LWG

I'm looking for feedback from whom track their cars. I noticed all the giro disc owners at the track, their hats are discolored, a purple color.

When I search about the AP rotors, which are a little more expensive and feature the J hook style, I do not see their hats discolored. Girodisc seems to be popular, I just cant do the purple hat thing.

Anyone with feedback?

Examples I found on Google

JSETarga

My AP hats are not purple and have had a lot of use.

Wujohn

I'd ask the Essex folks if this happens. I have them too and track but I am not exactly a monster on the track nor have I gotten more than say 5-6 days track time on them. Mine are still black.

LWG

Appreciate the info. I am beginning to think its a giro disc thing - nothing against them at all. In fact most seem to prefer them over the AP since they are a little less expensive so the value is better. I personally like the J hook look...

THANKS!

tgavem

Do you have a base or S/GTS car?

if you have base, go with GiroDisc,my understanding it is the only brand that have purpose built 350mm upgrade rotors from 330mm. AP sells their 350 S rotors as upgrade for base. The fit is not grade as can be in the photo is took from another thread and the pads won’t cover entire surface of the rotors. Still function great but look is terrible.



GiroDisc fit vs AP on 330 to 350 mm upgrade

LWG

Thanks for looking out. I have a GTS. Great info!

AdamSanta85

I believe Girodisc offers the option for custom hat anodizing. I do agree their black that becomes purple doesn't look the best.

Wujohn

Are you are comparing front and rear fitment? I can confirm that the first pic with the AP's (that is my car) are rear brakes. The second with the Giros, I am wondering if those are from the front (don't see any turbo bits in that pic)? On mine, the J-Hooks look very similar with a minimal gap on the fronts whereas the rears are as pictured. I'll be the first to admit that geometry was never my strong suit but I am not sure how you manufacture a round disk with a diameter of 350mm that would fit differently in terms of pad coverage from one manufacture to another. How exactly is the sweep area any different? Is the hat bigger on the Giro or something? If so, does that mean the look and fit/finish is better but you might give up some cooling due to a smaller total surface area of the disc?

Just curious because I've seen it discussed several times but an not exactly sure what is different.

rugu6869

TBH, if I were upgrading just rotors, I would go for AP without a doubt (regardless of coloring of the hat).
They have a VERY large following in Europe and are very popular for OEM applications and some that we don't get here (Aston Martin, BACS, Bugatti, Caterham, Ferrari, Ford, HSV, Lotus, Koenigsegg, McLaren, Morgan).
Many of these same manufacturers are using AP brakes as well in endurance races like 24 hours of LeMans, Daytona and WEC.

For me, performance is everything. I want something that is proven to work by a company that actually tests and races in the toughest environment.

Side note: My Stoptech hats have faded as well. It more than likely has to do with the anodizing process that the manufacturer is using.

ClassJ

Its an anodize issue. Could be material specific but in general it has to do with the dye tank, type, concentration and/or seal tank issues.

First the dye needs to be the proper type to meet the standard of anodize being applied. And withstand color fastness testing.

Nickel Acetate is used after the dye tank to seal the anodize color in place. It must be the correct concentration and this tank can get diluted easily. Sealant failure can also contribute to parts turning purple.

LWG

I dont doubt AP Racing one bit, been a fan for years. Girodisc is big too, and offers a better value. Not knocking other options just wanted feedback from AP Racing rotor users

Thanks for getting technical! Good to know. I just know I dont want purple hats over time

ClassJ

No problem. I have been down this road before and had customers complain that my parts turned purple about 15 years ago. Metal finishing is an science, and sometimes certifications from vendors are not worth the paper they are printed on.

We started doing a color fastness test using bleach on every lot of parts that came in from the plater and worked to figure out why this was happening on stuff they anodized for us. Eventually we got it figured out.

JRitt@essex

LWG,
Thanks for considering our product...we appreciate it! As described by others, the purple color has to do with the type of anodizing used. The aluminum hats on our AP Racing discs can change color over time, but it takes a great deal of heat and time to do so. On our Porsche applications our hats tend to maintain their black coloring very nicely, and better than the competing products we've evaluated and/or seen.

We need to keep in mind that value is not the same thing as price. Girodiscs are indeed ever-so-slightly less expensive on initial purchase. Their spare iron replacement ring pricing is almost identical to our Essex/AP Racing discs. Their initial price is $1200 and ours are $1298. That $98 difference does not make them a better value however. Value implies what you get out of something for a given price. Our AP Racing J Hooks have proven to be the most durable discs on the market over the years. I have never seen any hard data that contradicts that statement, but I have seen lots of data and info that supports that statement. AP Racing has won over 850 Formula 1 races on their brake and clutch products, a string of NASCAR Cup championships, tons of Le Mans championships, etc. AP Racing is generally regarded as the technology leader across all global brake manufacturers, and the components we offer our enthusiast customers are identical to what we provide to the professional racing teams.

I also think our discs are the coolest-looking as well, which is gravy. We're also long-time Rennlist sponsors and supporters, and appreciate your support.

I recently wrote an article that addresses the topic of value titled, "Is it worth upgrading my brakes for track use?"
Below is an excerpt related to value and price...check out the complete article in the link above for more info.When considering any type of upgrade for your track vehicle, something to always consider is your cost per mile.If you’re tracking your car, you will devour tires, brakes, and fuel. If you can figure out a way to stem the bleeding in any of these areas, you’ll be saving yourself a bundle of money. When potential customers initially consider our AP Racing by Essex brake products, they’re sometimes discouraged by the premium prices. We see it across the web on automotive forums, Facebook, etc. What they typically aren’t considering however, is the long-term cost per mile across the course of ownership. They also tend to confuse price and value, which aren’t the same thing.

At the pro level, AP Racing discs have won championships in F1, NASCAR Cup, IMSA, V8 Supercar, Super GT, DTM, World Challenge, etc. They are widely regarded as the superior choice vs. anything else on the planet. At the club level/aftermarket, our AP Racing 2-piece J Hook Discs have been proven to last longer and take more abuse than anything else on the market. We've had fleet customers switch from other suppliers to our discs and find that they are squeezing out three times the track miles from a set of our AP J Hook Iron. When you do the math, our discs become an obvious bargain, despite the additional couple hundred bucks they initially cost vs. the competition.

As a conservative example, if you spend $1100 on a set of our competitor’s discs and get 5,000 track miles out of them, that’s $0.22 dollars per mile ($1100/5000). If you spend $1400 on our AP Racing discs and get 7,000 miles out of them (2,000 more than the competitor), that’s $0.20 dollars per mile.In that scenario, our discs are already the better value on the first set of iron rings alone.

Now, extend that scenario out a few years. Let’s say you keep your car for five years and replace your discs twice during that period (so you’ve used the initial set of discs plus two spare sets of rings). The competitor’s discs would be $1100 + $850 + $850= $2800 total over five years. Our AP Racing discs would be $3100 total.Now, let’s get back to the miles. If you extend the cost per mile estimates in the above example out over the course of all five years, you would have 15,000 total miles at $2800 for the competitor disc, which is a cost of $0.19 per mile. With the AP Racing discs you’d have 21,000 total miles for $3100, which is $0.15 per mile…again, a better value.

Now, if the AP discs last twice as long as the competitor’s discs, the cost per mile over five years would only be $0.10 per mile on the AP Racing discs ($3100/30,000 miles). Basically, the more you track your car, the more you would save by going with the more durable product.

Can we guarantee that you’re going to get twice the life out of our discs vs. any competitor? No. Based on a mountain of evidence we have from customer cars however, it’s a safe assumption that you’re not going to find discs that last any longer than ours, or that run any cooler, or in any way perform better. You also aren’t going to see these competitors’ discs on a NASCAR Cup Car or F1 car anytime soon.At the elite level, AP Racing is chosen for a reason.

LWG

@JRitt@essex

Wow thanks for the amazing reply. Very informative.

I was already "sold" on the AP rotors, I just wanted to make sure owners with some track time were not seeing the hats turn purple. I do love the look of the J hook, its unique for sure.

Lets face it, $100 difference in your product vs someone else's is not enough to make most people go one way or the other. I shouldn't have said "it's a better value" simply because Girodisc was at a lower price point.

I agree, it sounds like the real value is in long term use. I trust the AP rotor is the way to go, especially after your reply!

I'm 100% in!