Road course brake help

[2001 GTS]

Went to the Road Course last weekend and WOW that was fun!

Only problem was after 2-3 laps the brake pedal went hard. Then Rolland Linder drove it and when he got done the pedal went to the floor.

So first thing is a change of fluid. Thinking Castrol SRF.

Next is better brakes. What pads would be good for track use only?

Things I'm thinking on adding: Porsche style air deflectors for the fronts, SS brake lines and Tom's 40mm upgrade.

Steve

 

[HLN A55]

I have the brakeman 3 pads and Motul 600 fluid-they work great and are what Archer sells and recommends.

 

[Dave's Big Brakes]

Went to the Road Course last weekend and WOW that was fun!

Only problem was after 2-3 laps the brake pedal went hard. Then Rolland Linder drove it and when he got done the pedal went to the floor.

So first thing is a change of fluid. Thinking Castrol SRF.

Next is better brakes. What pads would be good for track use only?

Things I'm thinking on adding: Porsche style air deflectors for the fronts, SS brake lines and Tom's 40mm upgrade.

Steve

Hey Steve,

You have abs, so Tom's 40mm upgrade won't work

Big Brake Dave

 

[JonB]

Went to the Road Course last weekend and WOW that was fun!

Congrats on the track day....
Only problem was after 2-3 laps the brake pedal went hard. Then Rolland Linder drove it and when he got done the pedal went to the floor.

So first thing is a change of fluid. Thinking Castrol SRF.

Next is better brakes. What pads would be good for track use only?

Things I'm thinking on adding: Porsche style air deflectors for the fronts, SS brake lines and Tom's 40mm upgrade.

Steve

PartsRack has Brakeman and Motol 600 in stock......SRF is great, but if you bleed frequently it is a waste of $$ IMO. If you bleed rarely, then chose SRF. We have em all.

Your rear calipr is NOT upgradeable....and we do have brake cooling options, THANKS for a call

 

[Catwood]

SST lines, check
Porsche air deflectors...check
Brake fluid. I use Ford HD Dot 3 and flush every time I go to the track. I do not drive in the rain. Big Brake Dave turned me on to it and it's cheap. under $4 a bottle.
Pads..I use Hawk HT14 front, blues rear. I didn't like the brakeman #3 so much. I do switch pads for track days. I use the old EBC greens for the street but only because I won a set in a raffle. At this point they'll last longer than me.

 

[01ACR/VIPER]

I thought dot-4 was what we need to use?

 

[Catwood]

The DOT 3 is a bit more hydroscopic and therefore the wet boiling point is lower. The dry boiling is very high. Since I flush regular I'm not so worried about wet boiling point.

Carl

 

[2001 GTS]

I didn't like the brakeman #3 so much.

Why is that?

 

[ACR steve]

Brake man 3's are the pads that I have tried that give a great initial bite and stay constant, SRF works great however costs a lot, I think it may have a higher boiling temp then Motul.I would bet the major issue is you need a good brake flush and proper bleed.Steel braided lines are an absolute must. Glad to see you are hooked on tracking it.

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

A cooling system designed by Bob Woodhouse is your best bet , as the other items are helpful, but the airflow by the brakes on the Gen Is and Gen IIs is horrid. You will want stainless lines, better fluid, but the air ducting ( not Porsche deflectors ,even though ***** designed those too ) will save you more than anything else --- and greatly increase your brake pad life.

Sincerely,
Bill Pemberton
Woodhouse Viper
1-800-889-1893

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

I'm not a fan of the Porsche deflectors. Get actual ducts from Partsrack or Woodhouse.
Two piece rotors.
Castrol SRF.

You will never experience brake fade again with that setup and the Castrol will last the entire weekend without bleeding.

 

[Catwood]

Why is that?

My butt and data acquistion showed it didn't stopped as hard as the hawk 14s. The "feel" was too soft.

I have OEM calipers on the front and Toms on the rear. YMMV.

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

You really have enough caliper capacity (i.e. OEM front, OEM 43mm rears) so the remaining items (short of a full-on brake system re-do) are the pads (as everyone pointed out) the fluid (as everyone pointed out) and brake fluid cooling.

Huh?

NASCAR short tracks like Martinsville forced the development of a brake fluid recirculation system. When you push on the pedal, it pushes brake fluid into the caliper. However, when you release the pedal, the fluid returns to the master cylinder reservoir through a parallel set of brake lines. The result is that the brake fluid does not sit in the caliper just getting hotter and hotter, it at least gets a chance to cool down.

Research it a little and you'll find the valve itself is about $130. You can buy braided brake lines for the returns. You will have to fabricate a short brake tube at the top of the front calipers - it will essentially be like the lower brake tube (that connects the two sides) but with an added outlet for the return to the MC. Altogether it cost me about $200.

I use a fairly run of the mill Valvoline synthetic brake fluid and never had a boiling issue again - no cooling, no ducts, no nothing. And I can put a long gentle kiss on the bumpers of those ABS Porsches any time.