Stock Brakes + Track Day = Bad Time?

[cujo_r33]

Hi guys,

I have a stock auto FG XR6T that I'm planning on taking to a track day soon just for a bit of fun. Will running a standard brake setup ruin my day? What can I expect if I leave them as is, e.g. will they last 1 lap, 2 laps at a time, etc? If its absolutely mandatory to upgrade to have any kind of fun, what would be considered the absolute minimum amount of upgrades, e.g. would a pad upgrade be enough for a "casual" track day?

Thanks,

Caleb.

[Bizkets is Drunk?]

whats your budget

[discostig]

Brake fade will surely ruin your day if left stock. I wouldn't do a track day unless I had DBA T3 Club Spec (were DBA4000) rotors plus a pad change, I use Remsa pads (on my stock BF2 brakes and now Brembos) but not sure they are good for heavy track work, I'd look for a track oriented pad that needs warmup to work properly but is designed to take the high heat. Also don't skimp on fluid. Fresh fluid before and after in case you boil it.

Even then you might still have problems after a couple of laps. Hopefully someone that has done the above and tracked a car will chime in.

Oh and watch out for overheating the auto!

Edited 12/07/14 11:41 AM by -Stever-

[ScatterBrain]

I raced my BF back in 2009 with stock brakes and as said, Good pads and Brake fluid are essential. Depending on how aggressive the track is, You'll probably get about 3 laps before the brakes overheat. How ever if you plan on upgrading the brakes in the near future for racing purposes, I'd recommend a minimum of 4 pot calipers on the front and territory calipers on the rear.

[ello678]

I did a track day in my FG XR6T at Wakefield last year with stock brakes. Freezing cold day so the engine and auto were fine, but after 3 hard laps at the end of the main straight the brake pedal went to the floor, luckily theres a lot of run off and no damage was done. From my understanding pad and rotor fade is gradual but this was instant loss of brakes due to the fluid boiling. So I would say at a minimum do high temp brake fluid, dot 4.1 I think is better for our cars than 5.1. Then if your budget allows do pads and then DBA T3s.

[cujo_r33]

Thanks guys. I think that gives me the info I need. I won't be doing this often, so don't want to spend ridiculous amounts of $, so might try pads and fluid and keep to 2-3 laps at a time and hopefully that'll be enough to keep me away from the walls :-)

[cujo_r33]

ps Is it only the front pads that have issues, or will the backs need replacing as well?

[ello678]

Fronts do 70% of the works so I wouldnt bother with the back. Fluid is pretty cheap, I got some good Castrol 4.1 from Repco for about $7 bucks a bottle (u need 2 bottles) and I couldnt be bothered doing the fluid change myself so I got jax to do it for $45 I think

[ms700]

Fronts do around 70% of the braking, so spend whatever money you have there.

[barnz]

I did a track day in my FG XR6T at Wakefield last year with stock brakes. Freezing cold day so the engine and auto were fine, but after 3 hard laps at the end of the main straight the brake pedal went to the floor, luckily theres a lot of run off and no damage was done. From my understanding pad and rotor fade is gradual but this was instant loss of brakes due to the fluid boiling. So I would say at a minimum do high temp brake fluid, dot 4.1 I think is better for our cars than 5.1. Then if your budget allows do pads and then DBA T3s.

^^^this. I had the exact same problem in my fg first time I gave the brakes a hiding on the down hill of a mountain run. Not a fun time to lose brakes. Fluid actually spilled out all over the master cylinder and onto some painted areas in the bay. Nasty. Not to mention how spongy the peddle felt from the day I got it.

Good fluid and a bleed is a must.