Andrie

I've ran my new to me 2008 Z06 3 times at 3 different tracks in the past two months. My main complained was the brakes. So I've decided to finally give in and got an AP kit.

The first time I ran it at Thunderhill Raceway. Not particularly hard on brake type track and the temperature is almost to the top of my temperature strip. The brake felt spongy and just got worse lap after lap. Didn't actually went to the floor, but I babied it. See first picture.

For the next track day, I added brake ducting extension. Laguna is hard on brakes and this time the temperature strip was all the way black. Unfortunately I didn't take any picture. Not only, the pedal felt spongy, it actually went all the way to the floor. I had to really babied it. To make matter worse the brake pin bolt backs out every session and I needed to retightened it.

The last one was Buttonwillow Raceway. This track is the same as Thunderhill, not particularly hard on brakes. I gave up the stock brakes and Use AP kit. Wha an amazing improvements. I gained all my confidence under braking, with no hints of fade, very consistent lap after lap, and look at the temperature. Dare I say it is a bit too cold. I will take the brake ducting extension off for my next track day which is back at Thunderhill in 3 weeks time. Color me impressed!!

andersnor

could strip placement be a thing? closer to rotor radiating heat?

thinking about the results on strip, not real world brake results, thats a different thing.

Andrie

I think so. The strip placement might make a difference. However I forgot to say I chose the one where I put the AP because on the 2nd track day I moved the placement at similar location.

LA@LG Motorsports

tttt

dfettero

It looks like stress fractures at the rotor holes. Drilled thru rotors not good for track

andersnor

Connected the dots on the rotors is common, but most of the time they last "forever" looking scary.

JRitt@essex

Thanks for the great feedback and kind words Andrie. We're glad our brakes are getting it done for you out there! What I particularly like about this post is that it contains actual data. We constantly get verbal and written praise, but it's always cool to see the actual numbers. Those caliper temperature differences are tremendous. Any time you start creeping up into the high 300's, the calipers are running pretty hot. At 500+ F caliper temps, you're basically melting and boiling everything!

In terms of ducting, we more or less always recommend running our kits without ducts first to see if you even need them.

1. Wild temperature swings is what kills discs. With ducts on a fast track, you're blasting the discs with cooling air, immediately after heating them to searing temps during a brake event. The expansion and contraction of the iron is what creates cracks. Ideally, you gradually bring your discs up to a certain temp that is within an acceptable range, and you keep them there. That means less expansion and contraction of the discs.

2. Keeping temperatures in a narrower range will mean more consistent pad performance, since the mu (coefficient of friction) of any pad compound varies with temperature.

3. Many duct kits are not properly designed. Some blow air into the wrong place, limit cooling of the inner disc face, don't move enough air, collect air from the wrong place on the front of the car, rub tires, fall apart and get wire tangled up...the list goes on. Frankly, some are just a pain in the butt to maintain.

In pro racing, the teams closely manage their duct setup. Depending on the track and their setup, they'll sometimes have the duct opening fully open on the front of the car, partially open, or completely closed. Their goal is to prevent wild temperature swings, which improves consistency, driver feedback, and disc longevity.

In summary (and not directed at the OP), don't blindly install brake ducts, particularly with our brake kits! While they can potentially be a helpful crutch for a poor-performing OEM system, they may actually hurt a proper track brake system and your car's performance more than they'll help it! I'm actually working on a longer blog post on this topic that I'll hopefully have finished soon. Thanks.