Racing Brake Big Brake/Lightweight Rotors Reviewed.
07-06-2007, 12:21 PM
#1
Racing Brake Big Brake/Lightweight Rotors Reviewed.
I've had the kit on my car for about a month now and I like to post my impressions.
I purchased the Oversized 13'' Curved Open Slot BBK they have specially designed for Enkei lower offset wheel as i was running 18x9.5 +38s.
Install was a breeze except I accidentally placed the left caliper on the right side and the right caliper on the left, this meant the bleeder screws were on the bottom not the top of the caliper.... whoops
, was a bit messy but solved it quite easily. Posted the DIY here. (uno momento)
Prior to installing I did a side by side braking test with another rx-8 with a OEM braking system (-HPS pads), we were fairly even on the 60-0 and 70-0 stops, he averaged 10 ft. shorter than me over 5 stops (i would surmise due to the HPS pads vs my OEMs)
Post the Big Break Kit install, repeating the tests my car averaged a 23ft shorter stopping distance than his;I know this won't put all of you die-hards to sleep about "you're not going to improve much on the rx-8s raw stopping power", however I defiantly feel myself stopping faster and generating more lateral G's.
Before I get to the on track performance, I want express how impressed i was with the cooling of this kit, theres a section of highway accross a bridge between NJ and PA where you can easily hit 140 with no fear of the man catching you, I exit the highway immediately after and decelerate down to 50 for the exit ramp. Occasionally I'll pull over to see the OEM system smoke if i come to a stop from 140 on or right after the exit ramp. To my amazement on the BBK the calipers were not only touchable they were COOL to touch after the deceleration.
On to the important stuff, you shed about 26lbs off the front end with the addition of the BBK and 2piece rotors and another 9lbs or so in the rear. Less unsprung weight the better, and post the install, call it placebos, but response and agility on the front end seemed to be up by a "butt-dynoable" amount.
One of the main reasons I bought the kit was for use on an autox course, I had grown accustom to the OEM system degrading severely in performance the longer the day/run lasted.
Now i find myself trying to get accustom to the RacingBrake system improving as the pads get up to temp. I find myself braking better toward the last 1/3 of a run and being in the bad habit of expecting to have to brake sooner. Fade is non-existent in my testing whether it be in the real world or on a auto-x course, would like to get it on a road course in the near future but i would expect much of the same positive result.
I tip my hat to Racing Brake on a fine and well engineered product and emphasize to all of you that its worth every penny.
http://www.racingbrake.com/RX8_s/3254.htm
I purchased the Oversized 13'' Curved Open Slot BBK they have specially designed for Enkei lower offset wheel as i was running 18x9.5 +38s.
Install was a breeze except I accidentally placed the left caliper on the right side and the right caliper on the left, this meant the bleeder screws were on the bottom not the top of the caliper.... whoops
, was a bit messy but solved it quite easily. Posted the DIY here. (uno momento)Prior to installing I did a side by side braking test with another rx-8 with a OEM braking system (-HPS pads), we were fairly even on the 60-0 and 70-0 stops, he averaged 10 ft. shorter than me over 5 stops (i would surmise due to the HPS pads vs my OEMs)
Post the Big Break Kit install, repeating the tests my car averaged a 23ft shorter stopping distance than his;I know this won't put all of you die-hards to sleep about "you're not going to improve much on the rx-8s raw stopping power", however I defiantly feel myself stopping faster and generating more lateral G's.
Before I get to the on track performance, I want express how impressed i was with the cooling of this kit, theres a section of highway accross a bridge between NJ and PA where you can easily hit 140 with no fear of the man catching you, I exit the highway immediately after and decelerate down to 50 for the exit ramp. Occasionally I'll pull over to see the OEM system smoke if i come to a stop from 140 on or right after the exit ramp. To my amazement on the BBK the calipers were not only touchable they were COOL to touch after the deceleration.
On to the important stuff, you shed about 26lbs off the front end with the addition of the BBK and 2piece rotors and another 9lbs or so in the rear. Less unsprung weight the better, and post the install, call it placebos, but response and agility on the front end seemed to be up by a "butt-dynoable" amount.
One of the main reasons I bought the kit was for use on an autox course, I had grown accustom to the OEM system degrading severely in performance the longer the day/run lasted.
Now i find myself trying to get accustom to the RacingBrake system improving as the pads get up to temp. I find myself braking better toward the last 1/3 of a run and being in the bad habit of expecting to have to brake sooner. Fade is non-existent in my testing whether it be in the real world or on a auto-x course, would like to get it on a road course in the near future but i would expect much of the same positive result.
I tip my hat to Racing Brake on a fine and well engineered product and emphasize to all of you that its worth every penny.
http://www.racingbrake.com/RX8_s/3254.htm
Last edited by PoLaK; 07-06-2007 at 12:34 PM.
07-06-2007, 12:29 PM
#2
Word of caution, i purchased the Enkei offset kit because of the wheels i run on the car, this means that the rotors are offset deeper towards the engine so that the larger caliper doesn't hit the spoke of the wheels.
This mean that the friction surface of the rotor (back side) sits very close to the lower ball joint see picture:
Now i know that TeamRx8 runs this version of the BBK without any issues with rubbing on the ball joint, however i have about 40,000 more mile than him and a bit more wear on the wheel bearings. While under hard cornering, when there was some wheel flex, the back side of the rotor would grind along the lower ball joint.
After trouble shooting the solution i decided to go with was get the OE offset rotors and hope that they would fit with my wheels. To my delight there is plenty of clearance between the caliper and wheel on both 18x8.5 +35 Enkei RP03s and 18x9.5 +38 Enkei RP03s;
So my advice if you have a similar wheel and a higher mileage car, is play it safe and get the OE offset kit.
This mean that the friction surface of the rotor (back side) sits very close to the lower ball joint see picture:
Now i know that TeamRx8 runs this version of the BBK without any issues with rubbing on the ball joint, however i have about 40,000 more mile than him and a bit more wear on the wheel bearings. While under hard cornering, when there was some wheel flex, the back side of the rotor would grind along the lower ball joint.
After trouble shooting the solution i decided to go with was get the OE offset rotors and hope that they would fit with my wheels. To my delight there is plenty of clearance between the caliper and wheel on both 18x8.5 +35 Enkei RP03s and 18x9.5 +38 Enkei RP03s;
So my advice if you have a similar wheel and a higher mileage car, is play it safe and get the OE offset kit.
07-06-2007, 12:40 PM
#4
You'll hear arguments from both sides about which is better, i elected to do this route because:
The Curved open slots (for those not in the know Racing Brake has a version with curved slots that have holes inside the slots), IMHO cool just as well as the drilled and slotted version, and while the drilled would have been a tad lighter, i wouldn't guess more than a few onces, I wanted a larger friction surface, and I have no issue with the cooling performance.
The Curved open slots (for those not in the know Racing Brake has a version with curved slots that have holes inside the slots), IMHO cool just as well as the drilled and slotted version, and while the drilled would have been a tad lighter, i wouldn't guess more than a few onces, I wanted a larger friction surface, and I have no issue with the cooling performance.
07-06-2007, 02:54 PM
#6
Administrator
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looks hawt, thanks for the review.
07-06-2007, 05:22 PM
#7
vV Me on the Dragon Vv
Man PoLaK I am so jealous...I want that exact setup so bad! Unfortuantely money is a little short right now (just got engaged last weekend) so I'm going to settle for the one-piece rotors from racingbrake. I shouldn't buy anything but I just put my new wheels on, so my rusty stock rotors really stand out and look bad.
07-06-2007, 09:49 PM
#9
jersey fresh
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07-06-2007, 09:56 PM
#10
A few of us here run the Enkei wheels deeper offset hat, you're the only one who's had a problem, this kit is needed with the +45 offset Enkei wheels or else you'll have to add a spacer for caliper clearance
you didn't have a caliper interference problem with the standard RacingBrake kit because of the+38 offset Enkeis - it moves the wheel spokes out far enough to clear, you had a rear fender interference issue instead though
you didn't have a caliper interference problem with the standard RacingBrake kit because of the+38 offset Enkeis - it moves the wheel spokes out far enough to clear, you had a rear fender interference issue instead though
07-07-2007, 12:23 PM
#16
The Professor
oh, can we get a pic of the kit and wheels from average eye level viewing height? I want to see what they look like when a person just looks down.
I cant wait until i save up for these.
I cant wait until i save up for these.
09-07-2007, 11:50 PM
#18
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There should be a new, lightweight, 6-piston kit available from a new source shortly. Pricing should be lower than RB's package by several hundred dollars. In other words, it should cost only a couple hundred more than just RB's two-piece OEM-size replacement rotors... Just an FYI.
09-08-2007, 07:01 AM
#20
ReDuX
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There should be a new, lightweight, 6-piston kit available from a new source shortly. Pricing should be lower than RB's package by several hundred dollars. In other words, it should cost only a couple hundred more than just RB's two-piece OEM-size replacement rotors... Just an FYI.
BBK with front and rear 2 piece rotors is my next purchase...
09-08-2007, 09:25 AM
#22
Surf Hard, Drive Hard
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Polak, looks good and nice review. While I wasn't that scientific, I am more than happy with my Racing Brake two-pieces even with the OEM calipers. I opted for the straight slotted two-piece and I see you have curved. No BBK yet for me, but am considering the Rotora calipers....any opinions on these?
Of course I will loose that sweet graphic on my OEM calipers!
Of course I will loose that sweet graphic on my OEM calipers!
Last edited by Mazurfer; 09-08-2007 at 09:36 AM.
09-08-2007, 04:57 PM
#23
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Polak, looks good and nice review. While I wasn't that scientific, I am more than happy with my Racing Brake two-pieces even with the OEM calipers. I opted for the straight slotted two-piece and I see you have curved. No BBK yet for me, but am considering the Rotora calipers....any opinions on these?
Of course I will loose that sweet graphic on my OEM calipers!
Of course I will loose that sweet graphic on my OEM calipers!
09-09-2007, 12:39 PM
#25
yes, the RacingBrake Enkei wheel kit
the 18 x 9.5 +45 RPF1 doesn't have anywhere near the caliper clearance as the OE wheels, it will be an issue for most BBKs
I'm still not sure what Polaks issue was, I have over 1/8" clearance from my RB Enkei wheel option rotors and the spindle
the 18 x 9.5 +45 RPF1 doesn't have anywhere near the caliper clearance as the OE wheels, it will be an issue for most BBKs
I'm still not sure what Polaks issue was, I have over 1/8" clearance from my RB Enkei wheel option rotors and the spindle