What are the 'needed' upgrades for a track TT-RS??

[Dr Bill]

For a current generation TT-RS, what are considered the must-have mods or upgrades for real track (road course) use??
Or, if there is another Audi forum with more specific info on track use, please lmk! Doesn't seem to be much out there.

What modifications or upgrades do you suggest at a minimum?

I have read the brakes are a weak point. Will stainless lines, new pads and high-temp fluid be sufficient? Or are new rotors and/or calipers suggested also? I have the Audi carbon ceramic front brakes. I've seen several options for front caliper replacement, but so far only rotors for the rear. Any full brake kits for the rear? Has anyone found a source for the Audi Sport brake cooling ducts?

Is an intercooler and/or intake upgrade needed to help with heat soak?

Any 18" wheels that will fit?

What suspension mods will allow increased negative camber for tire wear?

Thanks for any suggestions!!

[Jeff_Jeske]

Those Carbon rotors won't last long on a road course so I would look at replacing them before ruining them. Essex has replacement rotors that are fantastic for track duty. Girodisc is another option.

You will also want some track brake pads as your stockers aren't made for lapping the car and they will self destruct possibly damaging your rotors. Brake pads are like politics ... you will get lots of opinions ... I would recommend Ferodo Pads DS1-11 in the front and DS2500 in the rear. Other known good pads are Carbotech and Pagid honestly there are many options.

The fluid that comes in the car is very high quality and will not boil but I like to start with fresh fluid before every event. Motul 600 or 660 or better yet is castrol SRF as that you only need to change once per year.

Other than that the car is ready to rock from the get go.

Extras:

034 Motorsports camber plates to get max camber in the front but that's not really required.
Full brake kits can also be sourced from Essex but the stock hardware is fine as long as you don't over react when you see your dust boots. THIS is a good read.
18" wheels ... I am leaning toward the RSe10 as they clear TTRS in 18x8.5 and 18x9 but there are lots of other options.

[Dr Bill]

Thanks Jeff!
I've used the AP Racing J-hook rotors on a Cayman in the past, with the Ferodo pads and SRF fluid. I know the dust boots really don't matter, they always get roasted.

Will the RSe10 wheels work without spacers? What offset?

[big residual]

Good info above. I tracked mine with only the following changes:

1. Wheels + tires. Took the oems off, put them in boxes. I run 18x9.5s w/ 275/35s. RE71Rs are the better choice but with stock camber their edges corded out after 3 days. I’ve also run Extreme Contacf Sports and they’ve held up well even if they’re not as grippy.

2. Rotors, pads, fluid. Stock kit went in a box too. Girodiscs front and rear. SRF. Pagid RS29s front, G-LOC R10s read. Works well overall. Not sure I’ll need to do a BBK.

Camber is the one thing that stands out as still necessary. I’ll sort that with a set of coilovers.

I suspect I’ll eventually put on a CAI, FMIC, DP and then do a Stage 2 tune. But it was great tracking it with the stock powertrain.

[TwistRate]

I have pretty much finalized my track wheels as Neuspeed RSE10 18x9 et45. I would prefer 9.5" rims but I'm not yet ready to shave and roll fenders to fit a 275 hoosier. I'm going to use a 245 this next season and see how that works. One thing you have to pay attention to is the actual tread width of whatever tire you plan to run. Some tires run very wide, for example, the hoosier A7 in a 245 is a full inch wider than PS4S in a 255.

[HHughes1]

A word of caution before increasing mechanical grip to the extent that R7's and similar provide. Does this motor's fuel and oil systems have any issues maintaining PSI during high G load scenarios? I have no idea if the fuel tank is the typical saddle system with the fuel pickup on the driver's side and if so how does it scavenge during sustained left turns. Same questions regarding the oil pan which I'm sure is a wet sump. Is the oil pickup submerged constantly? Does the crankcase have oil passages designed to cope with this level of lateral force? Does anyone have any logs with oil pressure data during extremely hard cornering? These two issues kill more motors than any other and sometimes it's a slow death rather than a big boom.

[LINDW4LL]

Are you guys not upgrading the rear sway bar to help with rotation? I would've thought that would be a must-have mod.

A word of caution before increasing mechanical grip to the extent that R7's and similar provide. Does this motor's fuel and oil systems have any issues maintaining PSI during high G load scenarios? Is the oil pickup submerged constantly? Does the crankcase have oil passages designed to cope with this level of lateral force? Does anyone have any logs with oil pressure data during extremely hard cornering? These two issues kill more motors than any other and sometimes it's a slow death rather than a big boom.

Is this really a concern with a modern performance car, particularly an RS model?

[TwistRate]

A word of caution before increasing mechanical grip to the extent that R7's and similar provide. Does this motor's fuel and oil systems have any issues maintaining PSI during high G load scenarios? I have no idea if the fuel tank is the typical saddle system with the fuel pickup on the driver's side and if so how does it scavenge during sustained left turns. Same questions regarding the oil pan which I'm sure is a wet sump. Is the oil pickup submerged constantly? Does the crankcase have oil passages designed to cope with this level of lateral force? Does anyone have any logs with oil pressure data during extremely hard cornering? These two issues kill more motors than any other and sometimes it's a slow death rather than a big boom.

This is a legit concern. I'm hopeful that this platform was battle tested on the Ring by a great number of 8J track cars running slicks. A quick search didn't turn up any supporting documentation.

[HHughes1]

This is a legit concern. I'm hopeful that this platform was battle tested on the Ring by a great number of 8J track cars running slicks. A quick search didn't turn up any supporting documentation.

The LMS series RS3's you see competing in TCR (PWC) do not have the 2.5l 5 cylinder engine. In fact it is a motorsports variant of the 2.0l 4 cylinder. I don't know how many if any series on a global scale feature the 2.5

[HHughes1]

Are you guys not upgrading the rear sway bar to help with rotation? I would've thought that would be a must-have mod.



Is this really a concern with a modern performance car, particularly an RS model?

Really high-end sports cars typically use a dry sump system or at least have a well baffled oil pan that retains oil in the pickup area despite the sloshing that can occur as liquid moves from one side to the other or forward under hard braking.

I'm also unsure about auxiliary oil and differential coolers for this platform. Seen plenty of high priced high performance cars going into limp mode because despite the marketing they are first and foremost high performance street cars.

[bb vign]

Bringing this thread back from the dead!

I’m taking my TT RS to its first track day tomorrow and wanted feedback on tire pressure settings.

I’m running 265/35-18 V730s on forged Apex wheels. Suspension is stock except for the 034 camber mounts. Track pads/fluid and SS lines.

TIA!