Stoptech big brake kit

[Lowell Foo]

My only competitive autocross car was a C/SP Civic, so stock brakes with good pads did the trick.  Is water spray allowed? 

http://www.nagtroc.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=41533

These look like RC duct fans...

http://www.2009gtr.com/2010/08/stillen-brake-cooling-kit-front-and.html

http://www.f1technical.net/articles/2

[Remi Raymond]

Water spray isn't allowed (potential to leave residue on the track)

[KevinBuckham]

I can only imagine the looks you'd get from tech inspectors as you try to explain why your brakes work so well, and why after your fast run of the day, every one else just spins.  *Honestly*, it's just for cooling my brakes!

I have heard of guys using RC duct fans for cooling brakes in autox.  With the low speeds normal brake ducts aren't that effective.  Haven't personally seen it, but I think it's even a DSMer that is using them. 

Reading the F1 link just makes me want to find a set of Porsche/Brembo carbon ceramic brakes.  Half of the weight of a two piece rotor like the Stoptech?!  Crazy.  Lifetime in normal street conditions of 100,000 miles.

[Lowell Foo]

It will also make you want to find $15k in the wash to pay the credit card bill.

http://www.nagtroc.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=31982

[Ivan Skare]

My buddy is just finishing up an 8 piston AMG Mercedes brake setup on his S2000. I think the rotors are 15 inches. I say overkill, but it's his life.

[John Hartman]

hehehe, well kudos to him if he makes it work well    Good job.

For a car that light, its definately a bit much, but again, good job on getting it working.

[Matt VanDerZwaag]

Not to jack the thread but here's a good write up from supra mania regarding brake myths, performance pads, oem pads etc. 

http://www.supramania.com/forums/content.php?125-The-Warped-Brake-Disc-and-Other-Myths-of-the-Braking-System

[John Hartman]

good stuff there.

Tho I will also argue that rotors can be warped or out of round.  I have used a dial indicator on the rotors from a pulsating brake pedal car.  I have also chucked them up on a lathe and watched the pattern, where the tool touched on one part of the rotor and did not touch on the opposite side.  They are out of round for sure,and its not pad material on the metal of the rotor, its a warped rotor.

after turning the rotor, the pulsation is gone.  This is 100% of the time.

[Lowell Foo]

I turned the rotors on my Baer kit and now they run smoothly again.  Anyone that has used a brake lathe can tell you that rotors warp...

[Matt VanDerZwaag]

I don't think he's saying so much as "rotors don't warp", more like the cause more often then not is build up of pad material creating the "cementite layer" over the pad. Do you see rotors warped by your everyday commuter or does that require a higher temperature, such as racing applications/someone who drives recklessly? Or is it simply caused by someone splashing through a puddle with hot rotors?

[John Hartman]

I for one, have NEVER seen any pad build up on a rotor.  not one.  And like Lowell said, all you have to do is use a brake lathe.  When you are setting up the machine, you are aligning the cutter heads to take off a minimum amount of material, and as such, you see where the cutters are touching and not touching.

I see warped rotors more often on regular commuter cars,(Neons, minivans, Malibus etc) than on hi performance cars for sure.  And, for what its worth, I have also never seen or driven a DSM(or period correct awd Galant) with warped rotors.  Ever.  Not sure what they did right, but GM in particular should take note...

I have a therory that rotors are warped when someone stops medium to hard, then hits a puddle with one wheel and cools off half the rotor quickly, causing it to warp.  If you think about it, you stop hardish for a corner.  Where do the large puddles collect?  Right at the corner!  So you have a hot rotor, then you cool half of it off really quickly in a puddle.

[Remi Raymond]

Stoptech was the originator of that information posted on that corvette site, and they have some other interesting white papers. Not sure if they cited it but: http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml)

 I also don't fully agree with the "warped rotors are actually just extra pad material being transfered unevenly" idea, but in the end its really just a technicality as both issues have the same causes and solutions.

[Kristopher]

My question to them would be that provided there are microscopic thin layers of brake material transferred to the disc and presumably encouraging the formation of the cementite does that in fact mimic rotor material to the extent it would appear to measure as a warped rotor and when cutting also appears to be rotor material?

If so, then for all practical purposes we're all talking about the same thing. You could test the warped rotor theory by spinning a naked rotor while applying heat evenly, then shooting part of it with cold water. Measure the runout and conclude that they either do or do not warp on their own. But that said, I'd suspect it to take lots of time for cementite to build up enough material to mimic a warped rotor and thus don't think it'd be possible for a new set of pads and discs to warp on a track day, which I've heard stories of as well.

And for what it's worth, I've warped a set of stock 1Ga 'systems' and the larger 1Gb ones until I used a hawk HPS pad and drilled rotors.

The Audi appears to have warped front discs too, but in this case I think it's a floppy wheel bearing.

[Matt VanDerZwaag]

It does seem to be somewhat of a wild claim, nonetheless interesting stuff.

Not sure what they did right, but GM in particular should take note...

Yah tell me about it, I have gotten warped rotors twice in the past 2 years on my cavalier.

[John Hartman]

Kris, interesting theory, but I have cut too many rotors and seen just plain old cast iron come off them, so unless the pads are pure cast iron, or there is some alchemy going on somewhere, its not flying for me 

My Mazda had warped fronts when I bought it, I turned them, and they warped again(25,000km later) and so I cut them again.  I will have to replace them next time.

Matt you were lucky to get once a year out of the GM rotors.  I have seen them last 2-3 months when I worked at the GM dealer.  Grand Ams, Malibus etc are the WORST.