Did my 1st track day yesterday - top top fun at Rockingham. If you've got the means get yourself down to one. Good for learning, good for fun, nice and safe etc etc etc...

Anyway BRAKES.

I have 97 UK car with standard size brakes ie little , grooves fronts with Ferodo DS2500 (many thanks to AS Performance for speed of service )

But I could only do 3 laps before they were shot and needed time off to cool.

I know getting bigger discs and more pots is an option, but there was an 2006 STi with PPP, he didn't know the spec of the brakes as he'd only had the car 3 weeks, but he had the same problem, 3 laps and then in.

Are there any options / ways to get more air into the brakes to aid cooling ? Does getting bigger brakes help that much, apart from not having to push the pedal so hard.

Ferodo DS2500, while hugely better than the Greenstuff rubbish I had on seem great for the road, but they don't need warming up, they bite really well from cold I can recomend them enough for the road, but are there any options for track pads that last longer at higher temps ?


Best of all, no worrying noises on the way home

Thanks for any advice

 

Changed your brake fluid recently?

The stock 294 mm 4 pot brakes are too weak for heavy track day usage, no matter what pad you fit. Fit racing pads, and your discs will crack instead - BTDT. You could try to adjust your driving style; brake less - go faster

 

Brake fluid's OK. Pedal doesn't travel too much it's just normal brake fade. Smoke from pads when got back to the pits, probably the copper grease burning off.

I'm only on 277mm brakes not even 295 !!

No air ducting options then ?

 

IMO the DS2500 is a good pad, any more hardcore and you will start compromising cold performance and probably get a fair bit of squeal.
Air ducting will help a bit, but will not cure it. The combination of both may (or may not) help you to do a couple more laps before fade sets in...
What you need is a bigger disk setup to resist fade.
If you are planning to do more track days is a wise investement.
I run Std Subaru 4Pots with the Godspeed 335 conversion, and I have no issues with fade on track (DS2500 as well), even braking from 140+ down to 50.(std 4 pots used to fade quite easily before that). Excellent value for money as well for a car already fitted with the 4pots.
Since you've got the 2pots as std, I would suggest that you may want to consider an alternative setup, like APs or Brembo's from a newage STi (with a good set off pads). It does offcourse depend on your driving style too but a set off front Brembos with a good pad/disk combo should be more that sufficient on a classic. These will also need a 17" as a minimum...

 

have you fitted braided brake lines? thats makes an enormous difference along with a good quality fluid as suggested.

 

I used to have the same 2 pots on my JDM WRX bugeye (yes really!) and had the same probs at Bedford. I had to drive 'around' the problem and be kind to them, to make them last all day.

Bleeding the brakes made a big dfference as I had boiled the fluid on one outing.

Then I swapped them for some second hand brembos and Sti wheels/ tyres. Big difference! No fade now.What I do get appears to be a build up of pad material during the trackday which make the brakes very noisy, though does not affect the performance. Once driving normally (on the way home) the noise disappears.

Anyone want to buy a set of two pots - only done 30,000 miles, great cond?
Also 16" wheels and tyres, all very reasonably priced!

Howard

 

Get a bigger brake setup.

I used to run Brembo callipers/AP discs (not the STi Brembos) and they allowed me to go out and do as many laps as I wanted. No fade even after 30 minutes hard use.

The confidence they inspire is awesome as well

New car is getting AP4 pots and to be honest I wouldn't want to be on track with anything less. Its good to know when you need to stop you can - time after time.