Track Day: Supra Take 2

Some may recall our prior blog post Track Day: GR Supra Lime Rock Park where we took a bone stock GR Supra out on track. The results of the day at Lime Rock Park leaved some to be desired. The car was fast but the stock brakes and the wind buffeting greatly detracted from enjoyment and ability to push the car. To kick off this year’s track season we took the GR Supra out for a day at NJMP Lightning Circuit. Our goal with this track day was to mitigate the short comings that became clear in the car’s first track day at Lime Rock Park.

The only modifications to the car were the addition of Verus Engineering Anti-Buffeting Wind Deflectors and iSweep is3500 brake pads.

Wind Buffeting

The Anti-Buffeting deflectors did their job well. Gone was the mild buffeting ~50mph and greatly reduced was the buffeting at ~110mph. We were no longer being concussed by the buffeting allowing us to focus more on driving. A bonus is that the are carbon fiber and fit in well with the car’s exterior. They are held on with 3M double sided tape and did not budge even at 140+mph.

Brake Pads: iSweep is3500

The biggest improvement was hands down the iSweep is3500 brake pads. I must say that iSweep has been good to us and provided pads for us to test, to that I say an immense thank you. To you the customer I want to express that I am not going to recommend something that I would not run on my own car. With that being said the is3500 pads are good brake pads for track use. Are they the best pads for track use….probably not. Will they provide drivers of all skill level confidence in the brakes on a GR Supra over stock? Absolutely! The only criticism that I have is that the Supra still has a lot of brake pedal travel. I cannot yet say that the brake pedal travel is due to the pads. I expect it is more inherent to the car and not the pads. I intend to try different methods to improve pedal feel such as a master cylinder brace before more pad experimenting. Overall, though good performance out of the pads. I could go deeper on the brakes and at the level of push the pads did not fade. On the street I am quite pleased as well. Sure, they do dust and make the occasional squeal but not the worst considering the pads intended use.

The Car

Fixing the issues of wind buffeting and brake performance did their job and allowed us to drive the car harder and learn more about it on track. As mentioned above the improved pad performance showed chasing pedal feel is an area to focus on in the future. The Lightning Circuit is one of my favorite to feel how a car uses its tires and communicates to the driver. Compared to other track cars the GR Supra doesn’t communicate what the front tires are doing as well as I would like. It felt vague and a bit disconnected, I am interested to see how that may change with a more focused track alignment and suspension work. The stock tires held up fine but like almost all stock tires an experienced driver need to show some restraint. A newer driver will find the stock tires grip level well suited for them to learn on but need to be aware to not overheat the stock tire. My approach on a street tire is to push for a lap or two and dial it back for several laps before going again.

Now time for the good. A GR Supra with stock tires, improved brake pads, and buffeting wind deflectors is fast. I have to confess it is at times both surprising and impressive. Even at an 8/10 pace in the right hands is rapid (and I confess am not the best driver out there). It blows my mind how far cars have come from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s to today. If you are a new driver interested in a GR Supra I would recommend it. It is friendly in its track mode and has headroom to learn and grow while it is near stock. For the moderate to the advanced driver I also recommend it provided you are expecting to do at minimum the 2 mods of anti-buffeting wind deflectors and brake pads. It is easy to drive fast and makes you look at the speedometer and wonder “Am I really going this fast?”. It is a very stable and capable car.

Wrapping it up

A GR Supra with brake pads and a side of anti-buffeting makes for a car you can drive on the street in comfort and drive with confidence on the track. Excited to continue exploring how the car performs and responds to choice mods. The next step short term is probably going to be a different set of tires. In the long term an OEM+ style is what we are going for likely to included moderate suspension mods, wheels, intake and exhaust.

Hope everyone is excited for driving season. See you out there. Cheers.