Brake recommendations

[shadowj38]

Looking to put new brake pads and rotors on my car. Wonder what would be a good choice to go with?

[Punisher88]

I started running the afco sr34 compound on my car last year with the slotted pillar vane rotor by afco and have been very pleased with the stopping power.

[shadowj38]

Thanks for the reply. We always ran hawk pads in our stock car. Wasn't sure what the best route would be in a late model.

[billetbirdcage]

I started running the afco sr34 compound on my car last year with the slotted pillar vane rotor by afco and have been very pleased with the stopping power.

Be careful of those pillar rotors if you use a lot of brake, they will not cool very well and can glow the rotor and can have bad fade due to heat.

IMO, a few pounds there is worth having brakes late into a feature, even on a crate/power limited car.

[Matt49]

To billet's point, you must remember that brakes are energy dissipating devices. They take the kinetic energy of the spinning rotor and convert it into heat in the form of friction. The more material (rotor weight) there is, the more heat can be dissipated.
The lower rotating mass gimmick in crates is simply a way to sell parts. More rotating mass can sometimes be a good thing in the form of free traction control and keeping momentum on sweeping tracks. Not many people look at it this way. Now the advantages (real or perceived) of lowering un-sprung weight is a different story and a topic for a different thread.

[billetbirdcage]

To billet's point, you must remember that brakes are energy dissipating devices. They take the kinetic energy of the spinning rotor and convert it into heat in the form of friction. The more material (rotor weight) there is, the more heat can be dissipated.
The lower rotating mass gimmick in crates is simply a way to sell parts. More rotating mass can sometimes be a good thing in the form of free traction control and keeping momentum on sweeping tracks. Not many people look at it this way. Now the advantages (real or perceived) of lowering un-sprung weight is a different story and a topic for a different thread.

In this case with those rotors the pillars instead of vanes inside the rotor don't move air properly and CAN (not always just depends on how hard your using the brakes) cause excessive heat. The pillar rotor isn't much lighter then the 37 curved vane Willwood rotors, IIRC it's a pound at most.

IMO, it's more about air flow or lack of flow on the pillar rotors then its about weight or mass causing the heat issues. But as said it will have an effect for sure

[shadowj38]

So what would be your recommendation for pads and rotors billet?

[billetbirdcage]

So what would be your recommendation for pads and rotors billet?

Honestly it depends on how much brake you use and how much you trail brake. I would call Spike at Wilwood and ask for a recommendation for your particular application.

That being said depending on what rotor you use will/can effect what pad you use also.

If you are looking at .810 rotors and already have calipers for .810's, these are the 3 I'd look at depending on how hard you are on brakes and if a front or rear rotor.

scalloped rotor 5.4# 160-8135 <-- good for a front but won't take a ton of heat

Super alloy scalloped 5.0# 160-13373 <-- very durable and will take heat but also radiates a lot of heat to tires and may cause RR tire issues. These rotors run about 200 degrees hotter then a typical rotor so cooling can be an issue with heat going to tires, wheels, etc.

GT 36 9.0# 160-12285 and 12286 <--- for hard on rear brake trail brakers and guys that don't lift on throttle to 0% ever.

If you aren't a heavy braker and don't trail brake that much or use a ton of rear brakes, the afco pillar rotor is cheap and will work but not my first choice due to most of my guys use the brakes hard. Not trying to scare guys off that pillar rotor but you can have over heating issues.

[billetbirdcage]

I guess I should add there are other products out there beside wilwood but have little experience with them. I and most of my guys have always used Wilwood exclusively, while some may have gotten some break on pricing all of them and me have always had to buy them (no freebies). I used them because they was good for the price and had no issues with quality and once you find something that works it's hard to change.

[shadowj38]

Thanks for the info!

[Matt49]

Like billet, I have also been pretty Wilwood-loyal for about the past 10 years. Nothing but their calipers and rotors although I have used other pads (mostly Hawk) with mixed results. The best thing you can do is call Wilwood and ask for Spike. He is very knowledgeable and will tell straight up what will and will not work for your application within their entire product line. He will even suggest alternative brands on some stuff if he truly feels there is something better out there. I called him a couple of years ago with a grand scheme that was going to involve me spending a BUNCH of money on Wilwood product and he talked me OUT of it. He will make sure you have the right stuff on your car rather than simply separate you from your funds like a lot of companies tend to do.

[shadowj38]

I think that's what's I'm going to do. Especially since I'm having a hard time finding pads for my cailpers. I'm running US brakes f88i calipers and all I can find is pads for afco f88 calipers. I was told they are the same but the afcos have a bridge bolt. Mine have a cotter pin?

[Jking24]

Cotter pin sms bridge bolt usually use the same pad