OCMusicJunkie

Agree that tracked doesn't mean abused. As long as they still performed regular maintence and didn't actually hit anything on the track, I don't think it hurts the car any. The wear parts, yes... but the car, no.

Actually, thinking of it... the people who track are usually the ones who take the best care of the car. I don't see many people putting in 87 octane and going 8000 miles between oil changes when they are tracking.

soundzero

agree.

I get a chuckle when I see adds flashing facts about 2001 S2000 with less than 7000miles on them. I'd personally be worried about the car if it wasn't driven and maintained properly.

ruexp67

The car that I do track, has seen 5 track days. Has 5,8xx mi on it has had two oil changes, two diff fluid changes, and two transmission fluid changes.

I have flushed the brake fluid two or three times with numerous bleeds. I have replaced the OEM pads and rotors once, and the second set of rotors will probably need to be replaced fairly soon.

On most of my cars I get ABOUT 20,000mi out of a set of front brakes (pads only) and about 40,000mi out of a set of rears (pads only.) I usually cut the rotors the first time I change the pads, and replaced them the second time. So I only get (on average) 40,000mi out of a set of front rotors on purely street driven cars.

Signs of rotors needed to be replaced include:
Cracks on the rotor face or as part of the vent.
Grooves on the face of the rotor (depending on how deep)
A shoulder (on the rotor) where the edge of the pad is indicates excessive wear on the rotor
A pulsing of the brake pedal on braking indicates a warped rotor. Sometimes these can be cut and be back in spec, but usually cannot. Even if they could, a thinner rotor is MORE likely to warp again anyway.
Finally, the actual thickness of the rotor. If it is thinner than spec, it's junk. (or modern art, if you are so inclined.)

mikegarrison

Tracked rotors fail because of heat stress, usually leading to cracks.

If your rotors have just worn down to the minimum thickness, this is actually a solid indication that the car has never been tracked.

mikegarrison

Not really. The people who spend all week waxing and polishing it and then drive it only on sunny Sundays usually do take the best care of the car (if that is defined as leaving the car is as much of a "like new" condition as possible). However, there are some systems on the car that do better when "abused" than they do when they just sit around and get old. So it's a bit of a tossup. One thing is that track cars are usually mechanically inspected very closely and very often, so that's a plus.

Tracking is hell on the paint and glass. Also, the wheels, tires, brakes, and rotors that are actually used on the track (which may be different than the ones installed for street use) are going to be thrashed.

vteconly

Which rotor brands do you recommend. I'm neither tracking nor autocrossing.

Bud of mine got the brembo slotted for his Prelude and wow what a difference.

JustJustin

If you haven't already done it or changed it, check the color of the brake fluid...While it is not an indicator, if the fluid is blue (ie. ATE Superblue) the odds are that the previous owner was into some kind of performance driving (track, auto-x). Also, are the brakelines stock (rubber) or upgraded to stainless? I'm just looking for some of those subtle modifications that might help you determine some kind of history.


-Justin

mikegarrison

No reason (except bling) not to just use OEM Honda parts. They work as good as any, and better than most. If you are looking for bling, just pick whatever looks prettiest.

ruexp67

The slotted rotors did NOT make any difference in the way your friend's car stopped. New rotors, new pads, new fluid any of these would be reasons for an improved braking experience. New rotors that happen to be slotted vs. new rotors that aren't slotted will not make a difference.

Slotted rotors WILL eat up your pads faster.

Elistan

Why do you think you need rotors? When you say your brakes are "going bad," what does that mean? You cannot stop as well as before? Worn rotors will not cause that. What kind of Axxis pad did you get? How long have you had them on? Did you bed them in?

My suspicion is that you simply need a brake fluid flush...