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Technical F.A.Q.

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World Challenge GTS Success

World Challenge GTS Success

we had a LOT of success this weekend in the Hard Brakes Ti backing plates helping control the extreme temps of our factory Nismo calipers... We were...
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Key to Enduro Victory

Key to Enduro Victory

Team Sahlen competes in Long Endurance Races. These are not your ordinary 90 minute enduros. No,were talking long, long races, 9 to 14 hours long,...
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Track Wisdom

"Fluid fade... happens when the temperature of the caliper cylinder (or the piston) reaches the boiling point of the brake fluid and tiny bubbles of compressible gas form in and are diffused through the previously incompressible brake fluid. The pedal then goes to the floor, giving rise to frantic pumping of both the brake pedal and the driver's heart[...] Basically, if the pedal goes all soft and horrible you [...] have boiled the brake fluid. The only cure is to either upgrade the fluid or keep it cooler. This can be achieved either by increasing the cooling to the caliper or by insulating the caliper pistons."

-- Carroll Smith, Engineer to Win

Brake heat shields vs brake cooling ducts: which is better?

Cooling ducts will help when the car is in motion, however at slower speeds and when stopped in pits/paddock your caliper/seals/boots/fluid can soak up a lot of heat. Our heat shields will help you there, in addition to when hammering the brakes at speed. We are not just making this stuff up, your brake system can suffer significant heat damage long after you have stopped racing.

Consider this quote from "Sports Car and Competition Driving", by Paul Frere:

It is particularly important that when the car has been stopped for a short time -- up to 15 or 20 minutes after a drive in which the brakes have become very hot -- the pedal is depressed for a check. When the car is at rest, brakes act as a heat sink from which heat spreads to the fluid contained in the calipers; brakes which were fully operative when the car was driven may have become totally inefficient after it has stood awhile.

The heat shields are much easier to install than routing ductwork through your car, and may provide all of the protection you need. If you are suffering from serious bad-ass brake heat issues there is a good chance that you will want to use both heat shields and cooling ducts.