I am scheduled for my first ever track day in a month. Its a 1.3 mile closed course with 2 straight aways and 6 turns. I am going to have my brake pads and fluid changed out about 2 weeks before the track day, but wanted to get some opinions on what to use. I have seen several people mention Motul brake fluid as the best option so I am sold on that. But, the big one is the pads. I am planning on leaving my OEM pads on the rear, but switching out the fronts. I have seen many mention Pagid RS-29 yellow as a good pad for track days. Thoughts on this? Is there another brand I should look at? Will I be ok with the rear pads?

Any other tips or tricks I should be aware of? I am a newbie to the track having only been on one track day before in rented cars, never the Vantage.

FYI, I have a 2008 v8v Roadster with RSC cats and filters, everything else is stock.

Thanks!

 

I've had my Vantage on the track only 1-day. I found the stock pads quite good and fade-free, so I wouldn't change them unless they are near to the point of being changed anyway. You'll find 3rd gear to be the most useful on the track--50mph/3500 RPM to 100mph/7100 RPM. 4th gear will take you up to about 120+. For most tracks, just shifting between 3rd and 4th works well. I found that 2nd gear peaks out too soon at 70MPH/7000 RPM, and the time I gained I lost in down to 2nd, and shifting up to 3rd. "Your results may vary!"

 

If it's only your second track day ever, you will be fine with the stock brakes.

 

While I understand what the above posts are getting at, I would be very wary of OEM brake pads and regular fluid on track. You say you are a newbie to the track, but what is your level of driving confidence, and your level of confidence in the car? If by newbie you mean you will be taking it easy all day, with early braking and slower speeds, fine. But if you anticipate a rapid gain in your comfort level, with aggressive braking and full throttle through the gears on the straights, before day's end, you probably should do your pads and fluid.

As posted here before, I destroyed a set of front OEM discs and pads my first time on track with my old V8V, but that was after several years of track driving and a high level of familiarity with the track in question (and without the common sense to back off when things got too hot LOL).

Pagid RS29 or RS19 and any good high temp fluid (Motul included) should work well unless you really start to push things, in which case the substantial cooling limitations of the OEM setup will become the limiting factor (not to mention the greasy OEM Bridgestones).

Have fun and get back to us when you have done your day!

 

It's not racing, just a track day. Good rubber, fresh brake fluid and pads...you'll be fine.

 

You should be able to feel your brakes fading before you lose them. If that happens, slow down so you use them less. If your foot does go to the floor, try to pump the pedal to get some pressure. On a small track like that though you really shouldn't have a problem.

 

I've done several track days in my 2007 V8 Vantage with stock pads and OEM fluid with absolutely no problems.

 

As Jackie Stewart once told me: "It's not just how late you get on the brakes that counts, it's also how early you get off them!"

 

Either Motul or ATE SuperBlue fluids are equally good. For such a short track with so few corners and street tires, and your lack of track experience, you'll probably be just fine with stock fluid anyway. Same for pads.

 

My rears were low before my frist track day so I swapped in new pads (and fluid - make sure that the system is properly evacuated before replacing the fluid). KarlFranz had a thread talking abt the Porterfields. I have found them to be excellent and they've been through two track days and are still going strong. Someone at the track will probably tell you this but, never set your parking brake after you come off else you'll end up in a rather sticky situation.

 

Do not use ATE superglue, the dye can get everywhere in your system. The #1 fluid is Castrol SRF, google it and you will see EVERYBODY uses it at the track, F1 used it for years. Motul600 or Motul660 are a close 2nd but they are not as resilient. If you boil over Motul once, it's completely done, but SRF you can boil over a dozen times and it will come back.

Castrol you will only have to replace once every two years where as the Motul you will flush after every track day.

 

^^^ YES! Castrol SRF!!! What I use in my race car, I've tried many over the years, in competition and through sprint and endurance racing. SRF is what I rely on, it's the best and works time after time, it's expensive but it's worth every penny!

 

Great feedback, I really appreciate it. I think I am going to go with the Porterfield pads (I already had a front set I had not put on yet) and the Castrol SRF. I will update everyone as to what happens at the track. Maybe even a few pics...

 

Agree you'll be fine on stock pads. One other consideration, there's a service bulletin on the early cars to safety wire the shift cables at the shift lever. I know first hand and aggresive session and they can disconnect.

 

Update.... I finally did the track day today, what a blast. I went with the porterfield pads on the front, original pads on rear. I replaced the brake fluid and used motul 600. I ran the original tires as well, Bridgestone potenza re050. It was a cloudy day and about 80f today, perfect for driving top down on the track, which I have to do since I am so tall and the helmet will not fit under the top.

The v8v was simply awesome, I was with several 911, vettes, boss 302 and m3. I was able to keep pace and passed almost all of them. Many commented how they loved the look of the car and the growl it makes when I was accelerating. I did not feel any brake fade whatsoever and the engine temps stayed in the exact spot it does during normal driving. The tires are not even that worn after 5 full sets on the track. Brakes look and sound in great as well. All in all the v8v was very impressive on the track.

FYI, the track was msr in cresson,tx on the 1.3 mile going cow. For those that have not done msr, this is a great track with over 70ft of elevation and several off camber turns. There is one hill in particular that you go up and over into a blind hair pin. Fun but scary the first few times.