Racing Brakes and Rotors

Originally Posted by MightyBobo

Are you basing these options off of personal racing experience? Because I am...

I've been in the Middle East, thank you very much - I know exactly how hot it gets there. When brakes heat up at the track with a GOOD driver, we are talking in the HUNDREDS of degrees fahrenheit - I believe 350-400 for the calipers, easily. The rotors can get red hot, naturally. 20-30 degrees ambient temperature wont make the difference between requiring Motul RBF600/AP Racing's fluid and some stupidly expensive Castrol brake fluid. 5 minutes of searching found that Castrol is a stupid choice except for the most extreme requirements, hard to find, 4 times the price of normal "good" brake fluid, and it doesn't mix with other brake fluids due to it being silicone based. That stuff is absolute OVERKILL for anything other than an absolute dedicated track rat, with a driver who actually has a need for it. He should stick to a fluid type that he wont have to struggle with, and not spend a fortune on. This isn't skimping, it's common sense.

2-Piece rotors cost a ridiculous amount of money, so "saving money" is easily debatable with it, and would take a while of using them. Furthermore, it's just added complexity - why? Some cryo-treated black 1-piece rotors will do him just fine without breaking his bank. Show me your personal cracked 1-piece rotors please, that don't involve drilled or slotted rotors, and aren't crappy eBay rotors.

Melting the stock brake lines off of a caliper? I've never even heard of this as a problem on the 370Z, but it's cool that you've heard of it happening on OEM lines off of some calipers. Somewhere. On some car. But he wants good brakes to withstand 100+ degree temperatures - not hot laps at Laguna Seca lol. That said, you are right, it's a rather cheap safety investment (I have them, but only because I won them and didnt pay a cent) - I was merely making the argument that they are NOT needed on the Z, at all.

You are throwing him absolute overkill ideas. $80+ bottles of trick brake fluid? Expensive 2-piece rotors? Stainless steel lines? All for (what seems to be) a daily driven car in only 100 degree weather with OCCASIONAL track time? The guy obviously isn't exactly a pro driver - he went out on stock brakes and wasted them in 5 laps, which is no surprise. 5 minutes of research on the board would have yielded knowledge that needed in order to go out safely and properly. So why do you expect him to need all of those super expensive options?

Originally Posted by jcosta79

No personal racing experience; I used to work with a race team / speed shop. We've seen much better longevity out of Castrol SRF than any other brake fluid. You are correct, for most guys doing the occasional track day, Motul is more than enough.

The one area you may be overlooking with 1-piece rotors is the heat they transfer to the wheel bearings / hubs. The rotors might handle the heat (no cracking or warping upon inspection), but your hubs will wear out quicker than normal due to excess heat. This then may lead to pad knock-back which can be mistaken for brake fade since you will experience a very mushy brake pedal (sometimes going all the way to the floor) on initial application. 2-piece rotors keep more of the heat in the swept area itself and away from the center (hubs).

Pad Knockback

The melting of the OEM brake lines was on a stock C6 Z06, driven at the track (not in a race) by a pro driver (not me). I'm not an expert by any means, but the Z06's brakes seem to be more robust than the ones on my 370 (Nismo) and the car they are attached to is certainly lighter.

I've had too many customers try to be thrifty at the beginning, only to wind up coming back and upgrading later when the track bug hits them hard. If the OP is sure he's not going to make track days a regular occurrence, then I agree with you, my recommendations are overkill.

I'm not trying to pick a fight here, honest. And I'm not saying you are wrong either. I'm just trying to give some sound advice based on what I've seen in the past.

Originally Posted by MightyBobo

Alright, fair enough. My Jew senses tingle when I hear phrases like, "I don't mind a little expensive, but not too much...", and as such, I go with the cheapest route to fix his problem.

You just took a slightly different direction. It's not like either of us was wrong, I think I just feel some of those options were a bit more expensive than he is willing to fork out, is all.

Opinions really are like ********, right? :-p