http://www.zeckhausen.com/Testing_Brakes.htm

 

nice, make note that the distances are not reduced by that much, but thats because its the tires that are the weakest link in braking force, not brakes. only way the larger rotors can stop the car faster than the stock brakes is if you put larger grippier tires that are so strong ABS cant even engage.

notice the lower temps tho, less fade, and thats the point.

 

What gear were they braking in?

I also noticed they swapped out the suspension for the 355mm StopTech kits. They should have been consistent in all of the tests by changing nothing on the car.

 

 

Thank you for confirming that once again I REALLY f**ked up by not buying the Track model. You bastard.

Those temps for the stock, single-piston brakes are disgusting. Now I guess brakes will be following the suspension upgrades. No fancy wheels for me this year.

 

What do you mean you F'd up? I got the Enthusiast model for $30k. The track model runs $39k. Here is my math-

$2,000 Front Brake upgrade
$3,000 upgrade to 18s with new wider rear rims and better performing tires
$5,000 engine upgrade (turbo or supercharger)

$40k total invested (along with me doing the install) should get me a tremendous car that will outperform almost anything on the road. Latest mags said the Track model (same suspension and setup as the E model) outperformed the 911 and M3 around the course. Add another 80 hp and some better tires and rims you can make a run at the Z06 for $10k cheaper.

 

Brakes are overrated. That's what track run-off is for.

Michael.

 

lol

i think im going to be doing the same thing, droidekaus.
on the other hand, i dunno if ill be going to the track enough to warrant a big brake upgrade ...

tough decisions ...

 

Well... here's my suggestion: try a HPDE first. Try it w/ stock pads, then try it w/ aftermarket pads.

IMO, it's better to exceed the capabilities of a car before doing any upgrades. All too often do people invest $$$ in their car when they're not really at the point of exceeding their car's stock performance.

Michael.

 

I agree. You will notice the stoptech results are only a few feet shorter.

 

What pads would you recommend? I heard by changing brake fluid, ss lines, and pads you can actually get some really good performance out of the stock brakes.. Is this true? What would you recommend?

 

I agree with what Michael said. Change your pads and fluid to see the results before you go off and drop a few thousand on upgraded brakes.

I recently put a set of Axxis Ultimate pads on my stock front brakes and put in some DOT4 brake fluid before a recent track day here in Colorado. I noticed no fade all day. Granted, the air temperature averaged about 40 degrees and I wasn't really pushing the car until the end of the day, but I think $100 on pads and fluid for a first test is much more reasonable than $2000 or more for new brakes. Bear in mind that upgraded pads won't necessarily result in increased stopping power on the street, but they'll definitely result in reduced fade on the track.

FWIW-I may upgrade my brakes in the future if I find myself getting more and more into track driving, but for the moment that money is better spent elsewhere (suspension upgrades.)

Do a search here for Cobalt Friction for a post they made a while back about some of the pads they offer for the Z. I highly recommend them as a source for brake pads.

Gary

 

What about slotted replacements for the stock rotors? I wonder if they'ed make much of a difference in temperature. If they helped to stop brake fade that would probably be good enough for most people. On another note, I noticed that not only were the stoptech rotors cross-drilled, but the holes were very close together. I have noticed allot of people cracking cross drilled rotors, and with the drilling being that aggressive on the stoptechs, it's making me think twice about getting them. Like I said before maybe a slotted replacement is the most practical way to go.
Later,
Tony

 

Stoptech offers slotted, drilled, or both....

On my previous car I upgraded to drilled rotors F/R, Axxis pads, SS lines, and Motul, and it was a tremendous difference. The bite was amazing, fade was slightly better, as was stopping distance.

I have put well over 30K miles of abusive driving and braking on the rotors with no problems, I even drove about a 1/2 mile with the e-brake on (long story) and almost started a fire on the rears without any damage to the rotors.

Some will say that x-drilled/slotted rotors do not make any difference, it is a matter of opinion. In theory they should cool better. The argument that they do not help, consists of a theory that brake pads have improved so much in the last decade that they are not needed, or are not good for all pads. I cannot say which side is right, but I was impressed.

That said, being that I have an Enthusiast model, I am going with the 13" kit, because of performance, and I have to admit, looks. I think they will look much better behind my 19" Iforged wheels. It is also the reason I bought the enthusiast model. But, if you have the Track, and change pads, lines, rotors, and fluid ($700?), I am sure you would get as good, or better numbers than the Stoptech's.

 

In case you didn't notice, I got the 6MT Touring w/all options except nav. That was $34,495. The Track with all options minus nav was only $600 more.

Modding a Touring:
$34,495
+ $2000 suspension
+ $3200 light-weight rims/new tires
+ $1995 Big Brake fronts
= $41,690

Modding a Track
$35,095
+ $2000 suspension
+ $1100 heated leather seats
= $38,195

That's a $3495 difference. Do you see what I'm getting at now?

 

I think the article is great. I don't see anywhere where it says everybody should run get this. It just explains their test process and the results they got.

It is not the most scientifically precise test ever, but they did try to be consistent which is a good thing.

But most of all they shared it, which shows to me they aren't trying to hide anything. This is our product, this is how we test it, and these are the results we got in less than perfect environment, which is where we drive every day.

I also likes the explanations, learned some stuff. I won't be shelling out $4500 or even $2000 anytime soon, but would consider it when time comes.

 

Brakes simply convert kinetic energy to heat energy. Larger rotors & pads offer a larger surface area for energy transfer. Adding rotor thickness to that equation offers a higher capacity of heat disippation (i.e. volume).

By cross-drilling, not only are you removing surface area for energy transfer, but you're also removing that volume for heat disippation. The only purposes cross-drilled rotors serve these days are looks (first and foremost ), lightweight, and venting (i.e. cross-drilled rotors are probably better than solid rotors in the rain).

Slotted rotors don't really serve the same purpose as cross-drilled rotors (that's why you see slotted and cross-drilled rotors). The purpose slotted rotors serve is to scrub the brake pad.

MaddMatt @ Cobalt Friction can explain the purpose of brakes and cross-drilled and slotted rotors better than I.

Michael.

 

Thought track was $38, it is $35,500 with airbags. I like the looks of the biggr brake and not having to worry about brake fade. I would rather have a better brake setup than spending money on an exhaust kit that costs $1,000 and improves performance by only 8-10 hp. My $39k figured my z into in which cost me $30k.

 

jran76,

stoptech does not do both cross-drilled and slotted.

you either get cross-drilled, or you get slotted.

how do i know, well i talked to bob and matt from stoptech personally.

i don't track much, so i got the cross-drilled.

wish they did both though.

john350z

 

Ooops, sorry for the bad info, thanks for the correction.

Nice ride by the way.....

Michael, I by no means an expert, so help me out here, what exactly is "scrubbing the pads" and assuming I am going Stoptech (which I plan to order tomorrow), which is better. I was set on slotted (because I have to agree, I don't think drilled add anything more than looks), but now....