I'm not positive, but I think it can warp the rotor as well.
I'm not positive, but I think it can warp the rotor as well.
your pads will be hot and, by applying the parking brake, you're setting the hot pads against a rotor that will now cool at different rates across its surface.
the area where the pads are will have localized pad material transfer to the rotor which, after all is said and done, is usually felt as a "warped rotor".
It's a great way to "warp" your rotors.
Long story short, brake pads transfer a thin even layer of meterial to the rotor surface when they get hot. This is why you "bed in" new brakes pads and rotors. When you come off the trackand everything is still hot, setting the parking brake deposits a layer of pad meterial on only one section of the rotor face, when it cools and you drive the car again, you feel a pulsation in the pedal due to the uneven layer of material on the disc, it feels like warped rotors.
I just read the post by MajesticBlueNTO after I made my post, sorry to repeat....
ok...maplephin is correct, but it depends on what track you're going to and what you're doing, and the tune of your car.
without getting into too deep, let's just say you will be fine at track school with one full tank of gas...
however, if you're lapping or racing, you'll likely use up one full tank if not more, if you run hard between 9am - 5pm...
with regards to tuning, stock MS3 runs rich...a proper tune, from my experience, will save you about 20 - 25% in gas while maintaining same or improving performance...this is also assuming your suspension is properly set-up and you're not hammering it out of a corner spinning tires for no reason...
anyway, bring a jerry can if you're worried...the closest Sunocco to Mosport is about 10min away.
and lastly...yes, a properly tuned MS3 can and should run 94 to maximize EFFICIENCY.
MSpeed Tuning & Diagnostics - The Street Lab is always OPEN FOR BUSINESS
All Powder & Ceramic Coating @ Quy's Coating . Tires and Wheels @ Simply Tire . Wraps by mleblond @ Seche Media . Dyno'd @ Advance Power House . Professionally Serviced by Jimmy @ Street Performance . Signature Pic by PCLoadLetter . Street Tuned by myself .
"It is amazing how many drivers, even at the Formula One Level, think that the brakes are for slowing the car down." -- Mario Andretti
Is it really bad to track in an ATX?
Current: 2016 Lexus GS-F, 2017 Honda CRV Touring
Past: 2015 Scion FRS 6MT, 2010 M3 E90 6MT, 2013 Scion FRS 6MT, 2005 Mazda 3 GT Hatch.
I found this in one of the SOLO Sprint sections, basically tech inspections. Should be a good guide as to what we should also be checking, some may not pertain to us but none the less its still through and good.
PLEASE CHECK OFF () ALL ITEMS INSPECTED AND IN SATISFACTORY CONDITION.
INDICATE WITH AN (X) IF NOT INSPECTED OR NOT IN GOOD CONDITION and REPLACE or REPAIR.
SoloSprint Annual Inspection Checklist
(Appendix B of Entry Form)
1. BRAKES: VERY IMPORTANT!
( ) Friction Materials: pads, shoes; >50% material,
in good condition
( ) Calipers: no leaks, operating freely, attachment hardware OK
( ) Steel lines: fittings, attachments, no apparent corrosion
( ) Flexible lines: no apparent cracks, fittings in good condition
( ) Brake fluid: was changed with in the last 6 months
( ) 15 second static brake test: pedal firm with no loss of
pressure
2. STEERING & SUSPENSION
( ) Ball joints or swivel point: within wear specifications, grease
seals intact, attachment secure
( ) Idler arm, pitman arm, links and tie rod or link ends: within
the wear limit, secure attachment, seals intact
( ) Bearings: hubs properly adjusted with no excess play or wear,
cotter pins or locking devices where required
( ) General condition of system: springs, shocks, bushings frame
attachments, anti sway bar mounting, etc.
3. TIRES AND WHEELS (MUST BE WHEELS AND TIRES USED
FOR COMPETITION)
( ) Wheels: in good condition with no apparent cracks, good
valves
( ) All studs or nuts: present and in good condition, with
sufficient threading and length for safe attachment
( ) Tires: no cord showing, no cuts, no interference with body or
fender through reasonable range of motion
4. DRIVELINE
( ) Transmission: no apparent leaks, cracks or missing fasteners
( ) Driveshaft(s), u joints, cv joints: no excess wear, grease seals
intact
( ) Rear axle, final drive: no apparent leaking, seals intact, no
cracks in unit, axle end play within specifications
5. FUEL SYSTEM
( ) Gas tank or fuel cell: no leaks, attachment secure, cap present
( ) Fuel lines: in good condition, no leaks or excessive corrosion
( ) Fuel filter(s): clamps on flex hose, no cracks or leaks
( ) Fuel delivery line (to carburetor or fi systems): no leaking,
safe routing (multiple carbs)
( ) Carburetor, fuel injection systems, injectors: no apparent
leaks
6. OTHER
( ) Battery: securely mounted; no movement
( ) Hood latching mechanism and lock: in good working order
( ) Floor pan and body panels: no rust perforation or apparent
loss of integrity, no loose, jagged or missing parts
( ) Brake light: operational
( ) Engine: no apparent major oil leaks
( ) Exhaust system: no leaks to passenger compartment, safe
exit from under body
7. SAFETY EQUIPMENT
( ) OEM 3 point seatbelt assembly, properly attached
( ) Aftermarket seatbelt/harness, properly attached, min.
Grade 5 fasteners
( ) Roll bar/cage (if applicable): Securely mounted and padded
where necessary
( ) Fire extinguisher: securely mounted and fully charged (if
present)
( ) Window net: secure (if applicable)
( ) Helmet in good condition
Just wondering about things to look out for after tracking.
So far this summer, my car has seen 4 track sessions, and its been driven pretty dam hard. I have had no issues that have arisen (knock on wood), and I would like to keep it that way.
Is there anything I should be looking out for or checking on in terms of preventive maintenance? And also anything I should look into upgrading to suit the high amounts of track time my car will be seeing?
Past:
2003 Protege5
2007 Mazda3 GT
2002 E46 ///M
2010 Mazdaspeed3
2003 Honda S2000
Current:
2005 S2000
^ You probably want to just do an overall inspection of your brake system, look closely at the rotors to make sure they aren't spider cracking from the extra stresses of the high heat, make sure you have adequate friction material on your pads, and that they're wearing evenly, inspect the rubber boots on the calipers (these often belt, but are easily replaced now to avoid a future seized caliper), and bleed your brakes!
It's also worth taking a closer look at your wheels to ensure there are no hairline cracks developing. Check your Oil!
[Size=1]-=Brian=-
TOP Admin - Motorsports Guy
Interested in getting involved in ChumpCar? Shoot me a note and I'd be happy to give you more info and help you get started!
Heres what ive learned from tracking mazda 3's
Check all your coolant lines an the thermostat gasket, even if your coolant level is perfect it may be leaking slightly at high temp on track.or just overrunning a bit.
Brake fluid is stupid to check on our cars because of our dumb little reservoir, mine gets fillled to the top and then a sweatband for your wrist goes on it incase it spills out as brake fluid likes to do.Not fun on a glowing red turbo.
Since our cars blow up easy with an oil shortage, ide suggest a balance shaft delete for the added oil capacity.and our pickup isnt getting much on hardhard left corners so a baffle of some kind would be a great safeguard for your engine.
Our stock brakes arent enough
For the track,unless you wanna glaze the pads and come off the track smoking lol.
Both auto and manual are fine for the track, but the auto will overheat on hot days(youll know because it wont let you use the sport mode)
Oem clutch isnt great for the track but will work fine. Just dont go from a race clutch to oem and expect anythin comparable.short shifter is good but dont be trying to ultra quick shift @7000rpm, be consistent,and make sure you dont miss a shift.
Ide also suggest KEEPING YOUR SPARE TIRE untill you know the car and track because let me tell you my car is very very tail happy on hard corners with banking. Learn when its
Gonna step out then start removing weight.
Also dont track with rs-a's. Nuf said there.
Oil temp,pressure, and water temp(coolant) are HIGHLY suggested. DONT trust your factory weighted gauge. It lies untill it gets caught and then says OH BY THE WAYYY TOO HOT(our cooling systems are good for near the 500hp range, tripoint used the oem till it wouldent work,as with our intake mani, its good untill high high boost.
I like to tape the track map over my speedo, no need for a speedo, u dont need to know how fast
You are going.
Also with alot of amateur racing series you need to have functioning
Head an taillights, so dont pull any fuses,if you want you can tape an X across but were not in close contact racing in our cars,chance of hitting another car is less likely than spinning off course.And when it rains u need your lights on.
Always stay on the outside and let people pass on the inside, only in passing zones and only when signaled(that means you give right turn signal and he will pass on the right)
If you are on a cool down lap or just cruising,or have broken something, turn your 4 ways on,so people behind and track officials know what the hell you are doing.
If you notice youre smoking or leaking fluids GET OFF THE RACING LINE and either limp it back(if possible) or park off the side of the track and wait for a tow.
If you spill fluid off the racin line its okay, if you get coolant or oil on the racing line, it will delay the cleanup and everyone will be waiting because you didnt pull over. Dont be that guy!
Also coolant on most tracks is looked down on, water works fine and evaporates, coolant takes forever to clean up and leaves the track slick.
If you notice someone infront of you smoking or having a hard time,pass or back way off, or you will soon be peppered with fluids and possibly bottom end parts flying around at 100+kmh, NOT GOOD.
If you are about to drive into what looks like a blown engine cloud of smoke/steam, stay on racing line, slow down, and be careful, OR pull off track immediately.
Also do not go out on track with faster cars because it looks fun, its just going to hold them up and youll be once again THAT GUY, u dont wanna be THAT GUY.
Stay with the civics,minis,gti's etc.
Most of all, pay attention and learn at every oppertunity, and dont be shy to ask another person for an opinion or help, most people at the track are more than willing to help out
Unless they have a 50ft trailer then dont ask cuz they own the world and wouldent dare talk to an insignificant mazda 3 owner(cough*canjam*cough*versaci*cough*)
Have fun and most of all be safe guys!!!
SPEED3 guys(fobio,mbnto,celest etc)
What is everyone using for brake setups?
I've got a set of hp+ coming with my tires, but I know I'll need another set this year.
Cobalt's Amazed me at how beefy they are compared to hawks I've had(local shop has cobalts)...has anyone tried cobalt friction pads?
Carbotechs? I know they are good, but what combo of front\rear compound I am not sure.
Hawk dtc? I've heard of them comin off the backing plate, where the cobalts use HUGE rivets to hold the material on.
Just trying to plan ahead here.
Running hp+ and hankook rs3. But no competitive track experience on this setup or at all
Oh damn, that sucks. Oh well, I stopped reading the Speed section because according to certain people only speed owners are allowed to even look at that section.
Hp+. Ford fluid. Oem rotors. I like this combo best. Later this season or next we will begin sourcing carbotechs.
2010: Hawk HPS, stock rotors, Ford fluid
2011: Hawk HP+, DBA4000 rotors, RBF600 fluid, SS lines
2012: Carbotech XP12 front/ XP10 rear, DBA4000 rotors, RBF600 fluid, SS lines
The 2010 combo was ok for me but the HPS would need a cool down lap every so often. I changed to DBA4000 for 2011 as I had DBA rears BNIB that I didn't put on my old 3 so I bought the fronts to match.
The 2011 combo was great. Consistent braking performance for 20 minute sessions. The tires would get greasy before the brakes would give up.
The 2012 combo has me switching to Carbotechs for a couple reasons ... 1) I was going to put the HPS back on for winter but the HP+ were already over half done and I didn't want to run them at the track this year so I drove with them over the winter... 2) I want to brake even later...go deeper (as Carbotech likes to say) ...for these reasons, Carbotech was the next logical choice.
There's a great comparison between different track pads by Eric Foss on MSF ...while he is sponsored by Carbotech, he has significant experience with track pads to be able to provide constructive feedback.
2012: Carbotech XP12 front/ XP10 rear, OEM rotors, RBF600 fluid, SS lines
Thought I'd update this with my current setup after chewing through the DBA4000 rotors at my first time at TMP with Sigma...
When I installed the Carbotech pads, the DBA4000 rotors looked like they could take another year and it possibly could have if I stuck to Mosport DDT and GP tracks which aren't as hard on brakes as TMP.
However, after the Sigma event at TMP, the DBA4000 rotors were done... there was a pronounced lip on the outer and inner parts of the rotor which caused an incessant grinding noise while slow rolling (i.e. at every stop and start on the street)
Instead of spending a grip of money on DBA4000 rotors, I decided to go back to OEM rotors (for all 4, the cost close to the same as a front set of DBA4000!)
I was able to bed them in nicely at the ILR track day and they're currently stopping much better than on the 1 year old DBA4000.
I was going to do brake ducts but after reading your post, I think I'm going to change pads first.
Want to work on your car but not sure how, send me a PM. Learn the way of Nator.
Ide love the ducts i-moto uses.
Wonder if they'd sell a few sets.
Went for my first lapping day last night, had a bit over 1/4 tank of gas.
15 minutes later my fuel light was on, I'm assuming I just barely made it thru the session because I had 0 km remaining on my trip computer. Was really surprised, I didn't think I'd go thru that much gas.
With that said, then some nice guy lent me 2L so i could limp to a gas station down the road... made it, put in 15L and when I got back in the car it was showing me I had half a tank. Weird?