I had tried the DS3000 that Travis uses but I destroyed them in a few sessions, just too much heat build up. I'm guessing that Travis's car is lighter and has more air going to the brakes because he has the liners stripped (before the ducting).

At this point I'm basically waiting to see if you come out with the brake ducts or if I come up with something on my own. If I can't get some ducting going then I will probably step up to the Mintex F3R.

And yes I do beat the heck out of the car on the track, as evidenced by the fact that I no longer have any letters on my front AP calipers. They curled up and then fell off getting washed.

I'm probably a few hundred pounds lighter... will be running at 3100 comp weight, have been a bit heavier than that recently

Had the ds3000s on for only a few sessions before the venting was added... before that was using the mintex extreme that came with the kit... we'll see how much longer they hold up

I think this thread should be stickied; a huge amount of information for those considering upgrading the Akebonos or moving to a BBK based on actual user and manufacturer knowledge.

MD-370,
While it is a bit more of a pain to swap the pads, I have been extremely happy with the performance of this kit:
Amplified Motorsport - AmplifiedMotorsport.com - performance audio auto accessories
Along with Carbotech XP12/XP10 combo and brembo fluid, with stock rear akebonos, I've had no overheating issues in up to 30 minutes of brake intensive track sessions.

The Akebono setup is a good brake kit overall. The one thing I do not like is the overall weight of both the calipers and the rotors. For MOST people who do light track duty, these calipers and brakes will work great. Unless you're a full on pro, I doubt you'd notice much difference between an aftermarket BBK and the akebonos with proper pad choice.

The oem pads are good for the street but I would highly recommend upgrading them to some better more aggressive pads for the track or aggressive driving. I would suggest Racing Brake 500's at the least or Endless pads we've had good luck with these.

for the rotors, Swapping out to the Racing Brake 2-piece will save you some much needed weight. the oem rotors are tremendously heavy.

The cooling on the caliper side of things is not bad at all, but could be improved for track duty. Running ducting to the CENTER of the rotors / hubs can probably benefit long track stints. Running some better fluid as well will help overall performance, I recommend MOTUL RBF600. Also, if someone comes up with a titanium backing plate shim for the pads, this can help reduce heat transfer from the pads and friction surface to the piston / fluid. We have these available for the older BREMBO calipers, but nobody has made them yet for the Akebonos. These shims are pretty standard fare on track duty GT cars as well.

So the Akebono's have good room to upgrade still, to compare to an aftermarket BBK (since most BBK kits will already come with a two piece rotor, aggressive pads, and slightly better cooling capacity due to rotor design). But for not much $ at all you can upgrade a few choice parts and have an equally matched brake system, without having to ditch the OEM Akebono kit. I wouldn't change them out if it were up to me...

If you are looking to cure pad fade and longevity at the track, the Mintex F3R is the solution -- period. This stuff lives on 2000°F rotors in NASCAR. It's one of the very highest temperature pads available anywhere.

If the fluid is boiling, you need better cooling (more air) and better fluid, such as AP Racing PRF.

Thanks Chris, F3R it is then. I heard they are a nice linear pad so that sounds like my style.

I use high temp fluid and change it after every track weekend.

Do you think that the Stillen brake duct might come to fruition over the Winter?

The F3R is VERY linear. I you like the way the Xtreme Motorsport feel, you will LOVE the F3R at the track.

I've been close to the brake cooling kit progress, but not in the middle of it yet. If things don't pick up speed quick, I'll be diving right in!

Seriously, there are a lot of projects moving through right now. I'd hate to see the guys rush something out -- and they won't do that even if asked to. Many, many years ago at STILLEN that might not always have been the case. The current crew has quite a bit of pride in their work. Not to say everything is always 100% perfect on first release (no company does that!), but these guys would rather be a little late than push out crap. Having said all that, it would be best to having something shipping well before Spring, right?

Amen. Did you wink at the end of that sentence?

Thanks Chris,

It's always a trade off between quality and timely product delivery, it is in any business (including mine). Obviously major flaws need to be avoided at all costs but minor cosmetic details are not a big issue in a kit like this as the only people who will be buying it will be those that are track focused who typically put function above form. Fortunately you do have a bit of time now that most of us have entered the off season and are now evaluating what to do to the car over the Winter. As I see it there is only one critical part to the kit, and that would be the backing plate duct that delivers the air to the center of the rotor and the wheel hub. This is obviously going to be the most difficult part to design for maximum airflow, everything else can just about be put together from off the shelf parts. In addition to elevated rotor temps I have also been seeing elevated hub temperatures and have experienced "moaning" wheel bearings and hub flex as a result. It seems as though a properly designed duct could deal with both issues.

Of course I'm always willing to help review designs, test fit, install prototypes etc (especially over the Winter as I have nothing better to do), even confidentially if necessary. But sadly there will be no track testing for me until late March, early April, unless I want to stick the car on a trailer and drive a really, really long way.

My ap racing brakes are really squeaky, is there a better street pad then the stock ap racing pads?

Did you bed the pads? I find the Mintex Extreme pads only squeal occasionally under light braking, and mostly when the car has been street driven a few weeks in a row. I recommend a heavy dose of auto-cross to get things squeak free.

As implied in ChrisSlicks post, keeping a good, healthy transfer layer is important to these high performance pads. Re-bedding from time to time is generally a good idea. You can also try applying some high-temp anti-squeal, like Permatex's Ceramic Extreme Brake Parts Lubricant.

http://www.permatex.com/products/aut..._Lubricant.htm

It's not a wonder-fix, but does a pretty good job of getting rid of most noise. The best part is that is stays put until 1600°F, waaaaayyy better than the typical parts store stuff.

yes AP:tup:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../sema09php.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3..._370zfront.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3..._370zrear_.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3..._370zfront.jpg:tup::tup:

That is a stupid-good looking car. Amazing job VIP.

Lookin good Rick :tup:!!!

I agree, looks great! just my imagination or are the wheels in first pic an inch bigger?

Same car.. same wheels.. but you're right.. looking at the first pic.. it's just squished a little.. changes the perspective..

AP's look sick on that Z.. fantastic representation of the 370 IMHO..

i think maybe the car was sitting 0.5in lower in first pic??

same wheel but the last wheel is in step lip.

Hmm.. you're on top of it.. didn't think about their timelines either.. SEMA vs. their SS shoot.. and the wheel guys are always crafty in changing things.. :D

Good catch!

Thanks! I love me some wheels.

yes yes:tup: here's some pix's on the Venaci 370z with AP 6+4 BBK on the track
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...c0e19b10_b.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...90MFEST-16.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...7edf01bd_b.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ack/Mfest4.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...bab73594_o.jpg

I'm a fan of the black trim that comes down the A pillar and along the hood line. Very cool touch.

:iagree: