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.

First Track Day Tech Inspection

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As my first weekend at the track was fast approaching I had to bite the bullet and dedicate some weekend time to doing the required tech inspection on my car. I also planned on upgrading to stainless steel brake lines and Castrol SPF brake fluid since bleeding the brakes was part of the required tech for track prep. Other than this upgrade, I wanted to run the car as stock as possible.

Most of the inspection is pretty straight forward as you can see on this sample tech sheet from Just Track It.

Just Track It Tech Form

Topping off fluids and checking belts under the hood should be simple, but in a modern car they can be hard to get to or done virtually. For example, the brake fluid master cylinder in the M2 is under a plastic trim piece that is easier to take out then it is to put back in place. Not sure what happened to a good old fashion dip stick but to check the oil in the M2 you have to use the iDrive system.

Since I was pulling all the wheels off to swap the brake lines I took the opportunity to clean the inside and back of the rims. One trick I learned after the first time I took a wheel off was to break the lug nuts loose before you jack the car up as the wheels may spin freely once the car is off the ground.

After spending the better part of the day working on the car I was rolling the last tire back in the garage to finish up and I noticed a screw in the sidewall.

Time to go find a new right front tire before the track weekend. This is why it is important to do a thorough tech inspection. You don’t want to find out there is a screw in your tire at 100mph going into turn 1. It is much better to find it when the car is standing still!