ive been seeing a lot of brake ducts in the works and adding it to my "to do" list...

i was planning to do a fc oil cooler in between a vmount to leave the sides free and dedicate it to brake ducts.. BUT im getting kind of anxious and just want the car running so i picked up a set of r1 dualies lol.. now that leaves me with the dilemma, where would i route the air ducts from? im going to be running a 99 spec with FMIC, and dual oil coolers so the only 2 locations i can think of is from an undertray, and side of the bumper..

it would consist of something like this in a custom under tray or where the side markers would go..
http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/images/M/3627-PLUS.JPG

for you hardcore people... this is freaking amazing... i kinda want to do this lol..
http://ellisfamilyalbum.com/Car%20St...2008%20003.jpg
http://ellisfamilyalbum.com/Car%20St...2008%20008.jpg

any other suggestions?

 

For my build I am planning to use the holes in the oem lip and duct it liked like this s2k:

http://robrobinette.com/S2000BrakeDucts.htm

 

You could put naca ducts on the sides of your vmount ducting. I seen that somewhere on this forum.

 

Other then the opening from your front lip you could also steal some air from your rad., intercooler or oil cooler ducts like Barban said. I don't think there's any other way unless you cut up your bumper.

 

If you're not having problems with your brakes now...then why do you need ducts? Are you tracking the car? Sounds like you just want to do it to say you have brake ducts.

 

very smart

 

I just used the opening on the lip. OEM lip will work as well.



Thread for my setup: https://www.rx7club.com/suspension-wheels-tires-brakes-20/brake-duct-track-use-939198/

Though if this is going to be for a street car, it is a huge overkill.

 

that was the plan if i went vmic but its looking like ill be leaving the FMIC this year.. cutting one of my spare bumpers could be a possibility...

You're right, i dont NEED brake ducts, just like i didnt need water meth, or an fc thermostat or 90% of the mods most of us do. but if it will help my car run better, and prevent future problems why not? i like fabricating things and i think i can do this for fairly cheap. sounds like youre posting just to hear yourself speak

yeap! that was one of the threads that actually inspired me it is a street car but my friends and i are trying to get some tracking done this year. i never felt confident going without the neccessary mods so ive been holding back. as i just got my r1 oil coolers i feel a little more confident the cooling aspect is taken care of, well less of an issue

 

Depending on the Pad compound and manufacture, brake pads operate best as a particular temperature range. When on the track the first lap is always a warm up lap for both the tires and brakes. The pads perform worse when they are not warmed up to their operating temperature. The point of brake ducts is to keep the pads from overheating after hard sustained use which typically is only seen on the track or MAYBE roads like the dragon.

I have added brake ducts to my FD for track use. I have block off plates for the street to limit airflow to the brakes. On the street with ducts you will be keeping your pads super cool and will never be able to get the pads up to a temp where they operate efficiently. I have been running for about a week now with my ducts open on the street and I have found that the brakes do not perform as well as they did.

I also just ordered an Endless track compound pad with an operating temperature so high that the Tech at Endless even recommended I close my ducts on the track because it would take too long for them to warm up.

Brake ducts are for track oriented cars.

 

I can't hear myself speak in letters, now you're just not making any sense. You do realize that the brake pads need to reach a certain temperature in order to operate properly, right? So unless you're seriously tracking you're car, like trainwreck said...It's a huge overkill. As sarcastic as I am there is some truth to my posts.... Btw, I'm looking forward to seeing some pink powder coated brake ducts.

Edit: read above.

 

very interesting info, i kind of forgot about the brakes being too cool, im surprised you even have to go that extra step of blocking off the ducts... i would have thought just disconnecting the hose would be enough..

with that said, for those who have cut their dust shield off, would that mean they are running too cool as well? id think that would cool the brakes more vs an unconnected duct...


Scrub ill add it to my "to do" list
For charlie, powder coat e-shaft pink
for scrub, powder coat brake ducts pink

 

Disconnecting the hose is too much of a hassle (jacking up car, removing wheel, ect.) and I have easy access to my inlets so I can block them off completely or partially depending on how much flow I need (note: have not tested this yet).

However, in the case of a stock backing plate versus a closed off duct the stock backing plate will provide optimal cooling to the pads while a closed off duct seals off any air getting to the pads because it is sealed to the back of the rotor. Where as the stock backing plate has a scoop to collect air and direct it towards the rotor.

IMO an optimal brake duct solution for a street car is the Crooked Willow style duct.



I believe Widebody7 is making replicas of these...

 

Best is invest in rotor thermopaint kit (AP racing makes a nice one for a reasonable cost) to accurately read average disk vane and cheek temperatures. Another nice thing to have is a digital caliper so you can calculate pad wear & taper per session. Your pad manufacturer should be able to tell you the pad's operating sweet spot. Over that temperature, and wear will be increased. Do not bring it up the temperature, good chance the disk wear will increase.

Thermopaint changes colors when the iron goes over a certain temperature.



Designing a pad that has good initial bite, stable Mu curve, and being controllable is not hard these days. Doing everything while having the longest life possible, and not chewing through disks, and adding different sorts of characteristics is what drives up the cost of the top of the line, high technology pads compared to cheap and cheerful pads.

Disk and pad technology over the last 3 years from the top manufacturers of friction material and disk castings has gone up by a huge curve.

You get what you pay for with race pads. How fast is your car right now, and how much money you want to throw at it, and do you really need it?. Those are the main questions. Some initial testing is also called for before doing anything to the brake setup as it is now as no 2 cars are the same.

 

john, whats the difference between your set up and the crooked willow one? why would that one be okay to run on the streets vs your set up?

removing the duct wouldnt be that big of a hassle... most people change their rims for racing so fender well will be ease accessible..

mx5, thats some good info! that paint is really cool