Brake discs oem vs "premium"

M

MattCarbonBlack

Member
 South Oxfordshire,uk
Morning all,

I completed my first track day at the start of the month and have another booked in for September.

Although I have plenty of meat on my pads it seems I may have warped a disc!

With one eye on track performance could anyone offer any experiences concerning std size replacement discs from stop tech and brembo (and/or others) in terms of whether they offer improved stopping and better heat capability than the oem.

I don't have the cash to go for a full big brake kit at the moment so replacement discs, hoses and fluid (and latterly pads) is the route for now.

I've heard one opinion that "discs are discs and unless you go bigger with larger calipers there isn't any value in premium upgraded components of the same size..".?

Thanks Matt
 
Some decent pads like ferodo ds pads and some groved discs from the likes of tarox or brembos etc will help but not cheap ebay specials. Braided hoses and a fluid change with a higher boiling point will all help.
 
Best track discs I've used are Maxtorq Group N discs, they have great stopping power, don't crack & run cooler than premium brand disks, especially if you're comparing to drilled &/or grooved. The only issue I had with them is that they do 'eat' into pads more than other discs. If you're a track day expert & are really pushing the brake performance to it's limits then go for the drilled & grooved option, but they run hotter & aren't as powerful.
 
I'm of the opinion that discs are discs personally. Pads, fluid and hoses are where the real gains are to be had from an OEM set up. Are you sure your current discs are warped? Have you tried to clean them with some brake bedding procedures in case it is pad deposits. I have also read that a more abrasive pad will help settle things or if you just ignore it, eventually it will sort itself out.
 
simonlpearce said:
I'm of the opinion that discs are discs personally. Pads, fluid and hoses are where the real gains are to be had from an OEM set up. Are you sure your current discs are warped? Have you tried to clean them with some brake bedding procedures in case it is pad deposits. I have also read that a more abrasive pad will help settle things or if you just ignore it, eventually it will sort itself out.
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Certainly agree on the bedding procedures. If you read the expert sites then less than a tiny % of discs are ever warped, it's almost always pad deposits causing vibrations. That can be from melting standard pads or holding the car static on hot pads.
 
Many thanks gentlemen :) , a relatively minor spot of cleaning and the shudder has almost gone completely. I'll get the wheels off and really clean them at the weekend.

Re: the track days mods, it's sounds like pads and fluid might be the most sensible (cost conscious at present!) first steps as the discs otherwise look ok.

Thanks for the tips. Ebc pads seem to be well liked.... yellow stuff all round? and some new fluid I think....
 
MattCarbonBlack said:
Many thanks gentlemen :) , a relatively minor spot of cleaning and the shudder has almost gone completely. I'll get the wheels off and really clean them at the weekend.

Re: the track days mods, it's sounds like pads and fluid might be the most sensible (cost conscious at present!) first steps as the discs otherwise look ok.

Thanks for the tips. Ebc pads seem to be well liked.... yellow stuff all round? and some new fluid I think....
Click to expand...

Not sure if you understood the brake cleaning suggestions being posted. Nothing to do with taking wheels off, but finding a clear road braking firmly from 60 to nearly a stop and back up to speed and braking again. Do this about 3 times and continue then driving without at any point stopping. Allow brakes to cool by driving gently with no braking. That cleans deposits off.
 
When I saw "deposits on the discs" my rudimentary thought process led me to think I'd be able just to rub it off using the brakes themselves from a higher speed down to slow and hey presto it worked.

Cj10, I had however assumed there was a "more complex" cleaning process being proposed here and that I'd do that at the weekend..... Haha I was wrong! :oops: Slightly embarrassed! But also happy the discs aren't shot!
 
Lol yeah as per above suggestion some high speed stops with cooling inbetween should sort it out, no need for a grinder and flap wheel just yet :lol:

Yellowstuff are decent pads IMO at least for the money. There have been reports of them delaminating themselves from the backing plates, or cracking, but i have used them on E36's with no problems and have run them for over 40minute sessions, so much so that my discs and pads were smoking when i came in to the pits. They were still working well though with little to no fade :)
 
simonlpearce said:
Lol yeah as per above suggestion some high speed stops with cooling inbetween should sort it out, no need for a grinder and flap wheel just yet :lol:
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Don't knock it. I took the lip of the disks of my comp Jeep by putting gear in gear, 1 of the 4 wheels at a time and running a grinder at 90 deg. to the rotating disk. Not for the faint hearted but, worked a treat. Different circumstances though where mud and clay grind the rotors down after just a few miles..
 
cj10jeeper said:
simonlpearce said:
Lol yeah as per above suggestion some high speed stops with cooling inbetween should sort it out, no need for a grinder and flap wheel just yet :lol:
Click to expand...

Don't knock it. I took the lip of the disks of my comp Jeep by putting gear in gear, 1 of the 4 wheels at a time and running a grinder at 90 deg. to the rotating disk. Not for the faint hearted but, worked a treat. Different circumstances though where mud and clay grind the rotors down after just a few miles..
Click to expand...

Did the same to my track car because the new pads i put in were just slightly larger compared to the ones that came out so i didn't want to trash them first few presses of the pedal. Discs were still well within tolerance for min levels and at £450 a pair (2 piece floating setup) i wasn't in a hurry to replace. :thumbsup:
 
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