I start one of these almost every year just to see if there's any new braking information that I haven't heard about. Any and all information is welcomed.

To me braking is #2 on the list of things to invest in (driver mod first) when lapping and pushing the car. The thing is I don't want to get silly about it and drop senseless cash on parts that don't perform well.

I attend mostly HPDE events. Here is my current platform:

1. Racing brake rotors (not two piece).
2. Raybestos ST-43 pads (thanks for CDFireman1 for the tip)
3. Motul 600 (considering 660)
4. Hoosier R6's

Things I'm interested in hearing:
1. Best place to get a brake ducting kit
2. The always popular 2 piece vs solid rotor comparison
3. Newer better brake fluids - ex: 660
4. Newer better brake pads for lapping

Fire away....

 

1. To build your own? I use AMS's part but i've redone the ducting dozens of times so I picked up the silicon hose from Pegasus Racing.
2. To many posts already on this, less rotating mass the better the performance, period. PF rotors FTW.
3. Old relilable, Castrol SRF, accept no substitute.
4. Raybestos ST47's front, and ST45's rear. 43's just don't have the torque anymore now that I (car is pretty much the same) have gotten faster.

 

Jeff, I ran the RB 2pc (Open slot) fronts for the 2009 TT season..with the RB ET-800 as my primary pad compound. The rotors run much cooler and the brake ducts may not be required. And the ET-800 pads have lasted for a min of 2 track days =8 20 min. sessions.. And the street miles in between, on an average. I am finally going to swap out my RB 1pc. rear rotors after 3 (yrs) to run the 2pc. rear. I use the ATE Blue. Pete

 

DBA 4000 front rotor, Stoptech rears, ET-800 pads f/r, ATE Super Blue. Hoping to switch to Racing Brake rotors soon with the help of Mr. Tiebout and Motorsports Performance Group.

Castrol SRF is a great fluid, but very expensive, and doesn't have the life span of the Motul or the Ate. I dd.autox, so ATE was a good sacrifice in performance and life.

 

Hmm.....I was just about to order some ST43's (which I love).

 

one stop shop

Racing Brake Competition Podium Package
http://shop.motorsportsperformancegr...-PACKAGE-1.htm

 

Hmm, odd, myself and a slew of SCCA guys go an entire SEASON with just small bleeds every now and then

 

I did too, but when I introduced them to Barber I glazed them pretty thoroughly, sanded them down, then went to Hallet (which is just as bad on brakes) and did it again. Called up Porterfield and found out about their new toys then did a lot of research. PCA, Rolex guys, you name it, can't say enough about em.

 

Some of you know that i race my Evo9 in Super Touring with NASA. Ive moved up the NASA ladder system, so i have experience with HPDE, TT, and now racing. I can say that all 3 of those are different, and sometimes require significantly different prep work. There is a good chance that some people put more stress on their car during a HPDE than during a TT event. Sometimes during a TT event one might just try to get a fast lap and end their session early to conserve their consumables. Whereas some in HPDE might be running every session from start to finish. However, that will be different from one person to the next. Therefore, the opposite can also be true. Having said that, i can say that given my experience, my car sees significantly more stress during a race than any HPDE or TT event. For one thing, my rotors and pads wear out more quickly. I can only speak for myself, so here are my thoughts based on my experience. Before i list my responses, here is my current setup:

1. Girodisc 2-piece slotted rotors (front and rear)
2. Raybestos ST43 pads
3. Motul RBF 600
4. Added brake ducting recently (before 2009 Nationals)

Ive been running that setup since 2008 (obviously without the brake ducting because it was added recently). That setup not only works perfectly for me for HPDE/TT events, but it also lasts a while. But ive realized that i need brake ducting to maximize that setup for racing. More on brake ducting in the proceeding. Here is my review on the Girodisc 2-pc rotors and Raybestos ST43 brake pads:

Review: Girodisc Rotors & Raybestos brake pads



Here are my responses to your other questions:

1. Brake ducting: I know i need it for racing. I can get away without brake ducting in HPDE/TT events, and i can get away without it in racing when on tracks that are not heavy on brakes, but either way i need it for racing for the overall safety and what if factors. I bought a used AMS brake duct kit before 2009 Nationals. Given my experience with it thus far, i can say that the hose it too narrow, and the air-inlet is also too narrow. For starters, throughout the next few months im going to try to play with some larger air-inlets to see if that helps. Because despite the fact that i believe the hose is too narrow, there isnt much room to begin with to increase the size of the hose. And it will probably be a PITA to fit 3" of hosing.

2. In 2009, Martin from Girodisc asked me and my friend Sean Bradley to test out some directional vane slotted rotors against some OEM type pillar vane rotors. These are the rotors we tested:

Girodisc Directional Vane Slotted Front 1/pc Rotor

Long story short, those directional vane slotted rotors ran much cooler than the OEM type pillar vane rotors. Coupled with my experience, unless there is some special unknown 1-pc rotor, i know the 2-pc Girodisc rotors are the way to go. They dissipate heat better, my pads wear evenly, and they last.

3-4. Dont know of any newer/better pads and fluids. If anyone can find the limits of rotors, pads, and fluids, i would be one of those guys. A lot of people claim and praise a lot of products. Dont take this the wrong way, but i could care less what someone who is doing HPDE/TT/TA events has to say. A product may very well be great for someone who is doing HPDE/TT/TA, but it also may end up failing under the rigors of racing. So ill keep my ears open and ill listen, but i know that just because it works for them doesnt mean those products will work in a race.

 

That's a steal - great setup at an excellent price.

 

Interesting that many of you are using the Raybestos pads - I never tried them. How do they compare to Hawk DTC-60 or 70? Not only in terms performance but also in price and how corrosive the brake dust is to the rims is in the wet (thinking of Hawk Blues here -kings of rim finish killers!)

 

girodisc for rotors! 2 piece front and rear...

I just posted a brief review of the CL Brakes rc6 pads. These will not dissapoint, I honestly think the pads are amazing. i was considering a big brake upgrade until i ran these.

otherwise, you are right on when it comes to the importance of braking, i could have all the power in the world but its no good if you cant stop....

 

I have been running the Girodisc rotors and Raybestos pads since 2008. I havent had an opportunity to run anything else since then because when i first got the Girodiscs i wanted to run the same pads on them until the rotors ran out of life. As you can see from my Girodisc review thread, that took a while. And when it came time to replace the front rotors, since i liked the ST43s, i decided to stick with them again. I cant give feedback to compare them to the DTC70s because i havent ran them. But from what i have heard, the ST43s and DTC70s are pretty similar. Unless the prices have changed recently, the one difference is the ST43s are cheaper than the DTC70s. You can buy the ST43s from Girodisc also.

 

I'm interested in hearing the pros and cons of going with the ST45/47 rather than the ST43. I love my 43s as they are a long lasting late braking pad. What would I gain or lose by moving to the ST45/47?

 

Google version:

Raybestos ST43
Friction level and wear rate between ST-41 and ST-42. Stability is notquite as good as 42 but better than 41. Excellent open wheel formula.

Raybestos ST45
Lower friction level than the ST-47. Could be used as a great rear to compliment the ST-47 compound.

Raybestos ST47
Has the highest friction and torque available to date. It has been engineered for long-lasting extreme heat situations and maximum rotor life. If you are looking for the most advanced-performing road race brake pad, that will simply out perform all the rest, this is it.


It's evolution *execuse the pun lol* so you could brake later, brake harder, brake longer, go faster, pretty self explainatory. Con would be....nothing I can think of, price isn't really that different either, so it didn't make sense to me to buy a 1995 year truck when I could get a 2010 for the same price, for example. And these new ones are supposed to out brake DTC70's without Hawk's gouging price or corrosive brake dust. I plan on running them first weekend of May so I can get a more accurate review then. But on paper and from other car clubs, wither it weighs 2500 or 3500 lbs they seem to be the way to go.