[enrita]

Update:

Alcon UK called me back to find out more about my issue. They were really sorry about all the troubles i had with their kit. Also my order never got through from their distributor and they were not happy about it.

They offer to send me FREE of charge New rotors, bells . All assembled and ready for installation.
What can i say.. this IS customer service and a company that is 100% behind the product.
Props to Alcon!

Update!
Got the rotors and bells home today , they look amazing! big props to Alcon customer service, they really stand behind their products!





This kit is from 2007 . New rotors from march 2011 and Pads performance friction xp10, hardly tracked.
Alcon is giving me now 4 weeks to get the new bells so i am forced to spend 500 USD to install the OEM front brakes (need new rotors)

Almost all bolts show cracks around the bells , both left and right. They are literally disintegrating themselves.

If i think i run those for 4 laps at the ring and what could have happened if the material gave up than ....

Enjoy:

[Alpina_B3_Lux]

That does not look good at all.

I'd choose another BBK such as AP Racing or Brembo where things like this won't happen.

Alpina_B3_Lux

[BMWsky]

Holy CRAP!!! Really glad you caught that before something bad happened.

[tres]

wow thats some some scary stuff

[lpphreakx06]

I was thinking of purchasing alcon brakes. Probably not anymore, unless they've made improvements o their newer kits.

[fastloop]

Shocking pics! It looks like they have been way too agressive with saving unsprung weight and compromised the rotor hat.

Seeing this I'm glad I went with AP Racing.

[Tee212]

wow that hat chipped off as tho it was made out of maple.

[tibra1]

What was ALCONS response to this?

[Syndicategt]

OMG good catch! Thanks for the heads up, I know I won't be going with them in the future.

[nekky]

On another note, the mods in your sig indicate that your car is seriously bad-ace... Hope this works out in your favour!!

[lawwailok]

geeeeeeees...i was so close to get a set of Alcon BBK... i thought they were race proven and done plenty of R&D?
oh well... at least now im happy with my brembo GT =)

[enrita]

Originally Posted by tibra1

What was ALCONS response to this?

They told me they have never seen something like that happening before and that its an old design... A consumable part that worns out.. They didnt even offer to inspect them or grant any discount on a new set.

I bought these second had , they had i think 15K on and did some tracking I used them 1.5 year before replacing the rotors and tracked them this year on new rotors 4 round at the ring.
i was not very happy with the performance , they overheated fairly quickly and lots of vibrations were coming to the steering wheel and brake power started to fade. Was using Ferodo DS3000 so that might have been the issue as well or just me useless in tracking/braking.

So now i am stuck with a perfect running and very fast car after 6 weeks downtime and cannot use it...

[tibra1]

Originally Posted by enrita

They told me they have never seen something like that happening before and that its an old design... A consumable part that worns out.. They didnt even offer to inspect them or grant any discount on a new set.

I bought these second had , they had i think 15K on and did some tracking I used them 1.5 year before replacing the rotors and tracked them this year on new rotors 4 round at the ring.
i was not very happy with the performance , they overheated fairly quickly and lots of vibrations were coming to the steering wheel and brake power started to fade. Was using Ferodo DS3000 so that might have been the issue as well or just me useless in tracking/braking.

So now i am stuck with a perfect running and very fast car after 6 weeks downtime and cannot use it...

Sorry to hear that.. I guess under the circumstances I understand their position but to not even offer you a discount..definite

Hope you get it worked out soon

[zeenon53]

Wow that's a major bummer, at least we know to stay away from their products. Do they know you are not the original owner?

[enrita]

Originally Posted by zeenon53

Wow that's a major bummer, at least we know to stay away from their products. Do they know you are not the original owner?

yes but it does not matter if i bought it used or not. Its a bbk for racing use , a bell cannot disintegrate like that.
If it was a cheap china made bbk which costed 1000 USD ok but not this kit..

This is more like a warning for other people with the same kit.

[tibra1]

Originally Posted by enrita

yes but it does not matter if i bought it used or not. Its a bbk for racing use , a bell cannot disintegrate like that.
If it was a cheap china made bbk which costed 1000 USD ok but not this kit..

This is more like a warning for other people with the same kit.

Enrita..now that u mention..what type of life are you suppose to see out of the aluminum hats on a reputable BBK..u stated u purchase with 15k and some track use...AND i am sure u beat the crap outta of these urself (although u never stated how many miles)...

Im trying to get a sense for the longevity of these BBKs b/4 a catastrophic failure such as this...I myself was leaning towards the Stoptech setup..standard..not Trophy series..

Thoughts?

[turb0mik3]

Originally Posted by tibra1

Enrita..now that u mention..what type of life are you suppose to see out of the aluminum hats on a reputable BBK..u stated u purchase with 15k and some track use...AND i am sure u beat the crap outta of these urself (although u never stated how many miles)...

Im trying to get a sense for the longevity of these BBKs b/4 a catastrophic failure such as this...I myself was leaning towards the Stoptech setup..standard..not Trophy series..

Thoughts?

Trophies series or bust!!! But seriously, I would never buy "rotara," "Alcon," or any brands I didn't recognize. Go with Stoptechs and you won't be dissapointed.

[TurboBimmer]

Originally Posted by 335rocks

Shocking pics! It looks like they have been way too agressive with saving unsprung weight and compromised the rotor hat.

Seeing this I'm glad I went with AP Racing.

Hi,

could you post a review of your AP Racing BBK? I'm looking into getting that setup next spring. Would be great to get some first hand impressions.

Sorry for

[zeenon53]

Originally Posted by enrita

yes but it does not matter if i bought it used or not. Its a bbk for racing use , a bell cannot disintegrate like that.
If it was a cheap china made bbk which costed 1000 USD ok but not this kit..

This is more like a warning for other people with the same kit.

The reason I asked is because I can understand why they wouldn't warranty them you bought them second hand. I would hope they would take care of you if you were the original owner.

[The HACK]

Before Alcon gets beat to death on here from users, I'm just going to offer this point about re-usable hats on two piece floating rotors.

The fasteners needs to be installed in a specific order and tightened to a specific torque setting with thread adhesive (if the manufacturer calls for thread adhesive), and re-inspected after 500 miles. Improper installation will lead to failure of the hat 9 times out of 10.

Not saying that's what happened here. But if I was Alcon, that would be my first guess as to what happened. The fact that they're bought 2nd hand could also mean the prior owner had mis-handled or damaged the hat on a prior installation. I'm surprised they didn't ask for the hat back, because damage due to improperly installed ring/fasteners is pretty easy to diagnose (excess stretch in the bolt).

[hotrod2448]

We've run alcon on our race cars before and everything we run is a floating two piece hat/rotor setup and I've never seen the hat fail like that before. Usually the rotors fail where the deglazing vents are cut long before something like that happens. Maybe the way these mount are different than the stuff they sell for professional motorsport. IDK.

Usually even with over-tightening the hat is fine because the top hat spacer takes all of the clamp load and the hat is actually free. It almost looks to me more like the bushing was the wrong size and the rotor had slop to move fore and aft on braking or something. Weird.

[lpphreakx06]

I dont think rotara can be put in the same class as alcon....