Moar Braking Power Wanted!

[GTSBoy]

You have to be an engineer?

No. Think Ayrton Senna.

[Roy]

What, a petulant ignoramis that runs people off the road?

I get what you are saying about braking 100%/as hard as you can, but its an ideal and impossible to achieve. But a good consideration when you are going around and around that you should try and minimise the time spent free wheeling around the track. Maximise the amount of time on the loud pedal and minimise the amount of time on the middle pedal

[GTSBoy]

Maximise the amount of time on the loud pedal and minimise the amount of time on the middle pedal

More along the lines of either 100% on the accelerator (within traction limits of course) or 100% on the brake. Rally stylez.

[Duncan]

Jarrad, just flush your fluid out and put rbf600 or similar top quality fluid in. the a1rm pads are fine for your use and power.

what you really need is better tyres and to work on technique - brakes make you go slower, not faster. Grab me at the next trackday and we can have a look at how you are attacking the corners.

the swaybars will help heaps too, very good choice to upgrade those.

also, get a wheel alignment if you haven't had one done for a while. Nothing track specific, just make sure everything is straight and consistent.

Lots of things you could do if you wanted to take it all further, but if the car may be leaving just do the little bits and enjoy it

[Ruxis]

Jarrad, just flush your fluid out and put rbf600 or similar top quality fluid in. the a1rm pads are fine for your use and power.

what you really need is better tyres and to work on technique - brakes make you go slower, not faster. Grab me at the next trackday and we can have a look at how you are attacking the corners.

the swaybars will help heaps too, very good choice to upgrade those.

also, get a wheel alignment if you haven't had one done for a while. Nothing track specific, just make sure everything is straight and consistent.

Lots of things you could do if you wanted to take it all further, but if the car may be leaving just do the little bits and enjoy it

awesome duncan!

my second lesson sensai?? are you going to be at this next wakie???

i just put them on, omg what a difference!!!!!

yeah think ill get one done soon. gotta get a rego check too.

[RedDragonAus]

What fluid are you using? Nothing could be worse than doing 3 laps and have the pedal go to the floor because you boiled the brakes. Even new fluid will boil after a few laps so make sure to use a race fluid like those suggested (Motul RBF 600, Castrol SRF) and try to use the same pads all around putting a race pad in the front and a street in the rears will make the fronts do even more of the work and can cause them to overheat early.

Of course your tires were awesome at the track, it was your first day. Now that you have a benchmark, a set of cheap used semi slicks will really blow your mind. The limiting factor in breaking is usually the tires. Put the best and biggest brakes on a car with shit tires and it wont stop. Remmeber your contact patch between your car and the road is only a few square centimeters so the better grip on that patch, the more stopping power your brakes will have.

The best way to go faster is driver training. Spend a few laps following the experienced drivers, try to get in for a passenger lap and do a training day. You would be amazed how much faster you will go wen you learn to keep the car settled and balanced.

In my time attack Evo 7RS we focused on getting the brakes as efficent as possible while retaining the stock brembos. We reduced as much weight from the car as possible, less mass to stop. Reduced rotational mass (lighter wheels, 2 piece rotors, allow wheel nuts) to put less rotational strain on the brakes. cooling ducts to the front bar to help drop the temps as fast as possible. To top it off I used Michelin slicks for absolute grip (and lighter than road tires).

Now that the swaybars are done you will start to consume some parts and I would look at mods over time in this order:

1. inspection and bushings, replace any worn or broken bushings get under it and look for wear. check brake lines ect. You don't want a sloppy car at 200km/h

2. RBF 600 fluid (costs less than Castrol SRF)

3.track tires and wheels (so you dont tear up your road tires)

4.alignment (get the most out of your contact patch)

5.better brake pads all around (Im a fan of Ferodo DS2500s for a street/track car, 3000s for track only)

6.new rotors, the track pads and temps will eat or crack the stock rotors after a few days

7. Coilovers (Racing Logic, Tein, Ohlin or others with a motorsport background)

8. chassis bracing (keeps it aligned under cornering load)

Good to see some new guys getting out to the track and using their cars for what the designers intended.

[Ruxis]

thanks for the advice jon

im using rbf600 already and have just put it through my brother and sisters bfs cars this weekend ready for the track

thats a great list of parts and reccomendations! ill check out the bushes before i go

alignment is going to be done before i go too.

track wheels and tyres will have to wait hehe, suprisingly didnt lose much tread at all last time i did wakie. rotated tyres on sat as i hadnt did that since last track day. looking at it they look like theyd last 2-3 more days, (my place is barely big enough to keep a 1400kg jack so a spare set might be tricky hah.)

what do you think of the qfm a1rms brake pads??

rotors would be a great upgrade if i got some nice cross drilled

hmm if im going to keep doing this i got a big shopping list hah.

better break the news to the MRS that we wont be buying a house for a while lolololol.

[RedDragonAus]

Stay away from cross drilled rotors!! the holes dont let the rotor cool evenly and are often the starting place for cracks. Get some slotted DBA 4000s. I have not used qfm pads but you should try a few different types, see what works for you.

If you cant get a second set of wheels and tires then just get a new lite set of wheels like TE37s or if on a budget Enkei RPF1s and a set of semi semi slicks like Advan Neova AD08 or Bridgestone RE11. To save money check tirerack.com as they are often 1/2 the price including delivery of what you will get here.

Be sure to get a good tire gauge and check your pressures after each session.

DON'T TELL HER ANYTHING!!! It is better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

[Ruxis]

oh really?? thats a good tip haha. you seem to be a pretty knowledgable fella

They look good too.

hahahaha yeah it is easier to bed for fogivness if you dont mind a dry spell. lololol i kid i kid.

oh another question, what tyre pressure should i run on the track?? i run 245x 18 595s

[RedDragonAus]

Try 36 psi hot (after 3-5 laps) all around and go up or down 2psi from there until you get the grip and balance you are after. more air will give you stiffer ride but less grip as the tire gets round across the tread section. less air gives a softer side but more grip until it cups across the tread section. Confusing I know but what you are after is even tire temp across the width of the tire. That means all the working to maximum grip efficiency.

Here is a little tip, If your getting understeer drop the pressure in the front a bit, if your getting oversteer, drop the rears. You will be amazed at the difference 2-4psi makes in the handling of the car

This is my Evo when we won fastest time at Lakeside during the 2010 Evo Nats

Edited March 12, 2012 by RedDragonAus

[KiwiRS4T]

This is my Evo when we won fastest time at Lakeside during the 2010 Evo Nats

Very smooth!

[simpletool]

Next step is definitely a tyre upgrade. A 2nd set of rims with some 595 RSR will save you money after a few sessions as they stand up to heat much better than the 595 SS. Better yet get some proper semi-slicks.

[Ruxis]

Yeah I'll try that Jon. I had them on 40 last time. So this could help with my braking too

Yeah would be nice Daniel hah, hopefully down the track I'll get some