Hi all, my first post to the S2KI forum! I am looking for some recommendations for my tire and brake pads choice and would love to hear some advice from you!

Background: I am not in any racing or competition events right now. Still learning how to drive fast in HPDE events. Not extremely fast nor novice in HPDE. My primary goal is to find a combination of tires and pads to allow me learn and improve my driving skills with logging data. I am able to drive consistently every lap if there's not much traffic (I can easily make +/- 0.2s every lap, best lap time on Laguna Seca is 1:48ish for reference). My current set up is:

• OEM AP1 wheels with OEM size tires, Toyo R1R (205 front and 225 rear)
• Stock brake caliper with Endless ME20 front and Winmax W3 rear.
• Only running Sonoma, Thunderhill and Laguna

Question: I am encountering a few annoying issues while I am driving faster and learn new skills:

• R1R only last for about 2-3 track days on Laguna, and very unevenly worn out on both sides. (maybe 2 days for right tires and 4-6 days for left tires)
• I tried Endless ME20 and Winmax W3 for front brake pads, but both of them would only last about 3-4 track days.

I am asking if there's any other options do I have here in order to:

• Save money.....I don't have a trailer but I only drive my S2k to/from track. I have Tesla for daily.
• Allow me to learn driving in a fairly stable set up (I don't want to set up benchmark every time I switch to a new set up)

Looking forward to hearing your advices!

 

I'd go Hankook RS4 on tires, fun, not slow but well off top "street" tires, last pretty well at the track.
What are your alignment settings? If stock car, I recommend max front and rear negative camber you can get, 0 front toe and 0.15 to 0.20 degrees total rear toe-in.

For brake pads I got decent life out of Carbotech XP8s and they're decently streetable for getting to/from track as well. XP10 would be another Carbotech option.
I got decent life out of Winmax W5 on the BRZ, but loud as fuk even for a track pad...

 

Gotcha! I am running -2 on camber, seems not good enough though. How's the sound of W5 comparing to Pagid RSL-29? I heard people get 30+ track days out of W6, and I am thinking of getting a pair of that.

 

Not familiar w Pagid noise. W5s though, they seriously turn heads in a paddock full of tracked cars on track pads, peeps who're used to brake noise still look turn their heads in amazement at the noise! Other than that I love them, great initial bite, modulatable, little/no degradation with temp and OK cold.
I got ~10 track days on my front W5s on BRZ PP which has the big Brembos. I'm putting them back in for Track NIght in America at Palmer as they have at least another half-day in 'em...

 

To save money on brake pads, and help from getting fade since you won't be running full track pads, do full front and rear cooling. Your pad life will almost double, as will your rotors/bearings. No pads on stock calipers/rotors will last 30+ track days. Of course make sure you're running the correct brake fluid or else you'll cook whatever pads you're running.

If you plan on running that amount of track days in your future, invest in a BBK/wheels now. You will make your money back way faster than you would think. On my Wilwood kit pads usually last me two seasons (30ish days) and I'm on season 3 on my rotor rings (need to replace now).

I agree with the RS4 opinion above. Usually I don't think people should jump to 200tw but RS4s are great bang for the buck. The last a long time and don't heat cycle on the street.

 

Agree with roel03. Brake cooling is key to get the pads to last longer. I went through this same issue where pads would last about 2-3 days only with my OE setup no cooling. On top of the brake cooling ducts I'd suggest getting the rear rotors changed for some vented ones. Part of the issue is that the rear pads and rotors will overheat, and when they overheat they basically become useless and that's when your pads start to wear down. I got the Urge rear rotors and temps dropped by about 100 degrees and lasted about 25+ days with no cracks. Only reason I changed the rings was because I wore it down to where the slots were gone. Also helps with brake performance.
You should definitely invest in BBK/wheel setup though. I've had over 30 days on my front pads and still have about 30-40% remaining (running Stoptech trophy w/Winmax W6 F&R). Rotors have been changed once and should have maybe one more day till they crack.

 

2nd Roel's opinions.

 

Hey Gary. I always saw you and another Gary on the track! I will probably go with what you guys suggest. Time to buy some expensive items (I was expecting running factory set up for a long time, but seems like an unrealistic dream)

 

No not unrealistic and doesn't have to be expensive. Running a factory setup is great for learning but yes consumables do get expensive as you start to go faster and brake harder. The money you spend on brake pads+rotors will pay off some BBK's fairly quick. A 48 at laguna with the stock 16's is pretty damn good so moving up to BBK's is a good next step for you both to save some money and gain some performance.

 

I haven't posted on here in ages.

An appropriate brake compound paired with a good blank disc is a good start. I wouldn't deep dive into brake ducting yet as different brake compounds like different conditions. I don't use ducting. Some track pad compounds would get me 1 track day and others would get me around 5-9 days dependent on how they are used. When it comes to ducting, I know of compounds that really enjoy the use of ducting. It's all a matter of what your plans, budget, and goals are.

Tires can be anything. Proper alignment and use of a pyrometer will help you optimize your setup. A 48 at LS is quite good on the 16s. I've been to LS maybe 3 times and only managed a 47 on 260TW tires with a passenger (limited by tire sponsor at the time). Since then, I've been spending a lot of time just consulting, developing, and setting up cars for others and helping them to become much quicker than me.