[2drstunner]

Question this is my first track day with a car of my own. I'm reading different opinions on if I should change my brake fluid or not. If so, what do you recommend? Any other tips or tricks you have for me would be greatly appreciated.

[Imp]

New car? Nahh. I wouldn't worry about it. It's really new and fresh and unlikely to boil out since everything is still fresh. Also, if you've never done trackdays, shouldn't be much an issue in the novice group.

--kC

[Thor142]

Originally Posted by 2drstunner

Question this is my first track day with a car of my own. I'm reading different opinions on if I should change my brake fluid or not. If so, what do you recommend? Any other tips or tricks you have for me would be greatly appreciated.

What does your owners manual say? Mine is very specific about brake fluid for track use. Also make sure you come back and give us a review of the A8 on the track. Are you actually doing a track or autoX. If track which one?

[Sledgehammer70]

I would swap brake fluid to high heat stuff and put on the track based front deflectors on your brakes. Allows better cooling overall. Outside of that, check your tire pressure consistently as anything beyond what they are rated can destroy the treads.

As your probably not going to push the car that hard for that long, no need to swap brake pads etc..

Overall have fun and drive safe.

[00 Trans Ram]

What track is it? Braking-intensive tracks (ones with really high-speed straights, followed by tight turns) really cook your fluid. If it's one that is fairly tight all over, then no need to swap.

Are you doing New Jersey Motorsports Park? If so, I'd change it to something like a Wilwood 600. That thing has a 1/2 mile straightaway (actually, longer, due to the shallow lefthander before the straight) followed by a 90* turn. You won't want to lose brakes 100' before that turn. The retaining wall is too close to the turn exit, and there is only grass between the track and the wall.

[mcynet]

First thing I did, Casteroil SRF.

[2drstunner]

Racing at Pocono raceway. I've raced on tracks before but never in my personal car. I put the brake duct pieces today for cooling. Question.....what does the small metal one do that bolt where the shield was?

[Mountain]

This thread has some info for you:
http://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=438195

I highly recommend flushing out the factory stuff and putting a good, quality racing brake fluid in there. You do not want issues with your brakes, for your safety, others and for the sake of your car. Beside possible issues on the stopping side of things, the factory fluid will likely not hold up to extended high brake temperatures. That heat can and will transfer throughout the system - pistons, seals... you run the risk of degrading those parts as well with a fluid not built to perform under what you intend.

[evanescent03]

Originally Posted by 2drstunner

Racing at Pocono raceway. I've raced on tracks before but never in my personal car. I put the brake duct pieces today for cooling. Question.....what does the small metal one do that bolt where the shield was?

don't call it "racing" unless you are legit racing. driving schools/HPDE courses consider it "faux pas" to call it racing. maintaining the non-competitive environment is what keeps guys safe. better hear it here than in a meeting in front of your track day peers

Pocono raceway was my first-ever track event! it's a fun track and great for a first timer. i've done 9 other tracks since then but that was the track that got HPDEs into my blood!

getting the fluid swapped is probably a good idea.. the rule of thumb that i've seen some organizations us is that it should be newer than 6 months (normal driving). if you've been beating on the brake system, more frequently is appropriate. being able to recognize issues in the braking system is something that you'll definitely want to notice early and learn how to manage your brakes (i.e. don't go 100% flat out on the faster sections, be sure to brake for as short of a distance as possible, nurse them back for a couple laps to cool things off..). Pocono is also a good place to see how well the fuel pickup system works. i was hitting fuel-cut going through the big sweeper (nascar!!!) even when i had 1/2 tank of gas left in my Subaru. if you notice a weird cut in power going through the long bank, i would consider adding fuel, backing off, etc to prevent fuel-cut.

brake pads is also a common thing to need early on. if you're using stock pads and stock tires just realize that if you start picking up the pace later in the day/weekend or overdriving the car, your parts will start to suffer and you'll notice more sliding around (greasy tires) and a less effective brake pedal (hot fluid or hot pads... or both).

be well rested, hydrate and nourish yourself, listen to your instructor and keep the shiny side up! make sure to share your experience with the group.. it's good therapy!

[Imp]

Originally Posted by evanescent03

getting the fluid swapped is probably a good idea.. the rule of thumb that i've seen some organizations us is that it should be newer than 6 months (normal driving). if you've been beating on the brake system, more frequently is appropriate.

That's exactly why I was saying probably not even needing to be changed for a 1st timer.

Think about this for a sec, in the novice group, speeds will generally be lower, more cautious, and with an instructor to help identify and guide. The car will tell the driver to back it off a hair, (and so will the instructor), if braking zones are missed (which are also set fairly cautiously for novice run groups - dive, brake and turn isn't a novice thing).

Added insurance? Sure. So is a roll hoop or cage, harness bar/harness, HANS, full driving suit, upgraded pads, etc...

As speeds (*and risks) increase, that's when it's a good idea to think about upgrading everything. Just starting out? Show up with your very new car, be safe, cautious, learn, LISTEN TO THE INSTRUCTORS and have fun.

--kC

[thescreensavers]

Depends on the course but the new fluid in the car should be ok, just change it after the event.

If it's your first event you'll not need to worry about brake fluid, worry about your driving lines and learn as much as you can.

[Jmcalhoun22]

There is a big section in the user manual about tracking the car.
Here is a link to the pdf version. Info starts on page 189
https://my.chevrolet.com/content/dam...ro1stPrint.pdf

[Mountain]

Originally Posted by thescreensavers

Depends on the course but the new fluid in the car should be ok, just change it after the event.

If it's your first event you'll not need to worry about brake fluid, worry about your driving lines and learn as much as you can.

In the name of safety, I will strongly caution against this thought. Unless the car comes with a high performance fluid (Camaro LT/SS does not to my knowledge).

Swapping fluid isn't that difficult or expensive compared to the added factor of safety and increased capability.

I've done exactly as said. Taken a basically brand new car out on a road course. Granted, there is a lot of variables to consider dependingon what car and how bad things can get...

My experience? Pads glazed and cracked. Front rotors warped. Brake fluid overheated. Seals nearly cooked. That was a fun drive home...

[thescreensavers]

Originally Posted by Mountain

In the name of safety, I will strongly caution against this thought. Unless the car comes with a high performance fluid (Camaro LT/SS does not to my knowledge).

My experience? Pads glazed and cracked. Front rotors warped. Brake fluid overheated. Seals nearly cooked. That was a fun drive home...

Brake fluid is one of many things you should change prior to a track day. Is it worth worrying about all the little things? Its highly dependent on the track and driver experience level. Remember DOT 3 has a Dry Boiling point of 400F MINIMUM(key word here), the pads will insulate the heat from going into the fluid, running 30 min sessions with an hour in-between at a novice level he will be ok. If the OP has the means to replace all the fluid out sure but he should also change the pads to higher temp ratings, his engines oil to Dexos2, have replacement differential oil handy and possibly transmission fluid as well.


Your experience sounds like you need to upgrade your parts to handle your level of abuse on the track. If you overheated your calipers so badly as to cook the seals then you need to add brake cooling immediately and upgrade your parts brake fluid wont save you from severely overheating brakes as you mentioned.