HP+, OD is running Carbotech Panthers IIRC

 

HP+? What's that?

The panthers i think are a bit much, i dont want to tear up my disc

 

Hawk HP Plus:

http://www.hawkperformance.com/parts...d+Parts+%3E%3E

 

I've had excellent performance from Axxis pads (on the NSX for track-day use and road use- NSX weighs about the same as an 8). You'll definitely want to go with an upgraded pad since they have more heat resistance than OEM. On the track most OEM pads will begin to fade once the heat builds up. But a "race" pad is not recommended since you'll never get to those hi temps on the street- and the race pads don't work well at all on the street for that reason. Only problem with the Axxis is they have more brake dust than OEM.

One must-do for any new pads is to properly bed them in. Follow your manufacturer's instructions or you can end up with uneven deposits which in turn cause heavy "brake shudder" once the temps get up.

 

Tape up your headlights and fogs if the track is dirty

 

I'm running Carbotech XP-8 in the front, and OEM's in the back.

 

Spin--I chose Lucas because of the ease of availibility-- and it is good stuff. The product you are mentioning is great stuff also. The lucas is just easier for me to get.
The carbo tech panther 8's up front and bobcats on the back are imo the best track pads for the 8. Yes the panthers are not for the street as they are a true track pad and you have to get them up to temps. BUT you can run them for a little while on the street(adverage driving) --say a few days before your track event without any problems. Matter of fact if you do that then you dont have to bed them in. With this setup I only have to change out one axle for the track days. Panthers do NOT eat a rotor any faster than any other track pad. Good bite to them and absoulutley amazing progressive braking with them.
Be careful they will jerk your dentures out.
olddragger

 

I bought some Carbotech XP-8s which I will use later this month.

Do you guys break them in like they say in the instructions. I'm not referring to bedding them but the instructions say to take them out of the track and work them in for 20 minutes using 60-70% breaking and then do 1-2 hot laps at 100% and let them sit after that. That isn't too practical for me since the club I run with does 35 minute sessions and I'll lose some track time if I do that. My club racer friends say this is not necessary as they will sometimes put fresh pads in the middle of enduro races without breaking them in.

If you are using XP-8s on the street before the event, why wouldn't you have to bed them in? I thought you always had to bed new pads in?

 

I bedded mine in on the street per the instructions, and took it pretty easy on them in my first session on track. I ran the whole session, but I definitely didn't do repeated threshold braking from 120 before turn 1. I did 1 really hard stop in that session, but the rest were around 60%. The 2nd session was well over 2 hrs later, so they had plenty of time to cool down. I pounded on them for the rest of the weekend with no problems. Rotors look good too.

 

bedding in pads in not necessary if you are going to do daily driving for a few days. Bedding just deposits the pad material to the disc in a uniform way in a short period of time. Daily driving does the same thing cept it takes longer.
Think about it do you bed in the pads when you buy a new car? Do you think they are "bed in " from the factory? Dont think so.
One thing to do is when you do change pads. clean the disc well.
olddragger

 

Watch your fuel levels. Depending on the track, and how long & hard you are able to corner the car, the gas tank design (unless this has finally been addressed by Mazada in latter cars) can lead to fuel starvation in long, bending sweepers. IME, at anything less than a quater tank you are chancing sudden, unexpected losses of power in corners. As your cornering speeds go up, the required minimum level of gas in the tank goes up too. With better tires and more experience, I managed to work my car all the way up to requiring just under a half tank of gas minimum to avoid running out of gas in long corners. For a "zoom-zoom" vehicle claim, IMO this is really something Mazda ought to have addressed.

Having to keep your fuel levels above 1/2 a tank, if you get to that stage, means either bringing a couple of jerry cans of gas to the track with you, or making several trips back to the pump to top off.

 

I found it to be faster before the Rev as all the dyno's show.

HP peeks at much lower RPM. Unfortunately the gear ratio makes you redline it around some corners at some tracks. 3rd does not have enough power.

 

Oh Ja. becareful, very hard to hear the beep with helmet on. To bad the car isn't louder as it's hard to feel when to shift.

Best way to drive is through the feel and keep the eyes on the road at all times.

Lookin ahead.

 

I think the stock pads are okay for VIR. Last fall @ Summit Point/Shenandoah I got serious brake fade, but 1) that's a brake-heavy track, and 2) I had the factory brake fluid. Use DOT-4 fluid and you should be okay.

One thing I noticed in the long straight was some "dancing" when I exceeded 100 mph. I still have the stock shocks (20k+) and was thinking of upgrading to some adjustables that I can use for street, track and autox'ing.

Anyone using the Tokico D-Spec? I like the ability to adjust the rears from inside the trunk. I could see several weekend afternoons playing with the adjustments and hitting the back roads.

.. oh yeah, and about not hearing that beep, I'm also mulling the idea of a HUD, mostly for the Tach reading.

 

they'll probably tell you at the track, but no parking brake, use a wedge on the tires or something

also, if its a hot day and you start to hear/feel regular but low frequency vibrations from the wheels... there could be several reasons but also consider tire beading or gumballing. Don't know the technical term. I've only seen this on my Bridgestone oem's.

other than that, take it slow at first... you should always know/feel you are in control.

 

DSC OFF!

 

Stay away from gravel traps and tire walls FTW

 

I hate to bring up such an old thread but I went to the autocross and it had rained before with standing water still on course. I was in the first run group and did my first run without any issues mostly in 2nd gear, I heard the beep nearly the whole 90 seconds. My 2nd run halfway through I noticed that my check engine light was blinking at me.

I stopped in the pits and turned the car off for a few minutes then turned it back on and it was normal so I did my third run. Halfway through my 3rd run I hit some gravel and did a 180 spin. I caught it before stalling and noticed that my blinking CEL was now solid and my ABS light came on for about 2 seconds.

After that run I pulled in and turned the car off. 10 minutes later I checked it and my solid CEL was still on. I drove to a local autozone nearby and tried to use their orange obd2 reader but it just said "link error". I'm guessing it was a misfire since I pulled the - terminal off the battery and the CEL went away and on the way home I was redlining it repeatedly and the CEL didn't come back. The car actually felt MUCH stronger than ever after I did the ECU reset via battery/pump the brakes method.

Does the Renesis get easily thrown off if you keep the car in the red for a long period of time (about a minute straight)?

 

I saw something similar to this in my first 270 spin in my 8 at an autocross last weekend. I'm guessing that it's the nanny programming in the ECU trying to keep you from getting silly with the car and damaging it.

 

Well mine actually started blinking at me BEFORE I spun out, the course had a lot of 2nd gear offsets and there was standing water so it was very slick out there. I was fighting the rear and countersteering nearly the whole course at the top of 2nd gear so maybe the extended 2nd gear redline upset it.

 

I get CEL's on the track every now and then. I've checked them with my laptop at the track and they are always for "2nd cylinder misfire" at about 7500 RPM and low throttle settings. I just clear 'em and continue on with my day

They do reset themselves after a while if you don't do it.

 

Will that cause permanent damage to the engine if it's always misfiring? Also if you don't clear it will the engine go to safe/limp mode? What method do you use to reset, pull the battery off for a few minutes and hold the brake pedal down?

I'm a bit nervous about autocrossing mine if the cel will come on randomly. BTW which program/software do you reccomend to use with a laptop? Sorry for the newb questions, only had my car for 3 months and it's the first time with engine problems.

 

Please excuse my ignorance but I am new also. I am heading out to summit in sept for the mazdadriver session. I have a motorcycle helmet, Is that All I need for safety gear as a novice?

......thanks in advance.

 

MazdaDrivers only require a Snell 95 or higher motorcycle helmet. if you can prove your helmet meets that requirement, you're good to go.

and read the e-mails that the registrar has been sending you for important event information!

 

A misfire? Should be more of a power loss thing than hurting the engine, but it's not happening all the time, just once a day or so, so I ignore it. It doesn't go into any sort of limp mode.

I use Dan Harrison's CanScan software to check and reset the CEL.

I'm talking about track days here, not autocrossing. The RX8 is a really good AutoX car and you should just go out and do it with no worries. It's a pretty good track car too.