my rear brakes are tiny..

[andrew1984]

my rear brakes are tiny..

could someone tell me what im looking at (points) if i upgrade them to a larger rotor?

[andrew1984]

the way i understand it is, its a free mod in superstock... correct?

[alexb]

Rear brake upgrade is good for a Trans-Am car,but will probably yeild you no gains for a Solo1/2 deal .
Try some good race pads all around first.

[andrew1984]

what happens is this:

the rear brakes are very puny and...

beetles and passats have a tendancy to overbrake the rear ( apparently because of more bias to the back.)

in return, i get a smokin hot puny rotor, with little area for heat dissapation. ( ive gone through 3 warped rears so far. 2001 car)

i was told that it will be hard to change this, and costly.

i might have to resort to a proportioning valve.

are these still a super stock mod?

[ctenche]

I'd look at ways to increase cooling rather then spending the money on a bigger brakes. The rear brakes on FWD cars hardly to anything so I would not recommend investing in upgrades.

First thing I would do is to remove the splash shield. This will open up the whole assembly and get more air in there. That should fix the problem. Alternatively you could try some ducting to get cool air towards the back.

[alexb]

Wow! that is different.
Buy a Honda!
You do realise this is all tounge in cheek.:)

[andrew1984]

how would i go about and remove the splash shield? whats its purpose anyhow?
thanks for the help.

[andrew1984]

also, im gonna be painting my rotors and calipers.

(rotors you ask? only on the parts that rust after you wash them.)

heres some pix. (my rotors will be black & silver with black calipers)

http://forums.newbeetle.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=63456

http://forums.newbeetle.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=63457

http://forums.newbeetle.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=63725

[Marsh]

Do you use your e-brake when you park it after a run? That will warp a rotor every time.

I would try removing the dust/heat shield. I noticed much better cooling when I did. If your warping rotors that may be all you need.

BTW I've let my caliper paint get bad (starting to flake a litte) and I'm don't get fluid boiling like a used to. The caliper paint hurt cooling.

[andrew1984]

wow, thats really good info then. i never would of thought that the paint on the caliper would make a difference in heat dissapation.

yes, i used to put my e-brake up after a hard run. now i know not to, and to just leave it in gear.

very good info. thanks guys.

is there possibly a link on how-to remove the splash shield?

[ctenche]

If you're looking for instructions on removing the dust/splash shield you'll probably have to consult the shop manual. If you take off your wheels and have a look back there I'm sure you'll figure it out. It's usually just a piece of metal held on over the rotor/caliper with a couple of bolts. Nothing special about it.

As for paiting the calipers/rotors. Don't bother. If you do any lapping days or Solo 1 events that paint will burn off and turn brown/black very quickly. Yes, even the high temp caliper paint like VHT or Folia Tec. It's not really meant for the track and it will not last. Guaranteed.

[andrew1984]

ah.. i can see that being a major waste of time then.

is there any way to remove the bit a rust from my rotor?

im sure it got there from when i used the wheel cleaner and it sprayed onto the rotor :(

maybe with some fine sand paper? and scape a bit off?

they are brembo's, they shouldnt rust... they were expensive!! :p

[ctenche]

Hmmm..sorry, no idea. I'm assuming you're talking about the rotor hat and not the rotor itself. I guess some sandpaper will work.

[Marsh]

Originally posted by ctenche
As for paiting the calipers/rotors. Don't bother. If you do any lapping days or Solo 1 events that paint will burn off and turn brown/black very quickly. Yes, even the high temp caliper paint like VHT or Folia Tec. It's not really meant for the track and it will not last. Guaranteed.

Here's what a day at Cayuga did to my "900 degree" VHT paint:
http://www.cockyracingguy.com/pictures/Prelude/Tech%20Stuff/Brakes-01.jpg

BTW I was taking measurements all day. The caliper never got over 500 deg F.

[Nissan Racer]

Originally posted by andrew1984
ah.. i can see that being a major waste of time then.

is there any way to remove the bit a rust from my rotor?


they are brembo's, they shouldnt rust... they were expensive!! :p
Ahhh..but iron is iron, it'll always rust, but if you're like me and replace the rotors every year, they won't get that bad :)

[ctenche]

Thanks for confirming that Marsh. I had bought some caliper paint a couple of years ago but didn't even bother to try it once I saw what it did to some other poeople's calipers. Oh well, too bad 'cause it sure does look purdy when it's new.

And yeah, I had some Alcon temp strips that I put on my calipers for a couple of events last year and the front calipers hovered around 500ºF. The rears on the other hand barely saw 200ºF.

[andrew1984]

i might result to a proportioning valve... if i can find a cheap place to get one.

[Nissan Racer]

CSC racing at the Open House. I know they have them in stock, and should be there, no tax

[andrew1984]

ill be there. when is it?

[Nissan Racer]

April 6, there should be a thread somewhere here about it.

[ctenche]

Click on the open house link on the Solo Ontario web site.

http://www.soloontario.com/

[Marsh]

Umm proportioning valve won't work on a cross lined car (required by law I thought), you need to re route brakes to use one don't you?

[ctenche]

If you use an aftermarket "racing" proportioning valve then yes, you will need to re-route the lines. Well, not really re-route, you just need to connect the fronts separately from the rear right at the valve.

There might be an option to swap in another OEM valve from a different car that uses different front/rear proportions though.

Anyway, I'm not even sure you should even bother. Your original thinking was to fix the rotor warping that you experienced in 2001. Leaving the parking brake off (which you said you didn't do) and removing the dust shield will most likely fix it for you.

[andrew1984]

yes, maybe i should try this first. thanks