When To Upgrade Brakes?
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,108
situation A:
You want 24" dubs on your car and the wheel weighs more than 50 pounds without the tire moutned.
situation B:
You have tried running different compounds of Hawk Blues, Blacks, or other strictly high temp race pads at the track and you are still fading your brakes after just 2 laps. With issues still on overheating the rotors and causing them to crack or the pads are cracking/delaminating from their sintered press.
if A or B does not apply then you don't need to upgrade.
You want 24" dubs on your car and the wheel weighs more than 50 pounds without the tire moutned.
situation B:
You have tried running different compounds of Hawk Blues, Blacks, or other strictly high temp race pads at the track and you are still fading your brakes after just 2 laps. With issues still on overheating the rotors and causing them to crack or the pads are cracking/delaminating from their sintered press.
if A or B does not apply then you don't need to upgrade.
Senior Member
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 22,465
From: California
Originally Posted by Cheers!' date='Feb 4 2005, 04:59 AM
situation B:
You have tried running different compounds of Hawk Blues, Blacks, or other strictly high temp race pads at the track and you are still fading your brakes after just 2 laps. With issues still on overheating the rotors and causing them to crack or the pads are cracking/delaminating from their sintered press.
if A or B does not apply then you don't need to upgrade.
You have tried running different compounds of Hawk Blues, Blacks, or other strictly high temp race pads at the track and you are still fading your brakes after just 2 laps. With issues still on overheating the rotors and causing them to crack or the pads are cracking/delaminating from their sintered press.
if A or B does not apply then you don't need to upgrade.
adding to situation b; when the hawk pads turn the rotors faster than a brake lathe and ruin the wheels with all the hot metal shavings.....
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 276
if you have the big wallet go for the big brake kit. unless it is a race car it ownt be woth it. most kits weigh more than stock and require serious abuse to see the benefit. good line, fluid and pads should just about give you bruises from the seat belt with good tires
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 111
Thanks alot. I think I'll go with slotted rotors, SS lines, and some good pads. Has anyone tried the Hawk HP+ pads or the EBC Green Stuff? The description on rx-7store.net makes them sound good, but then again they're trying to sell them.
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 993
From: Panama City Beach, Florida
i would definately talk to some autocrossers and track guys on the forums and see what they recommend.. you might as well learn from their experiences and mistakes instead of repeating history.
with every pad, you make a sacrafice in either direction... durability, braking power, cost.
Usually better braking power means they are going to chew up your rotors and run through the pads pretty quickly. Cost is something you'll have to look at too.
If you did go with a big brake kit, as stated earlier, you really need to be an avid autocrosser or track guy where you can really stand on them to see the difference. Big brake kits will squeal nasty when cold and be a bit touchy for the street. You will also need a set of aftermarket wheels in most cases with the correct offsets and caliper clearance.
with every pad, you make a sacrafice in either direction... durability, braking power, cost.
Usually better braking power means they are going to chew up your rotors and run through the pads pretty quickly. Cost is something you'll have to look at too.
If you did go with a big brake kit, as stated earlier, you really need to be an avid autocrosser or track guy where you can really stand on them to see the difference. Big brake kits will squeal nasty when cold and be a bit touchy for the street. You will also need a set of aftermarket wheels in most cases with the correct offsets and caliper clearance.
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 3
"when to upgrade brakes?" if this is a functional, not cosmetic issue -
When the stock brakes are inadequate for your needs - typically this means you are boiling your brake fluid or getting pad fade from the brakes overheating.
Fresh brake fluid and good pads, both appropriate to the temperature range your brakes are seeing is only appropriate - not an "upgrade," per se. This should be more than enough for spirited street driving and autocross.
If this is inadequate - which would probably only be the case if you are tracking the car and are better than the usual novice - then brake cooling is the next step. Remove the stock "backing plates" from all 4 corners, install some ducted backing plates on the fronts, then run 3" brake duct tubing from your chin spoiler openings to your new front brakes' backing plates. Air should go to the center of the rotor and flow out through the vanes to the periphery.
If this is inadequate - which would probably only be the case if you are tracking the car with race rubber and are a fairly proficient driver - then you may need to increase the size of your rotors to handle the thermal load. Then you have to look at using the RZ brakes all around, or one of the "big brake" kits from AP, StopTech, Wilwood, etc.
When the stock brakes are inadequate for your needs - typically this means you are boiling your brake fluid or getting pad fade from the brakes overheating.
Fresh brake fluid and good pads, both appropriate to the temperature range your brakes are seeing is only appropriate - not an "upgrade," per se. This should be more than enough for spirited street driving and autocross.
If this is inadequate - which would probably only be the case if you are tracking the car and are better than the usual novice - then brake cooling is the next step. Remove the stock "backing plates" from all 4 corners, install some ducted backing plates on the fronts, then run 3" brake duct tubing from your chin spoiler openings to your new front brakes' backing plates. Air should go to the center of the rotor and flow out through the vanes to the periphery.
If this is inadequate - which would probably only be the case if you are tracking the car with race rubber and are a fairly proficient driver - then you may need to increase the size of your rotors to handle the thermal load. Then you have to look at using the RZ brakes all around, or one of the "big brake" kits from AP, StopTech, Wilwood, etc.
