MaxLTV

So my RS is being delivered 5 weeks earlier than planned. I wish that would make it smaller and lighter, but cars are unlike babies. I need to make some decisions re: track mods. I'm going to track 11-14 days a year for at least a year and maybe less afterward if I decide to dip some toes into racing.

1. Brakes. It comes with irons. I was thinking about doing the aftermarket ceramic rotors with OEM calipers. But rebuildability and longevity of those is uncertain. But having to replace pucks and missing a track day due to a brake line leak on my GT3, I think maybe I should go with the small brake kit from AP Racing? Seems like an overkill. Another option is just put my newly refreshed AP Racing rotors on stock calipers and use those - they worked well on my GT3.
2. Harness bar. I want a harness. I have a GMG harness bar in my GT3 that's a "light" version attached to seat mounts at the front and not having a cross-member. It does not add much/any roll over safety. But it's lighter, provides access to back seat area, and I already have it. So not sure what to do there. I think it's fine, especially after seeing 991's b-pillar cross-cut, which makes any roll bar look like a drinking straw. I did not find roll over testing data on 991 body, but even a new Civic supports 7+ car weights on just one side of the roof before it caves in more than a foot, so I'm not 100% sold on the incremental value of a sturdier roll bar.
3. Exhaust. I keep running into stories about people replacing titanium exhaust with something else to avoid cracking. Does this still apply to the current RS? If yes, what's the best option that would still allow me to run at Laguna?
4. Suspension set up - I am planning to do an alignment right out of the gate. Any recommended settings? Also, any suspension mods otherwise?
5. Windshield covering. I had it on my GT3 - a generic material. It was ok, but not very nice when new (glare, halos at night) and went to complete crap within a year, and failed to protect the windshield from a rock anyway. Anyone had a better experience good enough to recommend something? Or just keep replacing glass?
6. Any other mods I'm not thinking about? For example, bolster protectors - are those needed or more for "collectors"? My GT3 has an aftermarket seat, so I did not have to deal with these issues. I'll also do the wind deflectors to avoid buffeting.

Any other thoughts are welcome! I know I could have googled much of this but 1) most of the info I can dig up may no longer be current; 2) I think this forum will benefit from such a discussion, at least as an alibi for when we get called out on being speculators or bubble-wrappers :-).

Drifting

5. Try Exoshield to protect your windshield, while being more transparent and easier to apply

krell

1. The AP rotors with stock calipers are a great combo. Rotor rings are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased from forum sponsors. As for the pucks, no one has found a replacement option that isn't rather pricey.

2. There are several great options from sponsors here so it's hard to go wrong as you know.

3. I believe the cracking issues were on previous gen GT cars. I would think meeting Laguna's sound restrictions would be hard with anything other than OEM based on what I've read.

4. Starting with a stock alignment might not be a bad way to go, then make adjustments as you go. Personally though I'd put -2 degrees of camber on all four corners.

5. Not familiar with anything.

6. Carbon bucket seat adjusters that change the angle as it makes wearing a helmet more comfortable since the head isn't being pushed forward.

orthojoe

Go racing and you'll never look back. Mark my words. Do the school with the other guys in 2 weeks!

1) If you're going to do a lot of track days, the AP brake kit makes a lot of sense if you can swallow the initial cost. Fast pad changes, great pedal feel, no caliper puck problems
2) I'm with you on the bar. I'm not even sure if I'm going to bother putting in my old cantrell bar
3) keep the system oem and just add the turnaway pipes and GPS box for laguna. Works fine for me.
4) I don't see any good reason to change the stock suspension system. If you have cup2, stock alignment is fine since you won't get any more tire life and the car is great stock. If you have the dunlops, you might get more life with more camber. I'm trying to prove that right now. I just had the car dialed in at -2.5 on all 4 corners and I was able to keep stock caster and toe settings with stock components.
5) treat your windshield like a consumable. I end up replacing mine once a year because it's sandblasted and cracked.
6) I never used bolster protectors and the bucket seats never looked like they experienced any wear. I would get the wind deflectors. The RS really needs nothing.

urban2k

MaxLTV

I hear you about racing. I'm not sure about spec miata though - I want fewer cars and absolutely no contact. But the bigger issue is logistics and schedule. Right now I can commit only about 2-3 weeks ahead of time, which is sometimes not enough to find a track day spot.

On the bar - if you do not install yours, will you have no harness? Or harness without bar?

On Dunlops - have you managed to get more than 2 fast days out of them and/or more than 3 total acceptable days?

On windshields - do you get OEM replacements or generics? OEMs are pricey...

TRAKCAR

orthojoe

Rubbing is racing, man! Lol! To be honest, most of my incidents were avoidable if I had more experience. Racecraft is a new skill set for sure. The big incident I had was unavoidable and officially deemed not my fault because someone from behind got pushed into me. That is just pure bad luck and can happen to anyone. Less cars means less competition. You're a good driver. I will predict that if you show up to a class with few drivers you're gonna win the majority of the races. It will just turn into a DE where you leave everyone in the dust and you are just driving alone for 30 minutes. Not much satisfaction in that, but there are people out there who purposely compete in a small class just so they can win. I don't think you'd be satisfied with that. Spec Miata isn't the only competitive class, but getting your license with one is easy to do. Call me if you want to talk more.

No bar. No harness. Just factory 3 points

I can't say about the Dunlops for sure yet. Every time I want to go the track to test out the 3rd day, it rains. Looks like rain this weekend too.

Oem. My comprehensive insurance covers windshield cracks so I pay a $500 deductible. This time with the RS I paid for the windshield replacement plan from Porsche. Muahahah

malmasri

+1 on Surface Transforms rotors....best and most consistent available.
https://surfacetransforms.com/
The Titanium pucks will save you the hassle of the cracked ceramic OE pucks, if you do track days, they will crack.
The weight saving can be done by removing the side mufflers....if you find a used SS center muffler buy it, otherwise the Titanium will do till it cracks and Porsche will replace it ..
I will hold comments on the bar....each has an opinion here.

MaxLTV

Does anyone have any confirmed info on resurfacing cost and durability of Surface Transform rotors? They seem like a compelling option with less weight and dust, and with better consistency.

MaxLTV

Great idea. I'll get that. Should have gotten it with my Turbo as well. - I already have two large chips in ~4K miles of street driving.

TRAKCAR

JRitt@essex

The ST discs mated to OEM calipers don't save all that much weight over our our complete AP Racing setup. Our iron setup still saves 33 lbs. of unsprung weight vs. the OEM iron. Our iron discs last as long, but cost a fraction of the price (our discs are $599 each). With our system you don't have to wait for weeks, get loaner discs, pay a shop to change them out twice (once for the loaners and again for the resurfaced ones), etc. You just buy new rings and have them tomorrow. With iron discs you also have a much wider range of pad choice to tailor the setup to your liking. You aren't forced to use one or two pad compounds. I don't know of any consistency benefit to the ST discs over iron. They do have less dust most likely, but that would depend somewhat on pad choice. Our calipers also make it far easier to change pads.

The big problem is that once those ST discs have reached the end of their service life they are dead and worthless. You could probably sell the hats for a few bucks. Our AP Racing brake systems change hands on the used market at about 65% of their initial purchase price. That means when you sell the car you can sell the kit and have $7,000 coming back to you. How much are used discs that have been resurfaced going to be worth on the used market? How does a potential buyer know how much life is left in them and what they're worth? Also, what happens after you've resurfaced the discs a few times? Then you need to spend $11k for another set?

As for long-term durability, etc. we have tons of feedback across a wide range of platforms. Our systems have been proven time and again on all types of cars, from the elite level of endurance racing down to HPDE drivers. The 911 RSR won Le Mans on the AP Racing Radi-CAL. Our system is less expensive on initial purchase price (especially if you factor in OEM piston replacement), offers far more flexibility and ease of long-term service, has been proven on far more applications over a long time frame, it will retain more value long-term, and comes with arguably the best customer service in the business. The only advantages of the carbon ceramic discs are a slight weight advantage and possibly brake dust. They're more expensive, aren't as user-friendly, and offer a number of limitations as described above.

RennOracle

33lbs savings on disks alone? Or calipers.

JRitt@essex

That is the complete weight savings of the calipers and discs. Here's a breakdown of the weights on our brake kit. I'm not 100% certain on the ST disc weights, but this is compared to the OEM PCCB discs and the OEM iron discs. We're only a pound and a half heavier per corner than the PCCB system.