First Track Day in the 981

[Stutopia]

A few friends and I have hired Llandow for a day next week, this will be my first run out in the Cayman since taking ownership. I've done a few track days before in my 350z and also some driver training in the BRZ, so I'm organised for the supporting bits and pieces. I'm not unduly worried about it behaving on track, it's built for it, there's fresh rubber and has had an oil service recently, but I thought I'd ask if there were any quirks that would be worth knowing.

 

Is there anything in particular to watch out for on a 981 GTS?

 

Temperature wise, I believe the GTS has additional radiator, which is comforting, but I will obviously be watching the numbers on the dash. What's "normal" for track temps? When do I panic?

 

All my previous cars have been manual, so I was careful to park up in gear and not use the handbrake etc. What's the procedure for the PDK for parking up with high temps to protect the brakes, if there even is one?

 

Thanks, Stu.

[Neil_jdmr]

Watching this with interest as i intend to go on track once the warranty is up. All really good questions especially the pdk parking up.

[Stutopia]

A little in car from my first track effort in the Cayman. It’s sure it’ll be very tame compared to the proper track drivers on here but I was doing my best not to bend it. It’s a bit expensive for me to describe it as a track toy, so I kept well away from the outside green bits on the fast corners.
 

My caution aside, what a machine! The brakes alone were incredible, so much stopping power and so controlled even on the big stops. I did get a long pedal after a good few laps, but I’ll get on to that later.

 

 

The PDK is even more immense on track than I expected, so easy to keep the car steady on the downshifts and slip in shifts where I’d normally be waiting for an opportunity to let go of the wheel in a manual. Yes, it is less rewarding than a finely executed heel and toe, but it more than makes up for it in mechanical sympathy and time saved on up shifts. On top of that, the amount of grip was so confidence inspiring, as the day wore on it just kept egging me on to do more and more, it never once tried to bite me. The (not unexpected) Welsh rain came in the afternoon and it was still impeccably mannered. Felt like it could stay out all day, even when I needed a break.

 

Speaking of breaks/brakes, I did get a bit of a long pedal towards the end of the sessions. Nothing alarming, but definitely noticeable. I will book it in for an oil service and new brake fluid, but I was wondering if anyone has strong opinions on fluid choice? I’ve used RBF600 in the past on track, it’s been fine. Some people have recommended RBF660 and ATE Superblue - opinions are very welcome.

 

On the oil front, temps were up to about 111C at the end of a session. That seem safe enough? 
 

Thanks, Stu.

 

[wtaite01]

On 22/08/2021 at 19:20, Stutopia said:

A little in car from my first track effort in the Cayman. It’s sure it’ll be very tame compared to the proper track drivers on here but I was doing my best not to bend it. It’s a bit expensive for me to describe it as a track toy, so I kept well away from the outside green bits on the fast corners.
 

My caution aside, what a machine! The brakes alone were incredible, so much stopping power and so controlled even on the big stops. I did get a long pedal after a good few laps, but I’ll get on to that later.

 

 

The PDK is even more immense on track than I expected, so easy to keep the car steady on the downshifts and slip in shifts where I’d normally be waiting for an opportunity to let go of the wheel in a manual. Yes, it is less rewarding than a finely executed heel and toe, but it more than makes up for it in mechanical sympathy and time saved on up shifts. On top of that, the amount of grip was so confidence inspiring, as the day wore on it just kept egging me on to do more and more, it never once tried to bite me. The (not unexpected) Welsh rain came in the afternoon and it was still impeccably mannered. Felt like it could stay out all day, even when I needed a break.

 

Speaking of breaks/brakes, I did get a bit of a long pedal towards the end of the sessions. Nothing alarming, but definitely noticeable. I will book it in for an oil service and new brake fluid, but I was wondering if anyone has strong opinions on fluid choice? I’ve used RBF600 in the past on track, it’s been fine. Some people have recommended RBF660 and ATE Superblue - opinions are very welcome.

 

On the oil front, temps were up to about 111C at the end of a session. That seem safe enough? 
 

Thanks, Stu.

 

On brake fluid, from my research fresh RBF600 would be fine, you're not going to boil it and it's relatively cheap at c. £25 a litre. I have it in mine right now. You'll probably want to refresh it every 6 months though.

 

Castrol SRF is more expensive at c. £60 per litre, but has higher boiling points (dry and wet) and should last a year between changes, so may well be the better option long term, and is what I intend to put in mine come spring time.

 

 

[Windymiller]

I’ve used ate typ200 (previously known as superblue) and found on a hard day the pedal still went soft at the end of the day. 
 

past 2-3 years now I’ve used RBF600 and had no issues at all. I also have braided hoses and GT3MC and GT3 front brake ducts, standard pads &’discs rear and sebro slotted front discs with brembo hp2000 pads. 
 

I change the brake fluid annually. 

[wtaite01]

On 17/09/2021 at 22:37, Windymiller said:

I’ve used ate typ200 (previously known as superblue) and found on a hard day the pedal still went soft at the end of the day. 
 

past 2-3 years now I’ve used RBF600 and had no issues at all. I also have braided hoses and GT3MC and GT3 front brake ducts, standard pads &’discs rear and sebro slotted front discs with brembo hp2000 pads. 
 

I change the brake fluid annually. 

Thanks Windymiller, how do your find the HP2000s in terms of bite, fade and confidence? Significantly different to stock?

I don't think I can justify the cost of the Pagid RSL29s so was wondering if the Brembo sports would be a good compromise.

[Windymiller]

Re the HP2000s, good initial bite even from cold, but do have to ‘prod them’ a bit harder than the stock pads on the first couple of applications on normal road, but once you’re into the flow of a drive and they’re warmed up they bite just as quick as stock. 
 

nil fade on track and consistent braking time after time (but I’m not a heavy / hard braker). No pad judder in the pedal after repeated use, so I reckon no deposits being left on the discs, but i also have slotted discs which might help ‘skim’ the of surface?

 

lots of confidence. Lots of pedal feel, great threshold braking (ie lots of braking efficiency without abs activiation), great longevity (8k miles incl. ~8 track days & still got 6-8mm of material left).
 

No doubt some ultra racer types will prefer full on race pads, but when I do a track day I realise I am not racing - so don’t need race pads…

 

as an all rounder from street to track I like them and think they are an improvement on the textars for on track, with little compromise on road. In fact on road they are possibly ‘overkill’. If I were only driving on road I’d stick with the textar. 
 

 NB - I’ve never used ds2500 or Mintex to compare against, so can’t comment on whether the HP2000 are better or worse than those.