Groves in front rotors (replacement advice)

[Whooosah]

Right on guys thanks for the help! The grooves in the rotors definitely feel scored and dug in grooves. I will go ahead and bleed the brakes with higher quality brake fluid too.

[wparsons]

Originally Posted by Whooosah

Right on guys thanks for the help! The grooves in the rotors definitely feel scored and dug in grooves. I will go ahead and bleed the brakes with higher quality brake fluid too.

Don't just bleed them with better fluid, make sure it's a full flush. Count on using about 3/4L of fluid.

[ls1ac]

3M makes a surfacing kit. It fits in an air grinder and uses small rotary pads (like sanding disks) to remove surface layer buildup. The rotary tool will spin the disk as it removes the build up if held at a slight angle, depending on the dust shield the inside might need the caliper or shield removed.
From this distance I agree it looks like you cooked the pads. As said, get track pads for next time you track and new street pads for every day.
Technically the rotors should be "cleaned" (resurfaced) before a change in manufacture or type of pad, as there is a deposit on the surface of the rotor.

[ls1ac]

One other comment about brake fluid, the higher the boiling point the more hydroscopic the fluid. ie. the faster it will absorb water. The best high temp racing fluids are designed to be changed every track weekend. Good synthetics can last a long time. No old fluid should be used at the track as boiling will happen at the worst possible time.

[atlbrz]

As previously noted, I have used Centric Premium or NAPA premium rotors with Carbotech pads, stainless lines and a high temp brake fluid. I have never had any brake issues on the track. Do not waste money on drilled rotors for the track. DBAs are nice, but pricey. For a long time I tried to find a street/track pad and finally give up. Just buy separate rotors to use with a dedicated track pad. Since I always bleed my brakes before each track event, swapping pads and rotors didn't take much more time.

[Captain Snooze]

Originally Posted by KoolBRZ

The drilled rotors help cool the disk better, don't chew up the pads as bad as slotted rotors, and they look a lot cooler than flat or slotted rotors.

@Whooosah
If you are tracking your car you do NOT want drilled rotors. Rotors will always crack from a hole.
Get slotted or flat.

[Whooosah]

Thanks for the input everyone. I went ahead and ordered centric premium blank rotors. I am still researching and saving for track pads. Trying to figure out whether I want to run a dedicated track pad and rotor set up along with a daily setup.

I had the carbotech xp10 or ferodo ds2500 in mind running with the centric premium rotors in mind for track use. Any other inputs on pads would be very welcomed. The stock rotor looks like it can be resurfaced and I'll get a set of cheap pads for daily use when I know I'm not going to track the car for a while.

The main track I would be at is Portland Int'l Raceway. It has a big braking zone on the front straight from 110-45 into a chicane. A couple of mid speed zones and another high speed 115-60 or 70 or so on the back straight.

Thanks again everyone on here for the useful information. I didn't think I would be so into brakes. Would have loved to put the money into suspension, wheels, tires, headers, tune but it looks like it will be a while before I can fund that. Also saving for a jack, stands, and other tools like a torque wrench (been saving up harbor freight coupons...) The track bug has bitten me...what a money pit. Whole lot of fun though.

[ls1ac]

tip to remember is that track pads work well when hot and street pads work well when cold. that is why track pads are not recommended for street driving and you have found out what happens to street pads at the track. there are some crossover pads but not the best at either extreme.

[Estey]

Originally Posted by Whooosah

Thanks for the input everyone. I went ahead and ordered centric premium blank rotors. I am still researching and saving for track pads. Trying to figure out whether I want to run a dedicated track pad and rotor set up along with a daily setup.

I had the carbotech xp10 or ferodo ds2500 in mind running with the centric premium rotors in mind for track use. Any other inputs on pads would be very welcomed. The stock rotor looks like it can be resurfaced and I'll get a set of cheap pads for daily use when I know I'm not going to track the car for a while.

The main track I would be at is Portland Int'l Raceway. It has a big braking zone on the front straight from 110-45 into a chicane. A couple of mid speed zones and another high speed 115-60 or 70 or so on the back straight.

Thanks again everyone on here for the useful information. I didn't think I would be so into brakes. Would have loved to put the money into suspension, wheels, tires, headers, tune but it looks like it will be a while before I can fund that. Also saving for a jack, stands, and other tools like a torque wrench (been saving up harbor freight coupons...) The track bug has bitten me...what a money pit. Whole lot of fun though.

I've heard great things about carbotech and winmax. The XP10's would be a good choice, and theres plenty of feedback to be found on the forum. I recently picked up a used set of xp8's for half its retail price, and there are always race pads for sale in the classified section if you want to cut costs.

[Captain Snooze]

Originally Posted by Whooosah

I had the carbotech xp10 or ferodo ds2500 in mind running with the centric premium rotors in mind for track use.

Originally Posted by Estey

The XP10's would be a good choice

Brake pads are not universally good or bad. Things that determine the effectiveness of a pad depend on:
Car weight and speed
Track
Braking style

I had DS2500 on my previous car and they were great on street and track BUT the car weighed 200 kgs less than the BRZ and wasn't as fast.
Tracks can be fast or slow or a combination of both.
Different drivers use their brakes differently.

So while the XP10s are good pads you may need to experiment more to find the optimum pad for you, your car and tracks you visit.

Certainly having different street and track pads is optimum.

Originally Posted by ls1ac

there are some crossover pads but not the best at either extreme.

This.

[Whooosah]

Sounds great everyone thanks for the input.

[Guff]

Centric Blanks are a great way to go, that's what I've always run and my car has seen a fair bit of track time. Haven't had a rotor crack on me yet!

Lately I've been running Winmax W5 pads with them and they've been my favorite pads I've used yet. Fantastic bite and feel, stops properly fast and they don't make too much noise to boot. I ran XP10s on the Supra and they weren't the best on track with a little more fade than I liked, and by god they're loud. The Supra is 3400+ lbs though, so that's to be expected.

Honestly, the Winmax's have been so good on the BRZ that I don't think I'll be changing brands anytime soon. The Supra is probably getting Winmax's the next go around too.

[Estey]

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

Brake pads are not universally good or bad. Things that determine the effectiveness of a pad depend on:
Car weight and speed
Track
Braking style

I had DS2500 on my previous car and they were great on street and track BUT the car weighed 200 kgs less than the BRZ and wasn't as fast.
Tracks can be fast or slow or a combination of both.
Different drivers use their brakes differently.

So while the XP10s are good pads you may need to experiment more to find the optimum pad for you, your car and tracks you visit.

Certainly having different street and track pads is optimum.

I agree that how a pad is used will factor into what pads to purchase, but there are definitely good and bad brake pads. The pads I mentioned earlier are well known and liked by a lot of track enthusiasts, so I suggested them as a great reference point and starting point for track duty.

Since he wants a dedicated track pad, he should learn on very good pads so that he can gradually work up to the limits of the pad. Its better to do that instead, because you run the risk of overwhelming your brakes when using a less effective pad because the driver may outgrow the pads fairly quickly.

Once he figures out his likes and dislikes of a good track pad, he can look for other solutions that will better suit his driving style

[Whooosah]

Originally Posted by Guff

Centric Blanks are a great way to go, that's what I've always run and my car has seen a fair bit of track time. Haven't had a rotor crack on me yet!

Lately I've been running Winmax W5 pads with them and they've been my favorite pads I've used yet. Fantastic bite and feel, stops properly fast and they don't make too much noise to boot. I ran XP10s on the Supra and they weren't the best on track with a little more fade than I liked, and by god they're loud. The Supra is 3400+ lbs though, so that's to be expected.

Honestly, the Winmax's have been so good on the BRZ that I don't think I'll be changing brands anytime soon. The Supra is probably getting Winmax's the next go around too.

Awesome thanks for the recommendation I have win max on my list too now of possible pads. I was originally thinking w3 or w4 but if I'm going to commit to a dedicated track pad I'll check out the w5.

This has been discussed a bit before but I've read people run track pads upfront and oem out back. Cost wise I was going to do this but would like to know the cons and possible problems I might run into? I'm guessing it's ideal to be on the same compound all around? Anybody cook their rear oem pads on a track? I don't want to burn out any other parts unnecessarIly that still have useful life in them for my daily street driving.

Also with the rears if I go dedicated pad back there should I have a dedicated rotor too?