FR-S / BRZ Brakes Upgrade Guide

[Stonehorsw]

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[CounterSpace Garage]

Originally Posted by Will_

On track, do the front and rear brakes typically run at similar temps, or is there enough of a difference to justify different pad compounds?

On my previous track car (MK7 GTI) the rear brakes were practically disconnected, they ran about 300f cooler than the fronts and after 55k miles and 20 track days the rear rotor was only worn about .5mm. I assume on this platform however it is more evenly distributed.

My car will be dailied and see 8-12 track days a year. Since I live in an apartment and don’t have much space to work on my car, ideally what I would like to do is run the same rear pads year round (probably DS2500 or similar) and just swap fronts at the track same day. So my track setup would be DS3.12 front and DS2500 rear. Will be running at most a 245 200tw tire, but likely 225/40/18 street tires for the first 6-10 track days. Feasible? Or do I just suck it up and get to the track earlier to swap both front/rear pads?

MK7 GTI is such a different vehicle compared to the BRZ/86. The way it distributes the braking is very...modern Euro so that has to be taken into account. This is often why people used to setting up old Japanese cars will have an insanely difficult time setting up Euros.

At 8-12 trackdays, the focus should really be to run track focused brake pads. Commuting heavily means you should just throw in street specific pads. In terms of 200TW tires, the grip range varies heavily so finding a pad that can manage in those tire application range is important. A pad with heavy bite could be incredibly challenging on mitigating ABS activation on lower grip 200TW tires. Likewise, some better controlling budget pad could be great for low grip 200TW tires, but would be easily overwhelmed with high grip 200TW tires.

If you're dead set on Ferodos, focus on running towards the race spectrum of the pad setup. We can help provide some options!

[afishl1]

Probably a dumb question, but can you run ceramic pads on the stick rotors or would you have to change the rotors as well?

Also, anyone know if the Bosch Quiet Cast are any good?

[Smurfette_BRZ]

Hey guys, new to this whole brake upgrade situation.
So I have 2020 BRZ limited with coilovers, 18x9.5 +35 rims , 255/35R18 tires, stock brake setup.
My stock pads are finally wearing down so looking to upgrade to something better.
I use the car for DD (@ 42k miles already - bought with 50) and alot of weekend cruises / spirited driving on the backroads.

Looking to hopefully get into the occasional autox/track by this summer once I can buy another car and use this car mostly as a weekend warrior.

Looking to upgrade the pads/rotors for now. I saw a lot of people say Project Mu on another forum.

Any suggestions?

Thanks !

[Jdmjunkie]

Originally Posted by Smurfette_BRZ

Hey guys, new to this whole brake upgrade situation.
So I have 2020 BRZ limited with coilovers, 18x9.5 +35 rims , 255/35R18 tires, stock brake setup.
My stock pads are finally wearing down so looking to upgrade to something better.
I use the car for DD (@ 42k miles already - bought with 50) and alot of weekend cruises / spirited driving on the backroads.

Looking to hopefully get into the occasional autox/track by this summer once I can buy another car and use this car mostly as a weekend warrior.

Looking to upgrade the pads/rotors for now. I saw a lot of people say Project Mu on another forum.

Any suggestions?

Thanks !

What is you budget?

[Smurfette_BRZ]

I would say no more than 300-400 if doable . I can throw down more if the upgrade is worth it

[EndlessAzure]

Originally Posted by Smurfette_BRZ

I would say no more than 300-400 if doable . I can throw down more if the upgrade is worth it

If you know you will be doing HPDE on road courses, skip hybrid pads; they won't keep up (Hawk HP and HP+ street pads for example are notorious for melting down at track days, but their track-dedicated DTC line fare just fine).


Most entry level dedicated track pads have a pretty wide usable temperature range, so you can daily them as well (with some compromises). Serious track pads shouldn't be used on a daily basis because they don't get up to nominal operating temperature and wear out brake components very quickly


Dedicated track pads are $400 for a front and rear on their own already (unless you go ultra budget with something like Power Stop SPEC Pads).

• If you're set on Project Mu, the Club Racer/Advance are a good choice. I drove on them for sometime dual duty daily and track.
• Carbotech XP8 or XP10 are also well enjoyed entry level pads
• People have had good success with Power Stop SPEC race pads. They are quite inexpensive and hold up well during track use, but they wear out and need replacing frequently. They might be a good choice if you are having a hard time deciding on a higher end set and just want to get your feet wet ASAP.

As for rotors, stick to OEM or OEM replacement blank rotors. You don't need anything more, but don't forget to add that to your brake budget (about ~$200 for front and rear). If you are looking for something high end, I have spoken to people that have had good success and satisfaction with DBA rotors; good quality and longevity.

[Jibbin]

Trying to figure out what brake fluid to go with, has anyone experienced any noticeable difference in the ABS behavior switching to a higher viscosity DOT4 fluid? I do some autox and have roads near me that put a hurtin' on the stock brakes so I want to do a pad/fluid upgrade, but I also drive the car throughout the winter in 15-30 degree F temps. Should I be going with a 5.1 fluid or am I worrying about nothing?

[Mr_Brian]

Originally Posted by Jibbin

Trying to figure out what brake fluid to go with, has anyone experienced any noticeable difference in the ABS behavior switching to a higher viscosity DOT4 fluid? I do some autox and have roads near me that put a hurtin' on the stock brakes so I want to do a pad/fluid upgrade, but I also drive the car throughout the winter in 15-30 degree F temps. Should I be going with a 5.1 fluid or am I worrying about nothing?

I'm curious about this as well I'm thinking of going with Endless RF650 or Pagid RBF anyone have any comment on either fluid? The pagid stuff is 1/2 the price so I'll probably end up going with that. https://www.pagidracing.com/en/produ...ake-fluid.html