Bob Woodhouse
Enthusiast
Due to the recent thread on brakes where there were over 60 posts, I thought this might be of some interest to many track-minded Viper owners.
The photo here is the front brake assembly of my 96 GTS. We participate in the Skip Thomas Viper Racing League as #13, GT-1 spec. The brake system has been evolving and it gets some credit for the 1st place finishes at the finals races in 2000 and 2001.
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The brake system is not completely assembled here, missing the 4” ducting and aluminum duct hat. One of the brake lines is also not in this photo. (There are two as we run a brake fluid re-circulation system).
This set-up is similar to the one supplied to Paul Mumford that he did not like. And has since inspired us to reduce the caliper piston sizes when used with the original master cylinder. Paul is now on Stop-Tec’s. All of the brake set-ups available for Vipers have certain advantages and drawbacks (we are distributors for Stop-Tec and The Brake Man systems).
This photo will illustrate some goals we are pursuing.
1) To extend pad life to reduce maintenance intervals and cost.
2) To eliminate as much rotating inertia as possible, (rule of thumb 1lb of rotating mass equals 10lbs. of vehicle mass).
3) Have a shamefully consistent pedal feel from the beginning to the end of a race. (A pad with consistent torque in all temperature ranges helps).
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What you see here is called a super-sized pad. It has a very large surface area plus a depth of 1 inch. The caliper is specifically designed for it. A normal caliper would spit the pistons out if you attempted to carry this amount of pad. This caliper is called a Brake Man F-5, has been out about two years now and it is an upsized version of their proven F-4 caliper. Brake Man products are used extensively in the World of Outlaws racing series. The brake pad compound of choice is #3. Our present pad life is about two full racing weekends to a set of pads. Many Viper Days participants are using this compound. It has great pedal feel.
The rotor you see is a 13” Hurricane. Notice the little radiator type fins. Their intent is to get rid of the heat quicker. The rotor dissipates heat. I would estimate 50% better than a conventional one. This rotor is steel and the technology to make it comes from the aerospace industry. The development time to make them reliable is now done, they do not warp, and they last a long time. However our clients tell us they are too expensive! They cost $900.00 to $1200.00 each. These have been part of the brake package that puts the price up there with your high-end Alcon, Baer, and Brembo components. Our future Brake Man track/street brake kits will use 14” conventional rotors to lower cost and not reduce their heat managing superiority.
The 3rd picture you see here is a very lightweight design Brake Man rotor we did some development on. The rear axle lost 23lbs. of rotating mass. (You remember 1lb. of rotating equals 10lbs. of car weight). The reason’s you do this is similar to a light engine flywheel. Although we managed to get this to work, the life cycle of the rotors and pads is short. They live in a high heat range. These rotors cause corner workers to black flag you. Thinking the car is about to catch fire when they see the red circular glow through the wheel.
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We will be adding information such as this to our site, woodhouseviper.com, with links to the manufacturers and will also be adding a FAQ page. For Vipers running stock or near stock brake systems, you will find some helpful info in our FAQ’s under Brakes. Hope this was of some interest to you!
Bob
The photo here is the front brake assembly of my 96 GTS. We participate in the Skip Thomas Viper Racing League as #13, GT-1 spec. The brake system has been evolving and it gets some credit for the 1st place finishes at the finals races in 2000 and 2001.
<center>
You must be registered for see images
</center>The brake system is not completely assembled here, missing the 4” ducting and aluminum duct hat. One of the brake lines is also not in this photo. (There are two as we run a brake fluid re-circulation system).
This set-up is similar to the one supplied to Paul Mumford that he did not like. And has since inspired us to reduce the caliper piston sizes when used with the original master cylinder. Paul is now on Stop-Tec’s. All of the brake set-ups available for Vipers have certain advantages and drawbacks (we are distributors for Stop-Tec and The Brake Man systems).
This photo will illustrate some goals we are pursuing.
1) To extend pad life to reduce maintenance intervals and cost.
2) To eliminate as much rotating inertia as possible, (rule of thumb 1lb of rotating mass equals 10lbs. of vehicle mass).
3) Have a shamefully consistent pedal feel from the beginning to the end of a race. (A pad with consistent torque in all temperature ranges helps).
<center>
You must be registered for see images
</center>What you see here is called a super-sized pad. It has a very large surface area plus a depth of 1 inch. The caliper is specifically designed for it. A normal caliper would spit the pistons out if you attempted to carry this amount of pad. This caliper is called a Brake Man F-5, has been out about two years now and it is an upsized version of their proven F-4 caliper. Brake Man products are used extensively in the World of Outlaws racing series. The brake pad compound of choice is #3. Our present pad life is about two full racing weekends to a set of pads. Many Viper Days participants are using this compound. It has great pedal feel.
The rotor you see is a 13” Hurricane. Notice the little radiator type fins. Their intent is to get rid of the heat quicker. The rotor dissipates heat. I would estimate 50% better than a conventional one. This rotor is steel and the technology to make it comes from the aerospace industry. The development time to make them reliable is now done, they do not warp, and they last a long time. However our clients tell us they are too expensive! They cost $900.00 to $1200.00 each. These have been part of the brake package that puts the price up there with your high-end Alcon, Baer, and Brembo components. Our future Brake Man track/street brake kits will use 14” conventional rotors to lower cost and not reduce their heat managing superiority.
The 3rd picture you see here is a very lightweight design Brake Man rotor we did some development on. The rear axle lost 23lbs. of rotating mass. (You remember 1lb. of rotating equals 10lbs. of car weight). The reason’s you do this is similar to a light engine flywheel. Although we managed to get this to work, the life cycle of the rotors and pads is short. They live in a high heat range. These rotors cause corner workers to black flag you. Thinking the car is about to catch fire when they see the red circular glow through the wheel.
<center>
You must be registered for see images
</center>We will be adding information such as this to our site, woodhouseviper.com, with links to the manufacturers and will also be adding a FAQ page. For Vipers running stock or near stock brake systems, you will find some helpful info in our FAQ’s under Brakes. Hope this was of some interest to you!
Bob
