Hey guys... my buddy tracked his Pcar today and said he had an amazing experience ... I have never done this - but its been a bucket list item for sure..

What are your thoughts on tracking my 2013 Vantage...

Thanks ..... NNN

 

Suggest you do a forum search. This topic has been discussed many times in the past.

Are you new to track driving? If so, I highly recommend some instruction. Some may be available at the track you are thinking of going to, or you can take a course with a reputable organization such as Skip Barber or Jim Russell.

If you are new to it, ensuring you have high temp brake fluid is probably sufficient. If you get addicted and come back for more, you will quickly get to the point where the OEM tires and brakes severely limit your fun - these are heavy cars! The tire situation is easily remedied but the brakes are a more serious issue with inadequate cooling on the V8 cars. In the pics you attached, it looks like you have aftermarket, plus sized wheels and lowered suspension. This may actually be a problem on the track, depending on its condition, and at any rate, larger wheels often hinder performance as they are too heavy.

Don't get me wrong, the V8 cars are really well balanced and are pretty benign at the limit, but they are heavy road cars and in general won't take as kindly to abuse as your typical Porsche. Best of luck!

 

You are right - I will do a search .. Thanks...

I guess that was my real question - I don't plan on keeping the car that long - and really want to keep resale in mind ... I would buy a 996 TT if I wanted to track often...

Thanks again... NNN

 

Done it. I don't know why you would have a car like this and not track it. Is the parking lot at a streak house the proper venue for this car? It's great...

 

correct on, track time being a lot of fun, incorrect that the best way is to go to Russell school. there are plenty of organizations that allow you to take your car out with instruction and learn the basics.
the brakes are MORE than fine, in fact, they are beyond most racing brakes AND most race cars weight as much as our cars in the V8 engine classes. (ie AMERICAN V8 Supercar series, Spec Mustang SCCA, etc etc which approach 3500lbs very often)
Wheels ARE NOT an issue if they are larger. the only issue is if the side wall is too short, but no issues up to 20" rims. weight IS not an issue as you trade rubber for aluminum as you go larger in rim size. its an equal trade in most all cases.
The main limitation is the tires...... street tires are more slipperier. but its all relative, and certainly doesn't reduce your experience. However, if you want a time 4 seconds faster to keep up with your buddies on the same day or for track lap time bragging rights, almost automatically, then.... DOT race rubber, (like Michelin pilots, toyo RA1, R888, etc) will solve that issue .

 

The V8 brakes are not as good or even remotely better than racing brakes unless your race car has poor brakes. They are fine for their intended purpose but they are not racing brakes. The wheels are ok and the stock rubber is ok for the street but not much for the track.
I just spent a day at the track with my V12V and it did well for a luxury GT but it's no match for my race car. The P Zero Corsas performed fine but they are no match for slicks.
The point is that it's fine to take your vantage to an auto cross or occasional track day and have some fun with it but get instruction first and remember that it's a heavy street car that will eat up expensive tires and brakes quickly. So don't get too carried away unless you are ready to spend some serious coin for consumables.

 

I don't know if you have been at the track lately, but vantage brakes are much better than most racing brakes. they are 6 piston caliper brembos clamping down on 14" rotors. they are HUGE compared to racing brakes used in the many of top racing series in the country. my brakes are not poor, in fact, on TV, my car was part of the announcers discussion of how great the "manufacture" brakes were, even compared to the car I was following (ex. Lemans winner BTW) They were 12" rotors, racing pads and much smaller calipers by brembo than our AMV8s) They are certainly racing brakes! The only thing NOT racing, are the pads that come stock, but that can be changed in less than 2 mins. Tires as I said, are not anywhere near slicks or DOT racing rubber. that is also easy to change, but doesn't change the fun factor of taking the car to the track. driving a car at the edge really doesn't effect the fun factor, whether its slicks, DOTs, streets or rain.

I was recently instructing in an advanced class where one of my students had a V12 DBS. it was utterly fantastic. the brakes were superb, well beyond a race car, (sure the CF rotors didn't hurt much ) given that the car is very heavy and the speeds were pretty high at the end of the straights. The things that were lacking were a race tuned suspension, safety equip, and sticky rubber. Brakes were not an issue. in fact, street rubber, tends to greatly reduce the requirement for racing pads and racing fluid if treated correctly because of the greatly reduced braking force required to match street rubber and street tuned suspension. Put out 700hp, bolt on slicks, drop the weight by several 100 lbs, and our brakes might be an issue, but until you do, there is NOTHING about our brakes that can even remotely limit the performance of the AMV8. Only the driver and the tires/suspension can do that. by getting proper instruction, you wont hurt the tires that much, and certainly wont wear out the brakes, which again, are more than enough for the power and weight of our cars.
I took my (new to me within a week or two) AMV8 out on the track when I got a break from instructing. it was fantastic. brake pads were a little fadey, as they were thin and original with 8 year old fluid. The tires were the only limitation. 8 year old, hard original tires made the car feel like it was driving in the wet, but there was no issue with brakes. at 7ths driving, which would be well above any newbee at the track, the car worked exceptionally well. sure, next time, better, newer tires, fluid and new pads will be on the car so I can push it a bit. But as it was, old and tired, it worked well. for a session or two.

 

NNN- not to hijack the thread, but Dude - let's see some more of those pictures!

 

Just don't see the Vantage as a great track car when there are many other better choices.

 

I tracked my Vantage and was surprised at how well it did. The only minus with the car was I cooked the brakes in the last session of the day on a brake heavy track. On the street car the brake cooling would need some work.

 

Thanks guys - I don't intend to track it regularly - Just want to check off a bucket list item and not destroy the car while doing it

I know a guy who sets up Pcars for the track - will change the oil and brake fluid and give it a shot...

SPF1410 - Here are more pics ... turn off the crappy music

http://www.360forged.com/astonmartin

 

The car will be fine for this. The Vantage isn't an ideal track-day car, but I've seen people do track days with cars much less suited for the track. Just take it easy and give point-bys to faster cars, even it's only a Miata.

 

What Racer_X said. You will have a blast in the car. It's very capable and predictable. My cooked brakes were after about 75ish laps so I was pushing the car as hard as I could by then

 

Outstanding, thank you!

 

its a fantastic track car, i had as much fun in it as i have on any other car ive been in. (and the list is long). all have their advantages and disadvantages. One that sticks out, PROMINANTLY, is that the Vantage is a work of art, and any body damage, will cost A LOT! .
performance wise, its a great track car. (ignoring the costs). "great" means, capabilities, and upgrade paths for greater performance.
basically, the AMv8 is a race car. dry sumped, light, reasonably high HP, great handling, and well designed.
you bolt on some HP upgrades as have been discussed here... gut it, bolt on some big DOT or slick tires. upgrade the suspension, and you will have a car that will hang or beat most everything on the track, especially on a track day.
so, you think there are better choices? lets hear them, just out of curiosity.