Starting from stock: What are the essentials to become track ready?

[MANPADS]

I've seen a lot of threads talking about the US stock brake rotors overheating when taken to the track.

For a Stinger fresh off the lot - what are the essentials to be ready for the track, and what are the most affordable options?

 

[spider55]

For a Stinger fresh off the lot - what are the essentials to be ready for the track, and what are the most affordable options?

If you're taking the car to a road course, number one mod sway bars an sway bar endlinks, front & rear plus a oil catch can for the PCV side of the engine. Number two, go with ATQ subframe chassis collar kit, lowering springs or coilovers.

The stock brakes on the car are crap, If you have the money get some slotted rotors & some stoptech brakes or EBC brakes.

 

[MANPADS]

If you're taking the car to a road course, number one mod sway bars an sway bar endlinks, front & rear plus a oil catch can for the PCV side of the engine. Number two, go with ATQ subframe chassis collar kit, lowering springs or coilovers.

The stock brakes on the car are crap, If you have the money get some slotted rotors & some stoptech brakes or EBC brakes.

Wow, that's quite the shopping list, lol. I don't doubt all of that will greatly improve handling, my question is more 'What is the minimum the car needs to be driven hard without risking some sort of mechanical failure'

 

[KIA-StingerGT]

Wow, that's quite the shopping list, lol. I don't doubt all of that will greatly improve handling, my question is more 'What is the minimum the car needs to be driven hard without risking some sort of mechanical failure'

When I drag raced Mustangs, it was a question of:

1. Discover the weakest link
2. Replace the broken part with an upgrade
3. Discover next weakest link.
4. Repeat.

 

[spider55]

Wow, that's quite the shopping list, lol. I don't doubt all of that will greatly improve handling, my question is more 'What is the minimum the car needs to be driven hard without risking some sort of mechanical failure'

The minimum I would go with would be sway bars sway bar endlinks & brakes. The reason you would want to change out the endlinks is because if you install a bigger sway bar the stock endlinks will fail..

 

[Stiletto]

What tires are you on? First, I'd replace those before mechanical bits. Next, the OEM pads won't take many laps...so those need to go. The OEM sways and links won't fail you, they'll just prevent you from going faster in the corners. Same with the subframe bolts. Lastly, don't go before changing your oil from the factory fluid.

 

[tham81]

Brakes and brake fluid are important upgrades. Nothing ruins a day at the track like brake fade.

 

[MANPADS]

What tires are you on? First, I'd replace those before mechanical bits. Next, the OEM pads won't take many laps...so those need to go. The OEM sways and links won't fail you, they'll just prevent you from going faster in the corners. Same with the subframe bolts. Lastly, don't go before changing your oil from the factory fluid.

Stock tires, Michelin Pilot Sport. I was thinking brakes would be first, then the sway bars. I'll have to wait a bit after blowing all my fun money on the brake upgrade though..

 

[Drakkon]

I took my Stinger GT1 to the Porsche Club of America track weekend in St Louis.
I'm happy to report the Stinger was always a topic of conversation and embarrassed some very expensive machinery.
I would largely ignore everything up above. If you commute your car and only do a few track days per season, you really only have two things to worry about.
Tires.
Brake pads.
The car was never out of sorts all weekend. There were 8 total sessions at 20 minutes each so if something was going to get sideways, that's enough time to figure out what it is.
After my first session, learning the car (and tracking something this HEAVY) it was hot and not too happy. Tires and brakes, I mean. Everything else was fine.
Also valid: it was dry, sunny and start in the upper 50s in the morning and warming to about 80 in the afternoon.
The Michelin 4s's are fantastic. But they had to be managed, given the weight of the car.
The other thing that was noticable was the OEM brakes had the wobble. Not a warp. Just the pulsating pedal that feels like a warped rotor. It was the crappy brake pads. A few days after my first event, I upgraded to the EPC yellow pads on the front and never felt the wobble again.
Better fluid would certainly be insurance, but I never had fade.
The only "moment" I had was as I got faster, there was a hump exiting Turn 2 and suddenly the car dropped way down on power. I pulled into the pits out of safety. Nothing seemed to be wrong so we went back out. It turned out it was the traction control. I was going fast enough that hump was now a jump. Once we turned off the traction control, never saw it again. Also, the threshold of the TC in Sport mode was so high, that was the first time it reared its head.
Tires.
Brake pads.
Maybe fluid.
No need to "mod" this car.for the track. It's built that way.

 

[spider55]

welcome @Drakkon