for intense braking on the track. Im getting sick for fade and im getting ready to upgrade my system. Currently i have front disc and rear drum i drive a 97 civic ex cpe. i am also on a 15" wheel so i cannot get a big brake upgrade i would prefer to stick with that size wheel. Any suggestions?

 

A search for brake would have found this answer...

Good brake fluid
Good, track quality pads

go drive

 

i did do a search, and i knew if i posted this i would get someone telling me that...BUT i wanted new information ie* if there are any new products....Like what brand stainless steel lines what brand rotors(slotted only or drilled) and pads...best fluid... if upgrading to a gsr caliper would benifit me...


[Modified by Hybridhonda561, 6:16 PM 12/20/2002]

 

You mention braking on a track?? If this is a lapping or wheel to wheel type situation, try some Hawk Blues and if you are running Blackhawk Farms, you may want to add brake ducts.

Quality brake fluid (Motul 600) and stainless steel braided lines (Goodrich is good and reasonably inexpensive) also help a great deal.

 

i upgraded my brake system and i am very impress w/ it's performance, and i autocross a lot ... i have brembo cross drilled/slotted rotors w/ axxis metal masters brake pads and super blue racing brake fluid ... all in all i spent around $350 ... all worthed

 

Just get some axxis ultimate pads and fresh fluid, you will be good to go..

 

Sounds good guys thanks for the help!

 

first get rear disc..and give fastbrakes.com a call!!!

 

That's the worst advice I've heard. Why would he need rear discs? The drums are more than adequate. In fact, the brakes on most cars are more than adequate with the proper pads/shoes and fluid. If this weren't the case, then SCCA IT racing wouldn't exist b/c we all would have crashed years ago.

The keys to adequate brakes on track:
1. Tires. They are the only thing touching the ground.
2. Fluid. Must not boil at high temp
3. Pads. Must hold up to high temps

SS lines, big brake kits, rear brake conversions are all nice, but it is EXTREMELY hard to out-engineer the guys that design modern cars.

BTW, when i say adequate above, I mean fade-resistant and safe. Good enough, and probably better than average, but not the absolute best (b/c none of us needs the absolute best).

 

Sounds like that will work very well. Is there any advantage with going with gsr calipers. I beleive the piston diameter is a little larger?

 

Not really. Make the best of the hardware you have. With good tires, fluid, and pads most lightweight (<2500lbs or so) cars do just fine.

 

There are benefits and tradeoffs to larger brakes. Nothing that you can do will make your car stop any faster: only the tires will stop your car. The larger caliper piston of GSR brakes will increase the clamping force of the pad against the rotor, though the costs are increased compliance in the system (poor pedal feel) and improper ratios compared to the MC piston. Remember that your stock brakes are designed to work with your stock MC.

One thing that I was thinking about is that if you have crappy tires, then you want to avoid lockup at all cost. So having a powerful brake system that overwhelms the tires quickly is definitely not ideal (static friction is assumed to be greater than kinetic).

Brakes are all about balance. Too much power/enegy in one area exaggerates weaknesses in other areas.

 

For about the zillionth time, if you haven't built brake ducts, you haven't taken the single biggest step available. Braking is about energy exchange - turning the kinetic energy of the car into heat energy. If that heat energy isn't dissipated to the air, the system comes to a thermodynamic grinding halt.

Once I am done with this big, damn paper, moved and settled, I think my first new project should be a simple, bolt-in front duct kit to sell to people who beat the bejeebers out of their front brakes.

Kirk