All stock track day
 

I thought I'll share this - I reckon it's a good test of the stock parts.
The only mod on the car was camber bolts, camber 1.5 all around & alignment set to pretty much zero all around.

(whole album here)


Let's start off with the tyres (front) - they've seen a bit of use, huh?

http://i.imgur.com/b9QQnY6.jpg

And how the disc & pad should look - the rears:

http://i.imgur.com/hV8ofCA.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/HVipYVw.jpg


And now the sobering truth about the track day pressure - the fronts.
No, those are not grooves on the disc, they are brake-pad material. Burnt & melted pad material.
Also, the edge of the disc is completely white - I'd say it got pretty darn hot ;)

http://i.imgur.com/Fdc8pL3.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/SwUqPdi.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/VdKF45g.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/NsGFMa7.jpg


The fluid does not look too good, either.
http://i.imgur.com/Xr4LvHr.jpg

I've sanded back the pads, they're still usable-ish. They have seen the fires of hell, cracked and battered :)

http://i.imgur.com/X9hYORv.jpg

They wouldn't withstand another day like this. Their thickness was ~9.7mm before the day. Now they are 4.5-6mm only (unevenly worn). Half of it is gone! (fronts of course)

They'll be good as "if all else fails" spares to drive home just in case.


So yeah, after this test (I really had to see it myself) I'd strongly recommend replacing pads & fluid for tracking, especially if they're not in pristine condition as these were.

Was it your first track day?

I saw evidence enough online before i ever went to track i didnt even waste my time trying stock. I mean if you had fun great but its maybe 400-500 expense in pads and fluid to ensure your track day goes without a hitch. IMO pads and fluid minimum even for a complete novice.

Yes, first one.

I saw conflicting evidence, hence I wanted to see what happens. :)
Took spare pads & fluid, but it wasn't *that* bad.

Good feedback.

It's great to see the actual wear that occurs if you decide to try it. I plan on going with some Stoptech street performances before I try anything at least.

You need some brake pads!

That won't fare any better than a street pad, unless you're just doing parade laps. :thumbsup:

I know we had a conversation about this before. I've been scratching my speed itch with my autox Forester recently so I haven't needed to upgrade yet.

Darn it. I want more car parts... :wub:

I did 2 intermediate sessions with stock tires but W2 Pads and Synth Brake fluid. The pads worked awesome, the tires not so much. Until I get proper tires to keep up with the pack I'll stick to novice sessions then when i get stickies I'll be back to intermediate sessions.

Yeah, I've got a set of Forza FP3 pads here, some high performance dot4 fluid; the new wheels are on the way, I'll just put some good semi-slicks on those and off we go again!

Nice! Thanks for the pics. Your rotors look just like mine after my first track day. I was glad I did my first day all stock. Great learning experience and got to see what I really needed to spend my money on. Power mods and other goodies would have been great, but after my first track day and smearing the pads it was a lot of fun doing research in brake system upgrades.

Perhaps I can be of assistance.

Agree with that, and in many cases, it's 'especially for a novice'. With little experience, a lot of them are pretty hard on their brakes.

You hooked it up man, thanks I got the W5 and pmu fluid from you and it worked fantastic at my last track day.

I have them. He's right.