Common Track Failures

[TGR96]

I have seen a few guys post that they've had issues with their rear axle seals. Well, last weekend at NCM Motorsorts Park, both of mine were leaking at the end of the day. This was only my second track day in this car. I was pretty bummed because this happened after my last session on the first of a two-day event at NCM. I was scared I'd hurt it on the second day, so I sat out (I know, I know, but I was with my wife, three hours away from home, and my car is also my DD that had to get me to work on Monday) A $250 track day wasted...down the drain!

I am having the local Ford store replace them under warranty tomorrow (the car only has 28,000 miles), as well as adding the Boss finned aluminum diff cover. I will later add the Bob's catch can. Is there anything else that can be done to help prevent this from happening in the future, or should I be set with the Boss diff cover and catch can?

 

[ddd4114]

Are you turning stability control off? If not, your rear brakes (right next to the seals) will get toasty.

 

[TGR96]

Yep, guilty as charged. Since this was my first time at both tracks, I ran several session with the traction control on. That makes sense that the rear brakes would heat up the seals and cause premature wear.

 

[claudermilk]

Yep, kill the nannies.I left AdvanceTrac on for my first session; now, I make sure to turn everything off.

 

[dontlifttoshift]

Funny story, when I bought my '12 so did a friend of mine. I got him into autocross and then he got hooked on PDX/HPDE stuff.

He was going through rear pads almost 2 to 1 vs the fronts, after about a year and half of that he spilled the beans that he had been running with the nannies on. "What's the point?" I said, "you are not learning anything." Next track day he shut them off. Mind you, at this point he is a track day hero looking to buy hoosiers and another set of wheels. He was even instructing to get cheaper track time

First session out on a cool day and backwards through a chainlink fence at the milwaukee mile. Every panel had to be painted. Now he's into crossfit.

Shut them off and learn to drive your car and your track days will be much more rewarding.

 

[Mountain]

I have seen a few guys post that they've had issues with their rear axle seals. Well, last weekend at NCM Motorsorts Park, both of mine were leaking at the end of the day. This was only my second track day in this car. I was pretty bummed because this happened after my last session on the first of a two-day event at NCM. I was scared I'd hurt it on the second day, so I sat out (I know, I know, but I was with my wife, three hours away from home, and my car is also my DD that had to get me to work on Monday) A $250 track day wasted...down the drain!

I am having the local Ford store replace them under warranty tomorrow (the car only has 28,000 miles), as well as adding the Boss finned aluminum diff cover. I will later add the Bob's catch can. Is there anything else that can be done to help prevent this from happening in the future, or should I be set with the Boss diff cover and catch can?

This can also happen do to a few other things:
1. The track makes the car corner dominately in one direction significantly more than another (i.e. track has a lot of hard right hand turns and not a lot of long straights).
2. The rear axle/differential vent is stock or doesn't sufficiently purge pressure as heat is generated in the rear axle.

 

[dontlifttoshift]

Oh yeah, more heat from a factory clutch type diff vs a torsen, too.

 

[Sky Render]

Right on. The factory "Trac Lock" differential uses clutches, which work using friction. Friction creates heat!

Gear-type units, like the Torsen or Eaton TrueTrac don't have this problem nearly as much.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 using Tapatalk

 

[tang-o]

The 2015 track season is about to start for me with fresh front stock calipers and a rear finned diff cover to continue help cool the rear diff (I do have the catch can instead of the blow-off valve, but I figured it was a small investment to continue help cool the rear axle).
Speaking of fresh front stock calipers. At the last track weekend in '14 I drove the car for probably 30 minutes non stop after 1 day of hard driving + the TT. This pretty much took the pistons and boots over the limit. They did not fail at the track and I just found out about the state of the calipers when I swapped my Performance Friction pads with the street pads. I might actually start checking calipers between Saturday/Sunday on a given weekend.

 

[csamsh]

The 2015 track season is about to start for me with fresh front stock calipers and a rear finned diff cover to continue help cool the rear diff (I do have the catch can instead of the blow-off valve, but I figured it was a small investment to continue help cool the rear axle).
Speaking of fresh front stock calipers. At the last track weekend in '14 I drove the car for probably 30 minutes non stop after 1 day of hard driving + the TT. This pretty much took the pistons and boots over the limit. They did not fail at the track and I just found out about the state of the calipers when I swapped my Performance Friction pads with the street pads. I might actually start checking calipers between Saturday/Sunday on a given weekend.

woof. Get some brembos...they're cheap

 

[tang-o]

[.....] Is there anything else that can be done to help prevent this from happening in the future, or should I be set with the Boss diff cover and catch can?

I've had the catch can installed after what you described happened to me on the first track day of this car. Since then I did not have any problems (I did install the finned diff cover for '15 season).
Enjoy the '15 season!
Cheers

 

[tang-o]

woof. Get some brembos...they're cheap

- I'm thinking about it. I had a big brake kit that decided not to install and sold again. The reason was I preferred to stay with 17" wheels. I looked at this Wilwood kit which fits my 17" but decided against it since I'm not sure I trust those drilled rotors. I never looked at StopTech options.

 

[csamsh]

http://www.vorshlag.com/product_info.php?cPath=141_142_280&products_id=598



But you've got to 18's eventually...right?

 

[ddd4114]

- I'm thinking about it. I had a big brake kit that decided not to install and sold again. The reason was I preferred to stay with 17" wheels. I looked at this Wilwood kit which fits my 17" but decided against it since I'm not sure I trust those drilled rotors. I never looked at StopTech options.

I've been using the 14" Stoptech package with two-piece rotors for almost 3 years, and I've been pretty happy with it. Like you, I routinely toasted the stock calipers and eventually got to the point where I was replacing them after every weekend. I still fry the piston dust boots in the Stoptech calipers, but since the pistons are actually metal, the brakes still work fine.

If I was to build my car again, I would probably get the Brembo kit. If you factor in the cost increase of two-piece rotors (which are nice but not necessary), the initial cost is about the same. However, since the Stoptech rotors are offset 5mm inward from the factory location, replacement options are limited, and two-piece rotors are very expensive even if you keep the hats. Also, because of the offset, only the Ford Racing cooling duct brackets will fit and not the Vorshlag ones (which are a better design). Brake pads seem to be about the same price for either package.

I don't have any personal experience with Wilwood products, but I've been less than impressed with the quality of their brake kits that I've seen on friends' cars.

 

[Sky Render]

You need Brembos. If my slow butt can over-cook stock GT calipers while dodging cones in a parking lot, I don't want to even think about the temps you're seeing using those things on a road course.

 

[jayel579]

The 2015 track season is about to start for me with fresh front stock calipers and a rear finned diff cover to continue help cool the rear diff (I do have the catch can instead of the blow-off valve, but I figured it was a small investment to continue help cool the rear axle).
Speaking of fresh front stock calipers. At the last track weekend in '14 I drove the car for probably 30 minutes non stop after 1 day of hard driving + the TT. This pretty much took the pistons and boots over the limit. They did not fail at the track and I just found out about the state of the calipers when I swapped my Performance Friction pads with the street pads. I might actually start checking calipers between Saturday/Sunday on a given weekend.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ceb-145-43001

Problem solved.

 

[Vorshlag-Fair]

woof. Get some brembos...they're cheap

Agreed. But like all things, they also have a finite life span when tracked hard...

The wear items we see on the Brembos include:

• Bleed bolts
• Bleed bolt threads
• Caliper mounting hole threads
• Dust boots and seals

But yea, they can and do stop better than the twin piston sliding caliper stuff (12 or 13"). We are abusing the hell out of the Brembos and they still last almost 2 seasons before needing to be rebuilt, and we're ballasted up to 3870+ pounds!

With fresh pads, rotors and front calipers we did a lot of 140+ mph stops this past weekend, zero drama.

We had a customer come in yesterday for a pad swap and the bleeder snapped right off in the caliper. It happens over enough time on tracked Brembos, too.

 

[csamsh]

Yep. I was the victim of a broken bleeder once....that sucked.

 

[CobraRed]

Just bled my brakes with motul 660 2 days ago, no bleeder problems but what do you do when they snap off. Will they come out after that?

 

[csamsh]

Just bled my brakes with motul 660 2 days ago, no bleeder problems but what do you do when they snap off. Will they come out after that?

I broke a bolt extractor trying to get the bleeder out. sooo....I bought a new caliper.