Quote:
Originally Posted by AP - Chris_B
Yes, I hear this a lot. Unfortunately, the engineers don't win all the battles. Sometimes the accountants (most of the time, actually) get the last word. You should talk to someone with a Corvette C6 Z06 and see what they think of spending around $70k and getting worse brakes than you have! GM had a better option on the table, but the budget simply didn't allow for it. Some have noticed that the ZR-1 uses entirely different brakes. By the way, this is the #1 reason I have never wanted to work for an OEM road car manufacturer. That and the fact that Michigan has very cold winters and all the tracks close down until spring.
This is exactly what the AP Racing road car brake systems were designed and developed to do. It is also why the pads chosen are good to over 1300°F. If you are one of the few pushing past that temp limit, the only options left are full-on race pads. Of course with an AP BBK, you will have lots of options to choose from.
Chris
|
Exactly - I am stunned that the Z06 brakes have issues on track. I realize that's partly a result of all that horsepower, but still, I would indeed be pissed if I had to retrofit brakes for a car that was sold as a track monster.
I do feel like part of the issue is all the weight on cars. I was thinking the other day about how the only ~2800 lb sports car left is the Cayman/Boxster, then the Miata and the Exige below 2500. In combination with the horsepower wars of the last 10 years, we've got way more energy to manage than before. It sounds like the next-gen RX7 and Miata will continue the light approach, which is good, because to my mind, 3300 lbs. is just too much for a sports car. Mazda also seems to give decent priority to trackworthiness because they understand their customers; it will be interesting to see where they make the price/performance stopper decision. Mazda does have the odd advantage of low horsepower...
It's good to hear that you feel AP's kit is suited to a dual use scenario on the Z. I was worried that the response would just be, "If you want to track your car with any kind of seriousness, you have to get used to switching pads." The whole payoff for me of a BBK is not having to worry about the brakes any more, other than keeping pads and rotors current. I don't mind putting up with a small amount of noise and any amount of dust; I just don't want to have to bring jacks to the track (yet). Eventually all the track regulars seem to drop down the rabbit hole, which leads ultimately to a trailered car, but I'm trying to stay out of that one as long as possible ;-)