lets say a 220hp car. Can I get away with running hawk blues on 1.8 brakes, or do I need 01 sport brakes?

 

should be fine, what i plan on using.


now lets see that 220rwhp car.

 

just upgrade the pads.

 

I know, right. I'm trying to get the trans labor lined up on my vw now, so I can drive back to dallas from OKC to work on the car over the weekends. I want to have everything lined up before the build starts...I'd hate to get into trouble at the race track.

 

beats 1.6 rotors and hawk hps pads that glaze over instantly on your first stop from 110mph.

and it also beats new ebc redstuff that wore completely through to the backing plates in one weekend.

The most important thing is the pads, the blues should suffice, the 1.8 rotors should be large enough.

although IIRC: 94-98 = 10" F and 9.9" R

99+ sport = 10.6" F and 10.9" R

 

You can get away with your 1.6 brakes. They're not that bad, really.

Stop looking for excuses!

 

You should just at least try the oem brakes with blues.

but, imho the 1.8s vs 1.6s are night and day.

 

I agree- it's the pads that are needed. IMO dot race tires and pads are the way to go for anyone that's even remotely considering track events as a weekend activity. Even if you're not up to that level of speed- you'll have the equipment needed when you get there. That eqiupment will provide an additional margin of performance too for those who are learning and get into trouble - like finding limit of street level equipment in the middle of a turn or braking zone.

 

On a slight thread derail, has anyone compared Hawk Blues to Carbotech XP10/XP8s? I've heard the Carbotechs are a little easier to modulate at the limit, and they're supposedly a favorite in the SM world.

I thought I'd be fine for at least a little while with HP+s but I cooked them after 2 sessions, and that was at stock power. :(

 

What kind of tires are you guys running and where do you buy them from?

 

i bought up some ra-1's, and plan on using them for the first time on 4/28. edge racing has them at the best price.

 

I've run them carbotechs. They are easier to drive than the blues, BUT they don't last as long. And IMO you can learn to drive the blues. I still use them.

I've raced the dot kuhmos, toyos and hoosiers - all bought from a variety of places including: tire rack, appalachian tire, frisby, cutt...

 

Just about any R tire will be fun on track days. Buy local racers take offs cheap. A tire they can't use for racing might get you through half a dozen track days on the cheap. It is unbelievable the difference between R compound tires and street tires.

I'm not sure I agree with starting with track tires though. Using a greasy street tire lets you learn what you are doing wrong at much lower speeds. The forgiving grip of R tires can let you learn bad habits but at very high speeds.

 

I've now done 25 sessions / 5 track days on street tires. I'm ready to cautiously move to more grip. I've very conservative out there. Besides, I'm getting these street tires so hot they go "off" after about 3 laps. The laser showed 230* on the tires last time out...way too hot for a street tire.

 

I don't think it's desirable to learn at the risk of crashing your car. If you lose it and lock 'em up, the car will slow much quicker with R tires, albeit at the price of tires- thought much cheaper than the potential damage to the car. DOT race rubber is made for racing and track events are pretty much the same environment.

IMO bad habits are going to happen either way. That's less about tires and more about instruction and self honesty. You have to admit you sucked to identify the problem and correct it.

 

You aren't going to crash if you spin your car on street tires. I would recommend the Hankook RS-2 for beginner track use. They operate in a higher heat range than Azenis do, which means they don't get as greasy (or greasy at all). They were great for my first track day. Very communicative, not gripgripgripGONE like an R-comp is.