good set up for street/light track?

3917 Views 12 Replies 3 Participants Last post by stsdude2, Oct 29, 2013

stsdude2

Discussion Starter · Oct 29, 2013

I have a 2008 wrx, I used to have DBA 4000s and hawk pads and the braking was so-so at the time. I upgraded to stainless steel lines, and a master cylinder brace, and then the game changed but I needed new rotors and was planning on selling the car at the time so I just bought stop tech blanks and street performance pads.

These work really well but after 3 runs in the canyons near my house which are about 3-5 miles, my brakes start to overheat a bit by the 3rd run and I can feel a loss in braking power.

I take my car to the canyons once a week and I will be taking it to the track once a month starting November. IS there a not so expensive rotor and pad set up I could get that wouldn't overheat quite so quickly?

I have heard that drilled and slotted rotors were just used to divert gasses that brake pads used to give off and as they no longer do, I have been told that slotted rotors and stuff like that aren't entirely necessary to dissipating heat for the brakes.

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BlueScooby

· #2 · Oct 29, 2013

What pads and brake fluid are you using? Is your brake fluid a high-temp fluid?

Any good pads/rotors will not be cheap, but compared to a BBK, they are very cheap. I personally use ATE SuperBlue brake fluid and Ferodo DS2500 brake pads and I think its a pretty good setup for DD/lite track, but you may need a higher temp application depending on how hard your running in the canyons... You may need to look at some race pads, such as the Hawk Blues or the Carbotechs or something. Ferodo also makes some good race pads.

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stsdude2

Discussion Starter · #3 · Oct 29, 2013

I have stop tech fluid and their stainless brake lines.

When I feel the brakes start to overheat, I'll get a pulsation through the pedal under hard braking but it lasts a split second, enough for me to say "holy shit there goes my brakes" but not enough to cause any difficulty driving, usually I cut it out after I feel that.

I know that brakes aren't cheap for good ones but my rotors are relatively new, I can afford good pads. Upgrading rotors again is what I am scared for, the DBA's were expensive when I bought them, the stoptech blanks were relatively inexpensive. I just wanna make sure blank rotors wont cause me too much issue on the track and street.

Do high heat pads heat up less quickly or do they get more grabby as they heat up?

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BlueScooby

· #4 · Oct 29, 2013 (Edited)

I think you may be misunderstanding what is happening. A "pulsation" is not brake fade, that sounds like ABS activation. That just means you are exceeding the grip of your tires and your brakes are "pulsing" to maintain grip so you dont just slide off the road.

Brake fade, is when you step on the brakes and you dont hardly slow down. There are (2) types of brake fade, pad/rotor fade, and over heating brake fluid. If you over heat your brake fluid, your brake pedal is spongy and you have to push the pedal down to the floor just to slow down a little. Pad/rotor fade, is when your pads/rotors have over heated and are their relative coefficient of friction is dropping drastically. In the case of pad/rotor fade, your brake pedal should still be firm, unless you also have over heated brake fluid.

Race pads, or "high heat pads" as you called them, operate at higher temperatures, so they get more "grabby" at higher temperatures. Regular street pads are usually design to operate at lower temperatures and loose grip when they get too hot/overheat.

DBAs, are good brake rotors. Generally speaking, you want to avoid drilled/slotted rotors. The cooling benefits of drilled/slotted rotors are not usually attainable on the street, and they drastically reduce the strength of the rotor. Race teams that use these usually put on new ones, ever race so long term durability is not as much of an issue for them.

What brake pads are you using?

Are you using Stoptech STR660 or STR600 brake fluid? If so, you shouldnt have to worry about over heating your brake fluid.

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BlueScooby

· #5 · Oct 29, 2013

for reference, below is a graph of the different brake pads available from Ferodo and their "grabby"ness as compared to temperature. You will see that some get much better at higher temps.

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stsdude2

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 29, 2013

do the high heat race pads not work so well for street use?

I am honestly unsure which stop tech fluid I bought, it was a while ago. I have never had a spongy pedal so it must have just been the ABS probably, after a couple runs my tires started squealing around corners more as well.

I know theres no set up that works perfectly for street and track use, but before I go buying higher heat pads I want to know if they will work for put-putting around town.

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BlueScooby

· #7 · Oct 29, 2013

if you bought either of the two brake fluids i listed, they are both high temperature fluid, so you're probably OK there.

If it was just ABS activation, that means your tires are probably overheating a little. Do you have summer tires?

Race pads are very rough on brake rotors and usually make tons of noise. I would not recommend using race pads for every day driving. However, if you are going to head out to the canyons, you may want a set to swap in before you go.

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stsdude2

Discussion Starter · #8 · Oct 29, 2013

alright cool, I may get a set for when I go to the track or canyons. My tires are all seasons, I have learned my lesson with those, never spend under a 1000 bucks on tires and always buy summer if you live in southern California lol

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BlueScooby

· #9 · Oct 29, 2013

yeah, all-seasons are crap... that being said, all tires will eventually overheat if pushed beyond what they are capable of... but that threshold is much higher with summer tires.

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stsdude2

Discussion Starter · #10 · Oct 29, 2013

well I spoke with someone from KNSbrakes.com and they recommended I upgrade to 2010+ wrx rotors which would help a bit with cooling and also to get XP8 front pads and AX6 rear pads or hawk DTC30 for the rear.

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Sabrewings

· #11 · Oct 29, 2013

It's more likely you're overheating those all seasons than your brakes. Most street tires will get a bit greasy when overheated and it will affect traction. A good track tire with a more focused compound should help out with that. With some good sticky rubber, you'll probably be in a position to be able to overheat your brakes.

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BlueScooby

· #12 · Oct 29, 2013

KNS is awesome! I have the luxury of getting to go there in person, they are very helpful.

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stsdude2

Discussion Starter · #13 · Oct 29, 2013

I am in the market for wheels and tires soon. I was gonna replace my ISC coilovers cause they suck and I Feel like they were giving me some handling issues, but I also feel like wider wheels and better tires might solve my issue. I am not 100% sure what to go with first, does anyone know how wide a wheel I can fit on a 08 wrx that's lowered like .3 inches?

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