StopTech brakes and Partsrack

Chuck 98 RT/10

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I thought y'all might have some opinions on this. Here's a pic of my fried STOCK brakes and EBC red pads after a day at Moroso, Click Here

So, on JonB's advice I upgraded to
Stoptech

I'll be testing them at Sebring and let y'all know of the results.
 
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Chuck 98 RT/10

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"To much braking to often" is something I thought about. But the stock pads lasted for three previous events, Gainesville, Road Atlanta and Homestead. And my style hasn't changed THAT much!
 

GTS Dean

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Do I read that picture correctly and see that the backing plates have MELTED COMPLETELY THROUGH behind the pistons????!!!! Alan's onto something. Obviously, the EBC pads you were using are not the proper heat range for your driving style. More importantly, SHAME ON YOU FOR NOT CHECKING BRAKE WEAR AFTER EVERY SESSION! I'm afraid to ask what the rotors look like....Yikes!

You are incredibly lucky that you and the rest of your car survived the day. I hope you fare better in the future!
 
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Chuck 98 RT/10

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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by GTS Dean:
MELTED COMPLETELY THROUGH behind the pistons????
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yup

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>
SHAME ON YOU FOR NOT CHECKING BRAKE WEAR AFTER EVERY SESSION!
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Rookie mistake. After three events the stock pads still had some left in them. I put new EBC reds on for this event and thought for sure they would last the day. Live and learn.

Thanks for the input.
 

Vip-RT10

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Wow Chuck...I had no idea it was that bad! I'm glad you are here with us today. Seems like I need to do more to the car than what I thought....first i need to get it to start....right.....
 

Wing King

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Chuck, I thought I had seen some hot calipers before with Jay Lopez, but you win the prize. Normal, hard braking over time will turn the lettering yellow. Continued severe use can turn them a brown color. Although pictured in the shade in your photo, yours seem to be a color I've never seen. Obviously, with EBC, we should not have sold you anything but yellow or blue range pads to at least try to withstand your particular situation.

Honestly, my opinion would be that even upgrading to the Stoptech system may not be enough for you. Jay Lopez went with Dilusi, and I suspect you might want to also upgrade to a full 4 wheel complete modification of some type. Add whatever cooling you can, either through the Porsche style deflectors, or something like Bobby Archer's new duct system, similar to the proposed MOPAR unit, which I'm about to put on my car.

My last point would be to say that I hope everyone realizes that simply changing pads on a Viper does not provide you with a racing brake system. The EBC Blue heat range we are testing now, is a high speed, high heat pad, with a 10 wear rating on a 10 scale, good for 1500 degrees and around 400 track miles. In comparison, those reds are a "5" rating, at 1300 degrees and approximately 200 miles. But even this Blue pad, on a relatively stock factory system, is not going to solve all the other rotor, caliper, and heat problems to turn a Viper into a durable race car.

Chuck, make sure you check your suspension joint boots, and brake lines (even braided stainless) to make certain they are still in tact from the extreme heat, before doing any more driving of any kind.
 

Jay Lopez

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Chuck,
Good points by King. I melted my ball joint boots also and had to replace them, then wrap them with heat reflective material. See if yours are cracked from all the heat.
 
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Chuck 98 RT/10

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Thanks again for the input. It suprised me that the EBC pads wore so quickly and the stock pads lasted for 3 events. My driving style hadn't changed THAT dramatically from Homestead to Moroso.
 

K Adelberg

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It's this simple! If you are driving hard, the stock brakes just simply won't do. Stop tech makes a great street kit, replacing front calipers and working with the stock rear calipers. I heard they are developing a total replacement package for track use, all four calipers. Personally, I would wait or go with another set up. Stop tech makes great stuff!

I have Sean Roe's brake kit and I am having problems with the rears locking. Can't seem to figure it out and spending a lot of R&D dollars.
 

Dion Fisher

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It was probably the compound and maybe some driver input, I was alot harder on my brakes when I was starting out than today.. Heel/Toe is a big factor in this..

Shoot i'm kinda' quick
You must be registered for see images
and have driven 7000-8000 track miles with just some minor mods to the stock brake system;Roe Ti pistons, braided lines, motul 600, deflectors and a set of PFC90s..

This year I just went back through my front calipers and played hard at the Spokane Raceway last Friday without a hitch..
 

Frank Parise

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Chuck,
Several years ago it was necessary for Viper owners to experiment with different brake upgrade packages because noone had been road racing their Viper long enough to thoroughly evaluate the effectiveness of the many new systems brought to market.
Fortunately for you, there is no need to experiment. There are many track proven brake systems in use on race Vipers today. If you attend a Viper Days event, please inspect the many wheel to wheel race Vipers. You will find a number of different systems that have been fully sorted out after several years of continuous track use.
Generally speaking, they range from $6,000 - $15,000 in up front cost. Annual operating expenses vary significantly. A good system will not require rotor changes more than once every 10 or 15 track events. A good system requires pad changes every 4 or 5 events. Talk to the racers and find out what works and what doesn't. Find out how often pads and rotors have to be changed and at what cost and availability. There are huge variations in cost for rotor and pad replacement between the different systems. You can spens anywhere between $200-$1000 for a single rotor! Find out if you have to change the brake master cylinder and pedal assembly also. Find out if you have to use a brake proportioning valve. This complicates the system. There are systems where this is not required.
An effective braking system for the track will be fine on the street so long as you put street pads in for street use. There isn't a single street system available that has proven itself on the track. By proven, I mean they have been used on the track for several years, have demonstrated competitive braking performance, durability, etc. with documentation supporting actual operating costs, etc.
The devil is in the details and you will be surprised how much money you can -iss away by selecting unproven systems or making decisions based on up front cost rather than total costs over the true economic life of the equipment.
In my opinion, none of these new-fangled brake systems have been tested over a long enough period of time to justify the risk of purchase.
I am surprised at how many Viper owners fail to heed the advice of others who have already gone through the pain. Take advantage of the lessons learned from the racers who had to bankroll those initial experiments. There's no need to reinvent the wheel, or the brake system for that matter. I'd be happy to discuss this further if you would like to e-mail me directly. Gotta go.
 

Gary Lashinsky

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In the two years of owning the Viper Driving School I never saw this much carnage on pads and calipers. We changed our Viper pads if they were 1/2 worn or more and checked brakes very closely. We used stock rotors with Magnum Pads front and back. The calipers were stock except for titanium pistons and upgraded braided brakelines with Porsche air ducts on the front to direct air to the rotors. Chucks Viper was set up this way except for his pads. I have to admit Chuck, you really made a rookie mistake in not closely checking your brakes as Dean suggested.
 

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