Chets LS3

Has anyone had any issues with a bleeder leaking after track event.

During track even I noticed
Fluid leaking from front right bleeder. I made sure it was tight and checked it a few times but still leaking from the bleeder.

leadville1

Oh yeah search the subject or look at my posts.....stock brakes and stock rotors can't handle the track. The front rotors are not bi-directional. If your going to continue to go to the track you have to upgrade the rotors and or just buy a BBK. The Wilwood kit is a really good deal, I have tracked it for two years and love them.

0Anthony @ LGMotorsports

Couple things...are you sure it was coming from the bleeder because of it leaking or was it left over fluid in the port on the bleeder after the brakes were done? That is generally the case 90% of the time.

Reason I say that, if you are getting a leak typically you will get air into the system as a result and have a horrible pedal to boot. Doesn't always happen but a lot of times it will.

Have to make sure there is no dirt under the seat of the bleeder (could come from dirty fluid) or it could have come from a screw that was just not tightened properly.

Brake cooling is an issue with these cars still but I generally see other problems before you get a bleeder leaking.

Chets LS3

It very well could be my fault, I will say I was having brake fade but nothing out of the ordinary from what others are having in these cars. I checked the bleeder checked for tightness and wiped down the caliper after a session. Next session still a small amount of brake fluid around the bleeder and on the side of the caliper. Repeated for next session. Double checked the bleeder was tight and continued. Repeated results

0Anthony @ LGMotorsports

Next time you bleed the car, pull the bleeder screw all the way out and check it for any debris under the bleeders. Wipe it clean and bleed them. When you are done, spray it with brake clean and blow it dry with a blow gun and hit the track. See if you get the same results.

leadville1

I had mine replaced under warranty by GM, the next set did the exact same thing and they were torqued properly.

Chets LS3

Leadville what did you tell the dealer (as they are not going to be able to replicate)

mustclime

Try Teflon tape on the threads of the bleeder screws....the screw and the calipers are different metals so the expand differently...You know the old trick where you have a bolt that is frozen and you heat it up to brake it loose?....same thing..as for the brakes not being good enough for track days...I would agree with the pads are not good enough and it is always nice to have some quality braided brake lines....but the BBK's are probably needed if you run slicks or a blower. Stock tires, not so much IMO.

Chets LS3

problem is my caliper is ruined...atleast the paint is from the fluid. Im going to stainless lines, better fluids and a little stronger pad.. At this point what I do with the car I can handle the fade as it is predictable atleast at this point it is.

HANNY

better pads and stainless lines sounds like a good start

mustclime

I used to track a blown civic...the paint on a Brembo BBK calipers was good for about 6 really hard track days ....its paint, Hi temp paint, but paint all the same. Run it through enough heat cycles(some of them really high heat cycles) and its going to turn/fade/crack.....brake fade tends to be pads. Brake pads have heat ranges. Stock pads are expected to operate well dead cold but to do that they tend to cook when the track beating starts. You could put track only pads on and they WILL NOT FADE with the stock/street able tires. They also will not work when cold....and I mean that. I made the mistake of swapping pads at the track...beat on them all day and then decided drive them home. I stopped for dinner and when I went to leave I forgot about the track pads....almost hit a car leaving the parking lot on the cold pads....never again. I run track pads on the track and street pads on the street.

BTW, track pads will put more ware on your rotors, but if you want to run all day with no issues,its worth it.

leadville1

I had stainless lines installed and better pads, that is not the problem. The problem is heat and it has to go somewhere. The stock rotors can't displace heat the way better rotors can. I had leaks out of all four of my calipers, had them replaced by GM and they leaked again. I also was using high temp fluid Motul 660, it isn't the lines, or the pads. It is the crap rotors on these cars and an inferior caliper.

I am not trying to sell BBK's but seriously even a front Wilwood kit will solve this problem. Dump the stock brakes.

Chets LS3

Thanks Leadville. I might look into different rotors before going to a BbK

copjsd

RacingBrake makes high quality, directionally vented replacement rotors for the C7. See: http://www.racingbrake.com/RB-Two-pi.../gm-irk-06.htm

These two piece, aluminum hat rotors will reduce your unsprung, rotational weight by 2.8 pounds on each front corner and 3.9 pounds on each rear corner, while providing the cooling so desperately needed for track duty.

leadville1

$1000 for rotors
$1795 for a BBK problem fixed

strategery

X2

I went through the same issues and finally just went and got the Wilwood kit (front and rear). All of my bleeding and pedal feel issues are gone now. A nice side benefit for the Wilwood setup is Street/Race pads are about half the price of what they are for good stock caliper pads and they are interchangeable front/rear , so that is nice for those of us who track alot.

Chets LS3

Are 4 piston fronts sufficient?

mustclime

lol....just about any BBK has higher heat range pads...thus they work. Try some better than stock pads( higher heat range pads), that does not do it for you with z51 brakes, then you are running a blower or slicks...

Chets LS3

I killed a set of xp12 pads with a bone stock car in one weekend

0Todd TCE

Hey Chet,

A lot of stuff being thrown at you here. Let me break down some of it for you and maybe clear up any confusion you have.

The move to big brakes is primarily a thermal management issue. Size matters as they say. Greater rotor mass (usually more effective in diameter change not width) make for a more efficient system.

I'd take size (diameter) over about any other change. Why? Because in addition to the added thermal qualities you get more 'leverage'. Does that mean you get more braking? No not necessarily. Why? Because maximum torque is of course the point of lock up. A larger rotor thus has more leverage to achieve that. But at the same time the amount of clamping and friction is reduced. The sum is the same, how you get there is altered. Like torquing up a wheel to 90lbs- you can do it with a 6" ratchet or a 18" ratchet. The total effort is the same.

The benefit of the leverage is less stress on the caliper- lower operating pressure is nice. And possibly less aggressive pads required. You still get to 'skid' at the same point however. (think big brakes on ice- pointless isn't it? Because the limit it surface friction and you could slide on a 10" rotor just as well)

Lower pressure means less stress on the caliper and less on the pad plates. Also the larger rotor makes for lower operating temps when spread out over the larger surface. Repeated stops don't stress things nearly as much. Total heat value BTU remains the same however that's speed and weight. You're putting the same BTU into a larger heat sink to manage it better.

Piston quantity means very little. What you're speaking of is piston AREA. One big fat one, two medium or three smaller ones on each pad can make the same total force. You don't more clamping with a 4, 6 or 8 pot caliper if they are designed correctly. It's the same force over a larger pad surface again boosting efficiency.

Running 17s will forever limit anyone from a solid improvement. Lateral moves such as four pot calipers on 1.375 wide rotors is a bandaide that may net some value and about all you can do with such limits.

Lastly if the car is a street/track car you are your own worst enemy. Street cars generally suck as race cars because they weigh 400-700lbs more! Weight is the pink elephant here folks. Want to stop better and longer..take 500 lbs out of your car. If you don't want to that's fine but you now need more mass to handle the braking demands you throw at it.