Anyone tried Hawk quiet stop rotors vs brembo blanks vs ...?

[hufflepuff]

I am having some brake issues on my 1992 Integra RS TTE car. Car is about 2450# with me in it, and has minor engine bolt-ons and no brake ducts. I am running at summit point and VIR.

 

I started my HPDE with stock rotors and hawk hp+ pads, then moved on to hawk blues. With both pads, towards the end i would get some deposits that resulted in brake shuddering. Then for TT, i "upgraded" to the poor man's ITR setup of mini cooper 11" rotors and accord calipers. Here's a picture of DTC-60 pads with advance auto wearever rotors after three days:

 

 

I keep my braking as short as possible and try not to ride them. I still generate enough heat to cause small surface cracking and one large radial crack that was a day ender. I also always seem to get streaking or smearing instead of the nice gray transfer layer hawk claims you should see after bedding.

 

I'd like to get my 2 points back by going back to stock brakes, but i feel that would just compound my problem. I am considering running some brake ducts. So i am wondering if my issue is with cheap calipers, improper bedding, just plain overheating, or improper driving.

 

To address the rotor issue, has anyone tried Hawk quiet slot rotors? How do they compare to others, such as brembo blanks?

 

Would the HT-10 pad be a better choice than a DTC-60?

[laze1]

I recommend Centric Premium Blank Rotors, or the high carbon units...they are very god quality at a good price. I have used them on several different types of race cars...never had a failure.

 

BTW: Centric owns StopTech and other brake parts company's...not junk for sure. I get them from RockAuto.com (be sure to Google "rockauto discount code" to get a 5% discount code to use at checkout)

[laze1]

Suggestion: rebuild your brake calipers (on a regular basis) ...cooked seals can cause the pads to drag and create even more heat...and subsequent rotor cracks and boiled fluid

[wic]

I run the cheapest rotors I can and would get 2-3 race weekends out them with DTC-30 pads. That is with cooling ducts. I switched to Colbalt pads and now get about a season out of the same rotors without any compromise to my brake performance.

[laze1]

I ran Carbotech pads on a pig 350Z...

[Hooked]

Speaking from direct experience with a similar setup.

 

Seriously, I could just cut past your entire post. I have had the exact same thing happen for an extended time. Identical braking system and cheap rotors. Two years of swapping rotors after two or three weekends that looked just like your cracked one, I bellied up and purchased a set of Cryo treated high carbon rotors.

 

Now things are different. Much less brake fade after seven races, I see NO tell-tail micro cracks, the ones that preceded the large one(s).

 

I am heading into my 8-9-10th track days on them and they still look perfect. Temps very hot (92-96 ambient). I'll edit post with an update next week. If these rotors are still solid after these, conditions, than I will say with great certainty that this is your solution.

 

Purchased here: http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=83

 

Pads are Raybestos st43 and the are superb.

[hufflepuff]

Speaking from direct experience with a similar setup.

 

Seriously, I could just cut past your entire post. I have had the exact same thing happen for an extended time. Identical braking system and cheap rotors. Two years of swapping rotors after two or three weekends that looked just like your cracked one, I bellied up and purchased a set of Cryo treated high carbon rotors.

 

Now things are different. Much less brake fade after seven races, I see NO tell-tail micro cracks, the ones that preceded the large one(s).

 

I am heading into my 8-9-10th track days on them and they still look perfect. Temps very hot (92-96 ambient). I'll edit post with an update next week. If these rotors are still solid after these, conditions, than I will say with great certainty that this is your solution.

 

Purchased here: http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=83

 

Pads are Raybestos st43 and the are superb.

 

Thanks for sharing! I always wondered how the high carbon cryo rotors performed.

[peterswarts]

Napa Premium rotors and DTC 60/70s worked well for my 2600+lb setup for H2. I'd replace the rotors when I did pads somewhere around 15+ days. Hawk Blues destroyed my rotors when I ran them way in the beginning. I found that once I got onto the Hawk 60/70s, I just needed a decent blank rotor. The more expensive cryo ones lasted the same as the blanks. The NAPA premiums are IMO as good as brembo blanks for under $50 and are almost always locally available. Wouldn't run lower quality rotors from them though.

[marlnoco]

Different approach. I run EBC yellow pads on all my track cars (with either stock, or EBC drilled, slotted, ventilated discs).

 

The pads are soft, high friction, high dust pads. First brake application is same as the last without fade, or need to warm up.

 

The theory is the pad grabs, and wears away, while the rotor stays the same. The friction heat leaves with the brake dust. Soft pads. Hard rotors.

 

It is easy to change brake pads. Don't know, if you will take a gig for running different pads in TT.

 

Pads are $110 a set, but cheaper than rotors. Change them at 60% wear before heading to the track.

 

Blow the brakes out to keep dust from accumulating between sessions.

 

Marlon

[Hooked]

Speaking from direct experience with a similar setup.

 

Seriously, I could just cut past your entire post. I have had the exact same thing happen for an extended time. Identical braking system and cheap rotors. Two years of swapping rotors after two or three weekends that looked just like your cracked one, I bellied up and purchased a set of Cryo treated high carbon rotors.

 

Now things are different. Much less brake fade after seven races, I see NO tell-tail micro cracks, the ones that preceded the large one(s).

 

I am heading into my 8-9-10th track days on them and they still look perfect. Temps very hot (92-96 ambient). I'll edit post with an update next week. If these rotors are still solid after these, conditions, than I will say with great certainty that this is your solution.

 

Purchased here: http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=83

 

Pads are Raybestos st43 and they are superb.

My update, a bit late. One of the two cryo rotors showed a crack through to the edge on day ten of use. I also found that the caliper on that rotor has sticking issues and needs to be replaced. The other rotor was good and I left it on. I have not gotten this much use from any other rotors in the past three years. Those who drive with me know that I leave very little on the table and push my car to the limit. I run 2:03's at Thunderhill and that is considered very quick for an H2+ b16. Thunderhill is the great destroyer of brake pads and rotors, particularly in the summer heat. These ten days at Thunderhill do not correlate to what I get at Sonoma or Laguna Seca, both much easier on brake rotors and pads.

[HondaRob]

I run a 2500# '91 Integra in H4 in the Great Lakes Region. I run stock brake calipers, brackets, rotors. I use Cobalt Friction XR1 front and XR5 rear. I use Brembo/Altrom rotors from NAPA and have brake cooling ducts from the front bumper. after 10 Races my rotors are fine with no cracking or warping. Pads are at 50% and look like they will come close to making the whole season. Hawk Blues killed my rotors after 2 weekends and the pads wore out quickly. I changed to DTC-60 front and DTC-30 rear Hawk pads and felt like they were not aggressive enough/Longer braking zone needed. The Cobalt Friction Pads are very confidence inspiring and good bang for the $ with pad life wear and rotor wear IMO. My braking zones shortened dramatically with the Cobalt Friction pads compared to the Hawks. I also tried the XR2 pad and liked it as well, but am sticking with the XR1 in the future. Slightly more aggressive compound with the XR1.