Brake Disc Alternatives

[MajorClanger]

Has anyone used brake discs manufactured by Black Diamond on their TVR?

I don't know how long the phosphate coating lasts (applied during heat treatment of the discs), how the discs perform or how durable they are but the guy at the company claims that the coating reduces the rusting (whilst not eliminating it).... or is this just a gimmick? He stated that the discs are intended for 'normal' driving rather than track days.

Also, any guidance on which of the combinations: cross drilled discs, grooved discs or combined XD/grooved discs, would be 'best' to use? Or, any other guidance on different options/manufacturers of brake discs? As this is for 'normal' driving and not for track days I'm not intending to go the way of Carbon discs!

MC

[manek]

Carbon disks would prolly cost you more than the car :-)

[MajorClanger]

Definitely NOT interested in Carbon Discs... not just on cost but only worth having if you're racing and intend keeping the discs red hot all the time.... mind you, would scare the neighbours!

MC

[GreenV8S]

This stuff is designed to wear off where the pads contact the rotor, so effectively you are paying for paint round the edges of the disc. It will take several years the discs corrode enough to matter, so you will probably wear them out before corrosion becomes a concern. The only advantage I can see is cosmetic. Up to you whether the improvement in appearance is worth the cost.

As far as discs in general, I've had nasty experiences with drilled discs and know of several others who had the same so I'd stay clear of them if I were you. Grooved discs are worth having but don't over do it, ten grooves is OK, any more than that and the reduction in pad contact area starts to counteract the benefits of ventilation under the pads.

Cheers,
Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)

[apache]

was told by the guys at TMS that discs will be arriving dipped from now on so the cosmetic thing might be a thing of the past

[zertec]

Drilled discs are NOT GOOD. They tend to encourage the discs to shatter. Grooves are GOOD.

Too tired to write any more.

[yum]

I have EBC discs which are grooved. Big improvement on the basic discs, especially when used with fast road pads.

R

[squirrelz]

I had EBC Turbo groove spotties (yeah stupid name I know) on my old rover. They were grooved and part drilled ie not drilled all the way through. Whether this had anything like the effect that cross drilling has I don't know, but it was supposed to stop them cracking.