Braided brake hoses - help required?

[Scooby P1]

I have a standard Impreza P1 but am constantly paranoid that i am overcooking it on trackdays and usually don't stay out as long as others per lap session but am concerned that my brakes could be more effective also.

I fitted brand new Prodrive/Alcon 330mm upgrade in Dec '09. They are great but on track i was surprised the initial bite was not better and fear i may have slightly warped one of the discs although it only appears the case very occasionally on the road, most of the time it's fine.

Would braided hoses and Motul RBF660 brake fluid help the brakes be more effective on track without compromising road use?

Cheers

[TheEnd]

Using RBF and braided hoses won't make any difference on the road, hopefully you shouldn't even notice it (you may get a slight increase in feel)

In all fairness, you should have more that capable brakes as it is, and with the fluid in, and bled, you shouldn't have any problems.

[F355GTS]

Which pads do you have?

[LaurenceFrost]

Fancy brake fluid and braided lines will not help with bite, but will be a good move if you are doing track days. Fancy fluid will allow the brakes to get hotter before you start to get any fade as a result of fluid overheating, and the braided lines will take higher temperatures than rubber lines. Some report a better pedal eel too.

The brake pads are what will give you better bite and feel. Which pads are you using?

[Scooby P1]

I have to be honest I am not sure what the pads are. The discs are the 330mm official Prodrive upgrade ones in partnership with Alcon - hence the massive calipers.
http://www.prodrive.com/products_level2.html?id=88...

Not sure what pads they use, but i have always kept the standard items which apparently: "The pad material has been specifically chosen to complement the characteristics of the discs, delivering improved stopping power"

Must agree the next part they say about working well from cold is true but think perhaps hoses and fluid might help on track. Do you think the pads are ok?

Lawrence

[GC8]

F355GTS said:

Which pads do you have?

This is the crux of the matter - pads.

[Scooby P1]

Do you think i could have warped my discs slightly from the last track day?
The shiny silver calipers seem to have turned a slightly gold colour due to the heat which is odd!

[swtmerce]

Scooby P1 said:

Do you think i could have warped my discs slightly from the last track day?
The shiny silver calipers seem to have turned a slightly gold colour due to the heat which is odd!

What connection are you making between the colour of your calipers and warping discs? Do you have judder through your steering wheel when on the brakes? If so, then you may have ‘warped’ discs which could be pad deposits (common) or actual warped discs (not so common).

Edited by swtmerce on Wednesday 11th August 15:50

[Scooby P1]

Not so much judder through the wheel, just the odd bit in the pedal and small occasional bit in the wheel but not always. And very small when it does happen. That is what confused me.

Big old discs, cant believe there's really a problem. Check the pads perhaps?

[Scooby P1]

swtmerce said:

Scooby P1 said:

Do you think i could have warped my discs slightly from the last track day?
The shiny silver calipers seem to have turned a slightly gold colour due to the heat which is odd!

What connection are you making between the colour of your calipers and warping discs? Do you have judder through your steering wheel when on the brakes? If so, then you may have ‘warped’ discs which could be pad deposits (common) or actual warped discs (not so common).

Edited by swtmerce on Wednesday 11th August 15:50

Really odd and annoying but the calipers have changed colour due to the heat of braking on track. Bit odd and I preferred them silver and shiny, not impressed by this 'gold' tinge to them now!

[LaurenceFrost]

Scooby P1 said:

Not so much judder through the wheel, just the odd bit in the pedal and small occasional bit in the wheel but not always. And very small when it does happen. That is what confused me.

Big old discs, cant believe there's really a problem. Check the pads perhaps?

I'm sure they are fine. When pads get hot they have a habbit of leaving imprints of themselves on the disc, which cause a slight vibration and take a while to wear down.

Back to your pads though - simply put, if they are a good road pad (e.g. no noise) they are probably a bad track pad.

If you move to something more hardcore, it will work just fine on the road too, but you'll have to put up with a bit of noise. It's never bothered me though. Something like a Carbotech XP8 is probably the best all-round pad you can get for a car like yours. Tried, tested, and works very well.

Definitely uprate the fluid and lines if you move to these pads though. They can run very hot, and as a result the runner lines may not cope.

[Stedman]

Scooby P1 said:

Do you think i could have warped my discs slightly from the last track day?
The shiny silver calipers seem to have turned a slightly gold colour due to the heat which is odd!

Don't worry about that, a few of the Volvo boys with the Brembo/'R' calipers have done the same. Looks very cool infact