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When To Upgrade Brakes?

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Old 02-08-2005, 05:15 PM
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I'm a big fan of the Porterfield R4S pads for heavy duty street use. Great fade resistance. Lots of brake dust though if you care about that.
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Old 02-08-2005, 09:00 PM
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I have a 13" inch front brake kit (rotors, calipers, etc.) and honestly it's my favorite mod on my car. It's saved me from a wreck with an animal more than once and from stupid people driving suvs...
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Old 02-08-2005, 09:04 PM
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There are many different opinions about "when" to do it. There are several people who live around me who went brakes, suspension, and safety first. It all depends on your future goals. If it's all going to be fairly moderate on the mods, stock with some better pads is the way to go. But if you're popping wheelies (exaggerating a bit, unless that's what you want ) you'll want the bigger, safer brakes. Heat soaked brakes are no fun for anyone.
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Old 02-09-2005, 07:17 AM
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Originally Posted by j9fd3s' date='Feb 5 2005, 02:23 PM
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.....



wtf? how did you manage to do that?
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Old 02-09-2005, 09:09 AM
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Originally Posted by Cheers!' date='Feb 9 2005, 05:16 AM
wtf? how did you manage to do that?



street + hawk blues = fubar.



i should take a picture ivans still got the old rotor its down to the vents on the inside, i think they were new rotors, some street driving and 1 track day. oh and its the REAR too.
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Old 02-09-2005, 05:41 PM
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It's really hard to find a pad that is good for both the street and the track. This is because pads need to be designed to operate in a certain heat range. Street brakes stay pretty cool under most conditions and a track dedicated pad like the "Hawk Blue" pads mentioned above will work very poorly on the street. Not only will they do things like wear out your rotors really fast but they also will give you WORSE stopping ability because they will not be up to their optimal operating temperature. It is important to understand that that a good quality street pad will give you BETTER and FASTER stopping under street use conditions than a racing brake bad.



On my stock Miata I find that the porterfield R4-S pads work well both for the street and at the track. My FD is a much heavier and faster car than the Miata and the R4-S pads are great for the street but don't cut it at most tracks. I swap in the track designed R4 pads for track days.



It really is best to use a street pad on the street and change out to a racing pad when you do track days. Once you get used to is changing pads takes very little time.
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Old 02-10-2005, 12:46 AM
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Ok, all good advice above



I went w/ slotted rotors ($200 for all four), ss brake lines, motul, and HP+, the HPS suck. I netted about 15-20 feet on a 60 - 0. Leave them on all the time and warm up in a couple of normal street stops. I have had it on track and for my 'novice' driving I had no real fade. Let me tell you these things grab awesome and very positive feel. So for $400 i have a good solution, and at$200 for rotors i don't care if they get worn out every couple of years.
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Old 02-13-2005, 11:51 AM
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Originally Posted by Razerx' date='Feb 10 2005, 01:45 AM
Ok, all good advice above



I went w/ slotted rotors ($200 for all four), ss brake lines, motul, and HP+, the HPS suck. I netted about 15-20 feet on a 60 - 0. Leave them on all the time and warm up in a couple of normal street stops. I have had it on track and for my 'novice' driving I had no real fade. Let me tell you these things grab awesome and very positive feel. So for $400 i have a good solution, and at$200 for rotors i don't care if they get worn out every couple of years.



im pretty sure your rotors wont last a "couple years"



kevin.
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Old 02-14-2005, 12:39 AM
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Originally Posted by Razerx' date='Feb 9 2005, 10:45 PM
Ok, all good advice above



I went w/ slotted rotors ($200 for all four), ss brake lines, motul, and HP+, the HPS suck. I netted about 15-20 feet on a 60 - 0. Leave them on all the time and warm up in a couple of normal street stops. I have had it on track and for my 'novice' driving I had no real fade. Let me tell you these things grab awesome and very positive feel. So for $400 i have a good solution, and at$200 for rotors i don't care if they get worn out every couple of years.



Thanks. Sounds like that's a pretty good way to go.
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Old 02-14-2005, 02:22 AM
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Originally Posted by ambassador_josh' date='Feb 5 2005, 10:39 PM
I upgraded my brakes as soon as I started making more power. 60-0 is important too. I have some kinda upgraded pads, i'm not sure which, drilled slotted rotors, and SS lines. Totally worth it.



totally.
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