Front rotors for occasional track work

[nsogiba]

My front OEM rotors are done after a couple recent events at TMP and WGI.

I am on the fence between the FCP lifetime deal and the cheap blanks on rockauto (which aren't that cheap anymore). Leaning towards FCP since the cheap Bendix's are almost $400 shipped for the whole car and will probably wear more quickly than the OEM stuff due to worse heat dissipation.

Some of my rotor issues are due to lack of cooling which I am remedying separately. I only do about 3-4 events a year so it doesn't make sense for me to spring for a spendy BBK.

[Ervin87]

Go FCP, and buy OEM rotors.

[derbo]

https://girodisc.com/bmw-e9x-m3-front-rotors/

Alternatively, Girodisc makes discs. They look to have more vanes to help with the lack of cooling our cars have.

[nsogiba]

Originally Posted by derbo

https://girodisc.com/bmw-e9x-m3-front-rotors/

Alternatively, Girodisc makes discs. They look to have more vanes to help with the lack of cooling our cars have.

Nice parts for sure, but I think it makes more sense economically to just replace the OEMs under FCP's lifetime deal. If I ever upgrade to a BBK though, those might be a nice option

[derbo]

Originally Posted by nsogiba

Nice parts for sure, but I think it makes more sense economically to just replace the OEMs under FCP's lifetime deal. If I ever upgrade to a BBK though, those might be a nice option

Here is some food for thought:

Brake pads have a thermal operating window and beyond it, they excessively wear out. You may run into wearing out pads faster than normal due to the lack of thermal capacity in the rotors.

I do think adding brake ducting will aid this problem and keep you on a more economical pads replacements. Or..just buy DTC60 from FCPeuro too and just replace them all the time haha

[amg6975]

Originally Posted by nsogiba

Nice parts for sure, but I think it makes more sense economically to just replace the OEMs under FCP's lifetime deal. If I ever upgrade to a BBK though, those might be a nice option

Norb!

I thought the same but I'm having significant issues with heat in the OEM rotors and need to switch to the Girodisc, Paragon, or something along those lines and likely with some sort of cooling solution before ever getting to use the FCP warranty.

I forget what sort of times you were running at the Glen but I doubt you're far behind me on needing some sort of non OEM solution. I can really only get two push laps at the beginning of a session and then can't do cool downs slow enough to get the brakes back fast enough to stay interested, and I'm lugging around like 400lbs less than you.

Originally Posted by derbo

Here is some food for thought:

Brake pads have a thermal operating window and beyond it, they excessively wear out. You may run into wearing out pads faster than normal due to the lack of thermal capacity in the rotors.

I do think adding brake ducting will aid this problem and keep you on a more economical pads replacements. Or..just buy DTC60 from FCPeuro too and just replace them all the time haha

^ This right here. The last two events I've done at the Glen I've gone through two and a half sets of PFC pads at $400 each.

[nsogiba]

Originally Posted by amg6975

Norb!

I thought the same but I'm having significant issues with heat in the OEM rotors and need to switch to the Girodisc, Paragon, or something along those lines and likely with some sort of cooling solution before ever getting to use the FCP warranty.

I forget what sort of times you were running at the Glen but I doubt you're far behind me on needing some sort of non OEM solution. I can really only get two push laps at the beginning of a session and then can't do cool downs slow enough to get the brakes back fast enough to stay interested, and I'm lugging around like 400lbs less than you.

^ This right here. The last two events I've done at the Glen I've gone through two and a half sets of PFC pads at $400 each.

What's up Adam! Didn't know you were on here.

I actually bit the bullet on new OEM front rotors and DTC 70s from FCP. There is no doubt that the stock rotor is limited in its heat capacity as compared to a race-specific setup (Girodisc, etc) - however I do think the issue can be helped somewhat by introducing SOME sort of forced air cooling. I have a couple ideas I've been researching on here, from the GT3 ducts up to a more dedicated 2.5"/3" silicone hose custom option.

My last set of Powerstop "Track Day" front pads lasted exactly 2 days which is not awful for a set of very cheap ($90) pads with no cooling. The rotors on my car are actually original from 2008 (!!!!!!) with 75K and 6 total days of lapping so I really can't complain about them starting to crack. If I have to go through the lifetime guarantee for new rotors once a year or more often...so be it...that's what it's for right?

I starting out with 2:20s during the recent Spring Fling and got down to 2:15.5 by the mid-morning. Biggest limitation was old heat cycled tires and also brakes. I think my improvement came from a change in braking technique - much harder pedal application. The rotors and pads were COOKING (1000F front rotor temp) but the calipers were only 200F-300F, so I don't think it was a matter of fluid boiling. Definitely felt sketchy at the end of the front and back straights, firm at first but then losing brake torque by the end of the braking zone.

Forgot to link it but here is my running track journal where I have some more detail

https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1947796