First time on big track
2nd Gear Member
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 295
From: West Virginia
RE: First time on big track
i've driven my mustang GT around mid-ohio a few times (i do F&C at SCCA events). i agree with your brakes/tires comments. if you are serious about track events with these cars, i'd definitely upgrade the brakes and swap out all the rubber bushings for something a lot stiffer.
4th Gear Member
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,471
From: California
RE: First time on big track
ORIGINAL: RodeoFlyer
Well, I took the car out on the big track at Willow Springs yesterday. I smoked 2 Hertz Shelby's and a stock GT (black like mine, rather poetic I thought lol). I did learn a couple things though -
1. It doesn't matter how good your suspension is or how much power you have if you can't slow down. My brakes have been upgraded, but it still wasn't enough. in my opinion brake ducting is mandatory. After 3 hard laps mine were already getting mushy. By lap 5 and 6 I was barely hangin with the stock GT because I had to give up my speed so much earlier.
2. Like Robert Duvall said in Days of Thunder - "Tires is what wins a race". I loved being on my Falkens and cruising along while hearing the other stang's Pirelli's screech and howl lol.
I would say to the guys that intend to run open track events a lot that brakes and tires are much more of a priority than suspension mods. Especially so if you are on a budget. If I had to do it over again i would take all my suspension mods off and start with sticky 275's and Brembo's. I would at least get a rear sway bar though because the factory understeer is really bad.
Other than that stuff I had a great time. I can't wait to go up to Laguna Seca later this year.
Well, I took the car out on the big track at Willow Springs yesterday. I smoked 2 Hertz Shelby's and a stock GT (black like mine, rather poetic I thought lol). I did learn a couple things though -
1. It doesn't matter how good your suspension is or how much power you have if you can't slow down. My brakes have been upgraded, but it still wasn't enough. in my opinion brake ducting is mandatory. After 3 hard laps mine were already getting mushy. By lap 5 and 6 I was barely hangin with the stock GT because I had to give up my speed so much earlier.
2. Like Robert Duvall said in Days of Thunder - "Tires is what wins a race". I loved being on my Falkens and cruising along while hearing the other stang's Pirelli's screech and howl lol.
I would say to the guys that intend to run open track events a lot that brakes and tires are much more of a priority than suspension mods. Especially so if you are on a budget. If I had to do it over again i would take all my suspension mods off and start with sticky 275's and Brembo's. I would at least get a rear sway bar though because the factory understeer is really bad.
Other than that stuff I had a great time. I can't wait to go up to Laguna Seca later this year.
Hi steelcomp,
I take it that you didn't have any probelms getting the car to slow down for the turns in time until the brakes overheated. Idid not have any problems slowing down from over 140MPH the first time or even the second time but the third and forth time you do thison stock brakescan make your eyes get pretty big pretty fast. The real problem is heat management of the brake system regardless of brake size, do this right and you will have no problem even with the stock size rotors. This should tell you something, you don't NEED a big brake kit with 14" rotors IF you can manage to keep the pad and rotor temps in the zone they are happy in.
It's like I've been saying in the brake posts bigger is not necessarily better and IMO not necessaryfor a car that is basically a street car that get driven on the track occassionally. Sure if this is a car that is raced two or three times a month those 14" platters and 6 pot clamps may look attractivebut have priced replacement 2-piece rotors and the pads you need to go with them? If you think that $2,000 for coilovers is high you are going to be in for a shock when you have to replace those propiatary 2-piece rotors and pads every month or so.
IMO if you can keep your brakes the same size and keep them woking effectively why would you add all that extra unsprung weight to the suspensionthat youhave to keep accellerating over and over and over if you don't need to? Keep your smaller sized brakes and use good teflon/SS brake lines with RBF600, 2-piece rotors with good vent design, brake pads with a compound that is designed towork at the temperatures that you can keep them operating at (with spindle ducts),and you will have a fine set of brakes that last a long time and don't wear out afterone or two sessions on the track. V-8Power has nice spindle ductsspecifically designedfor the stock S197GT's 12" rotors for about $160(? I don't remember what I paid for them),the hose clamps,under bumper ducts andbrake ducthose you can buy at any racing supply house for another $100 or so. Add a little bit of time to die grind the front lower grills a bit and a few pop rivets and you are good to go. Don't just jump to a big brake kit unless you have looked into solving the real problem of the S197brakes, heat management!
BTW, pass on the Brembos unless you really want to use the really heavy GT500 wheels or really expensive Ford GT front wheels. There are very few wheels that the Brembos from the GT500 willclear the calipers of. Keep the stock sizebrakes, they can be made towork better all around if you apply a bit of race technology to the brakes.
HTH
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