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Upgrading PP Brakes for Track Use?

LarryLaptimes

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
The Racing Capital of the World
Car(s)
2018 VW GTI SE
I’ve done a couple HPDE with my GTI which has the stock PP brakes and they‘ve held up relatively well. I‘d like to start doing quite a few more track days during the summer and I’d like to address the brakes. I’d really like to avoid swapping the current caliper setup unless it’s absolutely necessary. That being said, does anyone have any recommendations to make the PP brakes a relatively stout setup for track use? Specifically rotors, pads, lines, and fluid recommendations? Thanks!
 

Handguns4heaRTs

Drag Racing Champion
Location
So Cal
Car(s)
2017 GTI SE DSG
Centric premium high carbon rotors, RBF600 brake fluid, and Ferodo DS2500 pads with SS brake lines are what I use on my daily. I try to make it to 5-6 track days a year. You can go more race specific pads if you’re tracking more
 

yirayira

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Chicago, IL
Car(s)
2015 GTI SE
Cutting down the heat shields seems to help with cooling as well. I just left enough to protect the ABS sensor and ball joints. I would keep the PP brakes until you're looking at dedicated track pads. Then the cheaper pads and ease of swapping pads with the Macan Brembos will offset the upgrade cost
 

Mini7

Autocross Champion
Location
Charlotte, NC
Car(s)
2017 GTi Sport PP
Get tracks pads:
Front- Ferrodo 2500 or Pagid RSL 29’s. I ran Pagids and you can leave them in for the street Not sure about the 2500’s
Rear: Pagid RSl19’s
Castrol SRF or Motul Brake fluid
RS3 Air Delfectors
Titanium heat shields behind the front pads
Remove the stock dust/heat shields

You will need to bleed your brake system with fresh fluid before every DE.
 

LarryLaptimes

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
The Racing Capital of the World
Car(s)
2018 VW GTI SE
Centric premium high carbon rotors, RBF600 brake fluid, and Ferodo DS2500 pads with SS brake lines are what I use on my daily. I try to make it to 5-6 track days a year. You can go more race specific pads if you’re tracking more

Thank you for the recommendation! I think that’s probably along the lines of how many track days I’d like to do per year. I know there are a lot of variables but how many track days do you imagine you can run before this setup would need replacement ?
 

Handguns4heaRTs

Drag Racing Champion
Location
So Cal
Car(s)
2017 GTI SE DSG
Thank you for the recommendation! I think that’s probably along the lines of how many track days I’d like to do per year. I know there are a lot of variables but how many track days do you imagine you can run before this setup would need replacement ?
I change my fluid every year, but I have over 12 track days on the rest of the setup, and rotors and pads have tons of life left. I still have stock pads and rotors on the rear, and I will change them out before another track day
 

LarryLaptimes

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
The Racing Capital of the World
Car(s)
2018 VW GTI SE
Get tracks pads:
Front- Ferrodo 2500 or Pagid RSL 29’s. I ran Pagids and you can leave them in for the street Not sure about the 2500’s
Rear: Pagid RSl19’s
Castrol SRF or Motul Brake fluid
RS3 Air Delfectors
Titanium heat shields behind the front pads
Remove the stock dust/heat shields

You will need to bleed your brake system with fresh fluid before every DE.

So now for my dumb question....the stock rotors would be sufficient enough to utilize with this setup?
 
Last edited:

Mini7

Autocross Champion
Location
Charlotte, NC
Car(s)
2017 GTi Sport PP
Stock rotors are good quality and lasted me a season.
10-track days and 20,000miles
My second set were Zimmerman and they lasted a season as well.
Rear rotors lasted for two seasons, before I changed them the beginning of last year.
I have 30-days on my rear pads and the Pagid RSL 19’s have about 40% left.
Stock pads have no place on track past your second DE-weekend.

I posted my brake consumable life in my thread. Track pads are pricey, no question about that. I consider them a safety item, so you got to pay to play.

The PP brakes start fading halfway through a session and you have to start backing up a brake marker or two.
 

LarryLaptimes

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
The Racing Capital of the World
Car(s)
2018 VW GTI SE
Stock rotors are good quality and lasted me a season.
10-track days and 20,000miles
My second set were Zimmerman and they lasted a season as well.
Rear rotors lasted for two seasons, before I changed them the beginning of last year.
I have 30-days on my rear pads and the Pagid RSL 19’s have about 40% left.
Stock pads have no place on track past your second DE-weekend.

I posted my brake consumable life in my thread. Track pads are pricey, no question about that. I consider them a safety item, so you got to pay to play.

The PP brakes start fading halfway through a session and you have to start backing up a brake marker or two.

Good info! Thank you!
 

Mini7

Autocross Champion
Location
Charlotte, NC
Car(s)
2017 GTi Sport PP

SouthFL_Mk7.5

Autocross Champion
Location
South Florida
Car(s)
2019 GTI S
I recently switched to 2 piece front rotors. Could be a placebo but I had zero issues with brake fade last outing. I do see mechanically how they could possibly help with ventilation of the disc and could help stop transfer of heat from the disc and caliper to the hub, but I’m no engineer with quantitative data. Simply could stay out on the track longer when I paired these with a real track pad. Could have been the pad (most likely), but the 2 pc rotors could have helped. Last outing I used Porterfield R4 up front and R4S in back.
 

R Golf

Go Kart Champion
Location
Lenox, MA
I run about 10 track days per year in advanced run groups plus and find the stock rotors really good. I'd put upgrade money in other areas. As others, I run more track foucsed pads/fluid (Ferodo DS2500/Motul RBF660) and flush often.

Rotors last a full season including ~12K street miles.
 

DarkArrow

Drag Racing Champion
Location
OC
Car(s)
'18 R
You can get stock rotors, DS2500 pads, and Castrol SRF fluid all from FCPEuro, which has lifetime guarantee on all parts, so you don't have to pay for parts after the first time. It's an incredible deal for people like us who tend to go through a set a year.
 

blaqsheep

Autocross Champion
Location
Canada
Car(s)
IS38 GTI
You can get stock rotors, DS2500 pads, and Castrol SRF fluid all from FCPEuro, which has lifetime guarantee on all parts, so you don't have to pay for parts after the first time. It's an incredible deal for people like us who tend to go through a set a year.
This is the setup I'm running, with Yperion titanium shims and Porsche GT3 brake ducts. Really happy with it. Will experiment with removing the dust shield this season.
 

R Golf

Go Kart Champion
Location
Lenox, MA
You can get stock rotors, DS2500 pads, and Castrol SRF fluid all from FCPEuro, which has lifetime guarantee on all parts, so you don't have to pay for parts after the first time. It's an incredible deal for people like us who tend to go through a set a year.

Have you tried with any success to get free replacement of rotors? That's sounds almost too good to be true. I go through a set of rotors each year
 
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