This is a continuation post concerning my never ending search for budget brake performance on my track car FRS. Click HERE to read post #1 on FRS braking.
Ok. I am back with ANOTHER brake setup for 2020 and to follow up on 2019's.
2019's setup (setup 8 in the chart) wasn't great. However, I believe a lot of it was my fault. In June I picked up a used Willwood BBK. All of my research on this kit seemed like it was the perfect balance between budget and performance. And it definitely is! Although, picking it up USED played a part here.
The kit came with a used DBA rotors and used Willwood BP40 pads. After one track day at NYST I was done with the BP40 pads because they did NOT feel great at all. There was little initial bite and little hot bite. So (here is one of the places I think I went wrong) I installed new DTC60 pads on the old DBA rotors. DUMB! There was an immediate improvement in braking but still less than what I was accustomed to with the DTC60s and OEM rotors.
Since it was better I just dealt with it and continued using this setup throughout 2019. My next mistake was not checking the pads after every event. A novice mistake.
The fact that the BBK was used, although cheaper, was the issue here. One of the front caliper pistons was stuck and wore the inside pad at a much greater rate than the outside. See the picture to the left. A simple caliper rebuild should solve this.
Then there is the rear pads. They weren't seated on the rotor properly. This weird issue stems from using a larger diameter rotor than the caliper is meant for. The top of the pad was higher than the rotor surface. I don't know how else to explain this so check out the picture to the left. See that protruding bit on the top of the pad? That bit wasn't contacting the rotor at all. All of the rear pads were like this. My remedy is to drill out the holes on top to let the pad sit lower in the caliper.
2020: Setup #9: This year I am giving the DTC60s a fair shot. I bought a new set of Centric rotors along with another set of DTC60s. I rebuilt my front calipers and replaced the rears. (Another bit of praise for the RR Racing Willwood BBK, replacement calipers are CHEAP.)
I will continue to update my situation and if anyone has any questions on my braking experience or about the RR Racing Kit, feel free to leave a comment below or contact me via the contact link on the home page.