Track Weekend Review of RacingBrake 2 piece rotors

[The Stig]

Originally Posted by ss/rs-matt

So the RB rotors with stock SS calipers are good or even better than the ZL1/CTSV front set up? Interesting. What pads are recommended with RB?

If you're just counting the rotors - then yes. But because the CTSV has 6 piston calipers, it's not exactly a fair comparison.

[Synner]

Both have pros and cons and both will suck without the right pad and temp range. It would be tough to claim either setup is "best" since people may be looking for different benefits. You can get the RB rotors for the ZL1 calipers as well for the best of both worlds but its not as much of a weight difference, more a metallurgy benefit alone at that point. Cooling ducts for either would be great if you plan on real abuse. I can say my tires are severely overwhelmed with the 6 pistons and track pads, need wider and stickier than stock by far to really use them.

[Bornluckee13]

Originally Posted by toehead93

I priced out CTS-V front calipers, rotors and pads all OEM for $1, 200. No need for rear upgrades and all I need to do is paint them to match. This is all new parts from Amazon and pads from eBay.

Are you sure your looking at the 2009+ supercharged CTS-V brakes and calipers? The older, non supercharged brakes are the same as the stock SS I believe. That sounds MIGHTY cheap!

[SPCBA]

Originally Posted by Bornluckee13

Are you sure your looking at the 2009+ supercharged CTS-V brakes and calipers? The older, non supercharged brakes are the same as the stock SS I believe. That sounds MIGHTY cheap!

thats the first thing i thought.


Doc brought up a great point. RB has the win in the cooling department by far. the metal and the veins are purpose built to shed heat.

not all of us race or track our cars with 20's or can afford the limited options in 19 inch tire that cant be rotated. i am on 18's on the track with offsets that allow me to rotate and rb was my best option.

[The Stig]

Originally Posted by SPCBA

thats the first thing i thought.


Doc brought up a great point. RB has the win in the cooling department by far. the metal and the veins are purpose built to shed heat.

not all of us race or track our cars with 20's or can afford the limited options in 19 inch tire that cant be rotated. i am on 18's on the track with offsets that allow me to rotate and rb was my best option.

19" tire options are actually getting better. Oh - you can rotate 19's. When I was talking with Forgeline they mentioned that they run 19x9.5 on all four corners (using 6mm spacers for the front). All the wheels are tucked neatly under the fenders.

[Doc]

Originally Posted by ss/rs-matt

So the RB rotors with stock SS calipers are good or even better than the ZL1/CTSV front set up? Interesting. What pads are recommended with RB?

Depends on your driving skill and how often you go to the track. For the vast majority of drivers the stock SS calipers with RB rotors is a fantastic upgrade that will benefit you in every way. If you're an advanced driver like Blake is, then you can use and actually need more stopping power, although it sounds like he did rather well with the stock Brembos and RB rotors.

Let's see what RB comes up with for a caliper upgrade; their caliper/rotor combo may do the trick.

As for pads, here's a link to RB's pad guide:

http://www.racingbrake.com/v/main/rb_pads.asp

When I got mine they didn't have some of the new pads they do now. I have ET500's front and rear. They've worked very well on street and track. Based on what they now have it looks like a decent combo for the new-to-average track day driver would be XT910 on the front and ET500 or ET800 on the rear brakes. That should work for both street and track. You could go with the more aggressive XT960 on the front but I'm not sure those would be so good on the street. If you're swapping pads for track use only, then XT970 front and ET800 rear looks like it would be a great combo. Just don't forget to swap back to your street pads for the drive home. Racing pads have to get hot before they work well and normal street braking doesn't heat them up enough.

Something else to keep in mind when choosing the harder track pads is something has to wear. The softer pads wear out sooner so people think by getting harder pads that saves on brake pads but something has to wear; so harder pads means the rotors wear out faster. RB's 2-piece rotors let you replace the outer rotor while keeping the inner hat so rotor replacement isn't as expensive...another advantage to RB rotors.

[TBone]

T.

[ss/rs-matt]

Originally Posted by Doc

Depends on your driving skill and how often you go to the track. For the vast majority of drivers the stock SS calipers with RB rotors is a fantastic upgrade that will benefit you in every way. If you're an advanced driver like Blake is, then you can use and actually need more stopping power, although it sounds like he did rather well with the stock Brembos and RB rotors.

Let's see what RB comes up with for a caliper upgrade; their caliper/rotor combo may do the trick.

As for pads, here's a link to RB's pad guide:

http://www.racingbrake.com/v/main/rb_pads.asp

When I got mine they didn't have some of the new pads they do now. I have ET500's front and rear. They've worked very well on street and track. Based on what they now have it looks like a decent combo for the new-to-average track day driver would be XT910 on the front and ET500 or ET800 on the rear brakes. That should work for both street and track. You could go with the more aggressive XT960 on the front but I'm not sure those would be so good on the street. If you're swapping pads for track use only, then XT970 front and ET800 rear looks like it would be a great combo. Just don't forget to swap back to your street pads for the drive home. Racing pads have to get hot before they work well and normal street braking doesn't heat them up enough.

Something else to keep in mind when choosing the harder track pads is something has to wear. The softer pads wear out sooner so people think by getting harder pads that saves on brake pads but something has to wear; so harder pads means the rotors wear out faster. RB's 2-piece rotors let you replace the outer rotor while keeping the inner hat so rotor replacement isn't as expensive...another advantage to RB rotors.

Good info...thanks! I guess what I'm having a hard time with is JDP sells the CTSV/ZL1 conversion for about $2k (new front 6 piston calipers and bigger rotors). Apex sells the RB rotors for roughly $500 a corner, so $2k. It seems to me the better bang for the buck is the CTSV/ZL1 upgrade. Not to mention I could sell my stock SS rotors and recoupe some of that $2k or use the money to buy RB or ZL1 2 piece rotors for the bigger calipers.

[JusticePete]

[toehead93]

Originally Posted by Bornluckee13

Are you sure your looking at the 2009+ supercharged CTS-V brakes and calipers? The older, non supercharged brakes are the same as the stock SS I believe. That sounds MIGHTY cheap!

Positive. These are OE 09+ 6 pot yellow calipers and dual cast rotors from Amazon and OE pass from eBay. the silver calipers are like $30 more. I will share the past numbers later, another forum member has already installed them.

[toehead93]

Originally Posted by Doc

Something else to keep in mind when choosing the harder track pads is something has to wear. The softer pads wear out sooner so people think by getting harder pads that saves on brake pads but something has to wear; so harder pads means the rotors wear out faster. RB's 2-piece rotors let you replace the outer rotor while keeping the inner hat so rotor replacement isn't as expensive...another advantage to RB rotors.

True but replacement rings are $585 for the front pair which is almost double the cost of CTS-V rotors which is why i am going with the CTS-V upgrade on my next camero.

[Doc]

Originally Posted by ss/rs-matt

Good info...thanks! I guess what I'm having a hard time with is JDP sells the CTSV/ZL1 conversion for about $2k (new front 6 piston calipers and bigger rotors). Apex sells the RB rotors for roughly $500 a corner, so $2k. It seems to me the better bang for the buck is the CTSV/ZL1 upgrade. Not to mention I could sell my stock SS rotors and recoupe some of that $2k or use the money to buy RB or ZL1 2 piece rotors for the bigger calipers.

Get what you feel confident in and works for you. Improving your braking power is a good thing, period.

The CTSV/ZL1 upgrade does indeed improve the braking power of the front brakes. If that is your primary need, as in "I need to pull my car down from 150 to 25 mph going into turn 3" then you need the massive stopping power of 6-pot front calipers. If you only go to HPDE events a couple times a year, but drive your car on the street otherwise, the benefit of the RB rotors are: starting, stopping, suspension performance, cornering, wear-and-tear on tires, slightly improved gas mileage because less power is used to get the car in motion.

An ideal setup would be 6-pot front calipers, 4-pot rear calipers, RB rotors, braided stainless steel brake lines. That's a fantastic street setup and offers incredible performance on the track...at a price of course. Depends on what you actually "need". If you start braking before marker 4 on the track, you'll do just fine with the stock Brembos and RB rotors. If you wait until marker 3 or 2.5 before standing on the brakes, you need the stopping power of 6-pot fronts. What you actually "need" depends on your application and skill level.

You really don't need 6-pots for the street; the stock SS brakes with RB Rotors and stainless steel brake lines is fantastic on the street; stops like glue. Your bigger problem is the guy behind you who is probably going to hit you because he won't be able to stop as quickly as you can. The expense of 6-pot fronts is over-kill.

Track is a different story, but again it depends on what you're doing and your skill level. How often do you do hard all-anchors-out braking? Compare that "need" to how often you accelerate, brake under normal conditions, go around corners, use gas while driving around town.

Sometimes people act like the stock SS brakes are just factory junk but they're not; they ARE Brembos and pretty damned good too. Good enough for the 2-3 times-a-year HPDE or autocrosser....get the RB rotors which will benefit you everyday everywhere. If you're a serious, skilled track driver and intend to track often, you need more braking power. The RB rotors are still a good upgrade but also upgrading to a 6-pot front caliper makes sense because the "need" justifies the expense.

So your decision should be based on what you actually intend to do, and what you'll actually "need" as a result. Don't buy an upgrade just because somebody on a forum said it was "cool"; buy it because it fits what you need for what you're actually doing.

[Doc]

Originally Posted by toehead93

True but replacement rings are $585 for the front pair which is almost double the cost of CTS-V rotors which is why i am going with the CTS-V upgrade on my next camero.

Compared to the cost of tires, brake pads and everything else I'm into on my car I don't mind spending an extra couple hundred bucks every few years for the RB rotors. The weight and cooling advantage is worth it; very cheap actually when you look at the overall benefits and advantages. When I consider the money I've spent; thousands just on wheels, the performance benefits of RB rotors are more important to me than a couple hundred bucks.

[toehead93]

Does anyone know if RB rotor rings will fit the 4piston caliber hub? I have the standard SS RB rotor, i amseriously considering ZL1 upgrade for my new 1LE when it comes in but I may consider addin RB rotors if i can reuse the hub and upraged the rotor ring.