Z Nismo @ Atlanta Motorsports Park

[sdktheway]

Amazing track. All three of my instructors have had nothing but incredibly positive things to say about the Z Nismo. (except when i mention the weight) I let the instructor drive it today around AMP and I'm a bit fuzzy on the specific comments but he was genuinely impressed with it. Spent a lot of time on their autocross mini course and that was a whole lot of fun, and the skid pad as well. Safe to say I won't be the new drift king for a long time but it was great to get some feeling/experience with letting the tail slide out and catching it.

Lap around AMP:

And a video of my instructor on the autocross course they have setup. Honestly I was happy to let him take a few laps on both courses and I've always wanted to hear what my car sounds like to the rest of the world

 

[5thZ]

Very cool! What track prep did you do for this? Did you notice any AT overheating or limp mode?

 

[sdktheway]

Very cool! What track prep did you do for this? Did you notice any AT overheating or limp mode?

Pads and fluid are the most important thing. This car is heavy and those stock pads can get worn down to the metal very quickly if you're not careful. I recommend swapping to dedicated track pads (i used carbotech xp-10) and better brake fluid (i use Castrol SRF). If you do use the stock pads, bring a backup set for the fronts and make sure to keep an eye on them.

I've never had any issues with temperature or the car going into limp mode. Thankfully I haven't seen a check engine light or anything out of the ordinary either in my ~22 thousand miles and 3 track day events.

 

[thesilverbullet]

Awesome - what was the instructor’s top speed on the full circuit?

 

[jdm-rhd]

Looks fun...Thanks for sharing
Any changes/upgrades in the future?

 

[sdktheway]

Awesome - what was the instructor’s top speed on the full circuit?

Not sure at this point honestly, I do have a clip doing some lead follow with him in his Cayman and he mentioned after he was pretty much driving all full speed by the end of it which was nice to hear. I remember my top speed was somewhere around 105 going into the first turn and I reckon he was pretty similar.

 

[sdktheway]

Looks fun...Thanks for sharing
Any changes/upgrades in the future?

I've been thinking about a tune lately but I'm waiting till my warranty coverage is done to do that. As for the rest of the car I have some 2 piece rotors I ordered from Paragon which should cut down about 8 pounds per rotor coming in this week. Next track day is at Road Atlanta at the end of May

 

[up4speed]

I have been using the stock pads but only get about 2 track days out of them. How many days do the Carbotechs last?

 

[5thZ]

I have been using the stock pads but only get about 2 track days out of them. How many days do the Carbotechs last?

Significantly longer. I still haven't worn mine down. Likely 5-10 at the minimum

 

[up4speed]

Significantly longer. I still haven't worn mine down. Likely 5-10 at the minimum

Oh nice! I may have to grab a pair of them. They are much more expensive, but if it saves me having to swap out pads all the time, and may be worth it.
Plus, I’m sure that the stopping power will be better, even if the stock pads are adequate, these I’m sure are better.

 

[5thZ]

Oh nice! I may have to grab a pair of them. They are much more expensive, but if it saves me having to swap out pads all the time, and may be worth it.
Plus, I’m sure that the stopping power will be better, even if the stock pads are adequate, these I’m sure are better.

I would consider researching more about the MU value of brake pads. I am not knowledgeable to share any info on the topic either subjective or objectively, but from what I was told by my racing instructor, HPDE instructor, Z1, and the race shop I used (focuses on Corvettes and Z's), Carbotech is great options to consider.

Downside (I think I mentioned it before) you will want to swap them out after track days (or keep them) due to the insane amounts of dust. You also get some squeal at slow road speeds which I didnt care about, but the dust man. The DUST.

Another thing with Carbotech and likely other race-type pads there is a very unique break-in process involving high speeds.

Carbotech's website states it's best to bed them in on new rotors but I reached out and the owner said it's fine to bed them on existing rotors that have seen other brake pads. They are so friction-ey they rip off whatever other bedding was on the rotors anyways

 

[up4speed]

I would consider researching more about the MU value of brake pads. I am not knowledgeable to share any info on the topic either subjective or objectively, but from what I was told by my racing instructor, HPDE instructor, Z1, and the race shop I used (focuses on Corvettes and Z's), Carbotech is great options to consider.

Downside (I think I mentioned it before) you will want to swap them out after track days (or keep them) due to the insane amounts of dust. You also get some squeal at slow road speeds which I didnt care about, but the dust man. The DUST.

Another thing with Carbotech and likely other race-type pads there is a very unique break-in process involving high speeds.

Carbotech's website states it's best to bed them in on new rotors but I reached out and the owner said it's fine to bed them on existing rotors that have seen other brake pads. They are so friction-ey they rip off whatever other bedding was on the rotors anyways

Thank you, that is all very good information, and spot on! I do know about all that, have an experience with many different types of brakes and materials that I’ve used in the past on the track. . I don’t think I will be able to get the friction numbers from the stock pad so I can do a direct comparison on how much better the aftermarket actually are, but Using common sense, I’m sure they are a good amount better and more aggressive, because an OEM wouldn’t use pads like that, people would complain too much about all the negative stuff that you mentioned (Noise, dust, etc). However, it’s always best to have the best performance you can get for the track. In my case, I’m not looking to squeeze the last ounce of performance out of the car, just looking to have a good time at the track. But if I feel that the stock pads aren’t safe enough, then I will get the better pads just for safety alone. So far, I have three track days on the stock pads. I replaced them once after the second day, so they wear fast. However, if I’m not going ballistic, they seem to keep up OK. I will probably go with an aftermarket pad soon enough, but There isn’t much aftermarket support just yet, so I am still analyzing and keeping my eyes open for now.

 

[5thZ]

Thank you, that is all very good information, and spot on! I do know about all that, have an experience with many different types of breaks and materials that I’ve used in the past on the track. I don’t think IThank you, that is all very good information, and spot on! I do know about all that, have experience with many different types of brakes and materials that I’ve used in the past on the track. I don’t think I will be able to get the friction numbers from the stock pad so I can do a direct comparison on how much better the aftermarket actually are, but Using common sense, I’m sure they are a good amount better and more aggressive, because an OEM wouldn’t use pads like that, people would complain too much about all the negative stuff that you mentioned Noise, dust, etc). However, it’s always best to have the best performance you can get for the track. In my case, I’m not looking to squeeze the last ounce of performance out of the car, just looking to have a good time at the track. But if I feel that the stock pads aren’t safe enough, then I will get the better pads just for safety alone. So far, I have three track days on the stock pads. I replaced them once after the second day, so they wear fast. However, if I’m not going ballistic, they seem to keep up OK. I will probably go with an aftermarket pad soon enough, but There isn’t much aftermarket support just yet, so I am still analyzing and keeping my eyes open for now.

Ah, that's right - you have the Nismo. Got it. Someone else from here (maybe it was you?) has sent pads their Nismo pads to Carbotech so Carbotech could fab and start making them for the new Z Nismo

 

[up4speed]

Ah, that's right - you have the Nismo. Got it. Someone else from here (maybe it was you?) has sent pads their Nismo pads to Carbotech so Carbotech could fab and start making them for the new Z Nismo

Yes, the Nismo is me, contacting Carbotech was someone else.

 

[sdktheway]

Ah, that's right - you have the Nismo. Got it. Someone else from here (maybe it was you?) has sent pads their Nismo pads to Carbotech so Carbotech could fab and start making them for the new Z Nismo

I was the one who sent a pair in

I have been using the stock pads but only get about 2 track days out of them. How many days do the Carbotechs last?

My first set lasted for 3 full track days and about a month of daily driving. It was dumb to leave them on in between events but I was afraid of working on my car so I think they would have lasted longer if I kept them for only track use.

Good news is I got over that fear and learned to do a few basics like swapping brake pads, brake bleeding and changing rotors so now I use the carbotech street pads and will start a fresh set of xp-10's at road atlanta next weekend.