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New Brake Ducts - Quantum Motorsports

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Andy STI

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Well I finally got smart and put some brake ducts on my car for my track days. I had not previously installed ducting because I was worried about how this would effect the daily driving of my car. I guess I didn't realize this was something that could be removed somewhat easily.

Well after seeing an add in Grassroots MotorSports I contacted a company called Quantum Motorsports about their upcoming Impreza brake ducting kit. I received the kit in mid September and installed it to be ready for a weekend at Putnam Park in IN.

I am impressed with the kit and the quality of the actual duct. The only let down I had was the hose was not what I expected and I actually went to my local race shop to buy different hose to use. Other than that I love this kit. The inlet is on top of the rotor and there is metal to protect the ball joint. The air inlet actually goes over the ABS which may help prevent frying that. The kit also came with some adapters for mounting the hose in front but I couldn't quite make those work well. I bought USDM fog lamp housings from Subaru Genuine Parts and routed the hose through those in the front and used the supplied brackets to help hold the hose in place.

I took a bunch of pictures of the install. The orange hose is the "good stuff" and the silver hose is what came with the kit.

I used some temp strips on my calipers and my temps stay in a very reasonable range. This is the first event for me all year that I have not boiled my fluid and had my pedal go to the floor. I attribute this to the brake ducts.

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#3 ·
Really nice!

I dont care for the inlet at the bumper tho. I have seen some nice CF inlets that replace the entire rectangle panel.

Also, it's important that the air is fed to the "eye" of the rotor, not the face. Is the inner diameter of the rotor big enough to accept all of the air or is some of it being lost to the rotor face? The outlet looks really big compared to the RCE version.

http://www.racecompengineering.com/images/item/rcebrakeduct_large.jpg

See how they reshape the outlet to empty just in the eylet?

Anyway, Nice stuff and you will def love it by looking at the temp signs on your rotors/calipers!
 
#4 ·
Andy,

+1 on the kit. I was the first one to use the kit. Shame I didn't post earlier. Anyways, the design of the duct (large and hence open flow to the rotor vs. others which are reduced to fit the hub-bottleneck) was what got me.

Not terribly impressed with the hose either but the kit was significantly less than some of the others I had seen.

Question on the install for the passenger side. I have an 04 and I removed the air silencer but routing it to the front of the car was a bit of a pain (less clearance due to some tank like object). That said, I also believe you can get a better flow if you just cut the liner with a dremel and pass the hose straight through. During install of track pads and wheels, get the hose in there too and make sure you don't turn the wheel all the way through ;)

I'd be curious to hear how you got the passenger side hose through.

Pad wear MUCH better and we wore (ready for this) about 10% of the front pad in one day with two instructors sharing the car.

Kudos to Quantum for a good product and great service.

Lutfy
 
#5 ·
+1

I esp like the touch of keeping a bit of a heat shield for the ball joint!

I'm still thinking that the "dump hole" may be wasting some efficiency by being so far "out" from the rotor eye/center. That may cause it to dump a lot of it's air onto the one side face of the rotor which is not nearly as good as dumping all of it into the eye. Do you have any pics or measurements that show this? I used to have BrakeMan rotors that had a really big rotor ID, now I have Stoptechs that have a smaller rotor ID. The BM would have been fine with your setup but the ST wouldnt get the full benefit unless it could focus the air more towards the center.


BTW,

Check out this inlet design. I'm jealous because no-one makes anything like this for 2006:


Scoobyparts Ltd CHARGESPEED CARBON FIBRE BRAKE DUCTS


Here's another view:

Chargespeed Brake Ducts - Carbon Fiber - 04-05 WRX/STi




:D
 
#6 ·
Even if it might not be the best design for pumping air to the center of the rotor, this defiantly looks like a good deal compared to the $400 RCE kit. It doesn't seem that it would be too bad to modify to pump the air in there more efficiently too.

What about their hose didn't you like?
 
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#7 ·
mxpop said:
+1

I esp like the touch of keeping a bit of a heat shield for the ball joint!

I'm still thinking that the "dump hole" may be wasting some efficiency by being so far "out" from the rotor eye/center. That may cause it to dump a lot of it's air onto the one side face of the rotor which is not nearly as good as dumping all of it into the eye. Do you have any pics or measurements that show this? I used to have BrakeMan rotors that had a really big rotor ID, now I have Stoptechs that have a smaller rotor ID. The BM would have been fine with your setup but the ST wouldnt get the full benefit unless it could focus the air more towards the center.


BTW,

Check out this inlet design. I'm jealous because no-one makes anything like this for 2006:


Scoobyparts Ltd CHARGESPEED CARBON FIBRE BRAKE DUCTS


Here's another view:

Chargespeed Brake Ducts - Carbon Fiber - 04-05 WRX/STi




:D
Click to expand...
Check this out. im looking at getting a set of them

Sorry these first two links dont have pictures

Carbon Fiber:
Chargespeed Carbon Fiber Fog Light Brake Ducts for 06+ Subaru WRX & STi

FRP:
Chargespeed FRP Fog Light Brake Ducts for 06+ Subaru WRX & STi

Here are the pictures
CHARGESPEED

CHARGESPEED
 
#8 · (Edited)
KrazyKarl said:
What about their hose didn't you like?
Click to expand...
I should have said " I didnt like the hose due to my screw up ". Actually its a better design since the fabric is stiched individually on a metal wire so when there is a rub (wheel/tire) you are not wearing out the hose material. That part, I was happy with.

Due to my negligence, I didnt leave enough room by turning the wheel left lock and right lock to ensure the hose was not stretching. Long and short, the hose ripped and then fell on the drive shaft which later on collected the metal wire and wrapped the darn thing on the shaft blowing off both (inside and outside) boots which sprayed grease all over the damn well and it also scored the stock rubber brake hose (I upgraded to the SS ones later which I should have done anyways).

Again, I take ownership of being an idiot. So what did I not like about the hose "if you are not careful you can have the wire damage your drive shaft" which would have not been the case with the other silcone/neoprene hose.

Lutfy
 
#10 ·
You are correct STIGUY, those are available for 2006 but their design is uninspired compared to the earlier designs.

What I meant to say is that there are none available that function any better than simply using the stock gutted fog light holes. As you see in your links, the earlier versions make great use of funneling the air in while the 2006 one simply copies the stock design. I would love to find some that actually improve on the stock design!

Check out the links in my sig.

As you can see in these pics of my silver car, I am using the fog light holes as inlets. They work OK but def have room for improvement. I am actualy thinking of making some brake inlets at the outer edge of the lower grill opening between the splitter supports and the silver bumper. That area is wasted space at this point and is in a better pressure zone than at the sides. Putting the smooth covers back over the foglight holes will make for better aero as well.

That is project #27 on a list about 80 items long.....:lol:
 
#11 ·
mxpop said:
+1

I esp like the touch of keeping a bit of a heat shield for the ball joint!

I'm still thinking that the "dump hole" may be wasting some efficiency by being so far "out" from the rotor eye/center. That may cause it to dump a lot of it's air onto the one side face of the rotor which is not nearly as good as dumping all of it into the eye.
:D
Click to expand...
MXPOP, think of rotor vanes as fan blades. They scoop up the air (hence vaccum). That said, the air supply is still abundant and the volume of air is greater since the "dump hole" is the same diameter as the hose supplying the air.

To make the system more efficent, I would cut a hole at the fender liner and get a shorter hose (no more snake like hose passing through and bent at different angles). Think of it as a longer IC tube with a couple of bends vs a shorter tube with a single bend. Which would be more efficent?

Lutfy
 
#12 ·
This looks like a pretty nice kit, but there is a bit on misinformation here in terms of comparing it with the RCE kit. First, the RCE is $300, not $400 as somebody mentioned above. The other thing to consider is that the RCE kit comes with the highest quality hose available. The standard hose alone costs over $75, and the optional high temp hose is even more. There was also a lot of testing that went into ensuring that as much air as possible is sent directly to the center of the rotor, where it is by far the most effective, just as mxpop was saying. We could have kept the cost down by using an inferior hose or a design that is easier to produce, but as many of you know we often try to design parts to perform as well as they possibly can, which unfortunately does increase the price in some instances. I'm not putting down the Quantum kit, just trying to let you all know that there is a reason why the RCE kit costs a bit more.
 
#13 · (Edited)
BoostJunkie said:
This looks like a pretty nice kit, but there is a bit on misinformation here in terms of comparing it with the RCE kit. First, the RCE is $300, not $400 as somebody mentioned above. The other thing to consider is that the RCE kit comes with the highest quality hose available. The standard hose alone costs over $75, and the optional high temp hose is even more
Click to expand...
Well come one guys. Hose for over $75? The 300 degree neoprene hose runs for $5.5 a foot and that is 'retail'. Each side use up 3 feet which would equate to: 3*2*5.5= $33 for the hoses. The higher temp (orange in color) runs for $6 a foot hence $36 total.

The hoses are pretty standard, the ones you get from your local aircraft or small airport maint shop is pretty much the same in terms of quality (black = 300 degrees, orange = 500 degrees).

I agree with the fact that the price would include engineering, R&D. I am no engineer but I wouldnt waste time comparing flow rates on different kits to see which one flows better. Brake ducting is a simple process.

FYI:

Race Car Brake Temperature Control ducting, ducts and equipment
 
#14 ·
Never posted here before. Hopefully it is okay to post here being a vendor and all...

Andy, I am sorry to hear that you didn't like the hose and replaced it with a more garden variety race hose. Please keep in mind the hose we supply in our race kits feature a temperature range similar to that which you replaced it with. The big difference is that our hose features an external wire that is mechanically bonded to the hose fabric. This external wire acts as a wear strip against your suspension components protect the hose from developing holes. This is essential on a street car, as these cars were never designed to have a 3" hose run anywhere near the suspension. I fear that the hose you replaced ours with will wear a hole in no time.

As far as the inlets go, they appear to be installed incorrectly I'm afraid. Those are designed to work with the stock STi covers that do not have an opening. Since it appears you are using a stock WRX cover, you could probably install them behind the WRX cover and that would make for a cleaner look. We actully have an inlet specifically for the WRX that is designed to fit behind the cover and if I knew you had those paticular covers I would have recommended different inlets. Don't get me wrong they will work just fine as installed, they just may not look the cleanest.

Those other fog light opening insert pictures posted are nice pieces. I wish we had the capabilities in house to form carbon... By all means if you can afford them I recommend them. Just be sure to pair them with our duct plates and hose. :)

Again if my post is against board rules please remove it. I just thought I would take the time to explain a few things about the kit as we have yet to get our hands on an STi, to officially let the pictures on our site do the talking. (all testing and pictures done on a standard 2004 WRX)

Thanks,

Jon Lambert
Quantum Motorsports
 
Discussion starter · #15 ·
Jon, by no means was I critising the inlet adapters. I know I didn't have it the "right" way I just needed something to keep the hose from pulling out. Not pretty but it worked. As far as the hose goes - I do think it would work well, but I tore a couple of sections of it during the install when I was checking wheel clearance. I just feel the length supplied was not enough and the hose is not stretchy.

I am going to call you about the inlet adapters for the fog lamp housing tomorrow. I really like this kit and the quality of it. :tup:

My whole post was not made to compare between the RCE kit and this but just to show the option that I bought. I have spent a fair amount of money at RCE and I will continue to do so. It's just nice to see others making products for our cars - especially for those of us who really use these things and don't just drive on the street.
 
#16 ·
Lutfy said:
Well come one guys. Hose for over $75? The 300 degree neoprene hose runs for $5.5 a foot and that is 'retail'. Each side use up 3 feet which would equate to: 3*2*5.5= $33 for the hoses. The higher temp (orange in color) runs for $6 a foot hence $36 total.

The hoses are pretty standard, the ones you get from your local aircraft or small airport maint shop is pretty much the same in terms of quality (black = 300 degrees, orange = 500 degrees).

I agree with the fact that the price would include engineering, R&D. I am no engineer but I wouldnt waste time comparing flow rates on different kits to see which one flows better. Brake ducting is a simple process.

FYI:

Race Car Brake Temperature Control ducting, ducts and equipment
Click to expand...
We include 12 feet of the highest quality 2-ply hose. It's more expensive than the stuff you posted, and we use it because we found it to be most resilient to fraying and splitting when it rubs on the ground, which tends to happen given the way you have to route the ducts on these cars. However, if everyone thinks we are including too much hose in the kits let us know. If people have a few feet left over maybe we can send the kits with less hose and cut down on the price a bit, although it wouldn't make that big of a difference in the grand scheme of things, it would probably only cut about $15-20 from the price. We have experimented with cheaper hose and it was crap, the stuff just didn't take the abuse we needed it to.

And if this stuff was so simple to design, why do you think we would put the money into the R&D process? You said yourself, you aren't an engineer. In theory it's a simple concept, but producing something that is as effective as possible in reducing rotor temps is not as easy as it appears. Trust me, if there was a cheaper way for us to make these we would, but doing it right isn't cheap.
 
#17 ·
BoostJunkie said:
First, the RCE is $300, not $400 as somebody mentioned above.
Click to expand...
My bad...i was just going off the top of my head, sorry for the misinformation. regardless, at about 30% cheaper, these could probably be modified fairly easily to match the center of the whatever rotors you're using. To me, a little DIY work is worth $100.
 
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#19 ·
KrazyKarl said:
My bad...i was just going off the top of my head, sorry for the misinformation. regardless, at about 30% cheaper, these could probably be modified fairly easily to match the center of the whatever rotors you're using. To me, a little DIY work is worth $100.
Click to expand...
Yeah you can probably modify them if you are handy with a welder. Also take into account how much it costs to replace the hose with something that holds up (although for all I know Andy's problem was an isolated incident) and the prices are almost the same. All I was trying to say is the difference in cost comes from somewhere.
 
#20 ·
Andy,

I know that your post was not meant to criticize our kit in any way. I just wanted to clarify a few things about the design and installation on an STi. As I said earlier our site contains no 2005-2007 STi specific information right now.

As far as the hose issue, we are going to include an additional 8" per side for the STi kits. That should solve the problem you had with the hose. It is essential that the hose not be under tension, so having enough hose is very important. We try to give more than enough in all of our kits, and with the new added length I think that will now be the case with the STi kit as well.

This being said, I wish you would have called us when you experienced this problem. We would have gotten some more hose out to you ASAP. It would have prevented you from spending additional money on hose.

Jon Lambert
Quantum Motorsports
 
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