TigerNSX said:
My brake pads, rotors and fluid are relatively new (about 4-5 months old). Will I need to put new brake pads and rotors for the first event as a Novice?
If not, when would be a good time to change them - I am attending four more driving events (2 HPDE and 1 AutoX in April, and 1 HPDE and 1 AutoX in May).
I'll assume your pads and rotors are the stock ones. The stock pads and rotors are actually very good, and perfectly adequate for track use. (I used them for my first 4-5 years of track events in the NSX, before trying other kinds.)
Replace the pads when they are worn. The FAQ tells you how to check the top edge of the outer pad by looking through the spokes of the wheels. To check them more thoroughly (inner pad, and full surface of outer pad in case it is wearing unevenly), you will need to remove the wheels, but as long as they were recently changed and you have full thickness by looking through the spokes, I wouldn't bother.
New front brake pads come with pad material that is 11 mm thick. You can wear them down to about 2 mm for street use, at which point they will start to squeal when the padwear indicator starts to hit the rotor. At the track, you might want to replace them at 3-4 mm thickness, to provide a bit more protection against heat. Keep track of your rate of pad wear. I find that my front pads last 400-700 track miles (3-4 track events), and rears 4-6 events or 800-1200 miles. That helps me know the likelihood of running out of brake pad at any event, based on how thick the pads are when I start out. Based on your rate of wear, if you think you might run out of brake pads at an event, bring new ones with you, or change them before you leave home if you want to avoid the hassle of doing so at the track. (I
always bring an extra set of brake pads with me, just in case.)
Rotors need to be replaced if they get thinner than minimum spec (takes a long time), or if they crack. With track use, rotors develop hairline cracks; they get worse and worse. Keep a close eye on them. When the rotors are cool, if you can feel the crack with the edge of your fingernail, it is time to replace the rotors.
As for fluid, my personal rule of thumb is that for track use, fluid should be no older than about six months old. Since our track season in northern climes runs roughly April through October, I like to start with fresh fluid in the Spring (i.e. now). If I lived in a southern climate, and participated in track events year round, I would flush the fluid twice a year.
Since you probably want to flush your fluid now anyway, you may as well get some high-temperature fluid, such as Motul RBF 600. You can read about the boiling points of various fluids, and why this is important, in
this topic.
TigerNSX said:
at what point do you classify yourself as an Intermediate driver? Is it determined by an instructor or yourself?
Do it when you find that you are faster than almost all the people in the beginner run group in the previous year's event. (Basically, what Tom already said.)
The breakdown of run groups varies with the group holding the event, as well as with the event itself. There are some events where 50+ percent of the drivers have 0-2 track events of experience, and others where those constitute less than 20 percent of the drivers. So you might find yourself in the beginner group at one track event, and in an intermediate group at another.
The determination depends on the group holding the event. Some organizations will ask you how many track events of experience you have had and make their determination from that, while others will ask you to classify yourself as novice, intermediate, etc. Once you are at the event, if you find that you are faster (or slower) than ALL the other cars in the group, you can ask your instructor if he or she can move you up (or down) to the next group.
