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Just installed Rotora 14" Big Brake Kit WOW!!

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Old Jun 3, 2005 | 09:32 PM
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Just installed Rotora 14" Big Brake Kit WOW!!

I just received half of the BBK by Rotora. 6 piston calipers, 355mm rotors. They absolutly dwarf the stock setup, and weigh about 7 lbs more than stock per corner. They fit with lots of room around the SSR's, about an inch or so from the caliper to the spokes. I am waiting the rear 13" kit. Here are some pics.
Attached Thumbnails Just installed Rotora 14" Big Brake Kit WOW!!-dsc01527.jpg   Just installed Rotora 14" Big Brake Kit WOW!!-dsc01528.jpg   Just installed Rotora 14" Big Brake Kit WOW!!-dsc01529.jpg   Just installed Rotora 14" Big Brake Kit WOW!!-dsc01530.jpg   Just installed Rotora 14" Big Brake Kit WOW!!-dsc01532.jpg  

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Old Jun 3, 2005 | 09:35 PM
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More pics
Attached Thumbnails Just installed Rotora 14" Big Brake Kit WOW!!-dsc01533.jpg   Just installed Rotora 14" Big Brake Kit WOW!!-dsc01535.jpg   Just installed Rotora 14" Big Brake Kit WOW!!-dsc01537.jpg   Just installed Rotora 14" Big Brake Kit WOW!!-dsc01539.jpg   Just installed Rotora 14" Big Brake Kit WOW!!-dsc01540.jpg  

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Old Jun 3, 2005 | 09:36 PM
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Got me another 7!
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I hope you do a lot of track events to put those puppies to good use.
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Old Jun 3, 2005 | 09:37 PM
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Huge difference, Nice.
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Old Jun 3, 2005 | 09:40 PM
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Soon the car will have paint on it. I will take more pics then with the rear kit also. Very happy with how it turned out.
Attached Thumbnails Just installed Rotora 14" Big Brake Kit WOW!!-dsc01543a.jpg  
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Old Jun 3, 2005 | 09:45 PM
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Millermotorsports park in Utah will open in agust, (only 45 mins away from me) longest straight away in the US at almost 1 mile. I think they will do the trick, but hondstly the stock brakes do just fine (at least at infenion raceway and laguna seca). I figured all the money I save by not having to tow and travel 1500 miles to a decent track could go towards brakes. But also this car is running about 150 more wheel hp than my last time on the track. The car has excess HP, no one ever complained about excess brakes. The car definately feels front brake happy. The rear kit will really balance it out (4 piston 13").
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Old Jun 3, 2005 | 09:47 PM
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Sweet Lord, what a difference from stockers, they look amazing... I'm sure they perform just aswell.
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Old Jun 3, 2005 | 09:54 PM
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wow! you sold me on a big break kit, it is now on my list. it looks really good and i love the driving action pic of it. simply beautiful.
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Old Jun 3, 2005 | 10:11 PM
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Oh man do I want a set of those. Where'd you order them from, how much, etc

I'm sick and tired of replacing stock rotors. I'd probably save money in the long run... yeah, that's how I'll present the idea to the mrs...
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Old Jun 3, 2005 | 10:12 PM
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From: I live in a double wide!
Originally Posted by JonesMechanical
Millermotorsports park in Utah will open in agust, (only 45 mins away from me) longest straight away in the US at almost 1 mile. I think they will do the trick, but hondstly the stock brakes do just fine (at least at infenion raceway and laguna seca). I figured all the money I save by not having to tow and travel 1500 miles to a decent track could go towards brakes. But also this car is running about 150 more wheel hp than my last time on the track. The car has excess HP, no one ever complained about excess brakes. The car definately feels front brake happy. The rear kit will really balance it out (4 piston 13").

If you track your car than I say that is money well spent. What else you done to your car, engine mods and suspension?
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Old Jun 3, 2005 | 11:02 PM
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how much??
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Old Jun 3, 2005 | 11:58 PM
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VERY NICE! I got a question tho... why isn't the lateral area/width of the rotor (where it's x-drilled & slotted) actually larger than stock? The overall rotor is larger yes, and I'm sure that'll give the larger calipers more grabbing surface area, but I would think the grabbing area itself wouldn't just be "longer," but it would be wider as well? Anyone ever seen the rotors on a BMW 7 series? They're HUGE...w/ a LOT of lateral width...

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Old Jun 4, 2005 | 11:55 AM
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They are impressive! How do they compare, price-wise, to Brembos or AP's?

But as one who road races the car, doesn't the extra 7 lbs. of unsprung weight per corner negate some of the braking performance you gain?
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Old Jun 4, 2005 | 03:58 PM
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Originally Posted by FDNewbie
VERY NICE! I got a question tho... why isn't the lateral area/width of the rotor (where it's x-drilled & slotted) actually larger than stock? The overall rotor is larger yes, and I'm sure that'll give the larger calipers more grabbing surface area, but I would think the grabbing area itself wouldn't just be "longer," but it would be wider as well? Anyone ever seen the rotors on a BMW 7 series? They're HUGE...w/ a LOT of lateral width...
Braking surface area isn't as important as you think. Additional surface area does you absolutely no good if the caliper isn't designed properly (i.e., rigid enough to transfer enough clamping force, and spread the force evenly over the complete area of the pad, for starters), in addition to the pad design and composition being properly matched to the disc itself. Gaining more leverage by locating the contact area farther out from the center (besides the more important heat resistance properties) will offer much more of a performance advantage than adding any braking surface area.

Again, this is why a six/seven/eight/gazillion-piston caliper will not outperform a properly designed four-piston caliper and pad setup.
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Old Jun 4, 2005 | 04:02 PM
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Thanks Kento
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Old Jun 4, 2005 | 04:21 PM
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thats pretty big.
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Old Jun 4, 2005 | 04:40 PM
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I always wonder when a big brake kit comes with cross-drilled rotors....especially when the company making them states that cross-drilling reduces heat and brake fade....

Enjoy your brakes, they'll probably work great once you balance them out with bigger rears. How much did they cost? You also should consider a 99-rear upgrade instead, as it will probably be 1/3 of the cost or less as the Rotora rear brake kit.

What pad size is the Rotora caliper BTW?
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Old Jun 4, 2005 | 05:21 PM
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Originally Posted by rynberg
I always wonder when a big brake kit comes with cross-drilled rotors....especially when the company making them states that cross-drilling reduces heat and brake fade....
I swear that nearly everyone I know that claims to "know their stuff" about cars swears on the benefits of cross-drilling. They say, "if Ferrari's have them it must be the best." I get into arguments about this all the time. It's basic physics, less metal does not reduce brake fade, even if Brembo says it does.

BTW: Your breaks look really good.
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Old Jun 4, 2005 | 07:16 PM
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WOW just got off the BAER brake challenge Z2Z, www.silverstateclassicchallenge.com, check out )0 to 200 mph to 0, boy they do accelerate and stop in a hurry, as usuale hard to beat old american iron, like he said a drag car with brakes really works. RON
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Old Jun 4, 2005 | 09:05 PM
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The full set with a rear line lock (to replace the ebrake) is about $5K. I had a friend that owed me alot of money, and this was a partial payment. I think the front kit was about $2400, rear was $2000 and line lock, shipping etc the difference. I considered getting the factory rear big kit, but wanted to stick with a complete engineered system. I figured with the SSR's I had lots of room, so why take full advantage. I was fortunate enough to have some bad bussiness debt surface. As far as other mods I basically had a full bolt on car with everything that I have been building for the last 5 years, then before I finished it off with a single turbo (very difficult decision) I purchased Allrotors car. Best thing I ever did. Very well tuned, huge turbo (r85) but has great response and less lag than I expected. All I have done to his car is just swap over the suspension (tien HA's, ST sway bars, RE toe links and Trailing arms). I sold the RE feed front end, swapped the carbon hood and RE headlights onto my old car (the guy who bought it wanted those items), and put my oem hood and lights on. I purchased the RE 99 poly front end w/o plate and purchased that 99 sped replica rear wing from hong kong on ebay (actually really nice). I will have the paint on it next week. Other than that, my interior is in progress, a great friend of mine does custom furniture, and he wants to do a full alcantera interior (re shaped seats, door panels, head liner, pillars). That should be incredible. So basically, I am going for the full 99 spec look with some serious performance. I am a FD lifer, The moment I could afford one, I got one. For me, these cars are like nothing else on the street. The Two cars I will never part with, my first car (1970 Datsun 510) and my FD. I never thought I would have brakes like these unless I made a million dollars and bought a 911 turbo, its great the aftermarked for the FD's had grown so much. It seemed that hardly anything was available 5 years ago. Thanks goodness for Fast n the Furious and Drifting I guess.
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Old Jun 4, 2005 | 09:13 PM
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Oh good question on why the rotor pad surface doesn't come down inward towards the spindle more. I have seen a few ENZO's and the new F430 with the carbon brakes (they are the same) and what is amazing about those big brakes (aside from being full carbon) is that the rotor surface comes all the way down to the spindle. So not only are they carbon 15" brakes, but the radial deminsion of the pad surface has got to be 5 or so inches. I imagine that on kits like these, the rotors are "generic" and the hats are custom to keep costs down. I have never seen non carbon brakes with pad surfaces like on those cars. Maybe is has to do with the different velocities of the rotor surface as you approach the center that keep that dimension from getting too tall. but I did ask my self Why not take advantage of that dimension? But for crying out loud, aside from these brakes being so large, the pad surface is about triple. Just my 25 cents.
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Old Jun 4, 2005 | 09:32 PM
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Originally Posted by JonesMechanical
Oh good question on why the rotor pad surface doesn't come down inward towards the spindle more. I have seen a few ENZO's and the new F430 with the carbon brakes (they are the same) and what is amazing about those big brakes (aside from being full carbon) is that the rotor surface comes all the way down to the spindle. So not only are they carbon 15" brakes, but the radial deminsion of the pad surface has got to be 5 or so inches. I imagine that on kits like these, the rotors are "generic" and the hats are custom to keep costs down. I have never seen non carbon brakes with pad surfaces like on those cars. Maybe is has to do with the different velocities of the rotor surface as you approach the center that keep that dimension from getting too tall. but I did ask my self Why not take advantage of that dimension? But for crying out loud, aside from these brakes being so large, the pad surface is about triple. Just my 25 cents.
The reason the pads are so large on carbon/carbon and carbon/ceramic brakes is because that material wears much quicker (especially carbon/carbon) than conventional pad compounds, so they spread the load out with more pad surface area to keep pad life to an acceptable minimum. Also, it helps generate more heat on the leading portion of the pad, which those materials need in abundance to generate enough friction for decent stopping power at street speeds. Just my $0.50
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Old Sep 24, 2010 | 06:40 AM
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will it fit under 17" wheels or do I have to go with 4 pot 330mm Brake Kit in front with my 17" Wheels?
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Old Sep 24, 2010 | 08:50 AM
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Keep in mind that fitment also deals with the size/thickness of the caliper. You may have issues with it contacting the backside of the wheel spokes. For example, the Stoptech calipers are large enough that they wouldn't fit with my Fikse FM5 wheels. I sourced a kit through Racing Brake that mounted the caliper further inboard so that there was clearance.
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Old Sep 24, 2010 | 10:35 AM
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Originally Posted by Wo:Deep
will it fit under 17" wheels or do I have to go with 4 pot 330mm Brake Kit in front with my 17" Wheels?
The FD is better off with a good 4 piston. I know the Endless 6 piston Mini fits under 16 and 17 inch wheels. The Endless 6 piston will fit in a 17 inch wheel but depends on the type of wheel (2 piece, 3 piece, face type, etc). Not to sound biased, but I don't recommend rotora products for a car like the FD anyway.
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