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Which rotors & pads for someone who tracks 3-5 times a year?
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04-03-2013, 10:12 PM | #1 |
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Which rotors & pads for someone who tracks 3-5 times a year?
I know various forms of this question have been asked lots of times... So thanks for those who feel like helping!
I head to the local track maybe 3 to 5 times a year. It's not a long track. 1.5 miles long, with 9 corners, and you'd hit 100 MPH at the end of the strip, so more of a technical one. Car's a stage 2+ with Cobb tune, no suspension work yet, or BBK. In the next few months my brakes will need changing, so this is what I'm wondering. ROTORS: I've read here and there that drilled rotors can crack under heavy track conditions. Would the amount I do be risky and should I get slotted ones instead? Here's one place that had it summed up well. Benefits of a drilled one are better grip in wet conditions, which is most of the year where I am! (Seattle is even mentioned in the link below! LOL!) http://www.zeckhausen.com/How_to_sel...ake_rotors.htm If drilled are so bad though, how come a Porsche Turbo comes with them? . . PADS: As far as pads, I know I have tons of choices, any you'd recommend for me? For example, the Hawk HP Plus pads are the ones that seem to be for those who drive their cars every day, but do a few track days. The Turner Motorsports site say they have moderate-high noise, requires some heat to work at full potential, but safe to use at low temperatures and can be used on the street. What does that mean exactly? In reality, I'm doing 99% of my mileage on the roads, so I wouldn't want something that's going to drive me crazy. Plus, my commute's short, so I'm only driving the car like 10 miles each way to work and back for the most part, so this requiring some heat has me worried. . . Last edited by Glowin; 04-04-2013 at 02:08 PM.. |
04-03-2013, 11:15 PM | #2 |
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Stick with an OEM style "blank" rotor. Stay away from the marketing hype of the x-drilled and/or slotted rotors. They will not improve performance, and in fact, will decrease it. Since you say that you are tracking a few times per year but DDing most of the time, I assume that you are planning on driving to and from the track, which means last think you want is to be stuck with a cracked rotor.
As far as pads go, Hawk HP+ or HPS. Both are great choices. HPS has less bite than the HP+, but they will be more liveable for daily driving. They make less noise and less dust. EBC makes good pads too. The blue stuff is designed for DD with occasional track use. The red stuff is a track oriented pad. The more the bite, the longer it will take to warm up on the street and the more noise it will make. Choice is yours. |
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04-03-2013, 11:26 PM | #3 |
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I would only go slotted, no drilled or dimpled.
DO NOT GET EBC ROTORS. EBC pads are fine too. I run red stuff all around and its great. Rotors are useless though. Would go stoptech, performance friction, or OEM when I do my brakes again. |
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04-04-2013, 01:31 PM | #4 |
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We recommend OE style blank rotors or alternatively slotted rotors.
Cool Carbon pads are our first recommendation and our favorites for Street Performance and occasional track. What we run on our own cars. Please PM and we would be happy to assist!
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04-04-2013, 02:51 PM | #5 |
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Thanks everyone.
ROTORS: So with slotted, is the only downside that your pads will get used up faster than with blank rotors? I only do 5,000 miles a year maybe, and the car's almost 5 years old, and has only 5 track days on it (I only started last year), and am just getting around to replacing my brakes now, so longevity isn't a huge factor for me. PADS: With the HPS pads, are they at least an improvement over OEM? Turner website says: Hawk's HPS street pads are a high-quality, OEM replacement pad that is designed for daily drivers and street cars. These are comparable with other pads that we sell but are geared mainly for average daily drivers. They have a lot of performance capability but do not have the same feel or initial bite as the stock pads do. I really love the initial bite of the OEM pads... For the HP+, What kind of noise are we talking about during daily driving? And what do you think of the "Stoptech Street Performance"? They have very good initial bite apparently. The description on them sounds pretty good: StopTech's Street Performance composite brake pads use a new proprietary compound for excellent braking performance on the street with some capability for light track or autocross use. These also work well as a high-performance daily driver pad. What's great about these pads, besides their performance, is the price - they are the same or less than factory OEM pads! . . Kevin, I noticed you sell the StopTech - Sport Brake Upgrade Kit, which comes with the above pads. So you'd recommend Cool Carbon over the Street Perf pads? |
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04-04-2013, 03:13 PM | #6 |
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04-04-2013, 04:15 PM | #8 | |
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Quote:
Hi Glowin—Yes most definitely !
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04-04-2013, 11:03 PM | #9 |
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The problem with those rotors was not that they were slotted, it is that they were shitty blanks. One of the cracks isnt even near a slot.
I run DBA 4000 T3 slotted rotors that have been cryo treated, and ran slotted cryo rotors from both DBA and Stoptech on prior vehicles, and never once ran into a problem even with my extremely aggressive braking behavior, and many many miles. I will never not run slotted cryo rotors on the front of any car I own. If you want pads with OEM or better bite, try Axxis Ultimate. The downside of that bite is dust and rotor wear, but it is totally worth it. |
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04-04-2013, 11:55 PM | #10 | |
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04-05-2013, 12:40 AM | #12 |
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R1concepts is shitty ebay special garbage. I do agree that DBA makes some of the best stuff, but I know that I've seen too many x-drilled and/or slotted rotors fail at track days. I've done my fair share of organized enduro racing and 99% of the cars you see are running blank rotors (unless they are the kevlar ceramic brakes, like the GT3's)
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04-05-2013, 03:38 AM | #13 |
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Get DBA4000, maybe 5000 if u have the cash to spend as its 2 piece with aluminum hat which is a lot lighter, the slotted versions, not the drilled, well worth the money. n remember theres a difference with rotors designed with slotted and taking a blank rotor and adding slots
as for pads, DO NOT RUN HPS OR HP+, they WILL NOT HOLD UP n is not meant for tracking. I had HP+ before and 2 laps into a heavy braking course, they faded bad.
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04-05-2013, 08:44 AM | #14 |
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I've tried cool carbons and wasn't happy with how long it took to break them. In addition, I missed the initial bite of OEM's. That combined with the longer brake pedal throw required for the same level of braking, my heel-toe techniques were harder to pull off during heavy braking at the track (I had gotten used to OEM brake pad pedal throw).
In my opinion, I think that there is no such thing as a good compromise between a daily driving and a HPDE brake pad. Either get a set of brake pads to swap out for track days (maybe red stuff or stoptech? Those are on my list...), or consider a big brake kit. Otherwise, some good high-temp brake fluid, stainless steel brake lines, and OEM brake pads are probably the best option for finding a solution that lets you use drive hard. This lack of good compromise solutions for track vs. daily driving has really made me think about how in the long run, I should just consider getting a dedicated weekend/track car! |
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04-05-2013, 02:36 PM | #15 | |
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What pads do you run then / Recommend? Stoptech Street Performance? Do you regularly go to Mission, by the way? I go there once in a while. I wonder if the Cool Carbon pads would work with Stoptech rotors? |
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04-05-2013, 05:49 PM | #16 |
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04-05-2013, 09:50 PM | #17 |
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Cool Carbons are the shit. Just go blank rotors. End thread.
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04-05-2013, 11:55 PM | #18 |
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Read my Sig, all my brake parts are in there. I also did DBA4000 (Front) and (Rear) rotors, Axxis Ult pads, and brake lines with the ATE Super Blue for under $850.00.
Well worth the money and the bite/braking power is excellent. Not a lot of dust and absolutely no noise, which I love!
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04-06-2013, 01:19 AM | #19 |
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I got both my front rotors for $330 from Sakari Motorsports, a very good price, rears would cost about the same. Got the Axxis pads from Turner, about $100 for the fronts
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04-08-2013, 10:49 PM | #21 | |
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As my Grandma loves to say, Son, time for you to shit or get off the pot. |
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04-09-2013, 12:15 PM | #22 |
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LOL, I do analyze things a bit too much...
But reading back, I got a couple of blank rotor recommendations (I'd like to go slotted to get something different, I understand the pros and cons of them) and the DBA rotors are too much money to spend, considering I'm only tracking a few times a year. So it comes down to Stoptechs vs. Turners I figured. |
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