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upgrade rotors?

Quebster

Autocross Newbie
Location
Dallas, Tx
From talk on various forums for different cars, if I was tracking my car and wanted to run one pad, I'd try the Ferodo 2500. Maybe a little noise on the street, but probably okay under stress at the track. But most everyone that tracks seriously uses track pads.

Anyhow, I don't track (but I did used to race) so grain of salt is appropriate.

Call this place, David might have some feedback for you.

https://www.zeckhausen.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=1_290_64_5973&osCsid=sfsva8f4srjc99rcj2usf582o4

I really appreciate the input! Any idea what the dust levels are like on the Ferodo 2500's? They sound like what I'm looking for. Of course asking for a pad that can perform on track and retain street manners is difficult, but I think that would be ideal for me.
 
Location
St. Olaf
Dude, what do you really want? Does dust or performance matter for you?
You cannot eat the cake and have it, honestly. ;)
 

Quebster

Autocross Newbie
Location
Dallas, Tx
Dude, what do you really want? Does dust or performance matter for you?
You cannot eat the cake and have it, honestly. ;)



No shit! Hence the last sentence of my last post. I want it all!! [emoji23] I am just asking the dust levels, I would guess they are probably medium for that pad...


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geebob

Ready to race!
Going from the Porterfields to the Ferodos would be a horizontal move pretty much. I meant if I was starting with stock pads.

If you're looking for advice, I'd say, if you're tracking to broaden and refine your driving skill-set (and why else would you be?) just run the R4-S until they fade bad enough to scare you. Then figure out what you want to do.

I'd also always have a full spare set of pads in the hatch, and whatever tools you need.

If you're not getting any fade from a street pad, you're not going fast enough. You will soon enough if you track regularly. Tracking is by definition, abuse, because you're operating the car beyond what the designers intended. Anything you can do to help with that is a good thing.
 

Quebster

Autocross Newbie
Location
Dallas, Tx
I think that's sound advice, thanks. As far as the Porterfield's to Ferodos, it sounds like the Ferodos are more track oriented than the Porterfield R4-S according to their descriptions. Porterfield themselves doesn't recommend the R4-S for track use, yet the Ferodos advertise as being a street pad that you can use from light to medium track duty, which makes it appealing. Honestly I've only done my first track day though, I need to just go back out and see what I need and if I'll want to get dedicated track pads. I don't know if I'll be serious enough to warrant dedicated track pads, or if something like the Ferodo's would be perfect for me. All speculation, I just need to get back out there I think.


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geebob

Ready to race!
You've got a lot to learn and it will be tons of fun, but you will help yourself by taking it seriously and understanding the subtleties - smooth is fast and all that. It's kind of like golf, but louder.

Brake early, concentrate on your transition from braking to turning. Divide the track in your mind into sections - this will train you to consider the rhythm that a sequence of turns creates and reward you when you get some set of turns right. It's very fulfilling.

Something to consider - at any road racing level there's always a few guys that are always at the front. No matter the level, what those guys have in common is corner entry speed. So they brake less. Except they're going faster when they do.
 

Quebster

Autocross Newbie
Location
Dallas, Tx
Well... here's the plan for my DD "track car" (lol) I'm going to stick with stock calipers, I have PP up front and non-PP rear. Currently running RBF600 fluid, plan to switch to SRF next flush. I have stainless lines up front, but not in the rear, though I do have stainless lines laying around for the rears.

I'm going to get the stoptech slotted front PP rotors and the stoptech slotted non-PP rear rotors. I plan to run Porterfield R4-S pads all around, but I also plan to get the R4 (track version) and swap out the fronts for track weekends, and keep the street version on for AutoX. I also plan to install the stainless rear lines on next flush.

I also installed some brake ducting over the last couple of days... I had to settle with the way I did it in the picture below, I simply couldn't find a good place to mount the 3" ducting close to the caliper without something hitting it, like the tire on turn in, or the drive shaft, or worrying about the endlinks rubbing it raw. This is still better than nothing methinks, dustshileds obviously removed, and plan to remove rear rotor dust shields when I upgrade them. I think if I wanted, I would have better luck with a 2" duct, and could get a 3" to 2" adapter, mount it in the tire well, and run a 2" duct to the rotor:



I think this should suffice for what I will be doing with the car! i.e. a non-track dedicated DD car that I still want to do good work with on the track. Always trying to find that perfect balance.
 

geebob

Ready to race!
Please post up when you have some thoughts on the R4 pads. I like a man with a plan and yours seems to hit the sweet spot between street and track.

Curious, what are you doing about tires? Most people that track have a set of track wheels/tires.
 

Quebster

Autocross Newbie
Location
Dallas, Tx
Please post up when you have some thoughts on the R4 pads. I like a man with a plan and yours seems to hit the sweet spot between street and track.

Curious, what are you doing about tires? Most people that track have a set of track wheels/tires.

Will do. Currently just on Firehawk Indy 500 340 treadwear tires, 245/40/18. I plan on having a dedicated track setup at some point, likely later in the year though. I want to see how long these Firehawks will get me. I've been pretty happy with their performance for my level so far!
 

Quebster

Autocross Newbie
Location
Dallas, Tx
Brakes are all here! Stoptech slotted front and rear rotors and Porterfield R4-S pads all around, with R4 track compound front pads for track days. Super excited to see how these do!




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Quebster

Autocross Newbie
Location
Dallas, Tx
Put my brake rotors and pads on today on all 4 corners.

Btw, from my understanding, the Stoptech slotted rotors are definitely an upgrade from the softer OEM rotors. I'm looking forward to using these on track with the race pads also next track day.



My rotors were pretty shot:



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Location
St. Olaf
Btw, from my understanding, the Stoptech slotted rotors are definitely an upgrade from the softer OEM rotors. I'm looking forward to using these on track with the race pads also next track day.
Let me take the liberty of asking an iconoclastic question,
how do you know this before even hitting the track?
From my understanding, the Stoptech slotted rotors are
basically the exact same stuff as stock, they just come
with slots. I am fully aware that there are some slight
differences in the alloying, but I'm also aware these are
only minor, since any rotor is made from cast iron mainly
(so Fe and C are the main alloying constituents). Let me
add, I did run some 'uprated' rotors in the past (Tarox).
That probably makes me having realistic expectations.
However, they do actually look nice and I hope they will
sustain the stresses on track. Again, a proper ventilation
will help.

;)
 

Quebster

Autocross Newbie
Location
Dallas, Tx
Again, just "my understanding," based on what what my shop and various others have told me, besides yourself of course. We'll see how they do soon enough!
 

edge04

Ready to race!
Location
midwest
Let us know differences in lap times, braking zones, speeds, feel, etc. If you can.

I agree you won't feel a difference in rotors. Similar conditions will tell if they are better or not.

Again, just "my understanding," based on what what my shop and various others have told me, besides yourself of course. We'll see how they do soon enough!
 

Quebster

Autocross Newbie
Location
Dallas, Tx
I'll be back at the track at the beginning of next month. Will let everyone know how everything holds up, especially over time. Will also be using dedicated track pads, so that will be different as well.

I'm positive these are at the very least a small upgrade, whether they're a slightly harder material, or from the slots alone, which do actually help. They do look nice (not why I bought them but definitely a plus) and since my old rotors were pretty shot, I actually needed a replacement, so it's not like I wasted money. So that's my justification :p

If you wanted a serious upgrade for stock rotors you could go with Emmannuele Design's 2-piece directionally vented rotors for 3x the cost, or of course go all the way with a BBK. Those are the options I'm aware of.

There are also the Clubsport's brakes, which are 2-piece but non-servicable, and also directionally vented but the left and right disks are identical, meaning one side will be vented the wrong way. It's like they almost got it right, but not quite. Badly, correct me if I'm wrong here since you actually have the pleasure of owning that bad boy, which unfortunately lost it's Nurburgring lap record to a Honda the other day :(

Oh there's also the ECS 2-piece rotors for a bit less than the ED ones that are drilled and slotted....... directionally vented too but.... no thanks.

I chose to go with the mild upgrade with dedicated track pads. Maybe not a big upgrade, but definitely an upgrade, rotors included. We'll see how they do very soon!

By the way... what do y'all know about cryo-treated rotors?
 
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