First time at the track with the GT350

[Spart]

Thanks man.

I know Tank knows which shift knob I have because he has one, but for the uninitiated it's from Billetworkz. See this thread.

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[AlphaBravo]

How do you have your video camera mounted?

 

[meterman]

It's kind of comparing apples and oranges to talk about rotor temps in a discussion of caliper temps. The calipers are separated from the rotors by a layer of insulation - the brake pad. Air blows through the assembly and keeps the caliper cool even when the rotor is glowing. The reason a massive (ie - it's heavy) caliper is better is because it takes longer to heat up, so it reaches a lower maximum temp than a lighter caliper, even if the average temperature over a lap is the same. That's why Ford did it that way - they knew they had to deal with 900C rotor temps, so they picked a caliper that could handle it with DOT 4LV fluid and rubber dust boots.

Ok I see what you mean, I misunderstood your point.

 

[Spart]

How do you have your video camera mounted?

The worst-best jury rig you've ever seen. I have a c-clamp mount with an articulating arm that gives me a 1/4"-20 stud. I believe it is a Pedco Ultraclamp 4" model. That's clamped to the sheetmetal at the top of the trunk pass-through. But it isn't tall enough to mount the camera right there and see the road ahead, so I used a telescoping 1/4"-20 extension from SunwayFoto to get the camera up near the rear glass. That proved a bit unstable so I used a ratchet strap between the two bars that the rear seats lock into to give some really good stability. On top of that I used a Manfrotto quick detach adapter so I wouldn't have to leave the camera baking in the sun.

 

[ExtantPuzzle]

The worst-best jury rig you've ever seen. I have a c-clamp mount with an articulating arm that gives me a 1/4"-20 stud. I believe it is a Pedco Ultraclamp 4" model. That's clamped to the sheetmetal at the top of the trunk pass-through. But it isn't tall enough to mount the camera right there and see the road ahead, so I used a telescoping 1/4"-20 extension from SunwayFoto to get the camera up near the rear glass. That proved a bit unstable so I used a ratchet strap between the two bars that the rear seats lock into to give some really good stability. On top of that I used a Manfrotto quick detach adapter so I wouldn't have to leave the camera baking in the sun.

I can just imagine. "Shit, not quite there. Maybe if I add this? Hmm, almost there. Let's add this too and see... okay, just ONE more thing and then it'll be perfect. Maybe two."

 

[Spart]

I can just imagine. "Shit, not quite there. Maybe if I add this? Hmm, almost there. Let's add this too and see... okay, just ONE more thing and then it'll be perfect. Maybe two."

This is literally what happened, only with more cursing because I was baking in the heat.

 

[PGas32]

Looks good, glad you had fun - with regards to the brake fluid, you need need something with a much higher boiling point, and it should be flushed at least annually and bled any time you notice the pedal getting soft. Myself and all the other racers I know run SRF. Sure it's $20-30 more expensive per liter, but this is something you'll change once a year - peanuts compared to any of the other expenses associated with tracking your car. Think about changing over to a more aggressive pad too, as you'll destroy the stockers as you pick up more speed.

Try getting out with an organization that provides instructors for those new to the sport - Track Night in America is OK (if not somewhat dangerous, in my experience) for giving you your first taste, but you'll want someone in the right seat to help guide you as you progress. The Porsche Club of America and BMW Car Club are both very reputable and welcome all makes and models.

Car sounds great!

 

[Tom14ct14]

How much do I need? One quart, two quarts?

1 1 liter container works. You can get 2 if you really want to push a bunch through to make sure every drop is fresh. With out looking at the manual I believe the system is 3/4 of a liter. (Sorry short term memory already purged it)

 

[Spart]

1 1 liter container works. You can get 2 if you really want to push a bunch through to make sure every drop is fresh. With out looking at the manual I believe the system is 3/4 of a liter. (Sorry short term memory already purged it)

I went ahead and ordered two just to be safe.

 

[Tom14ct14]

I went ahead and ordered two just to be safe.

That is what I did. I ended up having basically a full liter can left. But now it is opened which is not ideal, so I would suggest only opening 1 see if you are satisfied with it and then open the other if you feel you need to push more through. I had the factory fluid in for 2 events last year, 1 being a 90+ degree day and the car was just under a year old from sale date, so I am sure around 1 year old fluid from when the car was built. I had 0 issues with my brakes. I changed it this year before I ran it July 2nd which was a 90+ degree day and no issues on the new fluid.

 

[Tom14ct14]

Side note, I see you are in Iowa, have you gone to Raceway Park of the Midlands/I29?

 

[Spart]

Side note, I see you are in Iowa, have you gone to Raceway Park of the Midlands/I29?

Not yet. Seems kind of hard to find info on HPDE there aside from private testing days.

 

[honeybadger]

The brakes got soft because of three-year-old brake fluid. Fresh factory fluid is likely all you need. I run factory fluid and titanium shims, and it's fine in the GT350. Those massive calipers just don't get very hot - maybe invest in a set of Alcon strips to see how hot your calipers are running, then pick a fluid that can handle it.

If you do decide to go to a race fluid, keep in mind that SRF isn't more expensive on a long-term basis than any other fluid. It has a really high wet boiling point, so you can run it longer - a full year in most cases - and it'll still perform at a high level. Other fluids like Motul absorb water like crazy, and they have to be changed more often to keep them "current". SRF costs more per bottle, but it's about the same cost per year, if you get my drift.

I'm mostly on the same page as you, but I want to add a small disclaimer here: Those massive calipers ABSOLUTELY get hot and will have issues. And I have personally experienced a blown brake zone due to heat on fresh fluid (Motul RBF600 to be specific). I've also gotten mine to have issues repeatedly at COTA (meaning mushy feel/less braking force) because I got them hot and used them just enough to keep them too hot.

A lot of it is dependent on driving style. A good driver can push them all day long and not have issues if they know how to manage the temps. But another driver at the same track on the same day could have issues as a result of a heavy brake foot. I recommend SRF for this reason - it's more dummy proof. And newer drivers (think those in intermediate or freshly in advanced) are typically hardest on brakes. I use my brakes quite a bit less now than I did 2 years ago.

On the note of hot calipers, I can promise you I had my brakes mushy as can be to get these sick photos--I was purposefully riding them a bit to keep them hot where the photographers were setup

 

[Spart]

maybe invest in a set of Alcon strips to see how hot your calipers are running

On this subject, are you referring to these? https://alconkits.com/tools-and-sup...ol/alcon-caliper-temp-indicator-strips-detail

Also, what's the advantage of those vs. using an infrared thermometer?

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