Questions for the A/X gods .. budgetting for wear and tear items
 

Hey guys ..

I'm planning to do a few more D/E and AX next year so I'm putting on my adult pants and budgeting for the wear and tear items.

Prices listed are for the entire PCA season of 10-11 events.

My estimates of how long they last are from what I THINK I read online, of course depending on how hard I drive, but in general let me know if its a good ballpark figure.

So .......................

Tires ( 2x sets of PS2 ) ~ $2400 ( OUCH! )

I currently run PS2 and am pretty happy with them BUT they are super expensive .. might go with a cheaper option since I'm still a newbie and wont be able to finesse every micro second out of these babies. From what I've heard with PS2 I would go through a set of rubber roughly every 5 track days ..

Brake Pads ( 2x set of brand X ) ~ $400

I currently run Textar OEM replacement from Pelican on both front and rear. I might go with a more track oriented brand like Pagid for my next set, but still need to do more research. Suggestions welcomed. Estimate that I'll be through a set every 5 trackdays also.

Brake Rotors (1x set of Balos ) ~ $250

I currently run Balos Coated OEM replacement from Pelican on both front and rear. I debated Zimmerman but for the price Balos are hard to beat! I think a set should last me a season.

Fluids (2x oil change + 2x brake fluid flush ) ~ $250

Planning to flushed brake fluids everytime I change brake pads ( roughly 5 track days ). Currently running ATE Super Blue with no issues.
Also I think I should also change the oil at the same time just to keep everything fresh. Currently using Motul.

Misc ~ $0 -> $500

For unexpected stuff like alignments ect ect



In total ...............................

Roughly $3300 to $3800 in disposable wear / tear cost each season .. or ~ $330 to $380 each event ..

Does this seem reasonable to you A/X god / goddesses ?

First item: let's move this over to the Boxster Racing page!

As to the costs, I'm going to assume the DE's put some serious wear on the brakes.
In a year, I will do 10-12 AX events, driving 120-160 miles round trip to get to each. I go through one set of Nitto NT-01 tires, do a complete brake flush at the beginning of the year, then maybe again half-way through. Also at mid-year, I'll do an oil change and clean the air filter. The last 4 years I was using stock S rotors with Mintex "red box" pads. This year I put on new rotors (the car now has 145,000 miles) and Hawk HP Plus pads. If you are AXing, be careful with track pads that need heat in order to work properly...in 60 or so seconds of AXing you'll never get there.

You can cut your tire costs in half & improve on-track performance by switching to Dunlop D1 Star Specs, Hankook Ventus RS-3's or Kuhmo Ecsta XS.

Track-oriented pads will get you longer pad life. It's easy enough to swap street & track pads before/after an event.

Do you have the GT3 brake ducts? They may reduce wear by allowing the brakes to operate at a cooler temp & are under $30.

Your numbers look like they are in the ballpark. AX and track days are very different animals. AX puts very little wear on tires and brakes as they don't get that hot and you only run about 5-10 miles. Track days/DEs shred a lot of rubber and brake pads due to continuous lapping and you might do 120 miles per day.

Get on some cheap sticky tires and cut your tire budget in half. (listed previously)

Pagid Orange are a good dual purpose pad. Performance friction and Raybestos offer track pads that last forever and never fade. I am not a fan of swapping out different pads for track events. The tires you choose will determine how much pad you need.

Get the 997 GT3 brake ducts to improve cooling.

Get a good helmet and BK roll bar to protect yourself.

Apologies for posting in the wrong section .. mods please feel free to move to correct section.

Moving on .. I do have GT3 brake ducts as well as SS brake lines already .. so my only concern in that area now is with the pads.

Most of my events next year will be A/X with the local PCA .. though they do host a D/E on track so hopefully I'll be able to sign up for that as well.

J.Fro bring up a good point re: pads that are too track oriented will not have time to warm up properly in an A/X environment.

As far as tires goes .. I thought PS2 was 'top of the food chain' as far as street tires goes ? .. deviation would save $ but detract from performance also .. I'll definitely look into the options you guys gave.

I think that your estimates are about right with the following comments:

1. PS2's are the golden standard for the street but not necessarily for the track. PS2's have a brilliant balance of dry grip combined with excellent wet grip, quiet ride, and good longevity.

However, there are other street tires that are more baised towards dry grip (which is primarily what you want for AX/track). I'd suggest taking a look at Hankook RS-3, Kumho Ecsta XS, or similar. Look for a tire with a treadwear rating (UTQG) less than 200. You can sort tires by UTQG on TireRack.

Both of the tires mentioned will grip better and cost much less than the PS2's. In my experience, what you give up for the higher dry grip is a slight reduction in wet grip (noise is about the same as far as I can tell). That is a more than acceptable tradeoff for me.

2. Pagid Orange or EBC Restuff are good street/track pads.

3. You might want to plan on a larger MISC budget than $500. I'd suggest $1,500. If the clutch, waterpump, CV joints, or similar component(s) go out you can easily run up a higher bill than $500.

Have a great time!