Alright guys so I've been looking at some track events for this season and I think this one is going to be a great starter for the year. I'm planning on going one day for the event on Saturday the 15th of May. That will save me hotel and food costs. I have the event details linked below,

Event Details and Registration
https://www.trackdaze.com/index.php?...hw_attendees=1

Event Packet
https://www.trackdaze.com/images/eve...t%20packet.pdf

Let me know if anyone is going to be interested. I think this will be a great starter event for anyone looking to get into HPDE. I can tell you first hand that my last event at NJMP was a blast. TrackDaze is a highly rated organization and they coordinate their events very well. You WILL get 2+ hours of track time per day. That is a great deal compared to some other organizations. Let me know if anyone is interested. There are already 4 other RX-8s registered for the event. Let's get out there and represent the RX8club.

 

I'll be there with my 8.

 

Bump for a great experience and learning the true potential of the RX-8!!

 

I'll be there at the end of may.

Oddly enough, they are letting people with cars for 24 hours of Lemons to test their cars
thats kinda scary to be on the track with a 500 dollar POS

 

Some (not all!) of the LeMons teams are better track prepped than the usual HPDEs. Be fun to see a preview of whats to come at HyperFest.

I'll be there both days. See ya there, GDawg and 'Bolt!

 

I'm going to have fresh springs and Hoosier tires to try out. Probably be catless too (i.e. LOUD). Looking forward to embarrassing some more BMW's.

 

Looking at upgrading the brake pad compound, since I'm really cooking the Hawk Ceramics currently on the vehicle. Since I'm still on the street Kumhos and stock suspension, I'd think that HT10 or ET800 all 4 corners would be overkill, especially with the heavy nose transfer in high-speed braking zones (like Turn 1 at The Glen).

Suggestions? I see Wankelbolt running HP Plus just on the front. Anyone tried ET800 front / ET500 rear?

 

I'm going to be running either Axxis ultimates all around or ET500 all around. I'm not sure how they will hold up but I hope to have better braking performance than last year at NJMP. I went there with only ET300s on my car. I glazed all the pads by the end of the day. HAHA

 

I don't have any experience with Racing Brake pads, but you ought to read what the instructions say about those pads. They are not recommended for track days.
http://www.racingbrake.com/v/main/rb_pads.asp#chart

The minimum pad you should be using is ET700 for the Shen. You probably ought to just step straight to ET800 if their chart is to be believed.


Interesting that they are recommending much higher top temps than comparable situations for Hawk pads. And friggin' expensive pads! The ET800's (looks like ET700 not offered for RX-8) are $183, vs. HP+ which I have never managed to overheat at about $112. Here's an Eric Myer's article on braking, showing the Hawk brake chart:
https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-racing-25/hawk-brake-info-188727/
I run Blue's on the front of my Spec RX-7 with Blacks in the rear with an adjustable bias valve. I run HP+ on the front of the RX-8 with premium ceramic stock pads on the rear. I probably could step up to HPS in the rear, but I'm afraid it would be too much and make it prone to lock. It's not like this car needs more stopping power, I can make anybody pee their pants with just the HP+ in the front!

 

Wankelbolt,

I ran ET300s last year at Lightning and I didn't have any noticeable brake fade throughout the whole day. Keep in mind that it was my first ever track event and I may not have been pushing the car as much as I could have. Do you think I would be better off using the Axxis Ultimates at Shenandoah? I will only be able to work on the car thurs. and Fr. before the event so I don't want to make too many changes right before. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks OH and will you guys be parked anywhere specific in the paddock. I wouldn't mind having you around to answer some questions for me if that's alright.

 

I stopped in Hertrich Capital Mazda trying to find one of those Mazda flags you see in the new commercials, all they had were the clip-on handkerchief size, was going to mark the Zoom-Zoom territory with it wherever I go this year.

Wankelbolt, I'm really leaning towards something I won't burn the hell out of for pad wear / rotor damage. The Hawk Performance Ceramics, while excellent street pads, wear out pretty damn fast when subjected to track time. If I can get twice the track time out of a set of ET800s vs. the HPCs, it's a wash for price in the end.

There is no ET700 pad for the -8's rear axle. I am not happy.

 

Hey Striker, I've been asking MAZDASPEED Motorsports if they are going to offer those flags to racers since I first saw those commercials. No answer yet!

Gdawg, you said you "glazed" the ET300's at NJMP last year. That sounds like failure to me if it reduces the braking torque. Again, I have no experience with RB pads, but if you follow their own literature the minimum pad would be ET700. Which means ET800 since they don't have ET700 for the 8, with means over $200 delivered. I also suspect they will be too aggressive for your skill level.

I do have experience with Hawk pads, and I've never experienced "glazing" on any of their pads. I can also generate absurd braking power and zero fade with the $105 delivered HP+ pads. (Thinking about going up to HPS for the rears as I may not be getting enough braking from them. Really ought to put in an adjustable bias valve.)

The HP+ is also streetable, though barely. Fortunately the RX-8 has simple single-pot calipers which means one can change the pads at the track in under 30 minutes, whichever pad you choose.

Just ordered my Hoo-Hoo's and made an appointment with my tire guy for mounting and a more-aggressive alignment. Still need to order gauges and install them. Not like I had all Winter to do that... ;p

 

Hope you had a good event

 

Awesome event!!! I could only stay for Saturday but it was a great time. Striker, how did the ET800s hold up for you? Right after my last event, I noticed a piece of a brake pad on the ground by my driver side wheel. It was the very last section of compound that fell off the backing plate. I had run my front ET800s down to the plate with only 2 hours of track use!!!! I'm not sure what could have caused that but I'm looking into it now. I was wondering if you experienced the same kind of wear. Other than that, it was a great event and I will definitely be returning in October.

 

The most fun you can have outdoors with your clothes on! Was that your FD on the inside of "Big Bend" exit paddock area? Nice Greddy kit under the hood...

GDawg, you were gone by the time I cleared off-track with the Blue group Saturday, how'd you fare on the final run?

Things I took away from the weekend:

1. NEVER assume a change you've made to the car is minor. The change I did was not minor, it almost bit me in the *** but for the old maxim of "in a slide, let it ride!". Did you know that with street tires and "race compound" pads, you can defeat the ABS if you jump on the pedal? Yes, it happened at about 90mph, no, I didn't care to repeat the test, and yes, I learned threshold braking all over again. For the record, I like ET800 compound on the front, wish someone would cut ET700 pads for the rear. Overcycled Kumho Ecsta SPTs don't like either one.

2. Shenandoah Circuit will tax any car, any time, with any equipment. Just a foot off-line, and you are slow or going for a ride you didn't plan. Find a line your car likes, and you'll think you are Schumacher until the next lap. Try the line someone else's car likes, might end up waving "Bye bye!" as they recede in the distance. I tried six different lines through what looks so simple, the "Old Ram" 180-degree. The best one, if you put it on paper, would have "FAIL" written all over it. Such is the "Shen".

 

I've never used those pads before, but I would wager that a lot of your pad loss was up to those slotted rotors. They shave the pad surface with each swipe and give you a nice clean pad surface for each brake application, but they will prematurely wear your pads.

That said, it could be that compound just doesn't hold up well. Glad you had a good time, hope to see you again in the future


Sadly that wasn't my FD - mine is at home in the garage waiting for an LS6 swap. I was driving the Silver RX8 (co-driving with my wife on Sunday)

 

Gotcha, and I hope I didn't mess up whoever was driving it in Blue group that last run Sunday. I really wanted to run with another -8 and see what lines they would try, got the point-by instead. Another day, perhaps.

I had appreciable wear on the ET800s, but it doesn't seem out of the ordinary for the velocities and braking I was throwing at them for the two days. I really like throwing out an anchor when needed, and they definitely meet the requirement with (to me) good modulation once they warm up. Driving home with them through DC, never heard squeals but the occasional 'singing' when lightly applied.

 

That would have been my wife And no, you didn't mess her up. This was her first event at Shenandoah in over a year, and she doesn't track as often as I do so she was brushing off the cobwebs and trying to get reacquainted.