that you should have stiffer springs up front due to weight distribution, but that wasn't my experience at all. 3 track days since the switch on my coilovers and spring rates, and I couldn't be happier ...

I know though ... there are a ton of people that say the opposite ... I can only tell you what my experience has been ...

We prefer stiffer in the rear

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by uncivilised

how many track days/heatcycles would RS3's take before they're trashed?

What tread depth is the fastest for said tyres?

got a track day in a month and my rs3 are quite low. thinking i should get some new ones and wear them in a bit

The first day is the fastest, and they slowly deteriorate. The rate of deterioration depends completely on you and how you drive them. It's easy to cook RS3s because they tolerate heat well, but if you back off as soon as they start to overheat, they won't drop much at all.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by jblmr2

Mike, I just completed my 10th track day last Friday. My lap times are improving and more consistent. I've basically followed the recipe you laid out in your sticky. Now I'm looking for some "next steps" for both car and driver. Goals: 5 or 6 track days per season, my car is a DD so I want to maintain a reasonable comfort level for street driving, I'm willing to mod the car but want to minimize the expense. To date my mods are: RS3's in stock size, RBF 600 brake fluid, CL RC5+ pads, Perrin panel filter, Grimmspeed strut brace, Grimmspeed master cyl brace, Harry's Laptimer for both video and data.


My initial thoughts are crash bolts and alignment, slotted/drilled front rotors, and more track time. Input would be appreciated.

If you want to do a bit more, rear lower control arms, front camber plates, and an alignment.

It'll reduce your tire wear significantly on the outer edges, give you better cornering grip, and you won't outgrow the parts.

Some long term items would be coilovers, BBK, datalogger, and LSD. You won't outgrow any of these items, except perhaps the coilovers (depends on the option you choose).

Are you driving with Traction/Stability off? Pedal Dance? If not, I recommend you do so.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by ZionsWrath

I noticed some tracks require you to have wood under any jacks and jack stands.

I don't know much about quality but I know there are different grades available. If I got a sheet of ply wood and cut it to size for my stands and jack, what grade/quality would I need to support the car?

Any cheap wood will do; it's not gonna last forever anyways. It's just to prevent gouging in the ground.

[jblmr2]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

If you want to do a bit more, rear lower control arms, front camber plates, and an alignment.

It'll reduce your tire wear significantly on the outer edges, give you better cornering grip, and you won't outgrow the parts.

Some long term items would be coilovers, BBK, datalogger, and LSD. You won't outgrow any of these items, except perhaps the coilovers (depends on the option you choose).

Are you driving with Traction/Stability off? Pedal Dance? If not, I recommend you do so.

Thanks Mike, and yes I am driving without traction control but I haven't tried with pedal dance yet. I've been taking a conservative approach to backing off the aids. Perhaps it's time to get rid of the last one.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by jblmr2

Thanks Mike, and yes I am driving without traction control but I haven't tried with pedal dance yet. I've been taking a conservative approach to backing off the aids. Perhaps it's time to get rid of the last one.

The last one actually makes the car more predictable

[glamcem]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

We prefer stiffer in the rear

How much stiffer Mike? I figured since I was going FI it adds some weight (even it's a slight gain since I also got rid of some junk) in the front I might benefit from having equal rated springs, as opposed to slightly stiffer in the rear. My logic might be wrong though

I have been using 9k/9k I wonder if I should adjust my damper settings so it's slightly softer in the front.. I
I have been playing with the damper settings at different tracks and noticed that stiffer damper settings don't seem to be working at some places.. I have 235/40/17 Nitto NT01s and dropped about 1" all around .. I opted for the slightly higher rates since I have hard R compounds .

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by glamcem

How much stiffer Mike? I figured since I was going FI it adds some weight (even it's a slight gain since I also got rid of some junk) in the front I might benefit from having equal rated springs, as opposed to slightly stiffer in the rear. My logic might be wrong though

I have been using 9k/9k I wonder if I should adjust my damper settings so it's slightly softer in the front.. I
I have been playing with the damper settings at different tracks and noticed that stiffer damper settings don't seem to be working at some places.. I have 235/40/17 Nitto NT01s and dropped about 1" all around .. I opted for the slightly higher rates since I have hard R compounds .

The damper is matched to the springs, not the car. What's the weight distribution on your car look like? Have you had it corner weighted?

[glamcem]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

The damper is matched to the springs, not the car. What's the weight distribution on your car look like? Have you had it corner weighted?

I knew they valved based on the spring settings but I thought having stiffer( well not really stiffer but relatively stiffer than 6k F/ 7k R setup ) might be a better idea..

I don't really know about the distribution but it might be slightly front heavy due to KW kit. I haven't had it corner weighted yet. Do you mean the corner weighted alignment?