Dedicated Track Brake Pads

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On the advice of my instructor from my first track weekend at AMP I purchased a set of Hawk DTC-60 track only brake pads. Like everything track related, high performance track pads can be expensive. I found a set of Hawk DTC-60 track pads for the M2 on sale at TireRack. I swapped out my OEM pads for these before heading to Roebling Road Raceway for the Peachtree Chapter of the BMW CCA’s summer driving school.

Here is the YouTube video from Fatal Garage I used to help me with the install:

Like most YouTube how-to videos, it is never as easy as it looks!

Here are few things I need help with that the video didn’t cover:

  1. Pulling the pins out of the calipers was not easy and I used a pair of vice grips to help. It might be easier to use some PB Blaster or WD-40 before you try to pull the pins.
  2. My OEM pads didn’t exactly slide out and I had to really push and pull on them to move the piston back enough to get them out.
  3. The brake pad monitoring system cables on the back right and front left brakes doesn’t just pop off or snap back in without some help. I used a flat head screw driver to help pop these off and to help push them back into place on the track pads.
  4. The new thicker track pads didn’t just slide into the calipers. I was able to put my fingers inside the calipers to push the pistons in to open up the space for the new pads.
  5. The video doesn’t cover bedding in the new pads. I used this article from TireRack on how to bed in new brake pads once I got the track pads installed.

These pads are not intended for daily driving and tend to squeak. I put up with that annoyance for the few days between installing the pads and heading to the track. The Hawk DTC-60s have noticeably more bite than the OEM pads and performed great on the track. The challenge was getting used to how much pressure to apply to the brake pedal. When I wanted to lightly brake I just had to think about pushing on the pedal to get a little brake pressure.

After a weekend at the track, putting the OEM pads back on the M2 was much easier. I knew what I was doing and the components had all been cleaned so they went in and out smoothly.

Driving Autocross For The First Time

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Last weekend I did my first Autocross event and it is a totally different experience than driving on a track. Walking the course before we started running allowed me to look at how I might set the car up for the next gate. The challenge is at a walking pace it is easy to say I will put the car here so I can take a straighter line through the next gate, but once you are at speed that next gate is there before you know it. I took it pretty easy for my first run to learn the course:

Going a little faster in the second run and getting a bit more comfortable in the slalom sections. You really have to look down course to set your self up for the next section which hard to do.

After a couple of solo runs to see how I could do on my own, I picked up an instructor to get come pointers on improving my runs. At the end of the session, my instructor said that I had a good grasp of the course and he wasn’t scared riding with me like he typically is with first timers.

On my second instructed run, I was able to pick up some more speed thanks to plenty of tips on where to point the car, when to hit the gas and when to brake.

Back on my own and still picking up some time over the last run. I started to focus on the tip my instructor gave me to try to have my side mirrors go over the top of the cones. This was a good way to get close to the cones without hitting them.

Finally got a clean run without hitting any cones while still pushing the car pretty hard. The car certainly has more in it and it is only limited by my autocross skills at this point.

My last run was the best of the day and left me wanting more. I was still 10 seconds off the pace of the fast cars but feel really good about my first day of Autocross. Looking forward to the next event!

Observations From My First Track Weekend

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After spending my first weekend at the track, I thought I would provide some insights into some of the interesting and unexpected things you may not know going into your first weekend at the track. But first the obvious, it was amazing and I can’t wait until I get back to the track as soon as possible.

1 You have to pack lots of stuff: While I didn’t use half the stuff I brought with me, I was prepared to work on my car with all the tools I needed. With rain expected I brought a tent (that blew away), a folding chair for down time, a cooler with food and drinks and a backpack to hold my personal items while I was out on the track. You can pack a good bit in the M2 which makes it a great daily driver to take to the track.

2 The novice group is fun too: Between the green wrist band and green sticker on my car, it was easy to identify me as a novice. I was under the impression that our sessions would be relatively tame with little to no passing. This was far from the truth. I could push the car as hard as I and my instructor felt comfortable with and I passed plenty of slower cars on the track in the designate passing zones.

3 The orange X of shame: I know I wasn’t the only first timer, but I was the only car on the track to display the orange X on my rear window. This was to tell other cars coming up behind me that I am new at this and to be extra cautious when passing. I can only imagine that others were ashamed to display their first timer status, but the idea behind HPDE weekends is to go home with you and your car in one piece after a weekend of hard driving.

4 The paddock is fun: I made some new friends with the guys who were parked around me in the paddock. Most of us happened to be in the novice group together. Everyone is super friendly and happy to talk about their cars and experiences. We had Duluth PD next to us as they use events at AMP as an opportunity to give their officers high speed driver training. It was really fun to get to go flying by the police out on the track!

5 The car doesn’t matter: There was everything from a beat up old police issue chevy caprice to a brand new race prepped M2 running in the various skill level groups. The car doesn’t matter nearly as much as the driver. At the beginning of the weekend I was getting passed by Mazda Miatas and by the end I was passing a Porsche 911 GT3. We all drive at our own comfort/skill level and try not to get in the way of anyone else’s fun while on the track.

Bottom line is, if you are remotely considering going to the track, take what ever car you have and sign up for a weekend. You will have a blast!