My Evo 8 has been having brake fade and brake loss issues lately and I need to fix that..... FAST !!!

I run RotorPro slotted rotors (not impressed), Pagid Yellow (or CarboTech XP10) brake pads (good stuff) and Castrol SRF brake fluid (best). I just cracked the right front rotor at Thunderbolt in New Jersey.

I run my Evo 8 at PCA, NASA and BMW Driver Ed events. I run in the instructed run group, so my pace is fast and furious. My red calipers are now black calipers. The tracks I run are Watkins Glen, Pocono, New Jersey Motorsports Park, Summit Point, etc.

I have suspension work and mild engine mods and a mild tune with 320whp. This winter I'll be doing a turbo upgrade and more performance mods to get about 425whp. I absolutely need more brake.

There are many brake kits out there but I don't want to spend a fortune on the brake kit, just because of the "name" brand. Some kits I've looked at are Brembo, StopTech, AP Racing, K-Sport, Wilwood, etc.

Anyone with experience out there that can guide me??????

Thanks.

 

I run the hell out of my car and I make around 370 awhp. My brakes dont have issues often, unless im really beating on them in upward of 20 minute sessions.

have you looked into upgrading to a two piece rotor like the girodisk rotors? You could also look into a brake cooling kit, I have the AMS setup and it works great. And i also run the girodisk Ti shims. And i have had really good luck with the performance friction 01 pads. But if Money is no issue I never overheated my Hawk DTC-70 pads.

Im only suggesting this route to save you some money. There are plenty of high powered evos out there running the stock brembos. You could also try and take some weight out of the car. The lighter the car the easier on your brakes!

Oh and one last thing, if your EVO has ABS, do you find yourself using it alot on the track?? I have over heard people at my local track complaining about overheating all the time and tried to relate it to relying on ABS to often??? I have know idea about this, just a suggestion??

 

Well, firstly, I don't know how the other "high powered" Evo drivers drive or brake, so I can't make a comment on that. Drag racing is way different than road racing, since you're on the brakes all the time. Particularly on smaller tight tracks.

Generally I do not get into the ABS on the track, since I'm mostly threshold braking, but sometimes I'm in the ABS.

I've considered a 2-piece rotor, but don't think it will help much with stopping power... maybe rotor life.

I do have a Forge Brake Duct cooling kit installed on the car.

I forgot to mention the brake kit should have 6-piston calipers.

 

Subscribed, I would like to see the responses you get.

For what its worth, I have heard that the Alcon kits are second to none... and will set you back about 6k for all four corners!

 

I run an Endless 6 pot 345mm front kit and it finally fixed my braking issues - I may get some slight fluid fade but I never lose the brakes anymore.

Alot of guys will tell you that 2 piece rotors, upgraded pads, SS lines and high temp fluid will do the trick and indeed it might for some guys but in my case I always had problems with major fluid fade and/or pad fade after a 20 minute track session, even with all of the aforementioned stuff and the AMS ducting kit installed.

Going BBK was a breath of fresh air - more consistent, more powerful and longer lasting braking. If you can afford it it's well worth the price.

I'd recommend the Alcon or AP Racing kits without hesitation if cost is not an issue, or just go Stoptech if cost is an issue. Endless kits are just as good but it's harder to find pads and the pads are a bit pricey when you do find them.

FWIW I only upgraded my fronts since like you I had brownbos up there, quickly on their way to being blackbos. I've stuck with the stock rear brakes though and they seem to be fine. I run Endless CC-Rg pads all around for consistency.

Whatever you do, you MUST be **** with pads when using a BBK. If your pads wear all the way down during a track session the replacement rotors are going to *really* hurt your wallet! Trust me on that one

Anyways I vote BBK or bust. I suffered for far to many trackdays, then finally bit the bullet and did it and I'll never look back. Lesser setups might work fine for some people but ultimately what I wanted was to NOT have to constantly 'manage' or drive around the crappy stock brakes or worry about losing them mid session. What I've got now is total confidence and zero issues - allows me to have more fun driving the car instead of worrying.

Just my 2c.

Good luck with your choice!

 

was at thunderbolt this past wednesday for the first time, fun track ! i am running a 6 piston alcon/stasis brake kit up front all season with no issues yet. i got tired of stock brake problems. they make kits to fit 17" rims, worth looking into.

 

ha-ha....
well, as mentioned, I'm not looking to break the bank on the brakes. As with any upgrade component, there are always products where the sky is the limit.

That is not the case here. I'm looking for the best bang for the buck.

 

Thunderbolt is were I lost my brakes!!! Here's a video clip from Saturday, Oct 18th. http://vimeo.com/2007632

I have 17" Enkei NT-03 wheels. Are there any BBK's that will "not" fit this wheel, if anyone knows?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

theshadow...
What do you think of Rotora, Wilwood, Stoptech 6 pot BBK's ??

 

If you insist on using 17 inch rims you'll need to look into smaller BBKs i.e. smaller diameter rotors. I know Alcon makes a Monoblock, 6 pot BBK that will fit 17 inch rims, so if you want something that's effective and will fit 17s that's the way I'd go if I were you.

BUT!

You'll need to doubel check that the smaller Alcon Mono6 kit (or whichever kit you choose) will fit with your particular rims. Alcon.Stasis themselves have a template for the smaller kit that they can email you and which you can use to test clearance on your own wheels. I remember that the 17 inch Enkei RPF1s I had at the time didn't clear according to the template but at least I saved myself the hassle of buying stuff that wouldn't fit.

Also, in addition to clearing you need a decent amount of clearance between the caliper and the rim to account for stones, bending of the rim etc. Getting a rock caught in there, or bending a rim which only clears by a few mm on the inside will not be pretty and it's something you need to take into account if you're tracking alot.

Also, part of what makes big brake kits effective is the size of the rotors, which allows for a better "heat sink" effect to absorb and dissipate heat as well as offering more surface area for braking friction. If it's maximum braking power you want, I'd recommend a larger big brake kit and an upgrade to 18 inch rims (heck, 18 inch NT03-Ms arent exactly heavy).

Don't get me wrong - I'm all for bang for hte buck and lightweight so I understand why 17s are a good thing and why you might want to work with them, just saying is all.

You'll likely see benefits with a smaller BBK but I haven't tested any nor do I know anyone who has used such a system so I can't offer you any real feedback on them.

 

Hm...I don't have any experience with Rotora or Wilwood kits so can't help there but a few people I know are more than happy with Stoptech kits. If it helps, we had one guy doing trackdays here with alot of formula car experience who used a front-and-rear Stoptech kit on his 350Z and he was very very happy with it (hated the stock 350Z Brembos in much the same way I didn't like the stock Evo brakes).

They may not have the "pedigree" of Alcon and AP Racing kits but they seem to work - and the nice thing about Stoptechs is the modular nature of the kits and the fact that they're pretty common as well - makes it that much easier to find spares when you need them.

Another kit some guys swear by here is the K-Sport BBK (same thing as the D2 BBK), which is basically a cheaper copy of the AP Racing kits. I wouldn't use them myself (apparently they're not rebuildable) but they're half the price of the AP kits, use the same pads and a few guys use them for Club racing here and seem very happy with them (one guy with an R32 Skyline and one guy with an Evo 6).

If it were my money I'd go for the Stoptechs over the K-Sports though since Stoptech seems to have solid engineering know-how and R&D in their kits as opposed to being a "cloner".

 

It's too late for me to change over to 18" wheels now. I've invested in 3 sets of 17" rims and have an inventory of Nitto NT01 and Hoosier R6 tires.

Not sure how the KSport BBK's would work. Although, I do have the KSport GT Pro coilovers on my car. Love 'em. ( I had the Kontrol Pro on my former WRX car and they were great on that car, too.)

What is the largest diameter rotor recommended for the 17" wheel?????

 

I believe the largest rotor most kits would use for a 17 inch wheels would be around 13-13.4 inches (330-340mm) or less.

Here's a link to the Alcon kit that fits 17 inch rims:
http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/s...x-p-35422.html

Shouldn't be hard to track down a Stoptech etc. kit with similar specs. You'll need to do the homework on clearances for your actual setup yourself though. Good luck!

 

I have stoptechs on my WRX and they are awesome. I have had a lot of luck with Stoptechs in the past and really they make a great brake system.

I would say go with the stoptechs and you will be very satisfied.

Mitch M

 

You don't happen to be the George I met a couple of weekends ago at Summit do you? You were really killin' it out there, wish I could have gotten a ride w/ you. Ah well, maybe in Feb? Want to sell me your OE brembos for $100?

Reid did really well ey? Took home two 1sts. Anyways, good to meet ya man. Look forward to helping you tune sometime in the future. Oh yeah, look into that FP Red.

Got some vid up btw: http://www.flatlinemotorsports.net/Video_Vault.html (4th vid down) Did you get any in-car?


edit: Your student's (black lancer w/ the 3065) SN here is MSP608. I'm going to help him switch back to a stock turbo here soon and fix up that tune.

 

I just posted a thread in the suspension/brakes section about my front Brembos that have been overheated too many times and are now flexing and causing the 2 piece rotors to wear on the outside close to the hub. I had been running the factory brake air guides until I had a custom twin 2" brake hose system made and still have an issue with the wear. I either need to get a fresh set of brembos or research a bigger brake kit like you are. The new techy 6 piston sets are incredible but insanely costly!