considering dipping my toe in, what do i need?

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by FormulaMMM

BMW pads should be sufficient for this, but they're not. Not in my personal experience, and not as I've helped first-timers on fully stock E9X and F8X platforms.

Inconsistent pedal and brake judder will ruin the day. I've had the "no, your rotors aren't warped, what's happening is..." conversation at least 3x with guys who are definitely not pushing the pace. Massive distraction, hurts learning, detracts from the fun & experience. And the only good way to "fix" the issue is hard stops with a proper set of pads anyways, so spare yourself the trouble and get them in advance of the event.

Fair enough. I used the stock setup at Spa. Big Willow and Chuckwalla and it was fine. Definitely not optimal but the pss tires were a bigger gap than the pads.

I was working on rolling entry speed and also did back off the pace as needed, so I guess that’s why I felt it was ok to go stock.

If your coachees are massively over braking all the time, maybe that’s why it’s coming up as an issue?

Eh, yea sure. I do agree that in the end OP should get track pads, fluids, tires and camber plates anyway

[gum2012]

Originally Posted by FormulaMMM

And dealing with the situation afterwards sucks as well... One of the F8X first-timers I referenced just ended up getting all new rotors.

One more note, OP. Don't recommend any of the halfway street/race pads, unless something proven has come out in the last few years. You'll have the same deposit situation if you decide to up the pace at all. Chatted with an E92 owner at Sebring last month who was unsuccessfully running Hawk HP Plus. Crazy deposits.

Haha I run an f82 and also having issues with deposits from my HP+... but I actually was using the ebrake to park. After I stopped doing that the shuddering wasn’t so bad.

[ABenLauda]

I'll share with you what I went through.

1) My very 1st track day. 2018 M3 ZCP. MSR-C. Fully stock. Stock tires (MPSS), pads and brake fluid. Brake pedal started to get softer as the day progressed. Pedal travelled a decent bit more before the brake started to bite. I started to lose confidence and braked early every corner. Had steering shimmy when braking from high speeds. Dealership said I had warped my rotors (who knows? Might've been just smeared pad deposits). They replaced the front rotors and pads under warranty (thankfully) and I was just glad that I didn't have to pay anything.

2) My 2nd track day. COTA. Because of very high speed braking zones, I was strongly advised to do a brake fluid flush. Fully stock except for brake fluid. Stock tires (MPSS), stock pads, Castrol SRF. I didn't have confidence in stock pads, so I was braking very early so as not to ruin the day (fearing that the pedal might go very soft all of a sudden)

3) 3rd track day. MSR-C. 2020 M4 CS. Upgraded to track pads and stainless steel brake lines. Stock tires (MPSS), PFC-11 (this squeals like a banshee on the street), Goodridge SS brake lines. I had so much fun. Brakes were biting really well, held up very good and didn't get soft. I could brake harder and much later. Ran this same setup for a while (4 days at ECR and 2 at MSR-C). Then, I corded my front tires. Tire wear was very uneven. Outer shoulders were bald and corded but the rest of the tire had 6/32 tread left. Had to leave mid day. I needed new tires.

4) Latest setup. MSR-C. Ground Control camber plates (track alignment. -2.5F/-1.4R on stock suspension). Bridgestone Potenza RE71R (200TW). PFC11 pads and Goodridge SS brake lines and fresh Castrol SRF. Car felt fantastic. RE71Rs felt much grippier on track than MPSS and I got faster and smoother. Got solo certified at this track in this event. Tire wear and temps on track were much more even.

5) What's next for me? Dedicated set of track wheels (APEX) and slicks (Hoosiers). 18" and 19" rims give you more tire options. Didn't go with track wheels sooner because I still live in an apartment and have no space to store the extra wheels/tires. Haven't gone with slicks yet because I need to get a lot faster and smoother (and climb up to the higher run groups) before I'm ready.

HPDE insurance I go with - https://locktonmotorsports.com/hpde-insurance/

[MyFragileHalogen]

Learn car control and smoothness first before going for sticker tires!

[gum2012]

Originally Posted by abenney

I'll share with you what I went through.

1) My very 1st track day. 2018 M3 ZCP. MSR-C. Fully stock. Stock tires (MPSS), pads and brake fluid. Brake pedal started to get softer as the day progressed. Pedal travelled a decent bit more before the brake started to bite. I started to lose confidence and braked early every corner. Had steering shimmy when braking from high speeds. Dealership said I had warped my rotors (who knows? Might've been just smeared pad deposits). They replaced the front rotors and pads under warranty (thankfully) and I was just glad that I didn't have to pay anything.

2) My 2nd track day. COTA. Because of very high speed braking zones, I was strongly advised to do a brake fluid flush. Fully stock except for brake fluid. Stock tires (MPSS), stock pads, Castrol SRF. I didn't have confidence in stock pads, so I was braking very early so as not to ruin the day (fearing that the pedal might go very soft all of a sudden)

3) 3rd track day. MSR-C. 2020 M4 CS. Upgraded to track pads and stainless steel brake lines. Stock tires (MPSS), PFC-11 (this squeals like a banshee on the street), Goodridge SS brake lines. I had so much fun. Brakes were biting really well, held up very good and didn't get soft. I could brake harder and much later. Ran this same setup for a while (4 days at ECR and 2 at MSR-C). Then, I corded my front tires. Tire wear was very uneven. Outer shoulders were bald and corded but the rest of the tire had 6/32 tread left. Had to leave mid day. I needed new tires.

4) Latest setup. MSR-C. Ground Control camber plates (track alignment. -2.5F/-1.4R on stock suspension). Bridgestone Potenza RE71R (200TW). PFC11 pads and Goodridge SS brake lines and fresh Castrol SRF. Car felt fantastic. RE71Rs felt much grippier on track than MPSS and I got faster and smoother. Got solo certified at this track in this event. Tire wear and temps on track were much more even.

5) What's next for me? Dedicated set of track wheels (APEX) and slicks (Hoosiers). 18" and 19" rims give you more tire options. Didn't go with track wheels sooner because I still live in an apartment and have no space to store the extra wheels/tires. Haven't gone with slicks yet because I need to get a lot faster and smoother (and climb up to the higher run groups) before I'm ready.

HPDE insurance I go with - https://locktonmotorsports.com/hpde-insurance/

Nice - sounds like we’ve had very similar paths from track and car build! If you are ready to drop 8k get an MCS suspension. I did it and it was the biggest game changer for me. I didn’t feel like I was going to die going 150 on the back straight at road atlanta. Also, hitting the curb is much more fun with the mcs .

[S.Carter]

I'm going to post my very untrained experiences so take everything with a pile of salt. I've done 5 track days, mostly at the 3 mile Thunderhill track. I did one day at Sonoma as well. I still have stock brake pads, Pilot 4S and thats it. I was never going for top track time but was def pushing the car. We get about 5 sessions of 20 mins or so and I didnt feel like my brakes were fading (non carbon fyi) The tires def wore good and you could see the line of rubber on the outside of the tire. I'm by no means an expert but I did get a good feeling for driving the current set up on the line. I would say, get the insurance, rent a helmet if you dont have one and get gloves if the track requires them. Go out and see if you really like to drive on the ragged edge before diving into buying and swapping pads etc. My morning before driving would consist of checking bolt tension on the tires, taking anything out of the cabin and trunk, check your tire pressure and start slow. Ramp up the aggressiveness as the day goes on and you get more comfortable. Again, I wouldnt even consider myself experienced with track days but that was my experience and I had a blast. Drove the car to the track, and back home.

[G35POPPEDMYCHERRY]

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