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.