Brake fade, how to prevent it........
 

Stock Cayman S , with stock rotors and pagid orange pads with SRF fluid......

Last lap of a DE session, was pushing the car pretty hard.

The fade was so bad I couldn't slow down enough to turn and I had to almost drive her into the wall, before I was able to make the turn.....

never happened in my race car......

advice appreciated......

more air to the rotors & calipers

brake cooling, you could switch to Castrol SRF that has a higher wet boiling point, or maybe the car had moisture in the lines and just needed to be bled out

stop using them so much...

The RS4-4 will need more air... either place the GT3 or Cup ducts on the car. Or switch over to the RS29's.
*When the temperature at the interface between the pad and the disc exceeds the thermal capacitiy of the pad, the pads loses friction capability mainly due to out-gassing of binder material in the pad compund. The Brake pedal remains firm and solid but the car will not stop no matter how hard you push on the pedal. *
Solutions: Better cooling, Higher mass brake disc size and vane configuration or higher heat range pad compound!

Well I should have read it more clearly that you are already using Castrol SRF. Any chance your pads were worn and because of that they created more heat then a new pad.

Hi Doc
Were you at Lime Rock? Where on track did you see the fade?
JR is right about not using them so much, especially if you are dragging the brakes (but that doesn't sound like you).
I instructed in a Cayman S last fall (NJMP) and we didn't get even a hint of fade.

It's a common misconception that the braking system is used to slow the car down...lol.

Downshift more, use the brakes less, duct more air to the calipers, use a better brake fluid. Motul RBF For The Win!

Use a real track pad?

The difference between LRP and NJMP is the amount of "Cool Down time" between usage. You should not reach the 596 Temp of the Oranges at NJMP unless you are dragging the brakes around the whole track.... While LRP will hit that much easier from with those silly sub minute laps.

Thanks guys.... it is my garage queen, not overly prepped for track events.....

Rick it was at NHMS, the straight before going onto turn 3 (the uphill), I was basically into the tire wall.......
no matter how hard I depressed the pedal the car just didn't want to stop, (I was driving it pretty hard)...

I pitted in, put the car on the trailer and went home.....

PSM off?

NHMS is another one of those tracks that you need more brake ducting if you are going to run the RS4-4s... If you keep tracking with them invest in the GT3 ducts and use the brakes less... :rockon:

Use the brakes harder, earlier. especially on your initial hit. then keep trailing off them until you are hardly using any brake pedal for the last 20-30 feet of the brake zone. not only will it ask less of your brakes when they are the hottest (i.e. later in the brake zone), but it will also help balance the car better for the upcoming corner possibly allowing you to carry more entry speed in...which then means you also don't have to brake as much

What I didn't see was how much pad you had. Pad material is a great insulator and once you hit 50%, you are transferring a lot more heat into the pistons, hence the fluid.