Going to Sebring 10/31

[Das Landa]

So I'm taking my 16 GT PP to Sebring for a NASA event in HPDE 1 (with an instructor), it'll be my first track day in this car and wanted to pick your guy's brain. I've never driven on Sebring before but not unfamiliar with high performance driving. The car has basic power bolt ons, springs, MGW short throw, wider wheels with squared 275 tires. What are you guys running for diff and trans fluid? The car only has 17k miles on it so I'm sure the fluid in both is original, was planning on some Hawk HP+ pads, and possibly ATE type 200 fluid. I'm not going to be on crazy grippy tires, just wanting to learn the car and haul some ass on Sebring, anything else I should look into? Cheers!

Sponsored

 

[Ewheels]

For your first event, don't go crazy with "prep" mods. Just make sure all your fluids are full and bolts torqued. You'll have fun

I would advise against the Hawk HP+ pads. I got them for the track because I didn't want to spend the money on real track pads. Well after one weekend, some glazed and heat cracked HP+ pads, I ended up buying real track pads for the next weekend. Just stick with OEM for the first event and if you get hooked, look into actual track-rated pads

 

[fatbillybob]

17k miles I bet you are on the stock brake fluid. One of the biggest complaints from drivers are boiled brakes. Spend your prep time here. If you are a diy guy it's cheap. Flush the fluid with any new because your old fluid has absorbed water over the year and the water boils and compromises your brakes. A new cheap valvoline sythetic is fine or you could spend 3x as much for motul600 but even as a racer I'm not needing that fluid but have other cooling mods. I'm a racer who bought a 2019 pp1 and took it to the track for a shakedown with 300miles on the clock. I boiled the new fluid and got overtemp warnings in just a few laps. But I'm pretty hard on cars and most street drivers are not abusive with their daily driver. I found the PP1 stock pads woefully inadequate but others on this forum say I'm crazy. I was able to overheat the pads in 1 session and when I changed them to real race pads the old stock pads with 300miles crumbled off because I overheated them. You probably will not do that but pads are an area of future concern if you continue to do trackdays. I have raced sebring and there is nothing special that you have to worry about. In fact it has some nice runoff areas where you can take risks as you improve. And it is an iconic track. I have raced on many pads but really find the carbotech pads my favorite. Many other pads have pad transfer issues (if you are a pad swapper daily to race) that can be a gottcha later. You could take a medium compound carbotech XP12 front pads and keep your stock rears and have all the pad an HPDE1 guy could need and 90% chance switch back to OEM for daily driving and never experience any other issues. I would leave the other fluids stock and change them after sebring if these are the original fluids. If you plan to keep tracking consider 75-140w diff fluid and higher weight motor oil like 5-40w or 0-40w. Your 1st mods will be diff cooler and oil cooler. Make the car survive before you try and make it faster.

 

[ecoboost321]

17k miles I bet you are on the stock brake fluid. One of the biggest complaints from drivers are boiled brakes. Spend your prep time here. If you are a diy guy it's cheap. Flush the fluid with any new because your old fluid has absorbed water over the year and the water boils and compromises your brakes. A new cheap valvoline sythetic is fine or you could spend 3x as much for motul600 but even as a racer I'm not needing that fluid but have other cooling mods. I'm a racer who bought a 2019 pp1 and took it to the track for a shakedown with 300miles on the clock. I boiled the new fluid and got overtemp warnings in just a few laps. But I'm pretty hard on cars and most street drivers are not abusive with their daily driver. I found the PP1 stock pads woefully inadequate but others on this forum say I'm crazy. I was able to overheat the pads in 1 session and when I changed them to real race pads the old stock pads with 300miles crumbled off because I overheated them. You probably will not do that but pads are an area of future concern if you continue to do trackdays. I have raced sebring and there is nothing special that you have to worry about. In fact it has some nice runoff areas where you can take risks as you improve. And it is an iconic track. I have raced on many pads but really find the carbotech pads my favorite. Many other pads have pad transfer issues (if you are a pad swapper daily to race) that can be a gottcha later. You could take a medium compound carbotech XP12 front pads and keep your stock rears and have all the pad an HPDE1 guy could need and 90% chance switch back to OEM for daily driving and never experience any other issues. I would leave the other fluids stock and change them after sebring if these are the original fluids. If you plan to keep tracking consider 75-140w diff fluid and higher weight motor oil like 5-40w or 0-40w. Your 1st mods will be diff cooler and oil cooler. Make the car survive before you try and make it faster.

This is great advice for your first session at Sebring. I have tracked multiple stock/race cars over past 8 years (recently with a GT350R). Definitely want to upgrade your brake fluid and pads. There are 4 braking zones where in your car will be approaching +120-130mph each lap. You can then add incrementally from there in other areas if needed.

 

[Das Landa]

Thank you for the insight, I've read quite a few posts of yours Billybob in this section.

17k miles I bet you are on the stock brake fluid. One of the biggest complaints from drivers are boiled brakes. Spend your prep time here. If you are a diy guy it's cheap. Flush the fluid with any new because your old fluid has absorbed water over the year and the water boils and compromises your brakes. A new cheap valvoline sythetic is fine or you could spend 3x as much for motul600 but even as a racer I'm not needing that fluid but have other cooling mods. I'm a racer who bought a 2019 pp1 and took it to the track for a shakedown with 300miles on the clock. I boiled the new fluid and got overtemp warnings in just a few laps. But I'm pretty hard on cars and most street drivers are not abusive with their daily driver. I found the PP1 stock pads woefully inadequate but others on this forum say I'm crazy. I was able to overheat the pads in 1 session and when I changed them to real race pads the old stock pads with 300miles crumbled off because I overheated them. You probably will not do that but pads are an area of future concern if you continue to do trackdays. I have raced sebring and there is nothing special that you have to worry about. In fact it has some nice runoff areas where you can take risks as you improve. And it is an iconic track. I have raced on many pads but really find the carbotech pads my favorite. Many other pads have pad transfer issues (if you are a pad swapper daily to race) that can be a gottcha later. You could take a medium compound carbotech XP12 front pads and keep your stock rears and have all the pad an HPDE1 guy could need and 90% chance switch back to OEM for daily driving and never experience any other issues. I would leave the other fluids stock and change them after sebring if these are the original fluids. If you plan to keep tracking consider 75-140w diff fluid and higher weight motor oil like 5-40w or 0-40w. Your 1st mods will be diff cooler and oil cooler. Make the car survive before you try and make it faster.

I have read quite a number of your post in this forum and I definitely get where you are coming from. I wasn't really too concerned with trying to make it a time trail car or anything crazy. Obviously I won't be pushing the car as hard as you would/could, so I think I can get away without brake ducting, engine and drivetrain coolers and all that. Aside from Carbotech, which does not seem to be readily available, what other pad would you recommend? I've for sure seen mixed reviews on the Hawk pads.

 

[Das Landa]

Has anyone ever bought from this website, it says they have the Carbotech XP12 in stock.
https://knsbrakes.com/c/car-series/...6+Piston+Brembo/915_Carbotech+XP12+Brake+Pads

 

[fatbillybob]

KNS are good people. They were early suppliers of the vette racers which is where I come from.

You can order right from carbotech site @ https://ctbrakes.com/

 

[Ewheels]

I'll second on KNS being great. I order all my pads and rotors from them

Sponsored