I'm curious what spindle duct brand you use, what size flexible hosing is used with your kit, and how far you can turn the steering wheel before the hose touches the wheel / tire. I'm looking into installing a brake cooling kit into my car, and wanted to hear about some people's experiences.

 

I have a 2005 MN6 z51 with Doug Rippie cooling ducts and LG spindle ducts. DRM can tell you the diameter of the tubing (I don't have the tubes here to measure). What I can tell you is that you cannot come close to using full steering lock with the tubing in place without rubbing and quickly tearing the tubing. I put the tubes on for track days only and constantly remind myself not to use full lock in pits (something has gone wrong if you're using full lock on the track). I do change to R compound tires for the track, so installing the tubing during the tire swap is not a big deal.

As for the LG spindle ducts, I would consider my other options next time around. I believe these pieces were designed for the C5. With the larger diameter z51 rotors, the spindle ducts do not direct air to the entire rotor surface. I can clearly see the heat discoloration and additional stress cracks on the outer portion of the rotor that does directly get cold air. I realize the LG duct also directs air to the center of the rotor so that cool air can be distributed by the internal rotor venting. Again, the heat discoloration proves that a direct shot of cool air is more effective. Also, the LG duct is a smaller diameter (actually it's an oval shape) than the DRM tubing, perhaps leading to some restriction. I am likely to try slicing the LG duct at the top to open it up and in an attempt to let more air hit the outer portion of the rotor. It may work, but IMO the LG product is pricey to require such an additional mod. That said, I do recommend spindle ducts in general since they greatly aid in the quick install and removal of the duct tubing. Best of luck.

 

Thanks for such a detailed response. This was pretty much the information that I was looking for. I agree that the spindle ducts on the market seem expensive for what your getting.

 

Our duct is 3.5 inch that we include. The LGM spindle duct is 3 inch. A very small mod to the hose makes the adaption easy. Let DRM or LGM know if you have any more questions.

Randy

 

im not underneath looking but i believe the ducts should be pointed near the center of the back of the rotor where the air will be directed into the cooling vane area and not just to be blowing on 1 surface of the rotor.

 

donnyonee,
You are correct that is why spindle ducts are so nice. It packs the center of the rotor.

Randy

 

I think the real answer is what you see on most race cars. That is, the cooling ducts are directed at the calipers. It is excessive heat of the pads, caliper and brake fluid that causes fade. Cooling the rotors is of course helpful, but it's one step removed. Given the packaging of the Corvette, cooling the caliper is not possible.

 

Hi guys,


There are many different ways to run the cooling hose out to your brakes and to maximize it you need to force the air to the center of the rotor and force it to go out the vanes.

The DRM kit is a very popular option and we do now have a 3.5" inlet to directly bolt up to Doug's hose that he supplies so be sure to ask for it if you are using the DRM kit. For those that want to run your own, we do offer the smaller 3" inlet and 3" hose to make it a DIY kit.

Also be sure to tell us which size of rotor you have as we do have two different sizes of duct plates to match the larger or smaller rotors. I do not have any just yet for the just released 15" kits from StopTech but be sure those will be available as well.

As always let us know if you have any questions, I'm always willing to help.

 

Phoenix makes a spindle duct that doesn't require removal of the hub for installation like the LG pieces do, fwiw.