R34 Gtt Brake Improvement Without Breaking The Bank

[V28VX37]

Hi fellas,

I recently went for a drive in the high country and it appears that the stock brakes on my GTT can't quite match 275rwkw, surprise.

I've had a look through the various threads via search but wanted some opinions for my specific circumstances:

• Looking for better stopping power and more accurate pedal feel
• Looking for less fade in repeat use
• Prefer keeping stock calipers and rotor size - I'm running the stock 17" wheels)
• Want to keep the ABS obviously

I'm thinking of the following setup:

• DBA T3 Club Spec 4000 Series slotted rotors all around (what's the best place to buy, eBay?)
• QFM HPX pads
• High quality brake fluid (any recommendations?)

Would this setup give me what I'm after?

What about braided lines or master cylinder, any point in looking into those? Anything else I've missed?

Thanks heaps!

[MrFijiGold]

I have the exact same setup you listed (Using AP Racing Brake fluid).

Hasnt seen the track yet but it has worked brilliantly for everything else I threw at it.

I got my stuff from Racebrakes in Sydney - excellent prices.

[White GTS-T]

New rotors, pads, and fresh fluid will make a world of difference. If you have the cash, braided lines, and a master cylinder stopper will also increase pedal feel.

There's no point changing out the master cylinder if retaining the standard calipers.

If you've already read through the "Brake pads user rating guide" thread, I'll add that I'm using Project Mu' gear and I'm very pleased with it.

Any quality brake fluid will suffuce, given that it is changed regularly. FWIW, I'm using Motul fluid.

Good luck.

[DekA]

^^This

Braided lines and brake cylinder stopper will improve pedal feel.

To stop fade you'd need to use a better pad and fluid. The HPX pads are fine for street use but they do fade after a few fast stops so better off with the A1RMs. There are better options though so check the suggested thread; I'm going from A1RM to Winmax W5 for track use.

I use the motul RBF660 fluid and haven't had any fade at the track.

[MrStabby]

Agree with DekA, but if its street only the A1RMs will be tough on the rotors, and not bite so well when cold. I use the Nulon brake fluid - rated to 280 Deg C, and cheap. Its a better value option for street or street with a bit of track compared to the high temp Motuls which are 2 to 3 times the price. That said, i'm thinking of going back to motul for the GTR since its mainly used for track days.

[V28VX37]

Awesome, thanks heaps for the input guys, sounds like I've got the rotor selection sorted.

Just to clarify, this is a street car 98% of the time. I'd love to take it to the track but the A1RM may be too aggressive for my typical use, although I am tempted. I'll have another read of the brake pad thread here (in case anyone else is looking).

Sounds like braided lines and brake cylinder stopper might be a goer too, are there recommended brands or is eBay no name stuff just fine?

[White GTS-T]

If you don't already have a strut tower brace/bar you can buy them with an integrated master cylinder stopper. Otherwise, Cusco is the way to go.

[DekA]

Just to clarify, this is a street car 98% of the time. I'd love to take it to the track but the A1RM may be too aggressive for my typical use, although I am tempted. I'll have another read of the brake pad thread here (in case anyone else is looking).

I have the QFM HPX pads at the moment for street use and am happy with them. Good bite when cold, little brake dust and no squealing (cheap too). When going to the track I was swapping those for the A1RMs and that worked well for me but I only have 200rwkw. A few guys with more power have had issues with the A1RMs crumbling:

http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/444933-180sex-trackday-car-the-quest-for-gtr-scalps/page-3#entry7369677

http://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/358438-34geeteetee-daily-track-project/page-86#entry7320363

[niZmO_Man]

Resma pads are supposed to be a bit better than HPX, or so I'm told.

What's the Winmax equivalent? W3?

[KiwiRS4T]

As above - new brake fluid, better pads will do the job.

M/C stopper and braided lines will give better pedal feel.

Stock rotors will be fine - you won't notice any difference with more expensive ones on the street.

[Roy]

Ok, some good ideas in there but first things first. PADS MAKETH THE BRAKE SETUP!

Secondly. Pads maketh the brake setup!

Measure your std rotor thickness, if they are within spec dont waste your money buying new rotors.

If its an R34 GTT then odds are you will still be ok for rotor thickness and quality of the std OE brake lines still ok. A master stopper is cheap and easy so why not.

But, invest in good quality pads. Good pads give you better feel, fade resistance and stopping feel/bite. Something like Pagid R4-2, Ferodo 3000 , Endless CCX etc will be a huge improvement and still ok on the street. Remove the backing plates from the caliper-pads and you should be fine for squeal and whilst the wheel is off and you are changing pads give the lines a real good flush and bleed and remove the dust shields from behind the rotors. Something like RBF600, 660 is overkill buty still fine

Did I mention brake pads make the brakes?

[Chris32]

My front pads are due for replacement soon - QFM A1RM's on there at the moment.

My car has braided lines, cusco brace, slotted/dimpled rotors and I'm running the RBF600 fluid and the brakes are awesome. Everyone who drives it comments on the brakes.

I'll try something a bit more rotor freindly this time around however, but for outright performance I can't fault them.

[34GeeTeeTee]

My front pads are due for replacement soon - QFM A1RM's on there at the moment.

My car has braided lines, cusco brace, slotted/dimpled rotors and I'm running the RBF600 fluid and the brakes are awesome. Everyone who drives it comments on the brakes.

I'll try something a bit more rotor freindly this time around however, but for outright performance I can't fault them.

I enjoyed the A1RM for quite a while but they did not survive heavy track use... Full weight car and numpty driver doesnt help

I run decent fluid, braided lines, Master Cyl stopper, Winmax pads and DBA 4000 rotors... For stock sized setup they do pretty damn well! Will need upgrading in the near future though!

[Chris32]

I enjoyed the A1RM for quite a while but they did not survive heavy track use... Full weight car and numpty driver doesnt help

I run decent fluid, braided lines, Master Cyl stopper, Winmax pads and DBA 4000 rotors... For stock sized setup they do pretty damn well! Will need upgrading in the near future though!

Yeah, but your car is pumping some serious power also!

Mines a daily driver with 190rwkw, seems to be quite a few pad options for street use that perform very well. I might try the Intima SR's next on the front

[MrStabby]

I would strongly recommend avoiding Ferodo 3000s on the street - they chew through rotors very quickly at street temperatures. Interestingly for a proper track pad, they have good bite when cold. More generally, I would recommend against any track pad for the street. Street pads are better for the street, but if you're underbraked you might need to go to a crossover pad (like A1RMs) as a work around. However, you will then have worse cold bite and worse rotor wear.

I think your original idea of HPX is sound, with a full fluid flush/master stopper/braided lines setup the pedal should feel great. If you manage to cook the HPXs on the street then you probably need to calm down . Apparently HPX suck for track use tho, so dont try that.

[V28VX37]

...

Measure your std rotor thickness, if they are within spec dont waste your money buying new rotors.

...

Did I mention brake pads make the brakes?

Thanks! I had this issue on the mountain where the front(s) started vibrating badly when they heated up. This went away once I let the car cool down and braked a less aggressively. So either one or both discs are warped or there's something else funny going on. Oh and I did check wheel nuts when hot, they're all good.

The car has 130k+ kms on it and the rotors look like they might be original still, so might be time to upgrade anyway.

My front pads are due for replacement soon - QFM A1RM's on there at the moment.

My car has braided lines, cusco brace, slotted/dimpled rotors and I'm running the RBF600 fluid and the brakes are awesome. Everyone who drives it comments on the brakes.

I'll try something a bit more rotor freindly this time around however, but for outright performance I can't fault them.

Thanks Chris, good to know, the A1RM's do sound like a decent street/light track compromise. Which pads are you thinking next?

I enjoyed the A1RM for quite a while but they did not survive heavy track use... Full weight car and numpty driver doesnt help

I run decent fluid, braided lines, Master Cyl stopper, Winmax pads and DBA 4000 rotors... For stock sized setup they do pretty damn well! Will need upgrading in the near future though!

Thanks, where did you go from A1RM?

...

I think your original idea of HPX is sound, with a full fluid flush/master stopper/braided lines setup the pedal should feel great. If you manage to cook the HPXs on the street then you probably need to calm down . Apparently HPX suck for track use tho, so dont try that.

Yeah tough call. Those Winmax ones sound interesting too, although I have no idea which number I should look into.

Is anyone running Project Mu HC800 ('crossover pad for track day, rally, race as well as high performance street')? They're quite a bit pricier than the QFM's, I wonder if they're that much better.

[GTSBoy]

Thanks! I had this issue on the mountain where the front(s) started vibrating badly when they heated up. This went away once I let the car cool down and braked a less aggressively. So either one or both discs are warped or there's something else funny going on.

Brake rotors just don't "warp". There couldn't have been more than 5% of cases where someone claimed that their rotors warped where they actually were warped. The rest of them would be uneven deposition of pad binder material onto the disk. Getting the brakes REALLY hot on long downhill thrash runs could quite easily cook the (street) pads hard enough to cause that sort of shenanigans. The fact that the brakes came good again after a bit of more normal driving proves the above.

Cooling is the answer. On top of choosing a better pad for flogging, bracing the master, perhaps better lines, yada yada yada, you might want to consider fitting some cheap and nasty 2" flexible ducts into your front end to bring some cooling air to the brakes. You can block off the inlet ends of these when just trolling around so you don't over cool your brakes (which is not desirable with heavier duty pads that you might fit) and you can simply unblock them when you want to go for a run.

Edited September 15, 2014 by GTSBoy

[V28VX37]

...

Cooling is the answer. On top of choosing a better pad for flogging, bracing the master, perhaps better lines, yada yada yada, you might want to consider fitting some cheap and nasty 2" flexible ducts into your front end to bring some cooling air to the brakes. You can block off the inlet ends of these when just trolling around so you don't over cool your brakes (which is not desirable with heavier duty pads that you might fit) and you can simply unblock them when you want to go for a run.

Good idea, here's what the new owner has done on my old Monaro, I wouldn't mind something like this:

[V28VX37]

Quick update:

• Ordered some HEL braided lines
• Working out who's got the best price for the DBA T3 4000 rotors, Vic Performance Parts looks pretty good
• Leaning towards Remsa for pads, they sound like a nice option between QFM HPX and Q1RM, good from cold and high temp rating, though can be dusty apparently
• Will go with Nulon Xtreme Performance Super Dot 4 brake fluid

Any ideas on where to get a brake master cylinder stopper for R34 GTT without ordering a Cusco one from Japan??

[UR34WA]

My mate makes them for 34

I have one on my car and use it for the track on my 34.

He will ship to you, my bro has a cusco one which is what this one was designed around.

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/hamersley/brakes-suspension/r34-r-33-c-34-master-cylinder-stopper/1057636608