I wanted to attend Maverick PCA’s HPDE at Eagles Canyon Raceway in Decatur, Texas on September 20th and 21st, 2025, with my 992.1 Carrera 4S. This was only my second track event ever. The first was earlier this year at G2 Motorsports Park in my Macan S, which left me with a bruised ego and an even bigger bruise to the wallet when I had to replace all four pads and rotors afterward. Lesson learned: OEM brake pads and track days don’t always play nicely.

Heading into Eagles Canyon, I knew I wanted to upgrade my braking setup. I’m still a complete novice at HPDE, but I wasn’t about to risk cooking another set of stock pads just for the sake of learning the racing line. My plan was simple: swap out the OEM pads and rotors for Pagid Endurance pads and track rotors, then swap everything back to OEM later in the year.

I reached out to an independent shop a few minutes from my office that I’ve used in the past. They got back to me quickly with a quote to handle the work. The price wasn’t shocking, but when I compared it to the other things on my plate this year—like paying for my son’s wedding—it felt like too much for a weekend hobby. I thanked them, admitted defeat, and resigned myself to sitting this one out.

But on a whim, I sent the same request to Fifth Gear Autosports. I’d had great success with them in the past, though they’re quite a bit farther from my house and office, so they weren’t my first call. Instead of emailing me a number, Nate from Fifth Gear called me directly. His first words: “I got your email, but you don’t want to do that.”

He explained that there was a smarter, more cost-effective way to get my car ready for the track:

Install the Pagid Endurance pads, but buy them myself directly from FCP Euro. Their warranty coverage is stronger if I order them directly rather than through a shop. Skip the sensors entirely. Pagid pads burn so hot that they trigger the wear sensors almost immediately, even with plenty of pad life left. It’s better to leave them off and reinstall them when switching back to OEM. Don’t bother with separate rotors. Just put the OEM pads and sensors back on after I’m done with HPDE. If the rotors need replacing at that point, that’s the time to do it.

It was a simple plan and it saved me a lot of money compared to the first shop’s quote.

To be clear, the first shop wasn’t wrong. They gave me exactly what I asked for, and I’m sure they would have done excellent work. But as someone who’s new to tracking cars, I don’t always know what I should be asking. Basically, I don’t know what I don’t know. That’s why I appreciated Fifth Gear’s approach so much. They didn’t just give me a quote—they gave me guidance.

I’m not a mechanic. I’m not a Porsche specialist. I just enjoy driving. I know how to put gas in the car, inflate my tires, and get it to the dealership when it needs warranty service. So when someone like Nate takes the time to share his experience with track cars and help me find a more practical solution, it means a lot.

Because of that conversation, I was able to get the Lizard out on track at Eagles Canyon with Maverick PCA for HPDE weekend. And thanks to Fifth Gear Autosports, I did it with brakes I could trust without draining the wedding fund. Even better, their guidance means I’ll be able to stretch my budget across more HPDE weekends. Since I’m a novice and unlikely to push the car to its absolute limits, I may be able to get eight or more track days out of these Pagid Endurance pads before switching back to OEM.

For now, Fifth Gear is even storing my Pagid pads for when I need them again. I would gladly keep them on full-time, but there’s one big downside: they’re brutally noisy on the street. Unless they’re properly warmed up—which never happens on daily drives—they squeal and screech like a school bus coming to a stop. Great for confidence at speed on track, not so great when you’re pulling into the grocery store parking lot.

Still, I’ll gladly take a little embarrassment at stoplights if it means I can enjoy more track days without blowing the budget.