Recommendation for track lapping day setup
 

What's the recommendation for track/lapping day setup for a stock 2017 BRZ (non-performance package)?

Reading older threads suggest the OEM rear brake is quite capable and only the front need modding?

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25485

If you're a newbie go stock, no reason to wait or waste money on stuff you don't need yet for a hobby you're trying for the first time. Hell, maybe it's not for you and it'd be a shame to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on equipment that will go unused.

If you get into it the brake pads and fluid will be the first necessary upgrade. Lots to read lots of opinions but you are fortunate to have a quality car that will hold up to light track duty very well.

Have fun, there's no heroes or trophies at track days.

Just smiles

I say buy harry lap timer, it cheap and gives you reference point of where to improve.

Pads and Fluid. If you do get the lap timer, put your phone out of sight. Don't drive to beat your lap times your first time out.

1. Pads and fluid.
2. App to monitor oil temp (for example: Torque on Android) - I hit 265 degrees on my first track day. Got an oil cooler before my second one.
3. Instructor

Put an oil cooler at the top of your list, then brake pads (all 4 corners) and fluid.

You can do your first day just fine 100% stock, but you'll very quickly want the oil cooler and brake pads/fluid.

Go enjoy your car first to see what you'd like to improve about it.

If I were to track my car I'd go with

1) pads + fluids - try not to go too overboard with like full race pads, a simple street performance/light track pad will be fine as our cars are not that heavy to begin with

2) oil cooler - it has been known that with heavy track days the oil will get to higher than recommended operating temps

3) tires - but you can totally run your stock ones down as you get familiar with the car

I would disagree with this for a first timer. A beginner should have an instructor in the car with them for every session, and they will be able to provide much more useful feedback than a newbie trying to analyze lap times without much point of reference. Not to mention, when you first go out you'll be so slow that lap times probably won't really give you that good of an idea of where to improve, since there'll likely be lots of time you could be picking up all over the course. And once you start taking lap times, then you're racing. Not anyone else, but yourself, and HPDEs aren't a race. I understand that they're a useful tool for measuring improvement, which is what HPDE is about, but I'd argue that until you've at least been running in intermediate for awhile (or even bumped up into advanced) that you'll have large enough areas of improvement that they should be pretty obvious beyond noting a few seconds or tenths on a given lap.

I know the same stuff doesn't work for everyone, and for some the lap timer is perfectly fine. But I think that for any beginner's first few track days that lap times should be the absolute last thing they're looking at. Learn to drive safely, learn the racing line, learn proper steering inputs, reducing braking zones, etc. Then later worry about how to make all of those into faster times.

I don't know about you guys, but I "live and die" by seeing lap times improve or worsen. Don't get me wrong, we're not trying to be the fastest guy out there right off the bat, but seeing lap times improve really makes time on track that much more enjoyable, sometimes euphoric even. Though, seeing those lap times increase can be a real downer. Not sure weather it's a good or bad thing, looking at lap times as a noob. Either way, it make you push to improve.

Dude first timers rarely get within 10s of a competitive time on their first day.

Nobody is saying 'don't do a lap timer' just don't bother the first time. And likely the second or third as well. An instructor is way more valuable. Unless of course you've found a lap timer to woop and cheer you on mid-lap when you nail a corner and yell at you when you turn in too early or are late back to the throttle, in which case I'd love to try that one out.

I'll agree and disagree.

My first year when I was riding with instructors I had the lap timer and video going. I let the instructors know I wanted to have it running so that I could look at it afterwards for reference. They agreed that it was a good idea.

I have mine mounted so that I can't really see the display when I am driving. It's purely for after the fact analysis.

Depending on the instructor you can sometimes hear what they are saying on the video.

Until you know your way around the track well enough that you're consistently nailing every braking, turn in, apex and exit point, lap times are a terrible way to gauge progress.

The groups I teach with teach a progression, starting with just turn in points, adding apex, then adding exit, then adding braking points. Until you're getting to braking points, you're not accelerating flat out between corners, so your lap time could be faster by seconds just because you used more throttle between laps.

This car is ready for track when it hits the floor. Just drive safe.

Just go out and do it.
Just make sure the car has its fluids filled, good amount of pad life left on the brakes, and good amount of thread left in the tires.

Oil coolers, sticky tires, and better brake pads are for later on down the road.

The voice in my head does all that already, but I wouldn't mind a device like that either.

This is what I was getting at. The improvements you make early on should be obvious in that you will literally see and feel a difference while driving. You'll feel yourself carrying more out of a corner, notice that you used more of the track when exiting a corner, you'll pick up deeper braking points. All improvements that can be easily observed without analyzing lap times. For most people, they'll be improving so much that they will be picking up time in certain parts of the track, while losing it in others because they haven't developed the skills and time on track to really be consistent yet.

I'll agree that video is a great idea for analyzing and reviewing, but I just don't think lap times are that early on. I can get getting excited about being faster, but that should be something you can simply feel. And again, I feel like it can also get into the dangerous territory of racing yourself and not completely focusing on the more important task of learning the fundamental skills and track etiquette.

Again, everyone learns differently, I was just throwing out my advice that a lap timer is by no means necessary and, in my opinion, not ideal for a beginner.

(Side note: the above text is not all directed at you, wparsons. A lot of it is addressing what others have stated and just carrying on the conversation lol)

1000% agreed on video! Bonus points if you can hear what the instructor is saying in it. It's nearly impossible to digest and analyze feedback while you're on track, so having a video to replay it is hugely valuable!

Also a vote for video. It's nice to be able to look at your driving after the fact.

Regarding car prep, I'm going to vote that you should consider investing in high performance brake fluid if nothing else. The OEM pads aren't bad for a novice but they use a cheap DOT3 fluid that doesn't hold up to abuse at all. Ate TYP200 or Motul RBF600 should be fine upgrades.

Oil cooler isn't required either as long as you aren't tracking in the hottest summer days. Early spring, late fall track days should be fine without out it as a novice. As you track more or on hotter days though, you should invest in one.

a turbo kit.

JK. Like everyone said, maybe do pads/fluid...but realistically get out there, have fun, and figure out what you need for the next time out.

So many on this forum buy things "to make them faster on the track" and don't really understand what is doing what. A good attitude is what you need for the first day out.


Focus on having fun, not setting records.

I'd go pads at the very least. Depending on what type of driver you are. If you think you err on the side of a person who will drive it hard and brake just as hard, get pads. Worst thing is finishing a track day and not having enough pad to get home. If you don't think you'll be redlining every shift and hard braking to the point of locking at corner entry then stock pads are fine. Also depends how long the track days are and number of sessions and duration.

If you're driving like that on your very first track day, you're doing it wrong.

You never know some drivers are actually quite skilled despite having never touched a track. A lot of guys who do canyon runs for example.

Unless you've got prior experience in other things (karts, autox) and a great instructor... I probably would have roasted my stock pads on my first track day if it had been dry all day I was definitely up into the ABS and had the tires squealing through most of the course.

Faded the pads and boiled the fluid on my second ever track day, first time at Laguna Seca. Sketchy ride home, no beuno. Probably wouldn't have been much better with a 'hybrid' pad, hard to know when to step up unless you have a very insightful instructor or until you hit that point yourself.

The real trouble is "Race car driving is like sex. All guys think they're good at it. Not necessarily true." combine that with the fact that I bet a significant portion don't go back or only go a few times, it'd be silly to recommend hundreds or even thousands of dollars in upgrades that will go unused.

Time will tell if OP returns.

Yeah, I meant total noobs, not someone coming from another motorsports background.

At the very least, don't roll up with 40k miles on your stock pads and 2mm of material left and crap fluid. Make sure your car is in good working order and will be able to survive the track day and the drive home (this should be common sense...but...).

A little extra peace of mind in the form of fresh brake pads isn't a bad idea. Pads that can take a little heat and decent brake fluid is good insurance that you get the most out of your day.

- Andrew

Of course. But that's why you do track days, is to learn. We all have to start somewhere.

My two cents: get pads and get some good fluid in. Nothing sucks like cutting sessions or the day short because you drove beyond the capability of your brake system, and of course there is a real possibility it ends worse than that. You want to focus on a) your driving, and b) having fun. Nursing your braking system will get in the way of that.

My very first track day was in a 140HP Celica GT with an automatic transmission. "Oh, I'll just put some new stock pads in, and switch to this brake fluid, it says its boiling point is 500 degrees F! That sounds like a lot!" Yeah, LOL. Pads and fluid were discarded afterwards with great enthusiasm.

My first track day basically out of a group of 15, only 3 were able to complete the last session. Of the three all of them had changed at least pads and fluid. The 86 is not so bad, but yes you can and do cook pads. As a first timer who is seeing monumental gains in skill and time, it sucks badly to have to put a stop to all the fun 2-3 sessions in due to fade or whatever - the confidence in the car is lost. It's not actually hard to cook the brakes - this car is no exception. For an easy $200 of so, getting crossover pads is a no brainer. Even if you don't continue to track, it's a consumable and even on mountain runs, I've cooked brakes before with little effort. Add to thsi the newb probably has never experienced brake fade or know it is happening so the more important. Everything is nice to have, but stopping power is critical.

Just wanna +1 this bit specifically. FYI for OP, the heat tolerance you need in the pad is largely a function of horsepower, weight, and rotor size.

My Celica had oversized front rotors given it's light weight (2350 without driver) and horsepower, and still cooked the OEM pads. A twin that's heavier, with more horsepower, and (IMHO) marginal rotor size is going to toast those pads seven ways to Sunday. The upgraded pads that I used thereafter on the Celica (HP+) did not have a high enough heat range to work on the FRS well for more than a handful of laps.

If you're cooking pads on the stock tires on your first day, you're probably not braking properly. Relying on ABS adds a TON of heat to the pads.

In any case, there's nothing wrong with getting pads/fluid before, but I've seen a lot of beginners do just fine in BRZ/FRS' on a track that is brutal on braking systems (CTMP DDT).

It also HEAVILY depends on what the track is like. You could probably run at 10/10th's all day in a stockish hp twin at CTMP GP track on stock pads/fluid with sticky tires, but at the DDT right next door you might get 1 hot lap in.

GP:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuoL2BDoeGE"]JRP Lapping - CTMP GP - YouTube[/ame]

DDT:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XAwMP9Hnu8"]CTMP DDT - Lapping with Hanson International - YouTube[/ame]



Map view: https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Can....6743929?hl=en

Meh? It's the opposite - if you're not cooking the stock brakes, then you are driving it wrong!

Heaps of people cook brakes, even noobs, without abs. No one lap-in lap-out keeps triggering abs. It might happen maybe less than 5 times on a whole track day which is nothing.

Conversly plenty of n00bs will show up and try and be hot shit deep on the brakes all day long, excess ABS usage is absolutely a hallmark of a newb who is driving incorrectly which will contribute to burned up pads.

A good instructor should put a stop to that in under a lap, but there's plenty of evidence that not all casual hpde groups have top notch instructors.

I bet more than a few think they're hot shit because they roasted their pads even though they're driving poorly.

Engaging ABS too much, dragging on the brakes too long, etc all contribute to excess heat in the brakes and are typically noob behaviours.

As an instructor, if someone is cooking brakes in a stock FRS/BRZ on most tracks on their very first motorsports experience you've either got a prodigy for a student, or you're letting them overdrive their abilities by a long shot.

brake fluid brake fluid brake fluid

While a beginner may not use the stock brakes to the full potential, the idea of going to a track day with the piss water oem brake fluid makes me cringe. Fade from the pads is one thing, fade from boiled fluid is another.

Replacing fluid is cheap and easy, and an important safety item for track day prep, in my opinion. That oh sh*t butt-hole puckering moment when you're coming to hairpin after a long straight at 100mph and you press the brake pedal down and nothing happens.... No thanks.

Other than that, I say just leave the car alone and drive. After driving at the track and getting comfortable, you'll start to notice things that you'd like to change. May be an alignment setting or a sway bar change. May be better pads or whatever. No point in spending money on modifying a car when you don't even know what you want/need to modify.

In hindsight, yes.
ATE Typ 200 is $20/L, enough to flush the whole system and should be enough resistance for a n00b and good preventative maintenance for any car owner.