This will be my first time road racing in the S. I'm going to Grattan Raceway in Michigan.

The organizers highly suggest putting in new fluid prior to the event so you don't see too much fade. My roommate and I are just going to grab a bottle of Valvoline synthetic brake fluid locally for about $7. Boiling point is about 450.

We can also get ATE Super Blue if we want to spend double and drive about a half hour. Their claimed boiling point is like 530+.

Are we safe using the Valvoline synth, or is it better-safe-than-sorry to just go for Super Blue? Am I going to see a difference on stock brakes/pads? The event organizers, who are regulars, claim that they all run the Valvoline synth and don't have any problems.

 

Valvoline is DOT4, it should be ok with OEM brake pads and street tires (i'm assuming but you didn't mention)

 

Yep, OEM pads & street tires.

 

Just did Super Blue in my car this weekend, can't wait to see how it does when I really push it.

 

I gotta tell you guys, I've gotten WAY better performance out of Valvoline Synthetic DOT4 than I got out of ATE SuperBlue the one time I used it.

I ran ATE Superblue at Watkins Glen a couple of years ago, and by the second day on track the pedal was getting noticeably longish/softish, to the extent that I took it a bit easier on the brakes to preserve them for time trials (3 laps).

A month later, with the same tires and brake pads (Kumho Victoracers and Carbotech XP8's), with Valvoline DOT4 (which I'd always used in my 240Z), I shared the S for two days at Mosport, with much higher ambient temps (~85F vs. 72F at WGI). With more than TWICE the track time over the course of two days, the Valvoline held up better than the ATE did at WGI.

I say this every time I mention my sub-par experience with the ATE: I mighta got a bad batch or something.

But anyway, I've never had any issues whatsoever with the Valvoline stuff. And it's cheaper and easier to get as well.

ymmv...

 

I made the mistake of running stock rear pads and they turned to dust at the end of my fifth session. I forgot the fact that I don't have brake bias control like I do on my motorcycle.

I think either brake fluid will be fine as long as your pads don't start to fade. If your oem pads start to fade you'll most likely boil both fluids.

 

I went for the Valvoline. If it becomes an issue, I'll just ease up and switch for the next track day.

This will be my first time out so I'll need to focus on learning good technique instead of getting a personal best. Thanks guys!

 

ambient temp don't matter much in brake temp. when you are talking about 1,000F brake temp, a few degree warmer ambient temp don't matter much.

I've never been to those 2 tracks. but it is often heavily dependent on the track you ran. on some track, you barely tap the brake. on some track, it just kills brakes.

http://www.trackpedia.com/wiki/Watkins_Glen

on Turn 5, it is a high speed straight down to 2nd gear. followed by 4 of 120 to 180 degree turns, again followed by 2 90 degree turns. no straight to cool off the brake in between.

http://www.trackpedia.com/wiki/Mospo...tional_Raceway

from the 2 track maps, I would say Mosport is much easier on brakes. Turn 3 and 5A is the only turn >90 degree, and both are relatively medium speed coming up to it. I don' t see a lot of hard braking other than 5A and 8.

 

You won't have any issues with the Valvoline fluid. If you do, you might consider alternatives other than ATE, like Motul 600. Again, this is based on one man's experience...

Regarding pads, are you going with stock? How much pad material do you have relative to backing plate thickness?

Stock pads can work at the track if you're not too hard on them. I just got back from a 2-day track event where I had to run the stock pads (grrr...). But they're far from ideal.

Carbotech XP8's have worked very well for me, and the dust levels aren't that bad and cleans up easily. They are noisy until they've been at the track, after which mine became relatively silent.

Another streetable option is Hawk HP+ (NOT Hawk HPS, which are worse than stock!) pads. Not as good as XP8's, but much better than stock.

There are other pad possibilities, but none that I know of that are as streetable as those two.

Enjoy!

 

[QUOTE=bellwilliam,Apr 7 2009, 04:10 PM]ambient temp don't matter much in brake temp.