Touge Factory Brake Cooling Kit Review

[smbstyle]

So before even purchasing my BRZ in April, I did a ton of research on the car and the results people were having after taking the stock BRZ/FRS to the track, and the common issue everyone seemed to have were brakes, and how badly and quickly they were overheating/failing on track. Not only just the pads, but there were issues of rotors cracking badly after a few track days, even fade with decent race pads, and in one case, the OEM rotor completely delaminating. So one of the main issues seems to be heat in the OEM brake setup, which I decided I needed to address since my "home track" is Sebring, and is notoriously hard on brakes, along with all kinds of other components. So I looked around, and found the @Touge Factory Brake Cooling Kit which looked like a great setup, and I decided to give it a try and see how it would help keep the temps down on track.

The kit is $400 plus shipping; for me shipping was about $17.08 I believe via UPS.

INSTALL:









First off, with the install, the directions that Touge Factory provides are great. Honestly I was worried about the backing plates to be the worst part, but that turned out to be the easiest. Simply remove the hubs, put the backing plate in, wiggle the speed sensor back in, and bolt everything up.






It was routing the hose that was the most difficult/dangerous. You may want to have an extra pint of blood and a transfusion kit handy. Its the damn edge of the heat shield on the header that chewed me up.

(Crime Scene Photos):








The directions call for zip-tieing the hose in one place on each side to the splash guard, to pull the hose away (to the side) from the engine, but I ended up using an extra zip tie on each side to pull the hose downward from components as well.

Also, I installed some dive mesh in the front duct openings, which helped keep tire clag and bugs out, and was dirt cheap. I also changed the hose clamps on the front ducts from silver to black, for aesthetic reasons.















My 1 of 2 complaints with the kit (just minor, but I am very very picky) itself was the ducts I received werent really cut the same, so it looks a little off when I installed it in my front grille: you can see the difference here, but then again it is a hand-made kit, so I'm not expecting it to be perfect.





When bolting up the wheels and all, I noticed the clearance between the duct plates behind the rotor and the rotor itself was so close that in fact it touched a little (I could hear one "scrape" for every revolution of the tire), but obviously after a little driving it cleared itself up and scrape a little metal off the surface. Not an issue really, just an observation.






My 2nd complaint is how the speed sensor line seems to rub against the opening of the cooling duct plate, so I wrapped that in heat tape, so this issue can be easily remedied. It would be nice for future kits to have something to protect the sharp metal edge from rubbing and possibly damaging the speed sensor line.




All bolted up! I actually love the look of the ducts in the grille:






TESTING THE KIT AT SEBRING:


Onto the testing. I was at Sebring in 90* temps in June for two days, 8 sessions of 30 minutes each. So I brought a temp gun, and was going to run 30 minute sessions with the ducts open and get rotor temps immediately after the session in the hot pits, and do the same with the ducts taped off completely, and compare cool down temps, thinking the cooling kit would help cool the brakes down quickly on the cool down lap. Well, that didn't work too well.....

So for all of Day 1, I ran with the ducts open, and every session, my rotor temps after the session got hotter and hotter, because it was my first time ever in the car, and I was getting faster and faster with it, and was being more and more aggressive. So by Day 2 I was comfortable and consistent, and temps were consistent after the sessions with the ducts open (700 front / 450 rear), but I was unable to get an accurate temp reading after the session with the ducts closed because I was unable to get a full session without any fade! I could feel a little bit of fade and would have to back off a few tenths, so obviously the rotor temps after the session would be a bit lower, but I noticed that when I had the ducts open completely, both days, I could run 10/10ths, balls out, without any fade whatsoever (stock rotors and lines, DTC-60's, titanium shims, RBF600 fluid), but once I blocked off the ducts, I noticed light fade after about lap 3 to where I had to back off it a tad.

The ducts are definitely helping between heavy braking zones; not sure if there would be any change in rotor temps after the entire session and cool down lap with the ducts open or closed, and I don't think there's enough air being forced in to make a difference to drop max temps during heavy braking, but the true benefit seems to be enough cooling from the ducts to help lower the temps between corners on the long straights, to where the pads aren't fading at all, no matter how hard I push them.

I will continue to monitor rotor wear and pad wear and post updates on this thread with how the kit is performing and holding up long term, but after my first weekend (8 sessions, 30 minutes each session) the pads are still in good shape, have about 10/32nds of material measured from the base of the plate to the top of the material on the front, and 12/32nds in the rear, and the rotors have the normal heat checking, with no major cracks or issues.

[m.wood0213]

good write up thanks for the info.

[post_break]

Please update your post with how much you paid for the kit shipped to your door.

[rice_classic]

Brake ducting is a godsend. When it's done right it feels like you have installed a completely different braking setup and you can brake on the threshold lap after lap after lap.

Looks good!

[smbstyle]

Originally Posted by rice_classic

Brake ducting is a godsend. When it's done right it feels like you have installed a completely different braking setup and you can brake on the threshold lap after lap after lap.

Looks good!

Yep, that's exactly what I was able to do, no fade at all with the ducts open. Closed them off and had only about 3 hard laps before I had to back off.

[post_break]

I'll say it, for the price this seems like a crappy kit. The ducts look awful, did they not have a band saw? The backplate rubbing on the rotor is pretty bad too. And then the speed sensor being right in the path of the duct just doesn't make sense. Maybe there was no alternative but I don't like it.

For $200 I could expect this kind of craftsmanship.

[cobrabyte]

^^ wanker.

Thanks for posting up the review. I'm most concerned about the backing plate rubbing the rotor but, like you said, it's one of those things that works itself out.

[rice_classic]

For $400... Yeah, I would buy the ducting and front cones and figure something out myself. I wasn't expecting to see it cost that much but nonetheless I'm glad to hear that it's effective.


Edit: Now that think about it, while it's a bit high, it is a complete kit, ready to go shipped to your door.... So it's hard to argue with that. Plus it's a one time purchase (maybe except for ducts). I spend a LOT more than $400 on "wear items" that I only use for a couple weekends so in relative terms....

[Touge Factory]

To address the issue with rubbing and craftmanship:

We allowed for 1/16th" clearance from the backing plate to the rotor. We took measurements on a FR-S with 102 miles on the odometer. due to the small clearance between the backing plate and rotor, there is a very slight chance it could rub. We TIG weld everything in-house, and backing plates are precision laser cut. All components for the backing plate is made out of T6061 aluminum. Due to the thickness of the backing plate, welding could slightly distort the backing plate.
We have a Jig with a used OEM rotor and entire front spinlde + hub assembly (removed from an FR-S with less then 150miles) that we use to check fitment prior to shipping out to ensure everything fits accordingly.
everything is made in-house with all parts made in the USA to ensure durability.
We include Loc-Tite for hub bolts, we include stainless steel Clampco worm clamps. We include double ply high temp hose....etc.
The kit looks simple, because we took the time and design to make it as simple as possible.
I have never seen a DIY kit that seals the rotor completely like ours. They mostly just blow cool air somewhere near the rotor.

You may think this kit for $400 is expensive - but there is not a whole lot of margin we make off this kit at all. Go and purchase 11 feet of high temp 2-ply hose. That right there is majority of your $200 kit that you're thinking of... maybe you can build one with dryer ducts for $200.... maybe.
Sure we could buy Chinese made parts to cut some cost...
Would I run that on our FR-S? Nope.
We made this kit, because we want to offer drivers who do not have the funds to spend on a large Brake kit setup to be competitive and enjoy the car.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by Touge Factory

Go and purchase 11 feet of high temp 2-ply hose. That right there is majority of your $200 kit that you're thinking of... maybe you can build one with dryer ducts for $200.... maybe.

This is what I use on my s2k and what CSG uses on client cars...

http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/p..._Temp_Ducting2

For customers that want aircraft grade stuff, we use:

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/appages/sceet.php

Is there something different about the hose supplied with your kit that makes it so expensive? We're definitely interested in a superior options to our clients.

[post_break]

I was a little rough with the "the kit is crap" part. It's not crap, it just needs polish I guess.

The experience this user had didn't seem to be the as high of quality I expected. I pieced together a similar kit for myself a while ago since I'm cheap and would rather DIY.

2" High temp hose 12 feet $53

http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/p..._Temp_Ducting2

Inlet, $24 a piece $48

https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pr...p?Product=3624

Backing Plate $25 per side $50

http://pitstopusa.com/i-5066463-alls...ghtweight.html

http://pitstopusa.com/i-5066464-alls...ghtweight.html

Total $151 plus various items such as clamps and zip ties. I don't know what size hose the TF kit uses so I just took a guess, I know the area is tight. You can bump up to 3" hose for about $25 more. The backing plate will need working over to make it fit flush but again, I like DIY.

So you figure $200ish plus a 100% markup and that's on par with most aftermarket parts. It's not crazy expensive at all. It just needs some more polish, which is my only opinion.

[smbstyle]

Originally Posted by post_break

I'll say it, for the price this seems like a crappy kit. The ducts look awful, did they not have a band saw? The backplate rubbing on the rotor is pretty bad too. And then the speed sensor being right in the path of the duct just doesn't make sense. Maybe there was no alternative but I don't like it.

For $200 I could expect this kind of craftsmanship.

Backing plate rubbing the rotor is not an issue; it was "touching" the rotor, and after about 20 minutes of driving, it worked it's way off. I'd rather have a tight seal with a little bit of rubbing in the beginning than the backing plate too small or too far away that there isn't a tight seal. The fact that it's such a tight clearance is what provides good cooling to the rotor veins.

[smbstyle]

Originally Posted by cobrabyte

^^ wanker.

Thanks for posting up the review. I'm most concerned about the backing plate rubbing the rotor but, like you said, it's one of those things that works itself out.

Not an issue, just something I noticed during install.

[smbstyle]

Originally Posted by rice_classic

For $400... Yeah, I would buy the ducting and front cones and figure something out myself. I wasn't expecting to see it cost that much but nonetheless I'm glad to hear that it's effective.


Edit: Now that think about it, while it's a bit high, it is a complete kit, ready to go shipped to your door.... So it's hard to argue with that. Plus it's a one time purchase (maybe except for ducts). I spend a LOT more than $400 on "wear items" that I only use for a couple weekends so in relative terms....

If you look at all of the other brake duct kits out there; they run between $300 and $400 on average, so I'd say this one is right in there. I know for the C5 vettes its a very similar kit for $439 through LG Motorsports.