Suggestions on brakes

Vat · Postby **Vat** » Sun Jun 08, 2014 11:23 pm

Okay, so after the Jaffa's first service it was noticed the front rotors have a groove in them that will need to be machined out. They're fine at the moment but there is a detectable 'wobble' under slight braking at speed (>80km/h) and since the little fella's got to go back for some oil leaks I thought it would worth getting the rotors dealt with at the same time.

So, first options - machine the existing rotors, and work out whether to replace pads or not (you would though). Or....

I would like to upgrade the brakes as I go through the car, though, and thought this might be a good opportunity. I'm not intending any hardcore use, just some enthusiastic road use and the odd club track day, so it would nice to have something that doesn't fade away to nothing after a few hard stops - DBA's T2s look like something that would fit the bill. Then, obviously, I would need to find pads.

So, just interested in thoughts on:
- do I just get the rotors machined and change the discs and wait a bit before replacing all four, or can I get away with just doing the fronts for the moment and coming back to do the backs later?
- rotor and pad selection (they would need to fit under 15 inch wheels)

Appreciate comments.

davekmoore · Postby **davekmoore** » Sun Jun 08, 2014 11:42 pm

The bigger brake kit from an SE would be ideal, especially it had further uprated slotted discs all round, Hawk blue front pads, braided SS lines and a spare set of standard front pads. Funnily enough .....

Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 12:29 am

Before installing new pads you need to remove the old material from the rotors. This can be done by machining or sanding with emery paper (120/240 grit). If machining check the rotor thickness.

If doing the occasional track day I would suggest Winmax W3's all round, I use them on my rears as does ZoomZoom. W5's would be a bad idea for you on the front based on your intended use. If not Winmax think about A1RM's all round. However braided brake lines is a must.

Another suggestion would be to have the calipers overhauled to make sure the slider pins are greased and there are no leaks. It is surprising how much better brakes feel after a rebuild.

Changing to bigger brakes may not be worthwhile, again based on your intended use.

rossburns · Postby **rossburns** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 12:44 am

sort of related question, what difference is there in performance between drilled or grooved rotors

davekmoore · Postby **davekmoore** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 12:57 am

Drilled look good but can develop cracks. Slotted help get rid of gases and don't tend to crack.

sailaholic · Postby **sailaholic** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 7:32 am

DO NOT USE BLUES ON A DAILY. They eat rotors when cold. If your not turbo na8/nba brakes will be sufficient for your intended use. Just buy decent pads and rotors.

Plenty of pad options QFM hpx is one. Hawk hp+ gets good wrap.

I had hps and they ended up glazed for some reason

Don't go too aggressive, they will just eat rotors when cold.

Smooth rotors are best under ideal conditions but slotted with let gasses escape if the pad gets a bit hot on the track.

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YanMa YatTai · Postby **YanMa YatTai** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 9:42 am

Just speak to the guys at Brakes Direct and tell them the intended use. Sometimes you just don't need fancy rotors. QFM pads are excellent, cheap, don't squeal on the road, work on the track and Australian made. What else could you want?

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Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 3:50 pm

Vat if you like you can try the brakes out in my NA6 on Sat 28/06 if you come along to the Burpengary coffee meet. I have NB8B calipers/rotors, braided brake lines and W5/W3 pad combo.

However as suggested by sailaholic and Blues, the W5's are savage on rotors if not up to temp hence not recommended as a street pad. In the past 2 months my car has done more track KM's than road KM's.

tuned_to_fly · Postby **tuned_to_fly** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 4:00 pm

I'm running the following on my 98 Evo Gold and couldn't be happier:

DBA Club Spec 4000 Series T3 Front Brake Rotors (4538S) up front
DBA Street Series T2 Rear Brake Rotors (534S) on the rear
QFM A1RM pads all round
Penrite Racing DOT 4 brake fluid
Braided brake lines

I use the car for 95% road use and these work perfectly with no noise etc. This setup was decided on after a chat to brakes direct and many many internet searches.

Vat · Postby **Vat** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 7:09 am

Thanks for the tips, guys, and for the offer Magpie (sadly working that day). I'll drop a line to Brakes Direct and get some ideas in addition to the suggestions here. A little limited by funding at the moment so I don't know that a full upgrade's quite within reach at the moment, but we'll see how we go.

Magpie · Postby **Magpie** » Wed Jun 11, 2014 9:17 am

Brakes Direct (QFM/A1RM's) are great and helpful as is MX5 Plus (Forum Sponsor) who is a supplier of Winmax Brakes (W3's). Yes I do have links to MX5 Plus and Winmax.

Also have a look at this link to decide on the best pad selection for your intended use http://www.motorsportbrakes.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/winmax-chart-sheet.pdf.

If limited on funding then maybe sanding down the rotors and a slightly more agressive pad than was previously installed will reduce the cost (no machining of rotors). If you want to tool up for this yourself look at this http://www.ayross.com.au/pdf/flex-hones-cat-for-rotors-2010.pdf.

Don't forget to follow the bedding in instructions AS THEY ARE WRITTEN! Bedding them in properly is very important.

If you have not had the brake fluid changed in a while then you should do this at the same time as the pad change.

There are a few people in Brisbane who would be willing to help, sounds like a dodgy day is needed!

Mr Morlock · Postby **Mr Morlock** » Sat Jun 14, 2014 1:27 pm

I would not waste money. There is really not much wrong with the standard brakes. If the rotors are not undersize just machine them and replace the pads.

Vat · Postby **Vat** » Sat Jun 14, 2014 6:51 pm

Mr Morlock wrote:I would not waste money. There is really not much wrong with the standard brakes. If the rotors are not undersize just machine them and replace the pads.

Pretty much the direction I've gone for the moment, while I get a better idea of what I want from the car and what direction I want to go with it. I figured it'd be a year or two until I got to that point, so I'll just go new pads and a machine for the moment, and revisit when other priorities are identified and addressed. Rotors are at about 50% or so.

Thanks for the suggestions - I've bookmarked the thread for future reference, hopefully others will get some use out of it.

4sfed5 · Postby **4sfed5** » Wed Jul 09, 2014 9:15 am

why get rotors machined when new rotors are so cheap? my local guy wanted $30 each for machining and i could get new rotors for $40ish.

has anyone used the "stoptech" street performance pads? they get good reviews from the guys in the U.S who think they are as good as Axxis ultimates and better the hawks... and at only abou $33USD a set (F or rear) could be worth a shot?