Follow the Cars progress at: http://www.psiparts.com.au/project.htm
As the car's power was going to be increased, so is the need to pull it up. Therefore an upgrade in all of the brakes components was necessary. We chose an OEM upgrade for ease of install (use the stock master cylinder) and for reduced costs compared to complete aftermarket options. Keeping it within the family, we went for the R33 GTR Brembo Brakes Front and Rear.
Parts Upgraded:
- ADR Approved Braided Brake Lines Front and Rear
- Brembo Brake Fluid
- RDA Turbo Groove Rotors (Slotted and Dimpled) Front and Rear
- RDA Red Stuff Pads for an Aggressive Bite (Street/Track)
Before
After
After conducting a few light stops from 60km/h to start the bed-in process, followed by harder stops the pads had seated in nicely. It was then time to try a few 100km/h stops in a controlled environment. Obviously the larger rotor size has made a massive difference in the braking distance however our main objective was to ensure that brake fade did not occur, which can only really be tested at the track
An 'Off the Streets' Wakefield track day provided a perfect chance to give the brakes a good working over and test their limits. As this set-up is by no means extreme we started off taking things easy and then gradually working towards full stops from 200km/h coming off the main straight. They performed very well to pull up a car that weighs in at around 1300kg. After 5 hard laps there was no sign of brake fade and depending on how hard you are driving the ABS didn't seem intrusive. Brake fade might be an issue for extended laps however monitoring things like oil temperature usually restrict how many laps you will do in a row. Brake dust was also very low with these pads, however I believe that there is room for a much harder brake pad come the next track day.
The rotors were chosen mainly because of price and the fact they are only dimpled (to keep strength within the rotor, as cross drilling has been known to crack during hard driving). Time will tell if the rotors will wear down quickly and whether or not its best to invest in a more expensive rotor that might potentially last longer, however the pad used obviously has a massive part in this. More on this as time goes on. Overall this was a great upgrade as it's very easy to fit and all items are straight from the shelf.