Track Impressions at TMP
 

This past Sunday, we were able to attend the Open Lapping event at Toronto Motorsports Park (TMP) aka Cayuga. With BRZ #1 in for the Rocket Bunny kit, we had BRZ #2 out for track duty.

We brought the car to the track in complete stock form - tires, brakes, etc as well as full weight including the spare. This was a great exercise to evaluate the car in its stock form to identify weaknesses and areas where we felt would improve. We were able to go faster as the day progressed as we started to understand the car more.

We haven't had the opportunity to analyze the lap data from our AIM Solo datalogger yet; however, a lot was learned from driving. The weak points were quite apparent. I won't beat a dead horse by mentioning the tires and their lack of grip - as it has been established that this was intentionally done by Toyobaru.

The main weaknesses we found were in the braking and the understeer. If anyone had any input on that that, we are all ears! Also we are taking suggestions on parts the local guys would like to be tested and tried for when we make changes!

Can read more here: http://alpha.ms/BRZatTMP

I found that the alignment from factory was garbage. Needs camber and toe adjustment.

One word of advise, be cautious about what to do for handling. Since the FRS and BRZ have different spring rates, you'll want to see which car it was suggested on before doing it to yours. A BRZ will probably need a bit more work to rotate nicely than an FRS will.

I would get a bit of negative camber up front (and make sure everything else is within spec), 0 out the toe and then see how you feel about the balance.

What did you find lacking in the brakes? How long were the sessions you were running?

We have a set of suspension on the way, with an extra set of springs to test out our hypothesis. I'll be sure to make thorough observations when testing out the two rates.

The car is definitely in need of more front camber. With 0 toe hopefully it fixes the issue. Maybe a bit of toe out will help with the turn in.

We were doing 20 minute sessions and were experiencing pad fade. TMP is a track that in that past we've noticed is extremely hard on the brakes. Felt the stock pad material lacked initial bite and not very linear in the brake torque. Upon some investigation, it seems that a brake master cylinder brace could be beneficial to improve the feel of the braking system.

I found overheating the stock pads with the stock tires wasn't easy with short sessions (~15 minutes), but as soon as you add more grip they fade FAST. The difference in feel between stock pads and my other pads (Ferodo DS2500) is huge, even just while stationary. The stock pads compress WAY more and have a softer pedal. With the Ferodos (and SS lines and MC brace) the pedal is very firm.

How have the Ferodo's held up at the track? Do you run them on the street or swap them out for track days?

I'm still looking for brake pads for this season.

At my skill level, they're great. We'll see how they handle the new DDT May 3rd/4th now that it'll have higher speeds.

The compressibility of the stock pads definitely didn't help their case. We will definitely have to make changes to our braking before we test out new tires.

We will be likely choosing the Endless MXRS or Project Mu HC800+ as in the past we've had great experience with these for street tire application. The Endless are completely silent when driven on the street which is something we don't see in most "aggressive" pads.

If we jump to a track only compound, we are dabbling with the idea of Ferodo DSUNO, Pagid RS29 Yellows or Endless ME20. The Endless and Pagids handle very well to heat and wear very nicely which is always nice. The Essex Sprint Kit is also a toss up, depending on how much of an issue the heat becomes.

What event is at DDT on May 3/4?

Check out this thread. There is a lot of decent track-related info available. @Dave-ROR has track experience with the Essex kit specifically.

Basically, the consensus is that with better brake fluid and pads, you're all set to learn how the car likes to move. Better tires will improve the traction issue, but it never hurts to learn on the OEM tires to start with.

Damper valving and spring rates vary, but an aftermarket setup eliminates that.

My favorite pads on the car so far have been the CL RC6/RC6E and Project Mu 999s. With the Essex Sprint kit. :thumbup:

Both provide an outstanding pedal feel, consistent behavior from lap 1 to 60 minutes later and good life (with the sprint kit anyways, I destroy the RC6's on my other car pretty quickly in an OEM shape). The 999's and RC6's are both great for high temps and both have great release characteristics and agressive but not crazy initial bite, which is my preference.

I'm on stock brakes for now as I learn the car. My brake pad choice is based on experience with my previous track car - a race-prepped CRX. I'll be running 245/40-17 BFG Rivals on 17x9 Enkei RPF1s. For brake pads I chose Hawk DTC60 front and Hawk DTC30 rear. My brake lines are upgraded to SS and AP Racing 600 fluid runs through them. I'll be doing some shakedown laps at the new DDT track on May 3-4.

CASC-OTA school.