UTEC Merged With Innovate LC-1 Wideband and Jeff's UTI 3 Software.

I have a UTEC and an Innovate LC-1 wideband with a DB9 gauge. Until today they were seperate and was unable to log A/F data to UTEC for data logging my runs. My buddy QuadCam hooked it up for me today so I can datalog using Jeff's Software http://www.jeffsoftware.com/ UTI3 program which also has a dashboard that allows you to read engine paramaters such as coolant temps, air inlet after intercooler temp, ambient air temp, RPM, throttle position sensor, boost presure/vacuum, injector duty cycle and a few others, but those are the big ones. So by hooking up the LC-1 to the laptop the UTI3 program will datalog it as well as everything else. The LC-1 wideband controller comes with the serial cable you need but most laptops will require a serial to USB converter cable. Once both cables are pluged into the laptop via USB open the software and read in real time all the parameters on the dashboard. Use your computers s-video out and run a cable to a dash mounted monitor as a display while driving. For something permanent get a permanently mounted carputer.

Check out all the features of the UTI3 software on Jeff's website. It's a real bargain for $24.95. You'd have to be an r-tard to not have this valuable tool. Good Stuff!


Jeff's Software UTI 3 Dashboard Display

Does Anyone Know WTF They Are Doing?!?!

As a continuation or the thread below and my failed attempt at a track day @ Sebring. I went to the local AutoZone to get them to scan my ECU for engine codes. Well it returned an 1136 IVT solenoid failure. I asked the AutoZone employee is it cylinder bank 1 or 2. He replied bank 1. I arranged to have the part at the track the next day through a friend who would be there. But I still decided not to go just in case there was something else wrong or the car failed to make it the 1 hour drive with the failed IVT solenoid.

So on Monday I went to the local Nissan dealership and picked up a new IVT bank 1 solenoid. The Nissan dealer said it would work on both sides in case it wasn't bank 1. I had not verified the code and just went by what the AZ employee stated.. That was so fukin wrong! Don;t ever trust anybody in the automotive field. No one knows a damn thing and sometimes it seems as if they are actually out to sabatage you and keep you from fixing your own car.

Turns out 1136 pertains to bank 2 and the solenoid is different from left to right side! MFer!

So to the AutoZone employee who is just a glorified cashier and the Nissan dealer parts employee... go fuk yourselves! Maybe you should both pursue a career in the janitorial arts because reading catalogs and service manuals is to difficult for yah!

Dissapointing Day For Me!

I was supposed to be @ Sebring today Dec 14th. I paid my $375 non-refundable deposit for the track time. I paid the non-refundable $155 hotel reservation. Come Saturday on my way to Sebring I had a problem with my motor. I had a flashing check engine light. I turned around and drove home and pulled the OBDII code and it was a failed IVT (intake valve timing) actuator which changes the timing of the intake cam on bank #1. So I was sh*t outa luck and $525. That's racing I guess! I just got for an early christmas present a Canon HF100 HD video camera and car mount which I was looking foward to making some HD movies at the track. I didn't get to test out my new crankcase ventilation setup either. Sucks soooo bad! Good news is that the next track day is Jan 3rd which is only 2 weeks away. Losing that money is like a kick in the package. It hurts! Not to mention a lost track opportunity!

Only @ Sebring!

Where can you bring your daily driver and run with an Audi R10 ALMS P1 car?!?! Sebring in an HPDE! I guess you never really know what or who is going to show up. I have a track day on Jan 03 and I'm hoping I might be caught in a situation similar to this. The 12 Hours of Sebring is comming up in March and I'm hoping some of the cars will be testing on Jan 03. It must be awesome to get passed by an LMP1 or P2 car! I got passed by an ENZO at the last track day and I fought him all the way. It was close!

More Doom and Gloom?

I just saw that Turbo and Luxury & Exotics magazines have both closed their doors. Magazines are a good way to gauge the health of an industry. This is where advertising dollars are spent. If the advertisers believe that their ads aren't drawing business they won't continue throwing their budget away on ads drawing no business. If they aren't generating revenue then they have smaller advertising budgets to work with and that completes the circle of death for a magazine. The largest generator of revenue for a magazine is from it's advertisers. When all is said and done what will be left of the tuner industry is the big question! Here's a pic of Eva Mendes to cheer you up!

Big Trouble In The Tuner Industry

First Greddy Trust Japan declares bakruptcy then doesn't show up at SEMA last week. HKS was also no where to be seen at SEMA. Sport Compact Car magazine states their last printed issue will be comming in the next few months and they have layed off 115 workers with more likely to come. SCC had some of the best technical articles written for idiots like me. The tuning consumer just got a little dumber and as a group of enthusiasts we really can't afford that drop in intelligence given the average IQ of the typical import car owner. 2 well known 350Z tuning garages have closed. Now there is no reputable tuner in Florida and as a state with year round driving weather we have an disporportionatley large percentage of modified Z's here with no one to tune them now. We now have to drive to Charlotte NC to get a descent tune.

The downturn in the economy is hitting this industry hard. With people having a hard time paying the rent and buying food car parts just aren't on the list. If Greddy dissapears that would be a huge loss to the industry. They sell the best engineered parts and also supply replacements we all need. Less important but still a big deal if it dissapears is HKS. I feel these are ominous signs of bigger things to hit this industry if the economy doesn't improve soon.

Mono-Block Brake Calipers NOT Always What They Are Hyped To Be?

I was reading an interesting tech article on the Stoptech website here concerning mono-block calipers vs. 2 piece... http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_monobloc.shtml

The article talks about commercially available monoblock calipers vs. 2 piece calipers. Mono block calipers are forged and milled from a solid block of alloy. 2 piece calipers are forged in 2 pieces and then bolted together using stainless steel bolts.

The author states that monoblock calipers are only as good as their design and the alloy they are forged from. Modern computers assure a strong design along with real world testing to confirm the results as these programs aren't perfect. So that's the easy part. What's interesting is that the alloy used to forge most of these commercially available calipers is not up to the task and results in a caliper with more flex than a 2 piece caliper bolted together with stainless steel bolts.

This reinforces information released by Endless recently validating their $14,500 Monoblock caliper upgrade for the GT-R. Endless states the GT-R Brembo mono-block brakes are descent brakes for 99% of users, but their resemblance to Brembo's mono-block race calipers is only by the Brembo name on the brake. It seems use of the higher end alloys necessary for the mono-blocks rigidity are cost prohibitive to the consumer. A set (4 calipers) of Endless mono-block race calipers for the GT-R costs $14,500 dollars. It is a fact that the mono-block calipers you buy for $3500 a pair are not cast from the stronger more expensive alloys required and it is likely weaker than a 2 piece caliper of proper design bolted together with stainless steel bolts and a bridge. So all is not how it may appear at first glance.

I guess Stoptechs customer demographics don't support development of a high end mono-block caliper. I'm sure the market for this type of caliper must be increadibly small. Respect to Endless for another amazing caliper design without compromise.

It's a very interesting article and a good read. Big thanks to Stoptech for educating the masses! Good Stuff. Another reason why I chose Stoptech!

Project SAA2 305/35/18 !!

After changing offsets to find the right one for my tire size and camber I wanted to run I finally found the perfect offset for a R888 305/35/18 tire on my 10" +35 ADVANS. This 10" wheel is still within TOYO's spec for rim width. After trial and error experimenting with different offsets, and camber settings at the track I settled on -2.0 camber in the rear. Tire temps showed the tire was uniform temp across the tread and it handled well. For this camber the 10" +35 was a perfect fit. There is about 5mm clearance between the fender and the tire and there is no contact through the range of suspension motion and the car is lowered about 2". There is only about 10mm of clearance between the inside of the tire and my coilover when siting static on the suspension. The tire must come close as the damper compresses, but it does not rub. Ballin!

R-Compound Tire Tech

If your going to use a R-compound tire this is what you need to know about them.

R-compound tires including DOT spec are much softer compound than summer performance tires with much higher levels of grip. The rubber compound when heated through friction gets sticky and soft and grips the track surface. Even though there is no standard between manufacturers the tires UTQG treadware rating is an indicator as to how sticky the tire will be. A 100 UTQG tire from Hoosier may be a softer or harder compound than a tire of the same treadware rating from Yokohama. It is also known that sometimes a manufacturer may make a 100 UTQG tire that is in fact softer than it's treadware rating indicates. So treadware rating means next to nothing. Yep!

The tire compound will become harder every time you heat the tire up and cool it down. This is called vulcanization or more commonly refered to as heat cycling. Heating the tire causes the molecules in the rubber to cross link and form a strong matrix. This can be good or bad. If your just using the tire for lapping the harder cross-linked rubber will last longer which is a good thing. But for race day the overall grip will decrease. The fastest tire is the one that sees the least amount of heat cycling. You can also order tires from retailers that have already been heat cycled if it's going to be used for lapping for a small extra charge.

DOT R-compound tires have minimal siping to allow water to evacuate from the tire surface in wet conditions. The TOYO Proxes R888 I run is pretty good in everything but standing water. I have driven it in moderate and heavy rain and on well drained roads it was stuck to the road surface pretty well. If you don't plan on using these in the rain you can usually have the tread shaved off from the vendor which removes much of the siping resulting in less squirm due to the thinner layer of rubber, but your performance in the rain will be gone.

Nitrogen... Why not air? Yes air is 78% nitrogen. So how much better can pure nitrogen be. The advantage nitrogen has it that it expands and contracts less than air. You will see more stable tire pressure. For someone driving on the street this is a waste, but if your serious about your tracking nitrogen is what you want. When the tire is mounted either a vacuum source needs to be put on the tire to remove the air or several fill and deflate cycles need to be done to get all the air out. Another thing to consider before using nitrogen is do you have a nitrogen source available at the track in case you have to increase your tire pressure? Adding a small amount of air at the track likely won't affect anything.

Before getting out on the track inspect the tires well. Look for foreign objects stuck in the tire. If the foreign object penetrates through the inner wall of the tire get rid of the tire. Don't patch it. Replace both tires on that axle so that handling is symetric. Tires are expensive, but a blowout at high speed is more expensive. Look for rub marks on the tire where it may be touching the body or suspension components. Check the tread depth and make sure it's adequate for the track time your going to put on it.

Get a good road force balance and make sure you use aluminum tape to keep the weights on and you should be good for your next track event.

Hawk DTC-70 / DTC-60 Race Pads

When I bought my Stoptech brake kit I had to decide what pads to run. My street choice was easy... the brakes came with AXXIS ULT pads. Mission accomplished. For the track I decided to give HAWKS new DT-70/60 track compound pads a try. All my previous track days were on the OEM Brembos with the OEM pad. I had to go easy on the brakes since I could have easilly exceeded their limitations with a 670HP 3300lb car in the Florida heat on R-compound Proxes R888 tires. On the long straight I could hit speeds of over 180mph. I needed a serious pad.

I wanted to go with Endless but I'm not rich. No denying thhey're top of the line when it comes to everything they make. I got a pretty good deal on the Hawk pads and decided to go with them. I had to start evaluating pads why not these I thought.

This past wekend was my third time to the track with these pads and they are phenominal. When cold I was quite suprised how much initial bite these pads had even more than the AXXIS street pads have throughout the entire heat range. These pads are so good cold that I stopped switching back to my AXXIS ULT pads for the street.

When hot... the brake tourque is nothing short of astounding. I was amazed. Modulation was also easy with these pads. I run no brake cooling ducting and these pads never got hot enough to off-gas and cause loss of breaking even in a heavy car with 2 people in 100 degree ambient temps. These pads were very easy on the rotors which was also suprising. After 3 track days the rotors look new minus the transfer of pad material.

These pads were $260 for Stoptech ST-40 front calipers on the front and $155 for the rear calipers which are OEM Brembo 2 piston rears. These won't break the bank (no pun intended). I recomended these to a friend and he was equally amazed by the pads performance on the track. One bad thing about them is that they produce thick black brake dust like crazy, but all race pads do. Bottom line... pick yourself up a set. You won't be dissapointed.

Sebring.... My Home Track

I am very lucky to have Sebring which is one of the premier race tracks in North America 90 mi form where i live. Sebring is a road race track and is home to the American Le mans race The 12 Hours Of Sebring. The race track is part of an old Army Air Corps Airfield used for B-17 training during WWII. The track uses part of the airfields runways. There have been several changes since The first 12 Hours of Sebring race which was run in 1952. The current configuration is 3.7mi and 17 turns.

I drive the track with CHIN motorsports for HPDE events.

This track is demanding as parts are still the original runway surface which has seen over 50 years of racing. Most of the track is asphalt surfaced. The part of the track that uses the old concrete runways is very bumpy and disrupts the cars balance. The whole track could be paved over with new asphalt, but then the track would lose much of it's character. In my opinion turn 17 on the old runway could benefit from alot less character. It's pretty un-nerving with the weight tranfer the car goes through due to the uneven surface. Go wide comming out of turn 17 and you have a good chance of meeting the wall.

Sebring is a very safe track with generous run off areas. The most dangerous part of the track is turn 1. This is a high speed left sweeping turn with no runoff area. If something happens in turn 1 you will meet a concrete wall. Braking for this turn is late and doesn't start until your under the pedestrian bridge. Enter this high speed turn too fast and there is little you can do if you lose control.

The fastest part of the track is exiting turn 16. This is the long straight away. Lots of speed to be had here. It's WOT all the way down until turn 17.

My next event @ Sebring will be on Dec 14th. Fall weather is here and we won't have to deal with the summertime heat and humidity which gets very uncomfortable. I'm looking foward to not soaking my helmet with sweat.

Brake Fluid 101

The brake fluid you use is directly related to how your brakes will perform, but this fluid is often the most neglected maintenance item in a daily driven car. Neglect the maintenance of this fluid on the track and you will learn in a hurry how important it really is.

Brake fluid is simply hydraulic fluid…. An uncompressible fluid used to transmit force to the brake piston acting on the pad. Brake fluid is a fragile fluid. Brake fluid is hygroscopic which means it will absord water. If the brake fluid gets too hot it boils.The more water the brake fluid contains the lower the boiling point. If you boil the fluid you form bubbles of water vapor which are very compressible. The fluid no longer has the ability to transmit braking energy from the pedal to the caliper. The pedal goes soft and your ability to slow the car is compromised.

Air trapped in the line is also compressible and will cause a soft pedal all the time not just when hot.

In order to keep this from happening at the track you should at minimum bleed your brakes until the fluid runs clear. If your brake fluid is more than 6 months old it should be changed even if the car was never used. As it sits the fluid is absorbing water vapor from the air. How much? I don’t think anyone knows. But just to be safe it’s a good idea to use fresh fluid.

The type of fluid you use will ultimately be determined by your vehicle owners manual, but for the purpose of this article we will assume a modern car which operates on DOT type 3 fluid. DOT type 4 fluid is interchangeable with DOT 3. DOT 4 brake fluids have higher dry boiling points, but are unfortunately more hygroscopic than type 3 which is why it needs to be changed often. Don’t attempt a road course on DOT 3 fluid. It just won’t perform well.

Popular fluids for track days are ATE Super Blue which is relatively cheap at about $12 per liter. It’s dry boiling point is 536F, and it’s wet boiling point is 392F. MOTUL RBF600 is the next step up and is $20 per ½ liter. The dry boiling point is 593F, and the wet is 420. So even when it’s completely saturated it’s got a higher boiling point than the ATE Super Blue.

The ultimate in brake fluids are ester based. These include Castrol SRF, Endless RF650, AP Racing 600 and Brembo LFC600. Endless RF650, Brembo and Castrol are used exclusively in Formula 1 & Porsche GT3Cup cars. 1 liter of these brake fluids costs about $60-$80. Yeah… you read that right.

Boiling Points dry/wet in farenheit:

Brembo LCF 600: 600/399

Endless RF 650: 622/424

Castrol SRF: 590/518

Motul 660: 617/400

Wet boiling point on the Castrol SRF is impressive and significantly better than all others. You can see that Castrol didn't lose much performance between dry and wet. If you want the ultimate these are your choices but overkill for anyone reading this post.

I stick with the MOTUL RBF600 and bleed 1 liter through all 4 calipers before each track day. I have never had a problem with fade. Make sure there is no air coming out of the bleed screws before moving to the next caliper. Use a pressure bleeder for quick and easy bleeding.

"Project SAA2" 670HP Twin Turbo 350Z

This is my project car I have been working on since January, 2005. Project SAA2 (Shock And Awe version 2.0). It is a 2004 Chrome Silver 350Z Track model. I purchased this car with the intention to use it as-is on the track once in a while. I had no experience in road racing, but it was something I wanted to try.

I had always been a fan of sports cars especially the Z cars. I had a 1982 280ZX, and a 1984 300ZX Turbo. They alwas seemed to offer descent bang for the buck, and I didn't have much money when I was younger and bought these two cars used and in really bad shape. My career took about 10 years to build and when I had settled down I got that new Z car I had always wanted. The 350Z had just come out the previous year and I wanted it. I had a 2000 BMW 325ci that was sporty, but way too much money to modify. I traded the car in on this 350Z.

I was unaware of any aftermarket parts for the Z when I purchased the car. I soon after purchasing found an online forum and was quickly hooked on modifying the Z. I made small modifications at first then wheels/tires, then a Turbonetics single turbo kit. My addiction to tuning quickly grew out of control and well let's say that today I am now the owner of a 670HP street/track car which will at some point in final form be a track only car.

This is just a brief introduction to project SAA2. Look for daily posts to this page about my modifications and my experiences on the track. I look foward to posting about them.

"Project SAA2" Gets ZEAL Super Function Coilovers

I decided to up the game after really enjoying my HPDE track days. I needed a better set of shocks. I had done alot of research into Penske, MOTON, Koni, and ZEAL. All are highly respected manufacturers with ties to proffesional racing and all are considered the top of the food chain in dampers. My car being Japanese I decided to go with a set of ZEAL SuperFunction "A" dampers with their X-coil springs. ZEAL is a popular damper in the Super GT series on the Japanes racing cars and time attack cars. I decided on their track damper the Super Function series. I called up Adam @ http://www.z1auto.com/ and ordered a set.

The Super Function series uses it's own valving unique to the series and is designed for track use. Super Functions come with a coaxial top spring mount so the spring compresses evenly and does not side load the piston. The lower damper mount is aluminum and threaded onto the shock body and is adjustable in legnth front and rear. Height adjustment and spring preload are independant adjustments. The Super Function series comes with the ZEAL X-coil springs. ZEAL states they stopped using Swift springs in favor of these which they say are more closely matched to the advertised spring rates.

ZEAL allows you to spec your own spring rates so I decided to go with 16F/14R since Sebring is very bumpy. ZEAL sets the valving accordingly. The valving is one way adjustable with 6 settings.

I ran into a problem when I installed the rears. Because of my 305 tire in the rear I don't have alot of room between the tire and the lower spring perch. The tire was hitting the perch. ZEAL installs 7" long springs and I found switching it out to a 6" spring it would clear the top of the tire. So that's what I did and it worked out fine.

My initial impression on the track was that it had excellent low and high speed dampening much improved over my last set of D2 dampers(really no suprise there). I had no preload on the springs and ran the damper on the 4 setting out of 6. The car was easier to drive faster on turn 1, and 17 where it gets bumpy. My previous damper allowed the tire to lose contact with the ground in turns where the pavement got rough sending the rear skipping sideways in oversteer before the tire came into contact again. My sessions were short due to some other issues so I really did not have enough heat in them to evaluate the dampening when the oil gets hot.

More impressions on these to come after my next track day @ Sebring Dec 14th. So far they are everything I expected.

"Project SAA2" Build Sheet And Specs

Dyno Dynamics
Horespower: 566whp (670bhp)
Tourque: 520 w ft-lbs (620b ft-lbs)


Here is the complete lsit of modifications I have made...

Motor
CP pistons 8:5 to 1
Eagle ESP H-Beam rods
ARP L19 head studs
ARP rod bolts
ARP main studs
Nissan HR headgasket
Nissan rev-up oil pump
GT Motorsports twin turbo kit
Garret GT28R turbo’s
TIAL 48mm BOV
TIAL 38mm WG's
GT Motorsports stage 1 turbo cams
Intake: 256 deg (stock 238)Exhaust: 264 deg (stock 240)Lift: 0.423” (intake and exhaust)Overlap: 18 deg (at 0.045” lift) – less than stock
JWT valve springs and retainers
Turbo XS UTEC w/map sensor
Redline raised to 7500RPM
Tuned @ 16psi
Turbosmart e-Boost solenoid UTEC closed loop
Greddy TT dual 2.75” exhaust
GTM fan shroud w/high output cooling fans
Koyo 53mm radiator
NISMO thermostat
AAM oil pan spacer
CJ Motorsports stage 2 return fuel system
Walbro 255 fuel pump
DeatschWerks 600 injectors
2006 Rev-up lower plenum
SVRT solid engine mounts
SVRT head support mod

Drivetrain
ATS triple clutch/standard flywheel/standard compound/1350 kg pressure plate

Suspension/Chassis
ZEAL Super Function (A) coilovers 16/14 kg Springs
Battle Version rear lower control arms
Battle Version camber arms
350 EVO front camber arms
Hotchkis adjustable sway bars
Powergrid adjustable sway bar end links
GT Spec dry-carbon strut bar

Brakes
StopTech 355mm front ST-40 4 piston caliper (front)
StopTech Aerorotors (2 piece) (front/rear)
StopTech ss braided lines
Axxis ULT pads for street
Hawk DT-70/DT-60 race pads

Wheels/Tires
ADVAN RS wheels 18x9 +22 F / 18x10 +35 R
TOYO R888 tires 275/35/18 F 305/35/18 R
Duralumin lug nuts

Aero
NISMO V2 front bumper
NISMO USDM side skirts
EVO-R Type-E wing

Miscelaneous
EVO-R CF engine cover
Technosquare ECU flash for speed limiter removal
Norris Motorsports baffled catch can
Hub Centric Ring 73 – 66.1
Racepak IQ3 data logger dash
Custom external 1 liter fuel surge tank w/SX pump

Carbon Fiber... What The Hell Is It Anyway ?!?!

We have all seen carbon fiber in the auto industry used to construct body panels, and other parts for tuner and race cars. But did you know that the carbon fiber used on inexpensive tuner car parts has little to do with that used on jet fighters and race cars.

For simplicity I will explain the differences in general terms. This can get pretty scientific and boring. So I’ll keep it simple. The carbon fibers used to create the interwoven CF fabric comes from 2 very different sources and processed in 2 distinctly different ways. One process makes a very high quality high tensile strength fiber, and the other process more flexible cf with less tensile strength.

The high quality high tensile strength CF get’s made into pre-preg cf sheets. This product is often called “dry carbon”. The sheets of woven fiber are already impregnated with an appropriate amount of resin to cure the product into a molded form when heated. Pre-preg creates an incredibly strong and lightweight product.

The process for making a pre-preg CF part is to apply pre-preg CF into a mold. The mold is then vacuum bagged to remove all air bubbles from the laminated piece, and then placed in an autoclave and heated to harden the CF.

What we generally see in the auto industry are CF reinforced fiberglass pieces which is simply a fiberglass part being covered in a veneer of carbon fiber cloth and then a resin applied to harden the laminate. Low modulus carbon fiber does not come pre-impregnated with resin. It comes like a textile sheet on a roll. It is dry. The carbon fiber in this case is not structural. The fiberglass and polyester resin are the supporting structure. The CF is simply a covering for visual reasons. The resins used to cure the fiberglass are heavy and remove any weight savings from using CF in the first place.

How can you tell pre-preg CF from the fake? That’s easy. A dry CF hood for a 350Z will cost you approx $2000. A CF veneer hood will cost you about $500. The pre-preg CF has a low gloss hazy finish. The veneer hood will have a high gloss finish. It is true that a pre-preg CF can be finished with an automotive clear coat to make it look shiny, but they usually aren’t. A pre-preg CF piece will often weigh ¼ of what the fiberglass and cf hood weigh. Yeah… ¼ That’s how light it is!

Who needs pre-preg CF? Well no one except for true competitive race cars. It’s cost is prohibitive for anyone except Le Mans or Formula 1 cars for the few seconds you can shave from a lap time from using pre-preg CF pieces. Is it baller status? Damn Straight!

What Makes A Great Set of Track Brakes?

There seems to be very little accurate information floating around the internet on racing brakes (aka BBK's). Why upgrade? What should I look for? What's important and what's popular opinion? I'm here to help you figure this all out.

What's important? Reliability, light weight, caliper stiffness, pad size and compound availability. First off if you are driving on the street you will realize no benefits of a BBK. Sorry to say so, but it's the truth.

BBK's really only help dealing with heat experienced when driving at the limit. What's the worst condition for brakes? 3 H's. Hot, Heavy & High Speeds.

HOT... BBK's are much better with dealing with heat than an OEM caliper. A racing brake is cast out of light alloy in order to draw heat away from the pad. If the pads get to hot they off-gas and prevent pad contact with the rotor and you get a hard pedal with no brake force. The racing brake piston is usually stainless steel which is an efficient heat blocker to prevent heat soak through the piston into the fluid. If you boil the fluid you will get a soft pedal with no brake force. A titanium shim is often between the pad and the caliper to block heat from going into the picton. Racing brakes use a vented rotor disc to cool the rotor and keep it from overheating. Some companies designs are better than others.

Heavy& High speed... Got a full weight vehicle? Got a fat driving coach sitting next to you? Got a full tank of gas, full interior and a roll cage, twin turbo kit making 600whp? Driving on a track with a long straight and hitting 180mph in 100 degree temps? Wow..... this is the worst conditions for a brake to deal with. far past what an OEM setup with any race pad could possibly deal with.

When looking into an aftermarket BBK that you intend to use for it's intended purpose look for a reliable setup. Who's racing with them? Don't see them on the track? That means the company isn't interested in sponsoring a car and putting their product to the test, or a team tested them and they failed to deliver.

Getting a light weight brake setup will decrease unsprung mass or simply the weight that the damper has to deal with. Less weight that the damper has to deal with, and the better control it will have over the spring and ulitimately keep the tire in contact with the racing surface. Look for a 2 piece rotor. These have a center aluminum mounting flange and a seperate braking surface. Get the smallest caliper that will do the job you need it to do. Generally as you increase the number of pistons you increase the size of the caliper. Doesn't the number of pistons dictate how much stopping force you have? No not at all. The tire dictates how much braking capability you have.

The more pistons the less rigid a cliper is for a given size. After all your removing material and creating a hole in the casting for another piston. A rigid caliper will give better brake fee land response, and will be easier to modulate. A six piston caliper must be larger for structural rigidity than a 4 piston caliper. Don't be fooled into the Taiwan tuner companies making 8 and 12 piston brake kits. They are simply selling to an uniformed consumer. Generally a 4 or 6 piston setup for the front is all you need. The 6 piston will be a bigger caliper and allow a bigger pad for endurance racing but this comes with a weight penalty.

Monoblock calipers are the ultimate in rigidity and performance. The price for monoblock calipers are cost prohibitive unless you make you livelihood as a race driver and someone else is footing the bill. We won't go any deaper into these since no one here will be usuing them.

Look for a BBK that keeps the OEM front to rear brake bias. This is important. No matter how many pistons you have the total piston area can't change from EOM piston area this will change the bias disturbing the balance under braking.
Check what compounds are available if you use the brake on the street and the track then look for a caliper that has pads available for both. Don't buy a pad for both jobs. Buy a dedicated track and a seperate street pad.

Don't buy crossdrilled rotors for track use. They will crack. Buy slotted rotors to prevent pad glazing, but pads will wear faster. Use blanks for the cheapest cost and pad life.

Look for a company that can get you parts easilly and cheaply. Look for a company that you can get tech support on the phone when you need them and not an import company that can't tell you a thing.

I made the choice of going with Stoptech and that choice has worked out well for me.

Interested In Getting Your Car Out On A Track?

Have you ever watched a road race on TV and think to yourself that if you had your life to do over you'd be a race card driver the next time around. Well.... it's not too late. There are plenty classes of NASA racing open to amateurs of every level from spec racing to unlimited classes. Don't want to race your pride and joy fender to fender? Enter a time attack competition where cars run individually for the best time of the day in each class.

OK... where to start! Find your local track and find what clubs or organizations rent the track. Get in contact with them and register for the next event. Many organizations deal with everything from novice to expert.

These track days are called HPDE (high performance driving event). You will be assigned an instructor who will drive with you and show you how things should be done to be safe. Safety is the priority, fun is a close second. In an HPDE there is no racing. Passing is by point by on straights only. There are no speed limits.

Learning your cars limits in this environment will be an eye opening experience. You will learn to drive your car faster than you ever have before and be safe about it. You will learn car balance and control, the fastest and safest line around a track. Some HPDE's provide some classroom time as well which is also a good thing.

Your car doesn't neeed to be prepared in any special way. Fresh brake fluid, good tires, a helemt and and a safety inspection is usually all that is needed.

I've learned there are two types of responses by people who get out on the track for the first time. One response is.... "this isn't for me". It can be scarry and overhwhelming pushing yourself and your car farther than you are comfortable. The other response is the "when does registration open for the next event!" This can be a very addicting sport for some people. With lots of experience some people advance to the NASA cometition classes or time attack competions and drive competetively. Usually oens decision hinges on how well their wallet is padded. This is a very expensive sport. Be forwarned.

Get out their and give it a try. You never know, there may be a race car driver in you waiting to be born.

Toyo Proxes R888

The TOYO PROXES R888 is a DOT R-compound tire for guys that race in classes requiring a DOT spec tire. The R888 has a UTCQ treadware rating of 100, but I suspect it's a little softer than that. Get it hot and it get's really sticky. While it does slough off rubber when hot they last a long time. After a single day of track use there seems to be very little loss of tread depth. If you want these tires to last a little longer you can have them heat cycled by the retailer if they offer the service. If your looking to use the tire on race day you can have it shaved to a slick surface. At full tread depth the tire is great in light to moderate rain. Standing water is a no go with these tires. So in seriously heavy rain like we get in FL it's smart to pull over if your using these on the road and you get a torrential downpour. The sidewall is stiff and the tire is loud making a humming noise over 40mph. The tire runs pretty wide for it's advertised size. Prices are comparable to other tires in this category. If your in the market for a new set of DOT R-specd tires give these a try. I don't think you will be dissapointed. This is one badass tire!