I just finished a track weekend in the Shelby and found the brakes to be sub par. This wasn't un-expected, but it was unexpected to find the pads are gone on the rears and that something may have malfunctioned in the system. All issues aside, I would like to improve both the pads and rotors WITHOUT having to buy larger wheels. Any suggestions/places to go would be greatly appreiciated.
upgraded brakes can be had without going to larger rotors. often this means employing slotted rotors, more aggressive pads, stainless brake lines, and sometimes upgraded calipers that clamp better and more evenly and dissipate heat better. i'll find some links to add to this post, but gotta run to class now!
slotted/drilled/both rotors = bling only
if you want more bite, you may sacrifice dust and/or noise, but going to a more aggressive pad compound will help
Hawk, Porterfield, Carbotech are usually popular among many different types of cars - I would look at pads aimed for autocross use to start with, should be a bit more bite but still work very well cold and might be low on the dust & noise scale depending on which particular one
order the pads and install them yourself. It isn't that hard
Ken hit everything on the head.
^^^ Everything except for upgrading your brake fluid to a higher temp. I've haven't done much with this, but I'm sure Ken or someone else would have some good suggestions on what will work well for on track driving. Pads as everyone said as well. I have Hawk HP+s, however they squeak and w/o abs are VERY TOUCHY. I'd suggest going with another type of pad, namely track specific pads if you can that way you can have some that can take the heat on track.
Steve, I have Hawk HPS on my V6 and have been really happy with them both on the track (the one time) and on the street. They'll do for a couple weekends but as you start driving more aggressively, I'd look into HP+, which were recommended to me after this last track weekend. You don't have to buy Hawks either, other brands have equivalents of these pads... I am just more familiar with Hawk's line.
I also highly recommend Andrew Racing for brake pads. I know he sells Hawk pads, not sure about other brands.
http://andrew-racing.com/
just noticed this was for track-use :doh: so yeah, scratch that autox based pad recommendation, I thought for some reason we were talking street/autox/spirited driving use. One thing to ask - did you leave the traction control on? Alot of systems apply brake pressure through the ABS system to quash wheelspin, which would cause heavy rear brake wear.
At any rate:
Definitely need a nice track/race fluid - Motul and ATE are the most popular... either works, just depends on what you're a fan of and what you can get easier, etc, etc
Definitely need a nice track pad, maybe not super exotic but definitely something intended for that useage. Hawks have had a reputation for being harsh on rotors, not sure if their new formulations are like that however. Carbotechs are easy on rotors in general, but you can go through them fast due to that. Cobalt, Porterfield, Raybestos, and maybe some others might be worth looking at as well.
I run Motul600 for fluid, Carbotech XP8 fwiw - but a lighter less powerful car so
I am just looking for an upgrade that could handle a track event every 2 or 3 months when the mood strikes me, so I don't want to have full race pads and fluid on my daily driven street car. I drive a lot of highway miles and I think that race pads wouldn't be good, since they wouldn't have chance to get hot enough to work. I was looking at the Hawk HPS like Kari said and I'm looking at Steeda components and Baer pads through Shelby Performance. I think that you're right about the Drilling. I'll look for slotted kits.
I've always heard blank rotors are the best... If you really have problems with heat, which you shouldnt, then slotted are better than drilled because they have more surface area, but for normal street use I'd say stick with blank rotors. Easier on your brake pads, less noisy, and they work better because there is more surface area.
But thats just my 2c... I dont really know what I'm talking about, hah.
EDIT:
This seems to be a more educated opinion though... but it is coming from a guy who sells brakes.
http://reviews.ebay.com/Drilled-vs-slott...0005243690
humjaba Wrote:I've always heard blank rotors are the best... If you really have problems with heat, which you shouldnt, then slotted are better than drilled because they have more surface area, but for normal street use I'd say stick with blank rotors. Easier on your brake pads, less noisy, and they work better because there is more surface area.
But thats just my 2c... I dont really know what I'm talking about, hah.
EDIT:
This seems to be a more educated opinion though... but it is coming from a guy who sells brakes.
http://reviews.ebay.com/Drilled-vs-slott...0005243690
The truth is that the damage is far worse than I initially thought. All of the rotors are warped and the rears are cracked. The rear calipers are completely shot and won't move, so I'm going to have to replace the full system. I went and talked to my bosses at CMP this morning and they pointed out that 350Z, which is similar in size, weight, and horsepower to my car, comes with drilled and slotted Brembos as OE. After a lengthy discussion with Shelby Performance in Vegas, I ended up getting their Baer 2-piston kit with massive 14 inch slotted and drilled rotors for all wheels and performance pads. They mentioned that the only way to crack these rotors was to ignore the break-in procedure and just go and beat them up immediately. The guy on the phone said that he used this system on his car and really enjoyed it and since I'm only going to track the car 1 or 2 days every 2 months or so, I don't really need more than this and they should also handle autocrossing. I'm also taking Ross's advice and going to a higher tolerance fluid.
The 350Z Brembo rotors were not drilled or slotted. They were blank (which as Ken pointed out, are better). Drilled rotors crack. Everyone I run track with uses blank rotors (unless the car came with bling rotors like the GTR).
-Paul
Link or gtfo
My bad