Any tips for a first-timer on a road-course? I just signed up for a track day at Sebring Raceway in Florida. I know Ill be needing high temp brake fluid and some kind of performance brake pads. Any thing else?

 

stay away from the walls...

just make sure your car is in perfect condition....I would say... fresh oil change... poss coolant service.... flush and replace brake fluid.... and fresh hi temp pads if you are less than 50%.... BTW what kind of suspension set up do you have???? very bumpy track..... have fun

 

Tokico Illuminas w/ CustomMaxima/Tokico Springs

 

Just make sure you are running a high performance tire obviously. Sebring is a very large track and without good tires they will overheat quickly. Otherwise, good brake fluid and pads should set you up just fine. You might want to change some other fluids if they aren't too recent. I wouldn't have more than 1000 miles on your last oil change, but that's just me.

Check out www.chinmotorsports.com and check out their FAQ. It's pretty good. Look specifically under car prep and gear. That should be some helpful information there.

 

Normal W rated tires will do fine for a track day (my michelin pilots do at least). However, you wont have the grip levels of a comp tire. Brakes, you will need motul 600 or ATE super blue racing (as well as some SS lines) and some hard, high temp brake pads. Hawk HP+ in front and HPS in rear should do ok for a 30 min session. You might wanna consider something harder for a longer race, call hawk and they will point u in the right direction.

Now, the track is what some would call bumpy, especially the front straight and the first corner. Also, the entry to the front straight used to be bumpy, but I havent been in awhile and they may have fixed it. Set your dampers to handle bumps without being upset, but not so soft as to allow the car to slosh around during hard cornering. If this is ur first time on a racetrack, be prepared for some serious Gforces and hard braking. There is nothing quite like it.

 

Thanks for all the replies everybody.

I ended up using Kumho Ecsta tires, cant remember the PSI but they worked better than I could have imagined. For the pads I used Axxess in the front and stock in the back. They ended up working pretty well but definately won't last another event. I used the high temp brake fluid from the Ford dealership, which worked okay but near the end of each session the brakes were feeling very mushy... guess Ill have to get some SS lines next time. As for my suspension I was guided to use a 4 setting (5 is hardest) in the front and a 5 in the back.

Anyway, the track day was a blast and I can't wait to go back, this time either Moroso, Homestead, or Sebring again. You weren't kidding about that first corner, very bumpy... but also my favorite part on the track! Man was it great to see the looks on people's faces when I pass their M3s and Mustangs. lol