Hello.
I'm new to this forum but have read some really helpful stuff about preparing coupes for the track. I have a 20v turbo and have just started taking it out on track (mainly at Goodwood). I've had it lowered with eibach springs. Other than that it is standard.

I need new front discs and pads (i've manage to warp one of the exiting ones) and want to upgrade to drilled and/or groved. Is this worth it? What should I go for - EBC and Black daimond discs are a lot cheaper then Brembo. Are there any decent cheaper alternatives? Any issues with just changing the front and leaving the back standard?

Also pads - I've had yellow stuff recommended. Any cheaper but comparable options?

Finally tyres. I wanted Toyo R888s but am put off by the price. Has anyone used Yokohama AD08s as track tyres?

Any views / help would be very welcome.

Hiya Tom, welcome

There are loads of upgrades for the Coupe, join for the forum and read a thread called "the Knowledge" in the tuning section, there's loads of info there on everything Coupe related.

As for your question on breaks and pads, for fast track days personaly I'd look at 3G's with either Forodo 2500 pads or Yellow stuff, change all of them if you can but the fronts for sure. If you have a bigger budget for pads check out Carbotech as they're excellent.

Tyres, 888's are better then the Yoko AD08's, the Toyo are a softer compound in comparison so they're more forgiving in all weather, the Yoko take a while to warm up so if it's a wet/damp day you're better off with road tyres from my experience of them.

Hope this helps

Agree with Joe, but also check your wishbones, track rod ends and anti roll bar bushes up front and check the rear wheel and trailing arm bearings.

Hi Tom

If you're a relative track day novice, I'd work on getting your car into a position where it can sustain 10-15 minute track sessions without brakes overheating/otherwise breaking, so I'd ignore R888s or any other track-biased tyre for the time being, and spend on quality brakes, after making sure your dampers and other suspension bits are healthy, as said above.

Oh, and get your engine checked over (compression test, hoses etc) too - no point in spending money on track mods if it'd be better spent making your car run properly.

And get yourself down to a trackday with other coupe boys and girls, they're a good bunch

Neal

Welcome from me too - I'd also recommend joining the club, at £15 it helps a lot and you get excellent discount at the specialists on here from whom you ought to sourcing all your stuff. Oh, and get to some meetings, found in the Social/Events section.....

if your serious,you cant skimp on brakes!
pads are the most important part, carbotech are probably the best performance per pound, and pagid have a solid but expensive reputation. yellow stuff get mixed reviews and i would not bother with them.
another point is to make sure the pads move freely in the caliper not sticky as this creates heat!
dont bother with drilled discs there more likely to crack but grooves can be useful to clean the pad.
3g have been fine on mine( grooved brembo) and dba are probably the best at the moment.
the coupe suffers with not enough cooling which is bad for the discs and the inside pad, so this is an area to think about.....maybe some ducts aimed at the discs or you can fit some cooling flaps of a peugeot.
brake fluid is also important as it can boil on track which means your brakes don't work and your pedal goes to the floor! castrol srf or motul rbf are the ones to get.

R888 and A048 have the reputation but are expensive, AD08 are slightly less track bias but are getting good reviews. but fedral 595 rsr in 205 50 16 are getting very good reviews as a R888 alternative and are about £80 odd a tyre.

Tuition - it'll make you quicker than any mods.

I really enjoy Goodwood, have done it three times now. However I've always had problems with noise levels (86db drive by), and my 20vt is not that noisy (@88-90). How do you find it?

Last time I was there last summer, I remember fondly. Was waiting to go out with a couple of well to do chaps in chinos and ironed shirts (ala Flea) in their Porsches, whilst they were talking about what sort of speeds they were hitting on the back straight. They knew I was listening in, but I could see them turning their noses up at my Coop So when they did ask me, in their condescending way "So how are you getting on?", I said good thanks. They then repeated they were hitting 130 on the straight. They looked twice when I told them I was hitting 150-155, flat through the chicane. One went out 20 seconds before me (timed releases), and I'd caught him in around 2/3 laps

Goodwood really is the fastest circuit in the country bar none (and I've done at least 30 track days all over the country in the last 3/4 years!)

After one session last time out, I had the pleasure of the company of Lord March himself, and one of his friends. They had just shown up in his Bugatti Veyron and his friend in a Ford GT40. They came over to my pit afterwards and asked lots of questions about the car, saying it was the quickest thing out there and sounded great. Now my coop runs around 350 horses and yes, I didn't get overtaken all day despite most other machinery being at least 10 times the value of mine! Just more commitment and talent on my part



As Neal says, first out do a compression test on your car and make sure the engine is healthy before pouring any money (and you certainly will) into the car.

Then, brakes. I've run EBC, 3G, and Brembo discs. Definitely drilled and grooved if you can, drilled helps to keep brakes cool (every little helps), and if you've been unlucky enough to cook your brakes on track, as I have several times, you want to make steps to avoid this as much as possible (last time out at 125 at Donny into a corner, brake pedal went to the floor when stomping on it!). 3G's are preferable, but EBC work fine. Yes, they warp easily, but you can get them skimmed on a lathe and they'll be good for quite a few more.



I've used many types. Yellowstuff, Ferrodo DS2500, Several pagid (grey/yellow) and now I'm using Carbotech XP-10's. Yellowstuff and Ferrodo's offer decent value, but Pagids ramp up the quality (at double the cost), and top of the pile in my experience are Carbotechs. Squeal like a herd of donkeys but boy, do they stop. And they have great longevity (I went through a £220 set of Pagid Yellows in 2 trackdays and less than 2k miles), and my last set of Carbotechs have been on since April last year and I've done about 6 track days, with probably another 2 left in them.

And did I say they stop? Well, they do.



Again, Neal is spot on with getting the engine, handling and general healthcheck plus brakes sorted first. Decent road tyres of the ilk of Falken 452's, Goodyear Eagle F1's or Toyo Proxes will suffice at first.

Then, once you build up confidence in the car/circuit/yourself, try a set of track orientated tyres. 888's are imo the best, and priciest, and the soft compound has limited longevity (my last set from new cost £600 and lasted around 5 track days). Not used the AD08's yet, but used the older A048 is a cracking dry weather tyre, and slightly cheaper, but for me, I'm now using Federal RSR's and they have performed excellently for a £85 a corner budget option, have had 6 track days from them and still some good life left.

--------------------

But the best advice, get yourself on a track day with some other experience coopists, and there most will happily talk to the nth degree of detail about all aspects of tracking your car, as well as taking you out as a passenger and visa versa with you. Friendly bunch really

Phew, essay done for now! All the above is of course subjective and mainly based on my own experiences.

Thanks all for the advice. What a friendly and busy forum!

I will get the engine compression tested and properly checked out first, then concentrate on bakes. Tyres will follow finances depending.

I first bought the coupe in 2006 and it was my daily drive for a few years. I did over 30,000 miles with no major problems at all. When i came to buy a slighlty more sensible (i.e. economical) every day car i just couldn't face letting the coupe go, especially for the peanuts i was offered part ex. She then spent a few years in storage and was revived last spring in order to do some track days. I had to get a few minor things sorted plus the cambelt(done by Red Motori near Blandford, Dorset who i had always used in the past and who seem to know and love their coupes).

I agree that tuition is the easiest way to get quicker! I've done quite a lot of track driving before just not in a coupe.

Will join the club and get along to some meetings when i can.

IMHO, if you don't want to spend a fortune then go with:
- MTEC discs
- EBC Blue Stuff NDX pads
- ATE SupeBlue brake fluid
- Hankook Ventus RS-2 Z-212 tyres - under £70/corner from Camskill
- FK Coilovers with stiffer springs
And the usual i.e. wishbones, oils, filters....

In my opinion,go with a crowd,have some fun and go out in other peoples coupes to see for yourself around the track how they perform.
That's what i did many years back and i can say there's not much i would change on the setup.