Coupe brakes on track

Ed Doe

Ed Doe

Veteran
 Ashbourne or Frimley
Evening boys and girls,

In early August I had the incredible good fortune to be thrown the keys to a 997 RS 4.0 by the owner at a Goodwood trackday, with the words "come on then, let's see what you can do"....

I'll refrain from boring you with the still-gibberish rantings of someone who has had a vehicular epiphany, but in essence as a result of that day I have majorly caught the track bug.

My car is currently as per the specs in my signature, but with Michelin Pilot Supersports front and eagle f1 Assymetric 2s on the rear, and as close to csl alignment as possible. Brakes are OE equivalent Brembo discs and pads, good fluid, interim oil services every 6k, and I have an M front bumper which means aside from an additional 5hp from the bumper alone, I'm under the impression the ducts give some vague sort of brake cooling?

I'm on the point of booking Goodwood in mid-Oct - my question to hopefully someone who's been here before is am I going to be able to enjoy pushing the car pretty hard, or am I going to get very bored with managing brake and tyre temperatures?


Goodwood is about 2.4miles for those unfamiliar and does have some fairly big braking zone's, and is generally a pretty fast circuit....

Any other advice for a relative novice?

Thanks in advance!

Ed
 
If you've not had any track instruction, then that would be my first 'upgrade' - as it can make more of a difference than another 100bhp, or a big brake kit.

However, if you're running OE spec pads, then you might want to consider something more aggressive or something that will withstand the higher braking temps for longer.

Don't forget that you've not got an LSD, so putting the power down too early/quickly out of corners may just see you spinning up the 'free' wheel.
 
I've not had track instruction per se but do know my way round Goodwood pretty well.

I had been considering ferodo ds2500s but I've heard mixed reviews of them on track - some say they're great, others that they overheat and then just fall off the backing plate?
 
I would say braided hoses are a must Ed

I tracked my Z4 with braided hoses, ate super blue fluid, new brembo disc's and red stuff pads etc and it held up pretty well.
 
Thanks for the info Hopz - I was under the impression braided lines only helped marginally with pedal feel near the limit as they don't expand when warm?

I'm obviously aware I'll not be that quick on my first time out in the Zed - I just do want to be able to push on a bit without trashing the brakes by overheating them - is this likely to happen? :/
 
You will be fine as your car is providing you are careful to warm up, just do a couple of hot laps then a good cool down lap, up the pace again for a couple of laps, cool down lap and in. Issues and wear tend to happen on longer sessions when people allow the tyre, oil and brake temps to keep building beyond their ideal limits. Take a tyre gauge and adjust pressures immediately you come into the pits/paddock as they will increase, particularly if it's a hot day, don't be surprised if you see the pressures increase more on the left side of the car.
I've not enjoyed a trackday at Goodwood for at least 5 years, but it is fun and not especially hard on brakes compared to some.

Have fun, Dave :)
 
Thanks for the advice chaps! Dave I enjoy your track videos ;)

Guess all that's left to do now is for me to grow a pair and get Goodwood booked!


One other question - who here gets trackday insurance? Im going to get it, just wondering if many others bother on here?
 
Ed Doe said:
Thanks for the advice chaps! Dave I enjoy your track videos ;)

Guess all that's left to do now is for me to grow a pair and get Goodwood booked!


One other question - who here gets trackday insurance? Im going to get it, just wondering if many others bother on here?
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Cheers :)

Very much a personal choice, the only times I've had it were when it was included 'free' with my road insurance. Anyone who has completed a fair few trackdays will have witnessed an accident, but they are rare, can depend on the sort of cars/drivers you are out with, who the operator is, which circuit, your attitude and most importantly the weather conditions.
Not many of us could afford to lose the value of our cars if it all went wrong, so it's just a question of how comfortable you feel about the slim chance of a big one. I've done so many days now without insurance that I'm 'in profit' compared to what it would have added up to at £100+ a day.
 
Fishy Dave said:
Cheers :)

Very much a personal choice, the only times I've had it were when it was included 'free' with my road insurance. Anyone who has completed a fair few trackdays will have witnessed an accident, but they are rare, can depend on the sort of cars/drivers you are out with, who the operator is, which circuit, your attitude and most importantly the weather conditions.
Not many of us could afford to lose the value of our cars if it all went wrong, so it's just a question of how comfortable you feel about the slim chance of a big one. I've done so many days now without insurance that I'm 'in profit' compared to what it would have added up to at £100+ a day.
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I can't help with track-day insurance I'm afraid, but you could maybe ask our Forum provider Chris Knott Insurance?

On the subject of "which circuit" from my experience on track-days Goodwood is one of the quicker ones (and IIRC has less heavy braking than many) but has very limited run-off areas (hence why it is only used for historic racing).

My brother-in-law discovered this many years ago when he found himself upside down in the passenger seat of an XR3i. Fortunately it had been raced and had a full cage so the only bruising was to the pride of the driver - plus his wallet when he had to pay the owner for the damage! :lol:

Being a quick circuit, if it does go wrong it happens quicker and bigger.

But I hope you have a great day - despite what I said above, I've never had a problem at Goodwood and the track just flows so well!

Nearly forgot, I can't help with brake advice either (haven't tracked my Z4) but a cooling down lap is great advice - so many times I've seen people racing into the pit area and stopping, then being unable to go again because pads have welded to discs!
 
Fishy Dave said:
Cheers :)
Very much a personal choice, the only times I've had it were when it was included 'free' with my road insurance. Anyone who has completed a fair few trackdays will have witnessed an accident, but they are rare, can depend on the sort of cars/drivers you are out with, who the operator is, which circuit, your attitude and most importantly the weather conditions.
Not many of us could afford to lose the value of our cars if it all went wrong, so it's just a question of how comfortable you feel about the slim chance of a big one. I've done so many days now without insurance that I'm 'in profit' compared to what it would have added up to at £100+ a day.
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Interesting that - I think I may get it for my first day and then play it by ear from then on in. I think I spent a morning calling insurance companies and thought I'd called Chris Knott who said they didn't do trackday insurance?

Valid point about the operator/cars/drivers though - Goodwood is great in that they only let 6 cars out at a time on the track so you have lots of space to get yourself up to speed at your own pace, rather than feeling like you have to compromise lines all the time to let the faster drivers through.

You don't fancy booking a half-day so I can jump in with you for a bit? :P
Mr Tidy said:
I can't help with track-day insurance I'm afraid, but you could maybe ask our Forum provider Chris Knott Insurance?

On the subject of "which circuit" from my experience on track-days Goodwood is one of the quicker ones (and IIRC has less heavy braking than many) but has very limited run-off areas (hence why it is only used for historic racing).

My brother-in-law discovered this many years ago when he found himself upside down in the passenger seat of an XR3i. Fortunately it had been raced and had a full cage so the only bruising was to the pride of the driver - plus his wallet when he had to pay the owner for the damage! :lol:

Being a quick circuit, if it does go wrong it happens quicker and bigger.

But I hope you have a great day - despite what I said above, I've never had a problem at Goodwood and the track just flows so well!

Nearly forgot, I can't help with brake advice either (haven't tracked my Z4) but a cooling down lap is great advice - so many times I've seen people racing into the pit area and stopping, then being unable to go again because pads have welded to discs!
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Yeah Goodwood certainly is a fast one - I recall the turn-in speed to Fordwater was 130mph, and it ran out to 156mph on the back straights in the GT3 - it was absolutely unreal, turned the circuit into a go-kart track!

I do hope the zed will deliver some of the same thrills, if not at the same speeds - I'm sure it will!

Thanks for the help guys - much appreciated :)
 
Been thinking about this as well. Moris seems to be a popular insurance provider with the guys I know that track their cars.
 
I use MORIS for my track insurance.

My 'no claims' means I get 3 days cover at the Ring for about £200 now - which is for £15k of cover and a £1500 excess (1st party only of course).
 
Ed Doe said:
You don't fancy booking a half-day so I can jump in with you for a bit? :P
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When have you got in mind? Tom and I have booked Anglesey on the 23rd of October and I am arranging racing at Oulton on the 15th so may not have the time or money this time around. If I'm free I'm happy to help though. :)
 
I was going to go for 18th Oct at Goodwood - sounds like a busy month for you as it is! No great shakes, I'll be fine :)

What racing you organising at Oulton?
 
Ed Doe said:
I was going to go for 18th Oct at Goodwood - sounds like a busy month for you as it is! No great shakes, I'll be fine :)

What racing you organising at Oulton?
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8) Will meet at up some stage (assuming you enjoy Goodwood!).

I'm Director for the CSCC, so it's this event: http://www.oultonpark.co.uk/calendar/2016/october/op-cscc.aspx
If anyone would like any tickets feel free to drop me a PM, plenty of BMW in action (no Z4 sadly).
 
Fishy Dave said:
8) Will meet at up some stage (assuming you enjoy Goodwood!).

I'm Director for the CSCC, so it's this event: http://www.oultonpark.co.uk/calendar/2016/october/op-cscc.aspx
If anyone would like any tickets feel free to drop me a PM, plenty of BMW in action (no Z4 sadly).
Click to expand...

I definitely enjoy Goodwood - I'm down there regularly with friends throughout the year, even if just to watch the various trackdays/sprint events on - it's just such a great place to spend time :)

That's pretty awesome - I was vaguely acquainted with Carl Chambers with the day-glow yellow 306, as I used to own a couple of 306 GTi6s a few years ago. Thank you kindly for the tickets offer - I've got a bit of a crazy end to the year, but next year if it's ok I'll definitely be in touch! :D
 
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