Brakes - help
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Instructor
Joined: May 2006
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From: Dubai
Brakes - help
Guys,
I took the car out on the track today for the first time in a while. To cut a long story short it was hot (35C) and I was pushing the car harder than I ever had before (chasing a well driven 997GT3). For the first two sessions all was cool - brakes holding up, tyre pressures staying even etc. About three laps into the third session the pedal started going soft - about an extra 3-4 inches of travel. Then two laps later peddle to the deck...nothing at all!? I limped back to the pits to let things cool down...tooled it around the paddock so I could get air over the brakes etc...still nothing.
Fluid hadn't boiled, discs weren't scored and they weren't kicking out the heat that the GT3 was....It took about 30 mins of being left (rotating so the heat build up didn't damage the discs) alone to get any peddle feel back.
I've parked it up over night now to check on it in a couple of days - my questions!?
Could the pad material degrade in the heat to a point of no return?
Without checking could this be pads running out of material? No warning light on the dash?
Have people upgraded their brakes and if so to what?
Would you put ducts on a currently unmolested RS?
Her she is chilling out after a work out....
Phil
I took the car out on the track today for the first time in a while. To cut a long story short it was hot (35C) and I was pushing the car harder than I ever had before (chasing a well driven 997GT3). For the first two sessions all was cool - brakes holding up, tyre pressures staying even etc. About three laps into the third session the pedal started going soft - about an extra 3-4 inches of travel. Then two laps later peddle to the deck...nothing at all!? I limped back to the pits to let things cool down...tooled it around the paddock so I could get air over the brakes etc...still nothing.
Fluid hadn't boiled, discs weren't scored and they weren't kicking out the heat that the GT3 was....It took about 30 mins of being left (rotating so the heat build up didn't damage the discs) alone to get any peddle feel back.
I've parked it up over night now to check on it in a couple of days - my questions!?
Could the pad material degrade in the heat to a point of no return?
Without checking could this be pads running out of material? No warning light on the dash?
Have people upgraded their brakes and if so to what?
Would you put ducts on a currently unmolested RS?
Her she is chilling out after a work out....
Phil
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if the brakes come back(often not all the way) you boiled the fluid.
you may have glazed the pads but the indication of that is a nice hard pedal but not much happens no matter how hard you push.
JMO, but the ducts usually used are so small as to be of little use
you might try doubling the existing A arm scoops, 1 under and 1 atop the A arm
Of course use fresh high temp fluid(SRF or the like) and track appropriate pads(Pagid RS 19/29 or maybe even RS 14 or similar)
Check the reservoir, if the fluid is gone there is a leak, either internal or external. If it's just low the heated fluid probably expanded overboard.
you may have glazed the pads but the indication of that is a nice hard pedal but not much happens no matter how hard you push.
JMO, but the ducts usually used are so small as to be of little use
you might try doubling the existing A arm scoops, 1 under and 1 atop the A arm
Of course use fresh high temp fluid(SRF or the like) and track appropriate pads(Pagid RS 19/29 or maybe even RS 14 or similar)
Check the reservoir, if the fluid is gone there is a leak, either internal or external. If it's just low the heated fluid probably expanded overboard.
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 23,303
Likes: 511
From: Baltimore, MD
Bill has it right. Your pads are probably fine. You boiled your brake fluid. Was your fluid fresh, as in flusehd out just before your first track event? WHat kind of fluid are you using? Castrol SRF, IMO, is the best stuff out there. What kind of pads are you using? The stock Textar pads are not bad for track work, but are not as good as a track-oriented pad such as Pagid Blacks or Hawk HT-10's.
