Quote:
Originally Posted by lucid
For instance, I think that one should be able to merely tap the brakes down the hill as opposed to slowing down significantly before turning onto the straight. I am probably somewhere in the middle there. I'd buy that kind of thinking, and there is probably much for me to learn in that department.
The pedal feel/travel problem should indeed respond to better fluid than the ATE fluid I currently have in there if the fluid is boiling. There are different taks on the SS lines. I must assume the rubber lines flex more when the fluid gets hot, but I don't know how tangible that is. They don't cost that much, so I don't have much to lose there. If nothing else, they should be stronger than the rubber lines.
I have no intention of rushing to an aftermarket kit before understanding more about what's going on. I don't think it is necessary for me to spend $7k on a Performance Friction kit or anything, and I suspect upgrading from the RS19s to higher temp pads (when my current set wears out) would deal with any fade issues associated with rotor temps.
One thing to keep in mind is that it sounds like you ran 2-3 hot laps on your stock brakes with the stock tires. That puts a cap on how much heat you could have generated. I'd be interested in seeing if your thoughts change once you put some slicks and high temp/friction pads on and put in 10+ consecutive fast laps at LRP per session with limited time in between sessions--if your brakes still hold up well. This is a heavy car. The ultimate comparison would be for us to measure the rotor temps of our M3s at the same track. If you end up going faster while keeping significantly lower rotor temps, then I am clearly braking more than necessary. I have no doubt you will be faster, but I doubt that we would see a significant temperature difference (say 100C).
The annual HPDE insurance is 3.5% of the agreed value for up to 10 events, and 4% of the agreed value for 10-15 events. An event that has multiple days still count as one event. I was told they have a different product with higher rates for people who want to do time trials and open lapping days.
I don't tell my regular insurance company anything about track driving. I told my previous insurance company, and they freaked out for no reason. I know my current regular insurance company will not cover anything on the track for sure. For me, the HPDE insurance cost is worth the peace of mind. They told me they paid out 3 GT3s last year in full...
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Wait, you're braking for the downhill? That's part of the problem right there! That should be a lift at best. It's a puckering change, but I picked up half a second a lap or so just by changing from a tap on the brakes to a lift last time I was there, since you wind up carrying a couple more mph into the straight.
I was running more than 2-3 hot laps during my practice sessions but the pad fade would set in after a couple laps if I had light traffic and good speed into the bus stop. I was out for 20-30 minutes at a time and the pad fade was manageable, as I mentioned, but taking it easy for a few turns. I don't plan on race rubber for this car, nor do I plan on race pads, since I have a dedicated race car with those bits already purchased. I also don't care about wadding up the race car nearly as much as I care about wadding up the M.
The insurance cost seems fairly reasonable, so I am assuming about $2k depending on what you settle on for a replacement value. If you run a lot of events that is cheaper than the one I linked above. Of course, that is also a season's worth of race rubber, fuel, brake pads and tow vehicle fuel cost for my race car heheh, but it's a nice piece of mind nonetheless.