Brake Rotors - Which ones are track-worthy
 

Started up on some research on sprort brakes.

Brembo - Can't find a replacement
Akebono - Can't find this one either but it must exist since it's the stock one right?
StopTech (Cryo-Sportstop) - Drilled and/or Slotted
BPI - Drilled and/or Slotted
Centric (125)
Diskitalia - Drilled or Slotted
Xbrakes (4000 series) - Slotted and/or Drilled
DBA - Slotted and/or Drilled
EBC - (Ultimax) Slotted

My main question is who has experience with any of these and whether you've had any problems you would attribute to them.

Also, if there are any XP8 pad users out there, which ones do you use and have you had noise outside of the less than 5mph area?

Unless you are racing for money and top times, get the cheapest quality brand and cryo treat them. That's all you need.

I am the "Brake Whore" of the VW world and i will tell you the following...

If you want to do Track Duty on rotors... you must have a 2 piece rotor.
- Everything else is a gimic, IMHO.

Drilling makes them worse (cracking prone, look at any Corvette)
Slotting is good but eats up pads faster
2-Piece cost about $500 but worth every penny to save your arse.
Cryo Rotors sounds nice but ehh, i wouldn't bother, it's cheaper to just buy a couple sets of OEM's.

You will not gain any braking power or longevity with any of the above solutions unless you get a 2 piece rotor. I have seen those available here, but nowhere else yet.

Additionally if you want brake longevity consider the stillen brake cooling kit, $275 which will extend pad and rotor life.

FINALLY... Don't drive XP8 on the street they'll squeal like stuck pigs. Just swap out your pads for the track day. This also keeps you mindful of your pad level on both sets of pads.

Then again this is just my opinion... i could be wrong.
~ The Brake Whore
:tiphat:

You guys make a lot of sense.

I'm really liking the look of that Stillen brake duct kit too!

Yes buy the ducts, they would make your pads last longer. Two piece are great. If you can justify spending that much $$, more power to you. Cryo treatment works great. I used to have cracking issues with my cross-drilled Corvette rotors, problems were solved after I starting cryoing treating my rotors. Rotor is a heat sink, it just have to hold the heat and dissipate them....

I have over 12 track days on my car on 4 different set of pads, barely any wear on my rotor....

I bet you're not using Hawk pads. ;)

Been down that road, never using it again. Last two times I used it I killed the rotors both times (HP+ and HP Blues). My stock Prius brakes have a better feel than the crappy HPS.

:iagree: And HP+ pads suuuuuuccckk. Love my XP 8's. Have some XP 10's next. Only because I got a steal on them.

If you do go 2 piece, look at Racing Brake. Open slot design too. I cannot give feedback on them yet as they are just getting installed next week!

I just installed a Racing Brake BBK and it looks amazing... dare i say... comparable to my beloved stoptech kit?? !!

But yes, racing brake is a solid brand with good customer service and amazing products. Their 2-piece OEM replacement rotors MSRP of $920 is $100 less than the only other available replacement from DBA which are available from Stillen.

Thoughts comments ?
:tup:

P.S. And for the love of all that is holy, do NOT get drilled rotors.

Example:

http://www.devtools.org/rus/mtimages/rotor-cracks-2.jpg

Yes drilled rotors were made for a problem in race cars which no longer exists. Look at the F1 cars brakes now days and there are no drilled holes or slots. Old pads made a lot of gases from the glue that held them together and these needed to be vented out in order for the breaks to preform. Drilled was the most effective but had the side effect of producing cracks so after each race they would need to be inspected and/or replaced. That's not reasonable for day to day use. Slots didn't crack and were better then nothing at all.

But today modern pads do not have much if any issue with gases being formed. F1 cars and other race cars don't use anything because it is not needed and holes or slots reduce the overall braking surface.

My advice is get the best 2 piece brake and good pads. Slots and holes are just for appearance.

http://bikehugger.com/carbon%20rotor.jpg
http://bikehugger.com/post/view/formula-one-for-bikes

What's the advantage of 2 piece?

lots of good information on this thread, keep it coming :tup:

Lighter weight, and you can change the rotor without changing the hat. It will cost less in the long run. But a little more $$ upfront.