I went solo on my first event after 3 laps with an instructor. If I went back for 1-2 more track days without lca's I will have corded the outter 3" of my BRAND new PS2 front tires.

The first half of the morning was a little hairy. On a motorcycle, you have no choice to find the line early. Any corrections mod corner usually result in pavement meetings. I struggled a little in the car until I asked an instructor to take me out. After that I became much quicker (by slowing down).

Race seat was the only modification to the car (needed the height to fit). Next time I'll have some pads, lower control arms, rear toe kit and maybe some kw v3s. I'm going to experiment with some alignment settings (one of the benefits of having a hunter 3d alignment machine and 17 lifts to tinker with)

 

Rotors are pretty glazed but I'll get a better look when I swap the pads with the oem ones tomorrow.

 

Oh yeah? That's nothing. On my first event they let me drive solo the whole way from my house to the track!

Once I get to events, though, I ask for instructors to ride with me frequently because I always have more to learn. Maybe I'll forego instruction once I'm the fastest driver in the world.

 

Mike, you know I'd normally be advocating full race fluid, pads, alignment, etc. But OP didn't say the OEM pads were new and I got the impression they were on the car a while and it's the DE that put them over the edge. My 1st track day with a new car I use it "bone stock" just to experience the dynamics. I budget the brakes and even at my pace don't "eat up" a set of new pads - barely can measure the amount of wear in just 1 "moderate" paced DE.

If no glazing, fade, etc. then that suggests to me the compound is adequate for the level of current driving. When I started down this DE path with my M3 it took a while before I was using up the brakes I had and needed to change to race pads, fluid, etc. This is his 1st DE ever in a car and I don't know anybody that went from 1st DE to needing race set-up that quickly. It is a pain in the neck to change pads before and after every event when in those 1st DE experiences I know I wanted to focus on reading, thinking, learning. Having to worry about swapping the pads and making sure they are done right was not something I would have enjoyed after my 1st DE.

So, my suggestion remains. He needs a new set of pads anyway for the street, so try a new set of OEMs or possibly try the Sport pads that come stock on the GT3 (quiet enough for street use) and see what happens at the 2nd DE. With a full 12mm of new pad material, that may be "just right" for a while and then he will know when he needs race pads.

 

Ha ha. Nice.

I wasn't suggesting I didn't need any help or that I was a great driver, just that they noticed that I could find my way around the track. After nearly every session I was talking to one of the guys about particular areas of the track.

A large part of the experience is learning about your car and experimenting. Taking the opportunity to see what it feels like to weight different ends of the car and take different lines.

Theory is the same for bikes and I did lots of studying when I got my bike race license. At a certain point it just comes down to seat time. Becoming consistent and smooth is a result of practice.

The whole idea of using a car stock to learn about it is sound. When the car is being driven in a manner that exceeds the current setup adjustments should be made. I was wearing the outside of the tires and the temperatures were uneven over the tire. Clearly i could benefit from a more aggressive alignment.

To simplify my original question, does one wait for the symptoms of inadequate brakes before upgrading or are there early warning signs?

 

The early warning signs are contained in my responses. If you are losing your pedal to boiled fluid (or air in the lines), then it's time for Motul or SRF. If your pads are totally glazing up your rotors to a point they feel warped, then you are melting them. Not always a sign you are beyond them, often people starting off are overly hard on the brakes. I use less brakes now than ever before, going with more of a momentum style than point and squirt - and the results are great, 1:01s at Lime Rock.

Also note that it's typical that the tires are going to hold you (and your braking) back more than anything. The brakes are in some ways "on or off" and the tire's grip on the pavement is going to determine how much heat ends up in the pads and rotors. Once you switch to R-comps, you absolutely need upgraded pads and fluid. I forget the exact numbers, but I think the PS2s are say 1.4 G lateral and maybe 1.2 G braking, where the RA1s are 1.6 G and 1.4 G. More grip translates into the need for more braking capacity.