Chasing Porsches at Spring Mountain Motorsports in Pete's 2011 Mustang GT. Racing with Las Vegas Porsche Club October 27, 2013. There were very fast drivers today...but the Mustang held it's own pretty well (oh, and there's a Viper in there also...nice!).

 

Nice work Pete!

Wow, some of those guys were quick. I've seen a few of your videos, I know you can hold your own against more expensive cars. But these guys were GONE on the long straight. It's good to see people able to push their car's abilities.

I did my first HPDE event last month at Gingerman raceway in MI in my 2014 GT Track Pack. I was able to outrun all but 1 of the many BMWs in my group. It feels good

Hey, what brake setup do you use? I see you have the Brembo kit. My TP came with the 4 Piston 14" Brembo's as well. What pads do you use? I used Carbotech XP10s and they were awesome! Also, have you considered getting brake ducts?

 

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Hey Monster. Thanks. How is Gingerman? I see and read a ton of stories with testing there by car magazines. Michigan, yes? Do you have pics/video?
My GT did not start life as a Brembo-Brake-Package car. My first track experience was bone-stock, so I could get a baseline for what track mods I would need. The stock brakes were excellent on the street. But they turned to mush at the track. So I went with the Ford Racing Brembo upgrade kit...essentially 2011 GT500 stuff...14" front rotors, 4-piston fixed front calipers (gloss-black), SVT pads for front and rear, plus Goodridge steel lines for front and rear. I switched out the stock DOT3 fluid for DOT4 Synthetic. The result is awesome stopping power again and again on the track, even in 90+ degree hot desert days (I'm in Las Vegas). I love my car on the racetrack, so much fun.

 

Sounds awesome Pete, and your videos look great!

Yeah, I'm in Michigan, and Ginerman is one of 3 tracks within 3 hours of Detroit. Grattan raceway and Mid Ohio are the other 2. Next year I plan to visit at east one of those.

Gingerman is fun, and challenging 2.1 mile course. You can get to ~120 on the back straight, and the curves keep you busy. Here is a track map, and a few pictures.







I love my Brembos too. I keep the stock pads on the rear, but swap out the fronts. I was very impressed with the results. Didn't touch the brake fluid yet. I'll probably have to next year. I'd like to get the Boss cooling ducts too, and designated wheels/tires for track days. Are you running stock width, or did you go wider for your track days?

 

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Thanks, Monster. That Gingerman track looks beautiful. Your Sterling Grey looks good among those BMWs. Isn't it great when we park our $35k car amongst all of these $75k+ cars in the paddock?! I don't think I'll get the brake cooling kit, not for only 4 track days per year. For wheels, I upgraded to Ford Racing forged GT500 wheels, Conti Extreme DW tires. Front = 19x9, 255/40. Rear = 19x10, 285/35. Same set-up as Boss LS. However, I'm probably going to up the tires one more size, 265/40 Front and 295/35 Rear, and go with Michelin Pilot Super Sports. I keep these wheels/tires on year round (no snow here, and very little rain, Las Vegas). Again, for only 4 track days per year I'm not gonna have a separate set of track-only wheels/tires (unless I see a great $ deal on a used set). Here's the 'big' 3.4 mile configuration at Spring Mountain:

 

Nice! I bet the rear sticks quite nice in that size! I still have my stock 255/40-19 setup, but I think one or two more track days and cords would show. Plus I drive my car up here till the middle of November before storing it, and it's already gotten down to mid 30s F in the mornings a few times. Tires don't like it.

Still not decided what to do exactly, but I will likely pick up a set of 18" wheels and 255/45-18 for track days, and put all seasons on the 19 Brembo wheels for daily driving.

Wow, Spring Mountain looks twisty! I'd love to get a chance to drive it one day.

 

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With the suspension mods I have, my wheel/tire combo is great on the track, and still comfortable on the street. I like the trade-off. If you go with a dedicated 18" wheel for track days, you may want to consider 10" with 275 tires, if you're going square (maybe even wider). I think the 255s you mention are too slim for the track (okay for the street). Yes Spring mountain is long and twisty - it's an amazing racing facility. That's where I make up a lot of time, in the turns. The lower-weight, high-power cars pull away from me on the straight. Post up some pics/video of you at the track if you have!