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      12-06-2012, 07:22 PM   #1
DesioMedia
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1st HPDE Car Prep - Brakes?

Hi All,

I'm going to my first HPDE at thunder hill this upcoming monday and am super stoked. My car is a bone stock '09 128i sport pkg w/ conti extreme contact DWS all around.

I just brought my car in for a regular service where they replaced the brake fluid (dot 4) and front rotor and pads (stock). Ideally for this event I want to do as few modifications as possible but am concerned with my braking system, that I'll either boil the fluid or cook my pads and ruin my day. Should I just suck it up and put SS brakelines, Motul Brake fluid and get a set of HT-10s?

Also am I going to destroy my tires. I'm not expecting to really push the car to its limits my first time out.
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      12-06-2012, 08:00 PM   #2
fboutlaw
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With the limited time before the event... don't make any major changes. Changing the brake fluid is a good thing or at least bleeding it before the event.

Just make sure your car passes a tech inspection and everything is secure and safe.

Going to the event, bring spare fluids, a tire pressure gauge, and and air pump if your pressures are low. Monitor your car's health between sessions by making sure you aren't leaking any fluids, check your tire pressures haven't gotten too high, and make sure you aren't rolling over your tires too much in the front (you'll see wear on the sidewall if this happens).

Have fun!
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      12-06-2012, 08:26 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DesioMedia View Post
Hi All,

I'm going to my first HPDE at thunder hill this upcoming monday and am super stoked. My car is a bone stock '09 128i sport pkg w/ conti extreme contact DWS all around.

I just brought my car in for a regular service where they replaced the brake fluid (dot 4) and front rotor and pads (stock). Ideally for this event I want to do as few modifications as possible but am concerned with my braking system, that I'll either boil the fluid or cook my pads and ruin my day. Should I just suck it up and put SS brakelines, Motul Brake fluid and get a set of HT-10s?

Also am I going to destroy my tires. I'm not expecting to really push the car to its limits my first time out.
I would not suggest a million mods since that is way too last minute. You will stress yourself out for no reason, especially since you will not be using the car to 10/10ths of its ability.

The only modification I would recommend is front (race compound) brake pads. Race compound pads would only be used for the track event, taken off afterwords, and bedded-in after every change. Not sure you would be able to get them and install before Monday.

I would say concentrate on how you and your car performs at the track before modding. Honestly after tracking your car, your preference about mods will change (it did for me!)
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      12-07-2012, 12:11 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DesioMedia View Post
Hi All,

I'm going to my first HPDE at thunder hill this upcoming monday and am super stoked. My car is a bone stock '09 128i sport pkg w/ conti extreme contact DWS all around.

I just brought my car in for a regular service where they replaced the brake fluid (dot 4) and front rotor and pads (stock). Ideally for this event I want to do as few modifications as possible but am concerned with my braking system, that I'll either boil the fluid or cook my pads and ruin my day. Should I just suck it up and put SS brakelines, Motul Brake fluid and get a set of HT-10s?

Also am I going to destroy my tires. I'm not expecting to really push the car to its limits my first time out.
At Thunderhill you only have a couple of threshold braking spots @ turn 9,11, and 14. Even with stock brakes I had very little fade at that track and generally it wasn't till the end of the day when the runs are more open and you can carry more speed into those areas.

For a stock car and it being your first time out I don't suspect you'll have any issues since the amount of speed you'll carry into those turns won't be fast enough to wear them out. That is of course if your smooth on the brake, if you're engaging abs frequently then you may have issues with fade.

If you don't scrub the tires by going into turns to fast you shouldn't have any issue with tire wear. They repaved the track recently so it is very smooth and even the transition strips and rumble strips are in good shape. You shouldn't see much if any difference in the tread after one HPDE. As a matter of fact there is really only one bumpy spot and that's on the inside of turn 8 and the far outside of 8. Just stay off the curb on the inside and don't go pass the curb on the outside and you'll be good.

One of my favorite tracks and perfect for your first time since there is a ton of runoff everywhere. Have fun and maybe I'll see you out there if my brembo's get here tomorrow.

Here's a vid at Thunderhill in my 1 if you wanna see what the track looks like.

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      12-07-2012, 07:17 PM   #5
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You've done enough, just go out and enjoy the car. Your brakes will be just fine with stock pads & fresh fluid. Plus why pay for pads if BMW will replace them for free??? Your tires will wear, but not to the extent you're thinking. Have fun & report back after a safe & fun track day.
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      12-10-2012, 10:15 PM   #6
DesioMedia
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Hey guys thanks for all the great info and help. I ended up going to the event totally stock and had a blast! No worries and no problems! The brakes did start to fade by the end of each session but nothing too bad; it seemed to be cooked pads more than boiled fluid. The biggest problem I faced, aside from my serious need for more seat time, were my tires. Now with that being said, the next time I head out I will be preforming the aforementioned brake upgrades as well as rolling on proper summer tires.

Meatball Motorsports held a great event. It turns out that these guys are mostly Apple employees and ran the DE with a casual professionalism that I would... well expect from Apple, excellent to say the least. There were only ~40 attendees which meant that the run groups were small and the track was wide open, no pressure. Lots of really high end cars, there were more than twice the number of Ferrari's out than BMW's, and a lot of cool helpful guys. The only downside I can think of is that I had to search out an instructor. The only required instruction for the novice group were three laps following an instructor around the track before being totally let loose. Now this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but something to be aware of. All in all if you get a chance to run with Meatball I highly recommend it.

I've also got to give a big shout out to BluTattoo who joined me at the event and really showed me the ropes. Even though his 135i was in the shop awaiting a nice brembo BBK, Blu crushed it in a rented Hertz Mustang GT showing me some faster lines than my instructor.
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      12-11-2012, 12:38 AM   #7
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Thanks! Hertz rental cars can be surprisingly fun on a track, haha. The Mustang isn't my preferred track car, but they are damn quick when you really push it. I had a good time anyways, but I don't think I'll be swapping my 1 out for a Mustang anytime soon. It's work driving those things fast.
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