Brake Rotor Replacement - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

hvangeel · 05-25-2010, 10:33 AM

I am doing about six track days per year. I run Pagid Yellow RS29 pads. My stock rotors have developed little cracks around the cross-drilled holes, so I am looking at slotted rotors. However, I seem to overheat my brakes more than others and boil the brake fluid (Motul RBF600, just had the system pressurized by Porsche and they found no leaks), so maybe the cross-drilled and slotted rotors may be more suitable.
I am looking for your experiences/recommendations. Has anybody used R1 Concepts? http://www.r1concepts.com/ I noticed that they have two different lines of rotors. Any other companies out there?

Topless · 05-25-2010, 10:56 AM

Welcome to the club.

This weekend my brother and I completed a two day time trial at Buttonwillow in unusually cool conditions and both our front rotors are really warped when hot. My car has Balo rotors and his are OEM but they are equally thrashed. I doubt they could be turned out because the serious judder only happens after lap 2 (hot). It gets so bad that in heavy braking zones I can barely hang on to the car. Any good solutions for better rotors/better heat management for the fronts? We are running BSX cars that are just class legal weight (2950) with pagid yellow pads and SRF fluid. No noticable fade issues but really rough rotor judder under heavy braking as the session progresses. We do basic brake cool down lap and no E-brakes on track days.

Pagid yellows can sure take the heat but may be a poor match for our rotors. The veteran track guys I recently talked to use OEM/Zimmerman rotors with Raybestos ST-43 pads. They tell me it is a good working combination for track use but don't underestimate the importance of your cool down lap to get brake temps down B4 bringing her to the pits. Adding 996GT3 front brake ducts may also help. Any other ideas?

Perfectlap · 05-25-2010, 11:11 AM

^ Did you read the article in Excellence about the BSX and BSR? Maybe this is a good question for the author. Maybe they'll print your question.

hvangeel · 05-25-2010, 12:06 PM

@Perfectlap - You just reminded me that I have not received the Excellence Magazine since I moved - I should probably change my address. So no, I have not read the article and I am looking for a quick decision so I can install them before my next event.
@Topless - I am not sure what your recommendation is but I read it as ' buy the cheapest ones because they won't last anyway'. BTW - I did install the GT3 brake ducts.

Topless · 05-25-2010, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvangeel

@Topless - I am not sure what your recommendation is but I read it as ' buy the cheapest ones because they won't last anyway'. BTW - I did install the GT3 brake ducts.

I still have more questions than answers. My Balo OEM quality rotors were dirt cheap at around $40 ea. Zimmerman are OEM quality for around $80 ea. and many Boxster drivers say they are better than Balo. Genuine Porsche rotors are around $150 ea. I got 17 track days on the Balos since last May and they were pretty good until this weekend so I shouldn't complain too loudly. The guys I know who have tried the high tech/ high$$/slotted/crossdrilled aftermarket specials have complained about cracks forming the first weekend out. I have no personal experience with them but brake safety is a biggie and cracks are bad news.

I guess my preliminary recommendation is to buy OEM quality and really "Sunday cruise" your cool down lap. Experiment with pad combinations to find the right setup for you.

hvangeel · 05-25-2010, 01:46 PM

Here's another company that somebody recommended to me:

http://www.frozenrotors.com/

Apparently they are expensive but last a long time. Has anybody used them?