KstreetDC

FTW - I upgraded from stock fluid/pads to Project Mu B Force Pads/ATE Super Blue fluid. The S is my daily driver and soon to be track car. I have been very happy with this setup. In bumper to bumper driving (aka typical DC area conditions) the pads stay nice and hot and bite MUCH harder than OEM pads.

-Will

EOE

Great info and great knowledge!! Thank you guys

mikegarrison

Pretty much all the people that track their cars really hard just use OEM rotors with race pads.

As for having "heat damage" to the rotors from a couple of track days -- well that's a matter of degree. Yes, the way the rotors fail on the track is thermal stress. They get hot, then they crack.

But if you are just seeing discoloration, not cracking, you did not really "heat damage" the rotors. That's what brakes do, after all -- they get hot. The results of a single track day tend to shock most dealer mechanics, because they never see cars that are used like that. Most track addicts either do their own garage work or else take the car to specialist race mechanics.

You may have over-temped the pads and this can cause undesireable pad material deposits on the rotors.

I agree that the reason the rear pads failed so badly is that they were trying to take up the slack of inadequate front brakes. Basically, the OEM pads are great on the street but not adequate for track use. I used to go through the rears faster than the fronts until I moved up to full track pads. Those go through the fronts very slightly faster than the rears.

RedHead

I'm surprised that no one mentioned SS braced brake lines.

[corrected]

Eluded

i use oem rotor with the expensive hawk pads (on tirerack.com) and they are better than stock. IMHO, buying an aftermarket rotor is just a waste of money on a non NSX Honda.

CoralDoc

Do you mean brake lines? If so, that's because they contribute very little to braking performance .

Modern flexible brake lines offer excellent performance and durability. SS covered brake lines look racy and can be an improvement over older. worn out lines, but they can be a source of failure if not implemented correctly. Have a look at http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Brake_Lines

trump26901

thanks for the info on your experiance w/ the pads.

My rotors were completely toasted and warped after the two days. It was a very interesting drive from the track to the dealer. I"m even more confident that the rotors were done because I only told the dealership that my car was braking funny and it needed to be looked at. They came back and told me they replaced all the pads and rotors. They were nice enough to cover it all under warrantee, but warned me that if they see me for the same thing in another 4k miles (the car had just over 4k miles on it) that it MAY be an indication of my driving style and might not be covered.

hehe, well I'm back to stock for now, but I do want to put on something that will take the punishment I can hand out. I'm glad to hear that w/ the right pads/fluids the stock rotors/callipers are perfectly capable on the track.


Side note for the rotor warping... I NEVER use my e-brake when I finish a track session.

RedHead

I have been using a set of Goodridge SS Braded brakelines installed back in 2002. I do like the improved brake feels. I'm not awared of the downside of SS braced lines until now. The link you have provided is very informative, thank.

I will inspect the brake line more regularly, perhaps swapping it back to OEM when I need to change my brake pads...

Willie Gee

I have the Goodridge SS lines, and i like them. But I installed them the same time I put in MOTUL and Hawk HPS pads. So I noticed a significant difference, but not on I can attribute to the lines. The HPS pads ate my stock rotors over time and I now have the Cobalt Friction GTS pads with Cobalt rotors. My rotors are getting eaten now as well, but the stopping power is phenomenal.

The harder pads are not rotor friendly, but i will swap out my rotors with each set of pads anyway. If you are tracking or running your car very hard, make sure to change your fluids!

R3DS2K

depending on the situation.. brake pads made for high temp use will only work best at high temp.. if your driving around the streets with high temp pads. the braking is gonna suck.. since it works best at high temp.. same with low temp pads.. works great for driving around the streets cuz they work right away..

track use - endless cc-r
street use- stock or endless vn9500

imo