Originally Posted by
LivesNearCostco
Derek, I do plan to go. Thunderhill is a much better bargain for trying CCA but a) it's in November, and B) it's 3 hours away for me vs. 1 hour for Laguna Seca (both cases if no traffic). Of course it's closer for you. I know you've been to Thunderhill a few times for non-CCA; have you also been to LS?
Here's the deal on CCA track days: Best deal if you want in-car instruction all day and you definitely get more track time than NASA. Not sure if you get more track time than HoD or TrackMasters. If you don't need or don't want an instructor, then NASA/SpeedVentures/Bob's Donuts will likely be a better deal. CCA tends to be more safety conscious which is good, but also stricter on rules (no convertibles without full rollbars, etc.) than others.
I like Porterfield R-4S pads but am the only one I know running them on a BMW. Everyone else on the track forums seems to run Hawk, Stoptech, Carbotech, or Performance Friction. (Some occasional trackers use Pagid, EBC, or Cool Carbon.)