Be sure to inspect every inch...
Be sure to inspect every inch of your brake pads and/or shoes. When we went in to swap our pads, we discovered a front caliper bolt wasn't torqued to the right specification; this could have led to brake failure on the track or even the street. Our street pads were worn evenly across the surface, showing us that the calipers were doing their job. However, as a safety precaution, we installed the more aggressive Hawk DTC-70 front pads and HP Plus Racing pads. These more race-oriented pads hold up to an extreme amount of heat, so we won't have to worry about slowing our reasonably quick Goat on the high-speed corners of Sebring. We saw over 120 mph in several braking zones and the brakes built up a lot of kinetic energy.
Whether your Pontiac is fresh off the showroom floor or it's a 40-year-old classic, you need to carefully inspect it before you attend one of these events. Something as simple as a loose control-arm bolt could ruin your day. Taking the time to carefully inspect every nut and bolt under your car, as well as flushing all the fluids, could be the difference between coming home happy ... or very sad.
Brakes
In my opinion, brakes are the single most important part of your car when open-track racing. Changing your fluid out for a high-performance fluid is cheap and more important than you could imagine. It's not uncommon for a brake rotor surface to exceed 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit when driving competitively. The brake system forces fluid into the calipers, which causes the caliper pistons to press the brake pads against the rotor surface. Fluid will quickly skyrocket in temperature, but it will usually stabilize, sometimes above 500 degees. This is far above the boiling point of many fluids and it will vaporize, resulting in a brake pedal that goes to the floor and unresponsive brakes. Not good!
Our GTO already had Amsoil Series 600 High Performance DOT 4 brake fluid that is rated for 580 degrees dry and 410 degrees wet. (All brake fluids are rated in dry and wet because water can find its way into the braking system, decreasing the fluid's thermal properties.) In our previous testing and track outings the fluid held up very well and we never experienced any boil-off. Still, it's a good practice to flush the system and get fresh fluid in there, even if the fluid still looks OK. We pressure bled our brakes and added more Amsoil fluid. While we were at it, we even bled the clutch and filled it with the same good stuff.
Since we've done several driving...
Since we've done several driving events in our past, we knew what to expect. Thanks to the help of our checklist (page 81) we were sure to load up our tools, jack and jackstands, something for draining the oil or any other fluids, gloves, and even a gas can. Fuel at the track is very expensive, so loading up with an extra five gallons of premium can save you $1 per gallon or more.
Expect to go through rotors and pads on a track event day. They're considered "disposable" to road racers, which may be frightening to first-timers, but once you've changed a set of both, you'll come to find that it's a simple and safe job if you take the time to make sure you've torqued the bolts down properly. Our GTO uses the DBA 5000-series two-piece front rotors and 4000-series rears, both slotted, and Hawk HPS street pads. For the track event, we procured a new set of pads since they were going to be chewed up anyway and went with the most aggressive compound Hawk makes, the Hawk DTC-70. We were hoping that the aggressive pads, high-temp fluid, and high-performance rotors would keep us from having to worry about our brakes during the event.
While we went aggressive with our setup, you don't have to. If you don't plan to beating the snot out of your Pontiac in the braking department, just pour in some good fluid and inspect your brakes to make sure they're in good working order. When you're at the track you should feel out your brakes to determine your "braking zones," so that your brakes have the ability to slow you down and compensate for brake fade if it occurs. If you take your Pontiac out for a full day of road course fun and excitement, don't be surprised if you come home needing to replace its rotors and/or pads. (Racing pads and rotors can last multiple events.)
Here's where the real fun...
Here's where the real fun starts. Track time with an instructor is invaluable when trying to improve driving skills.
You don't need to run racing slicks to go out and have fun. We already had our barely used set of 245/40ZR18 NT01 R-Compound tires that we have used before, so we installed them. A good set of street tires will work just fine, but won't offer the same level of grip. It's important that all four tires be inspected for any cuts, irregular wear, or debris lodged in them.
Fluids
Along with the hydraulic fluid, we also drained the transmission and rearend, pumped in fresh fluid from Royal Purple, then removed the oil pan plug to clear the way for 10W30 Amsoil Racing Oil and a Wix filter. At nearly 80,000 miles, fresh oil, transmission fluid, and rearend fluid were needed, but your Pontiac should at least be inspected before you make a lap. It's quick, easy, and could save the life of your engine, transmission, or differential.
Alignment
It's also not a bad idea to take your Pontiac to an alignment shop. If you want, tell the tech to install an aggressive alignment if you plan to change it back before you return to the street. It can make a huge difference in your car's performance.
Next issue, we'll discuss what we learned on the track.
Price List
(Will Vary Car to Car and Product to Product) |
| Amsoil 10W30 Racing Oil x 7 quarts |
$75 |
| Amsoil Series 600 DOT 4 Brake Fluid x 4 |
$54 |
| Hawk Performance DTC-70 Front Brake Pads |
$280 |
| Hawk Performance HP Plus Rear Brake Pads |
$95 |
| NGK TR-55 V-Power Spark Plugs x 8 |
$38 |
| WIX Oil Filter |
$8 |
| Royal Purple Max-Gear Gear Oil x 3 |
$54 |
| Royal Purple Synchromax Manual Transmission Fluid x 5 |
$70 |
| Simpson Super Bandit Helmet |
$450 |
| Simpson V-Grip Driving Gloves |
$130 |
| Summit Racing Single-Layer Jacket |
$60 |
| Summit Racing Single-Layer Pants |
$60 |