Basic but mandatory track mods help needed.

jmg944t

Ok, I just bought a 09 SP MT with 15K in Chicane Yellow. It will be going to the track BUT I am not trying to turn this car into a track monster as it is my weekend car and I have another dedicated track car project in the works. I have alot of track time and I am fast, here is the rub. I am going to be letting my wife take this car to the track. SOoooo... I need to make the car capable enough to keep me happy for a season or two without making it so on edge that my wife puts it into a wall. Also safety is a priority, I won't put my wife in a car that has any chance of fuel starving, cooking brakes and does not have proper harnesses. She's hot and I can't damage her

So I am looking for solutions to known problems- I have read alot on this board but I still can't find an actual solution to fuel starvation. This car will be double stinted so filling up before run groups would be a problem.

Brake cooling- I know I need new pads, fluid and cooling, What pads are guys using who switch pads for the track? Does anyone have a good method for getting air in there yet?

I can't find a harness guide bar for the car. Someone has gotta make one right?

What is the most recommended oil cooler out there?

Am I missing anything? Weakness' I know about are brake temp, oil temp, fuel starvation. What else can I expect? Oh and what size tires are guys running on stock wheels? I'm planning on different street wheels so I'll use the stockers for the track.

Thanks for reading and the help if you have it, I am looking forward to getting on the track with the car, and getting the misses out there. I hope I don't regret that one.

RedNismoZ

I advise the both of you to take classes together on racing techniques. As for brakes, tires, and cooler: upgrade brakes, I'm still on my stock ones. Tires, wide grips, but those are kinda expensive, and cooling; since its only a weekend warrior, maybe a stillen for ya sir.

__________________

Nismo or no go

jmg944t

Thanks for the input. I have about 150 track days and no time for a school at the moment. I work about 90 hours a week all summer so just getting to the track is going to be tough. That is part of the reason I am only concentrating on reliability/safety mods.

FL 4Motion

See sig for a good idea for brake/oil cooling mods. Basically run a 25 or 34row oil cooler, brake fluid, lines, and pads and you're all set.

As far as fuel starve, you're just gonna have to top off the tank after every session. You could try bringing a big ol gas can wiht you if you don't have time to actually go and fill up. There's a solution being worked on by a vendor on here but it's not ready for prime time yet.

Tires, stock nismo sizes but running PS2s. Will be switching to PSS's once they become available (and these wear out) hopefully by the summer/fall. BIG improvement over the stock Advans btw.

jmg944t

How are the Carbotech brake pads? The car will be trailered to the track so it doesnt matter if they are streetable. You didn't feel it is needed to add brake cooling? Bringing gas isn't a problem I was just hoping to not miss 5 minutes of track time pulling into the pits and filling up. Its times like that when you are in a hurry and dumb things happen.

FL 4Motion

The xp8's, IMO, are fine both on track and streetable as well. My wife is actually the track rat, I'm just the "crew chief" (cervical & lumbar spinal injuries and a TBI etc etc). She's been doing HPDEs for a few years now and her feedback is the xp8s are fine on track with her braking style. We're considering moving up the xp10s at some point but I'd rather add brake ducting first. Unfortunately, there's no "off the shelf" solution yet, if there was, it'd be on our car already.

The carbotechs have been wearing extremely well and while they dust, it's non corrosive so our wheels still look brand new after a nice wash. We both have a very high tolerance for brake squeal etc, so I consider them total fine for daily driving etc.

Mike

They make Hoosiers in stock sizes, if you want a dual purpose tire, the AD08 is almost as fast as an R compound and behaves a lot like one.

With street tires, I'd go XP8 pads, AD08s, XP10s and R compounds, XP12. The only problem with the Carbotechs is wear. I got a day and a half at Road Atlanta out of my current set of XP12s and they are over halfway worn. The last set lasted 5 days at various tracks in the area.

For fuel, if the track doesn't have it, I have been bringing a 15 gallon can and topping up every time.

For a harness bar, noone makes one. Its gonna have to be custom. Autopower makes a weld in rear cage.

I recently upgraded to the Z1 race cooler, I love it.

__________________
NISSAN: 75 280Z / 86 300ZX GLL /87 Sentra SE / 03 350Z / 23 Z
Porsche: 93 968 / 23 Macan GTS / 93 968

jmg944t

I appreciate the input. This gives me a place to start. On one of my past track cars I did DIY brake cooling front and rear. I think this car is going to get that treatment. My thinking isn't really that it is 100% needed but I want the brakes to be as consistent as possible for the wife. I am used to recognizing and managing fade. The wife is not. If I can take that out of the equation it will be a good thing.

At my home track I was a spectator for a number of years before I got my own car, I would hang out in the corner that got people in trouble and watch the drivers when things went bad. What I found was when something unexpected happens a large number of people would just freeze up and quit driving. They would take no action and ride the car into the tire wall. If I do everything possible to keep things like fuel starvation from happening hopefully the wife won't ride the car into something.

jmg944t

Mike, cooler brakes last alot longer. I only mention it because pads are expensive when they only last a couple of days!

ChrisSlicks

The brakes on the Z can get really hot towards the end of a session, if you want your pads to last I would suggest using some form of brake ducting. I ran sintered pads to deal with the heat, nothing else could take it without either fading or wearing quickly. The sintered pads are more expensive but I got 5 weekends (11 days) out of a set before they were 2/3rds warn and relegated to the spares bin.

Don't know of a bolt in harness bar, doesn't seem to be many of us tracking the Z so not a high demand I guess. A custom harness bar might be the way to go in your case.

Oil cooler, go with the Z1 34 row Setrab setup. My setup blocks too much air to the radiator and is not ideal.

Fuel starvation will be an issue. You can go 1, maybe 1.5 20 minute sessions before having problems. At NHMS you'll get it at T4 going up the hill. A novice isn't going to encounter it as quickly as they are pulling less lateral G and not as heavy on the throttle mid corner.

What compound are you going to run on the stock wheels? You can fit up to a 275 front, 305 rear ideally.

__________________
Hotchkis ARB | Stillen CAI | Art Pipes | Berk CBE | Stillen AP Racing Brakes | AE Performance Oil Cooler | BC Racing ER Coilovers | Doran Control Arms

jmg944t

Chris,
I plan on cooling the brakes and running sintered pads. I used to run Pagid Black and Hawk blues which are both very agressive. I was going to ask about the uphill at NHMS as it is the perfect storm for starvation coupled with a bad place to have the motor cut out. I have seen some bad spins there. I don't think the first set of tires will be Hoosiers as they are not a good choice for the novice wife. What do you recommend for a tire that is grippy when cool and has forgiving characteristic at low slip angles? I still have yet to really look at the car for a custom Harness guide bar. Holidays and all. Chances are I'll just make one as I am not in a hurry to put in a cage. This season I plan on SSGT with COMSCC and ST1 next year. After that The wife can stick in ST1 forever and I'll be in PA with the completed project car.

ChrisSlicks

James, the fuel cut at the uphill in NH usually happens after you've straightened out, so no risk of spin. Very annoying though.

I tried the Hawk DTC-70 for WGI when I couldn't get hold of a set of sintered pads in time. The feel was good but they did overheat a bit towards the end, without ducting anyway. That will be one of my projects this winter. I would recommend that you try the CL Brakes RC6 compound front, RC5+ rear. Essex Racing carries them.

Are you looking for a tire that is going to make a bit of noise, i.e. a sticky street tire? I would probably recommend the RE-11's or Yoko AD08. The NT01 is a good intermediate tire but Hoosiers there isn't any grip for the first lap until things get warmed up a little - not available in 19" sizes anyway.

What is the project car? Sounds like a bit of a track monster if it is going to run in PA!

__________________
Hotchkis ARB | Stillen CAI | Art Pipes | Berk CBE | Stillen AP Racing Brakes | AE Performance Oil Cooler | BC Racing ER Coilovers | Doran Control Arms

jmg944t

I'm used to Hoosiers but they would be a poor choice for the wife. I want a tire that isn't an on/off switch at the limits and isn't skating all over the place cold. I am willing to give up some all out speed so long as it is more predictable for the wife. I just don't see myself having much fun on street tires so they have to be R compound.

The track car is a 944 Turbo that is gutted and caged through the firewall to the suspension. I have the widebody fit for it, the whole car (basically)will be fiberglass. 11" front wheels and 13" rears, it should weigh about 2400#'s. I had planned on a hot 3L 968 Turbo motor but after blowing up a few porsche turbo motors I think this car is getting a Z06 motor. That outta get a few peoples attention. In COM the only place it will fit is PA which is fine because there are a few other cars there anyway.

Mike

Yeah, I know. I have been foolishly awaiting stillen's brake cooling kit for their bumper that I have. Now I have been thinking of some type of duct coming through the lower corners of the hood and down into the wheel well. My bumper design doesn't leave a lot of room to work with. FWIW, I run stoptech trophy brake system, and since the upgrade the only downside is the rapid pad wear in front.

Also, unlike most cars, when the stockers start to fade, you. Have very little warning, it's almost instantaneous. When I first got the car, I was on a 1.4 mile course and got a tiny hint of fade halfway around the track and immediately backed off and cooled down, barely touching the brakes til I entered the pits. Took about 30 yards to stop from 15mph, very scary.

__________________
NISSAN: 75 280Z / 86 300ZX GLL /87 Sentra SE / 03 350Z / 23 Z
Porsche: 93 968 / 23 Macan GTS / 93 968

jmg944t

Is that the "ice mode" I hear about? I can't really believe the car got out of the factory like that. Was that on stock pads?