nopistons

The RX8 trans can't use GL5. It must be GL4! It will be notchy and grind 3-2 and 5-4. Redline MT90

Hi Roland! I've put your class as T1. Darin

Don't forget about pad knockback! Lightly tapping the pedal resets the pads back to the rotor before heavy braking. Also note that light taps on the brake pedal while in the corner will allow the car to keep it's slip angle. More efficient in wet conditions however... Your left foot can do more than just hang out near the clutch actuation device!

Agree. Do the lines, then get the flush done. But $350 is more than enough to purchase a tool that will cycle the ABS for you.

I'm not sure I would agree with this. You can race side-by-side through that corner, so it can't be all that tight. Overall, its less than 2s slower in lap times, and statistically equal top end speeds into 1. Yes, it is a technically challenging corner and a wee bit of ice racing technique will slingshot you through it!

Don't forget the hot dogs! Maybe bottle the burps as octane boost?

One thing to consider is that if your fluid is getting hot, and is wicking up into your OEM rubber lines, you might have excess balooning as the rubber warms up and your braking application gets more aggressive. If you are getting a spongy pedals and you have good pads and fluid, maybe next thing to check is the lines. Just a thought...

I've learned the hard way that brokers are not a good source of information regarding MPI as they suggest. For anything beyond renewals, I go right to MPI downtown. It saves so much headache...and potential heartache.

I will echo this. I use whatever the car came with until i do a caliper replacement or something that requires the system to be opened. For most vehicles, it's DOT3. Good idea or not, I raced my Civic for 2 years on whatever fluid was in the car, no idea on how old. Worked fine.

3500lbs and 175kmh in itself, shouldn't need anything exciting for brake fluid. The kleen-flo dot4 should be plenty for that. I use that in my RX8 which is about the same weight with driver and similar speeds. Things to consider with managing brakes: What pads are you using? How would you describe your bake application while on track? Stabby? Aggressive? Progressive? How much ducting does the Focus have? Is it blocked? Can you clean up the air-flow at all without too much effort? (remove screens, grilles etc) And so on... Are you by-chance using a scanner to remove all the air and old fluid from the ABS pump(s)? It's not uncommon to have a spongy pedal after a whole weekend of racing. Like others have mentioned, do a quick bleed process to ensure there is no air. One of the bigger issues with DOT4, is moisture absorption. RBF600/660 are big offenders and the fluids (primarily 660) are intended for short term use before being flushed again. This is just something you need to keep in mind with DOT4 fluids. For what it's worth, I use: Amsoil Dominator 600 in the Mustang (4200lbs, and requires DOT4 Fluid by Ford) Motul RBF600 in RaceTrix2 (2300lbs) Kleen-Flo DOT4 in the RX8 (3200lbs) Why the variety? It's what was available where I was shopping when I remembered I needed fluid!

@ShaunH Price?

EBC yellows Most aggressive pad you can get without going to a full race pad, and have good street manners, yet still take the heat of track days. What my RX8 will get once the hawk HPS are done. Hawk Blues are great but your neighbors will hear you coming down the block with the noise!

I've driven the 430xi (M) and an E46 325xi (turd) a bunch. Both manual transmission. In my opinion, I find that the BMW AWD gives the sensation of being heavier in the front to drive than some other cars that are truly RWD bias. Audi feels like this too but i think it's because they are actually heavier up front. Even with TCS in "off", it seemed the TCS was never truly off. The "M1 Sport" mode didn't seem to offer the experiences found in the M5 AWD that has further reductions in nannys. And to be honest, the E46 was so weak it could barely do anything except wheeze. Both cars had to be chucked into a corner to get it to oversteer which was quickly thwarted by the TCS. Steering angle sensors only let the rear step out so much. The E46 is a serious money pit! However, I do prefer the BMW AWD system over the Audi haldex from a drivers standpoint. Some Aydi systems will unlock the rear under hard braking and do other weird things. Servicing them can be a nightmare too...at least on the Audi vehicles I have been forced to work on!

My vote is for the IS350 F-Sport It has great driving experience and rear bias to the point where you can step it out when you want to.

Overall lap times are based on a number of factors, including setup and skill level. Big picture, if you can get yourself into a 1:10-ish (or lower), your moving fairly quickly around the track! A 1:13 lap isn't anything to sneeze at either. Something to consider is to not worry so much about lap times from session to session, first year out. Check them if you wish, but look for consistency as opposed to the actual time. You will notice as you get more seat time, and focus on your driving rather than lowering the number on the print-out, at the end of the season you will see a trend with the lap times!