I plan on doing a first timer two day track experience program in January and as of now my car is stock. I want to be proactive though, which brake fluids and pads would you recommend swapping for the weekend

At the moment, the most popular combination we have for the newer guys is the Project Mu HC+800. It's a hybrid pad that you can street drive on comfortably, but still withstand the temps you'll see on track. It won't have the bite of a true race pad, but it also dusts less. If you're willing to swap pads back and forth, then the Project Mu Club Racer will work well, as will Carbotech XP10.

Pairing it up with Project Mu HC+800 is a great choice, and we also have Torque RT700 if you want to step up the fluid another grade as well.

Are you going to be at the SoW event on the 28th? If so I'd love to say hi/pick your brain a bit.

Most likely not; I have a few clients on the fence for consultation and instruction at CVR for that weekend.

Any idea what gauge these are?

When you say you pick the s2K over the BRZ, you mentioned the BRZ is still a newborn platform and there are bugs to work out.

The platform itself is as good of a starting point right? I want to get a platform I can reliably build upon - is the BRZ one to go with (mechanical maturity issues not withstanding) or should I look somewhere else?

Will there be an accompanying oil cooler of similar design?

Yes ;)

We're currently experimenting with integrated oil-to-water coolers, which we've successfully implemented on the S2000 and NSX test beds.

Minus mechanical issues, yes, the BRZ is a great platform to start with, particularly if you're into deep customization of the car, and want to learn how to drive.

The platform has immense potential, and can teach you to drive, but at the same time, doesn't bite you hard in the ass like the S2k does. It communicates better, and corners well. It's just not as reliable or as well prepared as the S2k out of the box, but the S2k also had a 9k higher MSRP.

If you want a firm indication, we have a 2nd BRZ now.

Thanks! That's exactly what I needed to hear.

That's why I have a DD for work and the fun car will be the don't-care-if-it-spends-more-time-in-the-shop-than-the-road type.

Let us know how we can assist in the development of your car :)

Mike,

I started getting into HPDE's with my last car and would like to continue the hobby with my BRZ. My car is completely stock and will stay so for the track (save for tires, pads, and fluid of course). How concerned should I be about about mechanical failure with the car, particularly the direct injector seals? The car has an April 2013 build date, would it have the adjusted spark tables? Also, if the seals go pop, does Subaru honor them under warranty?

Thanks!

Yup.

Long term reliability is still unknown...

Get crash bolts!

@CSG Mike I have a question on how my car handles. The setup is as follows:

- WedsSport TC105N 17x8 +42 with BFGoodrich Rivals 225/45/17 (32psi pressure cold)
- KW Clubsport set as follows:
Front: Compression 7 clicks out - Rebound 9 clicks out
Rear : Compression 7 clicks out - Rebound 9 clicks out
Ride height (not sure how to measure this but I set it about 1.5" higher than KW recommends measuring from hub center to fender, was too low at the recommended 12.6")
- Whiteline endlinks front, Perrin endlinks rear
- Car is corner weighed for 50% cross weight
- Alignment is:
Front camber -2.5 with 0 toe
Rear camber -2.0 with +0.03 toe in on each side

The car is significantly lighter in the rear because of wheel, tools, and stock muffler removal (running Tomei 60s catback). The car exhibits corner entry push, in the middle of the corner it grips, and on throttle application for corner exit the rear end breaks loose.

I don't necessarily dislike the way it handles, but I want to decrease the corner entry push, prolong the mid corner grip and decrease the quickness the rear end breaks loose on exit. So just if this visual helps, currently I have this:

Entry Mid Exit
UUUUUUUUGGGGGOOOOOOOOO

This is what I want:

Entry Mid Exit
UUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGOOOO

U is understeer, G is grip, O is oversteer