Lugnut wrote:
Consumables are a bitch. Running 8/10 or more, I could toast two sets of front brake pads in one day. A set of front R-compound tires would last 2 days max. Street tires, front and rear, wouldn't last a whole day.
Because of the addded power and weight of the E46, there is a narrower envelope for a compromised street and track setup vs an E36.
My buddy Lyonel tracks his E46 M3 as the chief instructor for a popular trackday org...maybe 8-12 weekends a year. I think he is getting nearly a whole season out of a set of Dunlop Direzzas. He is running performance friction pads and DBA (or similar) separate rotor/hat in stock size with stock calipers.
I like those Performance Friction pads because they won't melt on the track even with a heavy car, and you can run them on the street just fine too. But in terms of stopping power, they are pretty much like stock. Great for your first couple summers for sure, then I might start itching for something a little more authoritative. I've found that a set of track pads seems to cost pretty much the same whether I'm putting them on an older light car or a newer heavy car. But they last a ton longer on a light car, and the brakes don't overheat if you put in DIY ducts.
Also an E36 with non-M brake calipers and spindles will track fine on 15" wheels (won't work for M3 brakes) and a set of nice R comps is $450 instead of $675 for the 17's. The lighter the car is, the longer the tires last.
If you want consumables to last you need to do coilovers/camber plates. I could get R compounds to last a dozen days then. With the Stoptech 355 kit front and rear a set of brake pads would easily last an entire season...
