Hi,

I'm trying to invest a lot of effort into getting ready for next spring to visit my first real track. I've been doing a lot of reading and watching of various materials and I think I've come to identify two main things that I should investigate. The first being an oil cooler; currently at AutoX events I've never ran into overheating issues rather I have no idea how to know if my oil is overheating anyway. I know some people monitor their oil status through pressure gauges or temperature gauges. I know the FAQ says bring your S2000 to the track without modifications right but I just want to be proactive and safe with my car and identify issues before I run into them. Is it worth running an oil cooler and/or oil pressure/temperature gauges ahead of my first track visit?
The second thing, although of lesser importance is upgrading brakes. Most of my learning has yielded that the stock brakes aren't cooled very well and aren't very powerful or that they heat soak easily. Before upgrading the calipers or building brake ducts is I'm going to swap the rotors and brake pads because I'm due for that anyway. While that might solve or bandaid the issue I'm curious to know if this is necessary before a track event or even in the future. I'm sure everyone wants to avoid brake fade and I've seen people bring these S2000's to local events with these massive 6-piston calipers front and rear which seems super overkill but I'm trying to get a litmus test of what is necessary to run safely or effectively overall.

 

Well priority number one is brakes. When taking any car to the track that should be your first concern.

First mod: Flush the fluid and use a higher temp fluid. Motul is very commonly used, is relatively affordable and is of high quality. This should be your number one thing. Even new, most brake fluid in a street car is not capable of the high temps encountered on the track. So it can boil, which leaves you with no brakes. So first, flush the fluid and use some proper fluid for the task.

Brake ducts: You do not need them. Maybe after getting REALLY fast and really pushing the car on big tracks, but don't start off thinking you need this.

Brake rotors: Skip all the slotted, drilled, etc and get some good blank rotors if yours are worn. Napas higher end blanks are great and affordable as are Centric. Slotted is not going to improve much other than looks and drilled will just crack sooner. Rotors are consumables when tracking and there is really no benefit from spending big dough on super special ones. Dont go super econo cheap, just get some decent blanks.

Pads: This can turn into a huge topic. At your first few track days you can probably get by just fine with OEM pads. But they will not be terrific and can overheat faster and start to fade. At the lower end of the spectrum, some Hawk HP+ will suite you well for some time until you really start pushing the car and if on a short course will likely never start to overheat to the point you notice. They are cheap so that is nice. They dust like crazy, but if you are getting into track pads, just get used to that. Beyond that there are progressively better and more expensive options out there of course.

Make sure your coolant is clean and full.

Spend some time going over the whole car looking for wear. Make sure your ball joints and compliance bushings are in good shape. Check tie rods ends for play and replace as needed. You really do not need anything special for any of those to run on track. Again, as you get faster you will start to realize what mods you need to make.

Big brake kits do 3 things:
- They can handle heat a bit more due to more surface area
- They can provide more initial bite. But, since the stock brakes can easily go right into ABS, big brakes are not really going to stop you in a shorter distance other than the slight improvement in heat management. But again, you probably are not going to push the car to that sort of limit for quite some tme.
- They empty your wallet.
- Ok there is a 4th and the biggest thing 99% of people actually get from them: looks

The stock brakes work pretty damned well. Especially for street, autocross and a few track days here and there. The right pads and fluid are the biggest things to worry about there.

 

Hey thanks for your help, I really appreciate it. Things were a lot different coming from on my Subaru WRX. I had a few autoX events where my pads definitely faded and glazed my rotors, after upgrading to EBC Reds that all went away but of course that was a different car, far heavier but far more powerful at the same time. I did actually use the higher-end NAPA rotors on my WRX so thats a good thing the philosophy translates to S2000's.

If thats the case then I'll prioritize the brakes, I'll get a good set of EBC's and the high-end NAPA rotors, I'll be satisfied with that. Do you have any opinions about oil coolers or oil pressure/temperature gauges? Unlike my S2000, my WRX had the cobb accessport that I could read the oil temperature straight from the OBDII port, again turbo charged car, temp control was more important there.

 

On the oil cooler, I would say wait for now. On really hot days and hard sessions some people do seem to see high oil temps and I am sure they will chime in here. But to get out and start getting your feet wet on the track I would not be overly concerned there. I am still not running one on mine, although may have a deal too good to pass up there on one. If you are boosted then I would say yes, get one. If you have been tracking a lot and intend to do so a lot and live in hotter areas then probably a good idea. But for now would not be something jumping out there to me as something you need to do .

But again, maybe others will chime in here with more experience with running into higher oil temps.

 

Get your feet wet first before u start pouring big money into the car.

These are the few things i would do first that are inexpensive.

1. brake fluid and pads, i personally like castrol srf, b/c of the reduced flushing intervals. more expensive yes but for me the time saved is the bigger savings for me.
2. fuel tank baffle plate
3. rainh8r valve cover mod
4. fresh engine mounts (ebay) if you're still on the original engine mounts

oil cooler and bbk i guess are a use case thing also its your money if you want them why not.
1 How many events are you attending? if you're attending a lot of events a year, a bbk will be a cost saving measure. I'd personally upgrade the rears before the fronts to something vented.
2 Are the tracks youre attending very hot ambient or hard on brakes?
3 Do you have any oil temp /pressure data already to tell you if you need it.

i wanted both to help my car survive 5x40 min sessions, with a nearby track that is on the extreme end of brake consumption and another that is often 90+ ambient out. my datalogger shows i have good oil temp n pressure with the oil cooler. The oil cooler just makes me feel warm n cozy knowing its there keeping oil temps lower, whether i need it or not.

 

Not trying to dump a bunch of money into mods, really just trying to cover my rear so I don't have some catastrophic failure. I know that 99% of potential failures are prevented through my inspections and maintenance. Its really about knowing when to stop pushing it if the oil overheats or reducing potential fade. Thank you for your input, I'll add the brake fluid swap into the list of stuff I gotta do.

1. I'm unsure of events yet, I want to do time attack but the one track I'm looking at doesn't seem to do Time Attack but another does.
2. No I don't anticipate it unless I'm going on a super hot summer day, I'm in NY so its definitely not something like willow springs
3. No I have no oil data for temp or pressure which is why I was looking into having at least a gauge.

 

As for oil temp and pressure- it’s normally a non issue unless you are boosted. Keep oil full, and as a precautionary measure keep it fresh or new at each track day, it’s a bit overkill but would give you additional price of mind in lieu of an oil cooler.

Make sure the filter is torqued properly so it doesn’t back off. Occasionally that will happen causing an engine fire or a loss of engine.

Ive heard of oil coolers actually reducing pressure.

Been tracking mine on the urge girodisc front and rear setup, it’s been phenomenal but it’s likely not necessary. Everyone should run the blanks until you start cracking rotors.

Fluid and pads are more important than BBK, I run motul RBF 600, 660 is better and Castrol Srf better than that. Pads I like carbotech xp8/xp10, but that’s just what I’ve used; heard good things about hawk dct-60s...

Like many people said just make sure your car is in good shape.

 

You will not need any oil pressure/temp monitoring or oil cooling for your first track day. There's lots of drivers who are years into it and it's not necessary. As you track more you'll figure out what you need

Brakes, the stock hardware is completely fine for drivers of many skill levels. You will start to crack rotors as your pace gets faster and faster. Not an issue yet. Getting half decent brake pads (I like the Stoptech Sport as a decent cheap street/track pad) and fluid (Motul RBF600 is good) The one thing I will add is, if your car is high mileage or has a lot of harsh weather exposure, you should consider replacing the rubber brake lines with new rubber or stainless steel. They have been known to burst in the past.

They key is to keep it simple and add/upgrade as you find what needs to be changed. lots of people spend too much money prepping the car and not seat time.

 

Mike, if you're in New York your likely tracks are Watkins Glen, Lime Rock, Palmer, Pocono and NY Safety Track (and possibly Lightning or Thunderbolt although NJ may require a roll bar) (and possibly Thompson).

I've been tracking a stock S2000 on these tracks for about 10 years. I endorse the prior comments about brake fluid. I use Motul 600. If you are doing any of these tracks other than Lime Rock, you need a set of competition brake pads. I use Carbotech XP-10, having recently graduated from XP-8. Carbotech pads are very rotor friendly and bed in just driving to and from the track.

I've always used OEM rotors, but I am careful with cool down and don't shock them by driving through puddles and they have lasted for years. I would definitely invest in new flexible stainless steel brake lines.

Not knowing the condition of your car, I would advise to check your suspension components, make sure everything is up to par. Check all your lines under the hood, making sure everything is up to par. Agree with the comments about cooling system.

Make sure you have decent tires - summer performance tires will be more than sufficient.

Get yourself a proper helmet, as most groups/tracks require a SA-2015 or SA-2020 as of next year.

Change your oil, transmission and differential fluids if you haven't done so recently. Use an OEM oil filter.

You don't need to worry about an oil cooler or oil pressure gauge at this point. Changing your oil often is more important. If your car is in good condition and your fluids are fresh, you should not have any issues even on the hottest of days. Open your hood after each run.

Think about putting a clear bra on your car to protect the paint finish.

Calm down while you are out on track and don't ruin your engine with a money shift!

Take some time to watch this video.

 

Hey thanks a bunch this is a huge help. I'm probably going to do NY Safety Track because its only ~1-1.25 hours from me, lime rock is a little further. Other tracks are much farther, Watkins Glen is ~3 hours, Palmer Motor Speedway is 2.5h, NJ is at least 3h. So my other bottleneck on not going to limerock was that they require a roll bar for convertibles if your head, with a helmet, wasn't below the line of the stock bar and windshield via the broomstick test. That being said I'm 6'3" and I've been looking into aftermarket seats and rails. My head without a helmet is a bit below the line on the stock seat but a helmet would probably put me over. I'm looking at the PCI seat rail with a Recaro Pole Position to reduce my height a bit. NY Safety Track doesn't seem to have such a rule. I already have a SA-2015 helmet that has worked in the past.

I bought this S2000 back in May 2020, it had 30,000 miles on it and it was completely stock and rust free, the previous owners seemed to take it to the dealer for literally everything. Over the summer I put maybe 2,500 miles on it just through cruising and enjoyable driving. I ended up getting it ceramic coated with a paint protection film on the front third of the car. I'm unsure if that will be a good substitute for a bra but it has protected the front end from typical road rocks and junk.

I suppose the other thing is I have a set of Bridgestone Potenzas, the same model that comes on a stock S2000 and the previous owner changed the tires in 2016. They have a good amount of tread left over so I think I should be able to run these. The brakes and rotors are original however, they've never been changed and the stock pads have about 5mm left, I'm definitely gonna swap the brakes AND rotors after reading this along with the supporting fluids. All of my suspension components are in great condition, theres no play in any of them but I have a faint squeak in the front right tire, I think it might just be that wheel bearing so I'll investigate that this winter. The only other nuances is it appears that the rear diff fluid has never been changed and I'm unsure if the transmission fluid has been changed. The transmission is a little notchy when cold but the moment I'm able to get to ~40mph for ~10 minutes in 5th gear it loosens right up. I've only gotten a 4th gear kick out a few times but I think its more that I haven't fully engaged the stick into that gear and not that it has rejected it entirely. Otherwise I think its in perfect working order, it never gives me grinds or issues.