Cost of track day consumables for brz vs corvettes vs cayman
 

I am interested to know if anyone has data on their average cost per track day of consumables (brakes, tires, fluids) on the brz (boosted and non-boosted) vs various other cars - e.g. c8, c7, c6, caymans and anything other cars generally compared to the brz. I would like to assume somewhat optimal setups (bbks, decent tires, just not stock). I am curious because from what I have seen so far poking around threads, I am seeing approximately $200/day for a non-boosted brz vs $1000/day for c8 corvette. That’s 5x difference, which is wild considering the brz is a little less than half the cost of the c8 at msrp. I would think msrp is correlated with consumables cost - e.g. if you have a vehicle 2x the cost, expect 2x the cost in consumables. Let me know if these numbers sounds way off, I just have two data points for the comparison.

The point is though that the cost of consumables was my last consideration when thinking about getting a track car, but it probably should have been one of the first. Even though I could technically afford to get a c8 for the track, I probably would not be happy with a lot less track days for the same consumable cost. A boosted brz is looking more attractive ��, but I am curious about any consumable costs data you may have

Tires are going to be your single biggest expense depending on what track car you buy and how many events you do.
I used to have an e92 M3 and that car on 18" wheels with 275 or wider tires at 1600+/set with 3-4 sets a year adds up fast. The FRS tires on the expensive end are around $1000 for a set. Big difference in just tires alone.
I was able to save some on the BMW by buying people's race takeoffs, but just starting out you'll probably want to just stick to a street tire.

Brake pads are also a big difference depending on the car.
I like pads from Cobalt Friction and they sell a wide variety of fitments so its easy to compare. For a car like a C8 a set of brake pads is $880, while for a stock 86 with even factory Brembo brakes you're looking at $600. So another decent delta there and again depending on your number of events you may need 1-2 sets per season.

Another big one is going to be gas, but I try to not even think about that part... The 86 definitely gets better fuel economy on track than any V8. I can use a tank of gas in my car in 2-3 20-30min sessions while a GT500 is infamous for going through nearly a full tank per session if driven hard.

Personally, my advice is to just keep it simple and drive the car stock as long as you can, then upgrade tires/brakes, then decide if you want to really boost the car or move on to the next platform that has a bit more power.

Which compound do you use? Do you have experience comparing to other brands (i.e. Hawk DTC-70, Carbotech XP10, etc.)?

I'm using the XR2 front/3 rear currently, they're a bit aggressive on cooler days with the AP endurance brakes but great on hot days. The combo was a better fit for stock brakes.
I'll probably try a different combo (3/4) in the fall when I'll need my next set. I've used Hawk, Ferodo, and Endless pads on a variety of cars but settled on the Cobalts pretty early-on a couple years ago with my BMW and haven't had any reason to switch to anything else really since then. I've been debating trying some CSG or Raybestos stuff, but just haven't messed with it because I've been happy and the pricing for a set is reasonable.

Not sure how you can get under $100 without being extremely creative with your accounting.

If you use small tires that aren’t fast I could see your tire expenses being <$100/day, but you’ll burn at least a tank of gas and chew through a good chunk of brake pad, maybe $200/day is the bottom for tracking an 86 these days. Being on 200tw tires and assuming you’re replacing most consumables (tires, brakes, fluids, include gas for there and back ) after ~4-5 track days I calculated about $200-$600 per day a few years ago depending on how hard you spend on tires, prices have only gone up since then though.

Plus entry fee but that’s basically a fixed cost in this comparison.

Yeah I agree. Even RT660's which are cheaper only last me 4 days which is 189/day just in tires.

Tires and pads are the bare minimum. You're wearing things like wheel bearings, bushings, axles, etc significantly quicker.

I really try not to add up the numbers, but you're looking somewhere around $1k/weekend minimum all inclusive if you're driving a momentum car, not staying in hotels, etc across a season. If you're competitive then expect that number to go up, though tire and brake pad contingency can help.

A boosted BRZ is very likely going to end up costing you more than buying the car that was developed by a manufacturer to make the power in the first place. Breaking parts costs more than replacing the part, you're wasting track time / transportation time / contingency money / etc.

No costs to quote! I was running a WRX and it cost almost twice as much as the BRZ to track. The WRX`s oil, coolant, brakes and tires all had to be cooled down, often, to carry on doing hot laps. The BRZ just does many more laps before a cool down( For me also) and only 0.7 seconds a lap slower (Still learning the car and getting faster)

All the heat is wear a tear costing extra money

I calculated my current setup's burn rate to be roughly $3 a minute.

This includes tires, pads, rotors, gas. (v730 255/40/17, PowerStop Trackday, Brembo blanks, 93oct)
Does not include wheel bearing, axle, oil, coilovers, trans, diff and brake fluid.

Are you looking at purely consumables (gas, tires, brakes, etc.), or from a complete vehicular amortization schedule?

LOL I reallyyy don’t want to know those numbers

This thread may help a bit:
https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94608

I have seen what you're asking about play out for years with countless people. The difference in costs is many multiples. They also seem to have a lot more mechanical issues. The issues are HP (heat / brake pads / rotors) and weight (larger, more expensive tires / brake pads / rotors). I have watched people go thru this life cycle many times. Some tap out and go on to do other things. Some just continue to pay because they want to drive the higher end hardware, and they can afford the bill. Almost all of them have one thing in common... coasting in the braking zones.

Those more fortunate figure out they can have more FUN with other solutions. This conversation can go on and on, but I'll share this - if you can figure out how to have FUN at the track in a Miata and / or BRZ, you are way ahead of most. My NC Miata with 2.5 swap gets a lot of comments / questions and I pay for the consumables out of spare change in my cupholder.

Maybe if you are running on foot I could see the costs of 100$/day, otherwise, thats some mental gymnastics you got there.

Also, boosted 86 for half the price of the c8? Not for the track, for sure. If you think you can just throw random FI kit at the car and expect it to hold with track abuse, you got something else coming your way.

Also, BBKs reduce the cost of brake consumables, but its several thousands of initial investment first (need to include on the price of the car).

Back to your question, a heavier car, with more power and bigger wheels is always going to be more expensive to run at the track. How much more? That depends a lot on how many things break on your 86 while tracking more than anything. Expect OEM like C8 to hold itself together better at the track (provided proper maintenance) than any heavily modified 86.

With just tires, gas(e85) and brakes I'm at roughly $250/day depending on the track.

You'd have to drive pretty conservatively to eek out $100/day. At that point just take up golf.