Brakes/wheels/tyres Choices For R32 Gtr Light Track Work.

[Hornet2572]

G'day,

I am trying to find the best set-up for my R32 GT-R to do some light track work (Club track days etc). The car is used rarely on the street, but still does get driven once a week/fortnight or so.

I have been surfing around the various threads on brakes, tyres, and wheel sizes, and have gained some good information with regards to what fits, and what works, but I am curious to see what people have found works well for them as a combination of them all.

I currently have standard brakes, standard GT-R wheels and road tyres.

Ultimately, I would love to put some track tyres, the likes of Federal RSR or similar on the car. I love the look of the standard GT-R rims, so would love to put the RSR's on them.

However, I don't want to do that, only to find that I really should upgrade to bigger brakes/rotors, which ultimately means bigger wheels, new tyres etc etc.

I have a good grip on the suspension side of things, with some nice coilovers and all new bits and pieces there, so I'm going to focus on the tyres and brakes for the moment.

So, what do you run on your R32 GT-R for recreational work.

Brake Setup - Rotors/Pads/Calipers?
Wheel Brand / Size?
Tyre Brand / Size?

Thanks in advance.

[niZmO_Man]

Tyres = the stickier the better. Get something like Advan AD08 or Hankook R-S3 if you can. Not sure if they come in the 225/50/16 size. Wider wheels+tyres will be beneficial.

As for brakes, full fluid flush with fresh Super DOT4 (high temp >300deg rated) or DOT5.1 fluid. Pads, try QFM A1RM and new rotors if you need them. Don't bother with drilled rotors (they tend to crack with track use).

If you want to upgrade your brakes, you'll have to get bigger wheels (with big brake clearance).

I have GT-R Brembo front brakes, stock rear with A1RM pad and they stopped the car pretty well (Eastern Creek South Circuit, so no high speeds), but I have a shit brake master cylinder so I can't say how well they work compared to stockers. The bigger brakes does give you extra heat capacity though (I found the ABS would kick later with the Brembos). Wheels are 18x10 +20 (Nismo LMGT1) with 265/35/18 road tyres (need better tyres).

Not sure what suspension setup you have, but I run about -2° camber with 6° caster on the front and -1° camber on the rear (adjustable upper arms, caster rod). The front alignment will have a role on the feel and grip level while turning.

[GTSBoy]

I would suggest some 18x10 Enkei RPF1s. They are just about the lightest alloy wheel you can buy without dropping serious coin. They are strong enough for track work and relatively cheap. These will give you room to upgrade brakes to a more serious size (up into the 350mm region) should you desire.

RSRs are not a "track tyre". These and the others like them are best described as an Ultra High Performance (UHP) tyre and are intended for the road. They do work pretty well on track. You need a minimum of tyres like that to give a car a decent punt on track. But they are not semis. Semis are the start of real "track tyres". Semis have a generally shorter life expectancy, less ability to handle water and much better grip.

FWIW, you can still fit a brake upgrade under 17" rims, and 17's might give you a better choice of tyres at a more reasonable price too. So worth considering. Can't go much bigger than 323 (maybe 330) brakes under 17s though.

I won't recommend brakes, there are too many different ways to go. To start though, you could try on the std brakes with a decent upgrade in pads and fluid, plus teflon lines and a BMC stopper. You will generally find out as you learn to drive the car harder whether you are going to need more brake or not.

[niZmO_Man]

Ah yes the master stopper helps with pedal feel (I run a Cusco one, got it through Jesse Streeter).

18x9.5 - 18x10 wheels (the Enkie are very well priced) with 265/35/18 Hankook RS3 tyres will be pretty good

[GTRPSI]

What we did to our R32 GTR, piss off the cross drilled rotors as they crack, we put on some RDA dimple drilled and slotted ones and EBC Red Stuff pads which are rated to 650.

Now with our new engine build and power upgrade i will be upgrading to Yellow Stuff pads, they are rated stable from cold to 900 but a little more agressive on the rotors.

We dint go bigger on the rotors as we wanted to be able to run the stock rims.

We used EBC 307+ Racing fluid which is exactly the same as the good Motul stuff.

Braided lines...see import monster, they always have them for GTR's at a good price.

Make up some cooling ducts/air deflectors, on tight tracks GTR's can really have high brake temp issues, it helps to control things so you can rape the car without worries.

Master stopper is a good move too.

[Hornet2572]

Great info, thanks guys. Sounds like I might be in the market for some Enkeis soon! Best option seems to be put some good quality road tyres on the GTR wheels for street driving, and grab a set of Enkeis with track tyres on them. I'll upgrade the pads and fluid on the std brakes for now and see how it goes. But I dare say a bigger brake setup will be on the cards.

I'll have a look at the Cusco stopper too. Sounds like a nifty little add-on.

Keep your setups coming guys, still keen to see what everyone runs / recommends

Cheers.