Nismo's First Track Day....need brakes

[ldstang50]

Friday was my first track day with the Nismo. I mainly autocross it so this is a new experience for me. I have raced at Limerock before in a Mustang some 10+yrs ago and in my Evo about 5yrs ago. Friday's race was at Pocono on the North course. This is a completely new track to me. My father rode down with me Thursday and Kevin pulled his car down and was nice enough to take my race tires. Tires are Hoosier R6 275/18 front, 295/18 rear. This isn't my ideal set up, but it works for now. After all the morning work stuff, I'm finally able to get on track with an instructor. He droves around moderately pointing out the line to me. We do 3 laps then I jump into the drivers seat. I drive around, probably one of the slowest guys on track but building speed. I'm figuring out the line and trying to carry momentum into the corners. Once I find the right speed in the corners, I can start building more speed on the straights. I do about 8 laps and come in and notice my left rear brake is smoking. I drive around a bit to get it to cool a bit. I jump in the car with Nick Fandacone who has an 03 350z with quite a bit of work (coilovers, control arms front and rear, cat back, Kinetic intake plenum with spacer, pulleys, intake, sway bars, 1.5way LSD, 275 Kumho V710s on all 4)) Needless to say he's pretty quick. Nick takes me around at full race speed to better show me the line. His suspension allows him to better throw the car into the corners. After 5 laps I get back in my car and make about 6 laps before coming in. Again buidling speed and getting faster. I link up with Dana Robbins who has a full race prepped Fiero. I follow him for a few laps before I dive in. Riding behind someone allows me to better tune my line as I see what I think they are doing wrong. I also get behind Bob N. in his 944 and get the priveldge to see him slide his car around. When I pull in after my 5 or laps, the left front brakes are smoking. Again I drive it around to cool it off. This happens all day to me, I get about 5-8 moderate laps in and the brakes over heat. The pedal never goes away, and the pads have great bite, but the smoking is really bothering me. We take off for lunch and after we get the timing set up for time trials. While they're doing that I take off and do a few hot laps, this time driving about 85-90%. Fully getting into it on the straight and driving deeper into the corners. The bright spot during these few laps is when I catch up to a Lingenfelter Corvette. Getting onto the long straight I pull up on his rear bumper with faster corner exit speed but he slowly pulls away from me on the straight. When the straight ends, he has to jump on the binders much earlier and longer than me, which means by corner entry I'm all over his rear again. We stay like this for 3 laps before I dive off again to save the car for the time trials. Going into time trials I have no idea what I can do for a time. What I do know is the track record for my class is Tom Mak in 350z with a 60.9sec run. Nick's best time is a 59.6. The fast guys today are going to be Tom Mak in his 07 Corvette, Nick, Gabe (400whpEvo), another high hp Evo, and Dana in his Fiero. I'm the 4th car out for time trials. They send 3 cars out at a time with about a 15 second gap in between. You get a warm up lap, 2 timed laps and a cool down lap. My nail my first lap and know there's time available. I'm hitting my apexes but I know I can go in deeper on a few corners and apply earlier throttle application. On my entrance off the banking on my second timed lap I go in a bit deeper but screw up my heel toe and get the car sideway, I turn the wheel quickly to correct, keep my eyes forward and apply throttle, the car catches and I quickly turn the car back in before she has a chance to step out the other way. Now instead of oversteering she's understeering, I dial out some steering and run the car out over the curbing on exit but stay on track. Not two corners later, I catch up to a CRX that went out some 30 seconds after me, total blowing my run. I come into the pits and informed I get a rerun if I so choose. My first question is, what was my time. If its a good time, I'll keep it and let it be. We have two timers going, the old won which all the records are on and the new one. The old one has me at a 59.3 and the new one 59.9. Both very fast lap times, especially for a car 98% stock. I decide to keep the times and see what Nick and the others can do. Nick's best is a 60.4, Tom 60.2 and Dana 62 something. I end up taking fastest time of the day on my first try at a new track. I was going to go for the sweep and win the team relay. The team relay consists of a team of 5 cars, where where every car runs 5 laps. The drivers on the same team, take their best timed run, and add them together then multiply by 5 to take a 25lap total time. So the race starts with a handicapp with the slowest team leading off. I'm on Team Fiero and we start second to last with 4 other teams. I'm the last driver to take off for my team and we've moved up to 3rd. 2 laps in I pass the 2nd place team. I get to what I think is my last lap, but see the lead car doing another lap, so I do the same. Well as it turns out, the leader only did 4 laps and got out of his car. He had to suit back up and jump in again to complete his 5th lap. I saw him out on track and thought I had another lap, as it turns out I did an extra lap, so instead of finish first, we finished last. I've received some good ribbing since. The day was fun, I encourage all other 350z owners to try it out. Its open track, you get as many laps as you can possibly do. And if you're smart and can count to five, you'll make a good relay team. The one thing I learned from the track is I need new pads and possibly some better rotors. The next one is May 29th at New Jersey Motorsports Park, Lightning Circuit. Cost is $235, I guarantee, so long the weather is nice, you'll have a great time.

[BusyBadger]

Great writeup (as always). I think that because you include times of other for comparison it gives readers a better idea of what's going on out there. I can only imagine what your writeups would look like if you had a datalogger.

I read though your writeup a couple of times but I might have missed it, there's a lot to read, are you running with stock pads & rotors right now?

[ldstang50]

Good callhere's a link to the results for Fridayhttp://www.cartct.com/05-08-09.shtmlPicshttp:/ ... p.shtmlI'm the Nismo, not the other red z with the black wingAnd for further reference, lap recordshttp://www.cartct.com/trial_record.shtmlMy goal.....own the lap records at every track we go to this year....if weather permits

Yup, stock pads and rotors. If I change rotors I'm in a different class. Pads will be changed...debating between Hawk HP+, Hawk HT10 and Ferodo DS3000. I'll see how the new pads do in 3wks at NJMP and debate about rotors. I'm worried about heat transfer to the wheels.

[spitalul2bad]

So was I right or was I right?

Working the Brembo's on a track double the length of the one you were on (an F1 track), I came to the exact same conclusion: better brakes are needed for extended track use.

[ldstang50]

spitalualyou were right. I never doubted you. But I wasn't going to post about a subject I had no first hand knowledge of. My brakes never failed me, nor did they ever fade. I'm sure I could have gone longer and been fine, but I had no intent to, I got what I wanted out of every run.Someone on street tires might fair better because of far less grip under braking.But for anyone who is seriously considering tracking their car and doing extended runs, brake pads at the minimum.I'll post my experience with what ever pad I get after the next track day.

[quiksilverx181]

Great post man, very informative track day description

I really want to get a BBK now. I plan on hitting the track at least 3 times this summer.

[rmezz13]

You are the man LD... if i could, i would sponsor you Congrats on the record set! I'll have to come out sometime and look like a fool trying to beat it

[JETPILOT]

OP.... which pads were you running at the track?

[ldstang50]

OP.... which pads were you running at the track?

JETI was running the stock pads that come with the Nismo. I had thought about getting pads for this event, but wanted to atleast try the stock pads and give some feedback on them. Like I said, someone on street tires probably would have been fine, but the extra grip of the R comps, really put more pressure on the brakes

Great post man, very informative track day description

I really want to get a BBK now. I plan on hitting the track at least 3 times this summer.

I believe if you have the brembos the only thing you'll need to change is the pads. I'll know more later this month. But the brakes worked fine for the 8 laps or so I was out there, no fade, no pedal sinkage...nothing.

Nick, our other fast guy, has a base 350z with the mods listed in my original post. He runs the base brakes with Hawk HP+ pads and his car stops, just not as good as mine

[ldstang50]

You are the man LD... if i could, i would sponsor you Congrats on the record set! I'll have to come out sometime and look like a fool trying to beat it

RyanI'd love for you to come out. Pocono isn't that far

[JETPILOT]

You should remove the pads and inspect them ASAP. The OEM pads tend to crack when the yare used o nthe track.

Look into the Hawk DTC-70 pads. They are the best track day pads I have used. They are really good.

[ldstang50]

You should remove the pads and inspect them ASAP. The OEM pads tend to crack when the yare used o nthe track.

Look into the Hawk DTC-70 pads. They are the best track day pads I have used. They are really good.

How are they on rotor wear?I was going to try the Ferodo DS3000, but heard they eat rotors pretty bad

[JETPILOT]

After 3 track days @ Sebring my rotors look like new. I drive them to and from the track too. That says alot. They have good brake tourque when cold so I use them on the street as well.

[ldstang50]

Brembo calipers correct?I'll be ordering some tonight on your information

[bmike818]

That's awesome Liam!!!

any pics?......I don't care if it;s old pics....just having a picture of your Nismo next to your write up would be cool

...no more Evo pics please

[JETPILOT]

Brembo calipers correct?I'll be ordering some tonight on your information

They are avalable for the Brembo calipers. I have the front StopTech calipers.

The best price I found was from http://www.rotorsandpads.com They offer free shipping and 5% discount.

[ldstang50]

That's awesome Liam!!!

any pics?......I don't care if it;s old pics....just having a picture of your Nismo next to your write up would be cool

...no more Evo pics please

ask and you shall receive

apexing on the storm drain

riding the guardrail



little body lean

[ldstang50]

I go flying past at about the 2:42 markExhaust is Stillen true dual catbackhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1og8h-UHNc

[Watermelonwarrior]

Nice video. Way to use the whole track