Quote:
Originally Posted by imserious
Perfect tips and that was my progression plan. Start bone stock. I don't even want to mess with camber.
If needed at some point brake fluids > SS brake lines > better pads > dedicated track rims/tires - square? & stock suspension tweaks > BBK
It really depends on how quickly I reach the limits of the car and how much I end up tracking it.
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Fwiw, my progression thus far has been brake fluid, then pads, then camber plates (which have yet to arrive, so I can't comment on them). I'm resisting other suspension and other more permanent changes because I feel that would be a bottomless money pit, and at the end of the day I'd rather drive a road car on the track than a track car on the road. The Vorshlag camber plates are adjustable so I can have street and track camber settings, and they also don't alter ride height or harshness or apparently make any noise, so I was ok with that change. But if you want more suspension mods, KW V3 coilovers seem to be very popular here. I'd actually planned to get dedicated wheels+tires before camber plates, but I switched that because a) camber plates are cheaper, and b) I wore the outside edges of my two front tires down to the cords after my most recent track weekend, so I ended up having to junk an otherwise perfectly good pair of PSSes after 7K miles and 6 track days. I'm hoping extra negative camber from these plates will reduce wear on the extreme outer edges of the tires while also giving me more grip on-track.
Dedicated pads would probably be next, certainly will be for me. Then whether to get a full BBK or dedicated wheels+tires will depend partially on your style and probably more on the characteristics of the tracks you drive. For example, I usually run Texas World Speedway, which is relatively light on brakes because it's more of a momentum course, so more grip could make sense before more braking. However, if you get very grippy tires (DOT competition, R compound, slick etc, then you'll probably also need to get a BBK anyway because of all the extra heat they'll be generating due to all the extra stopping power. However, I would avoid those until you become more advanced, and in fact many organizers ban those tires on novice-driven cars because they cover up mistakes and inhibit learning at that stage. They're also super expensive given their lifespan, which is why whenever I get dedicated tires, I'll be sticking with Extreme Summer Performance.
SS brake lines come with most BBKs and I don't think they're terribly important on their own, though they're also not expensive or difficult to install if you really want them. But whenever I get dedicated pads, I'll probably run PFC-08s since they apparently have almost as much stopping power as PFC-01s but with much longer life and less rotor wear. Dedicated wheels will be APEX EC-7s in 10ET25 form. Tires will be a square setup of 265-275/35/18, width depending on whatever model I'm trying (current list is Yoko AD08s, Kumho Ecsta, Bridgestone RE-11, and maybe Nitto NT01s). 275/35/18 on 10" wheels is basically as large as you can go under the front fenders without any rubbing, and apparently they won't protrude beyond the fender much if at all. BBK would definitely be the StopTech ST60 upfront, and I'd probably keep the rears stock since StopTech themselves have an article on their site arguing that if you get a properly designed front brake upgrade, rear brake upgrades are often unnecessary at best and actually a disadvantage at worst. The only reason I'd want the StopTech rear brakes is because pad swaps on that kit are absurdly easy, but that convenience isn't worth what a rear BBK costs IMHO.
Oh, if only I made disposable income as quickly as I made plans for how to spend it.
