carbon fiber brakes

I'm still looking for ..in print.. The Proper Care and Maintenance of Carbon Fiber Brakes"...Does anyone have access to an official instructions of what to do and not to do with carbon fiber?..I'm hearing conflicting information between manufactures from many different sources. How to apply them is even questionable..do you pull steady, increasing or decreasing pressure?.do you remove the residual pressure valve that was on w/steel brakes? when do you send them in to bake? do you even send them?.When do you service them? Do you machine the rotors when they are scored? What's acceptable? can you mix new and old pads or all new at the same time? can one rotor be thinner than the other or replace in pairs?I'm concerned some one will get hurt because these questions are not answered..and don't say call the manufacture..It's like the DMV, the answers are never the same twice.Most of the operation of our race cars is based on knowledge we aquire from service and repair of OEM vehicle systems..Don't know about the rest, but GM doesn't use them and now the basics are missing.I appreciate all I've learned from others who use them, but I really feel an official operating/maintaining guide is needed if it doesn't already exist...BTW, if we don't know, how in the hell can Tech officials know???..it would be completely possible for someone to race a car not knowing their brakes are a potential problem..That, I do know.

 

This is an excellent question. I have never seen any care instructions for these. Since this is a very important safety subject, this would be great to be fielded by a pro touring team that has used them for years in the field. There are no performance secrets to hide here. Why can't we ask Austin Coil or his peers about this? Not sure at his level as they may replace them after each event due to their sponsorship but there may be some middle-ground racers out there that have the data for less well funded teams on how to maximize the life of these products. Most of these racers started out small and may have the answers we are looking for. My two cents

 

fuel teams change the very often I heard that force changes them after each race next time I talk to schumacher I will ask as for the care of them all I do is use them..Dave

 

reuse

if they change them that often, maybe we can enter them into the used parts field and save some of the tapped out teams a couple bucks in sportsman classes..they can't possibly be useless, can they? I have some used pads I bought from Herberts car for lamb brakes,but my new stuff is Strange. don't know if they mix/match later or not.

 

you bet Bill..I have gotten several pairs from J force call Robert he takes care of all the used stuff..Dave

 

Maybe that is why I think my Carbon fiber brakes dont work as well as they should. I have not been changing them out after every race. What the rotors are around $1,000 each and then the cost of the pads. Who could afford that type of Maintenance on their braking system besided the top touring teams? I would also like directions on baking instructions, life of the brakes " Min thickness before having to replace" etc. When I checked mine out I see I have a lot more ware on one brake than the other and that could be one has been oiled down in the past and is not as effective?

 

life

Thanks Gregg. That's exactly my point. We don't have any information to diagnose that kind of problem..Oil on one side could very well be the reason for weak performance.Hell, washing them with brake cleen could be. That could mean if the other gets oiled you will have brakes that could be less effective than the steel stuff we're taking off..Most will shrugg it off as a waste of money and not know that baking them could have returned them to peak performance..or not! And you know when they will find out? 2 days after the net test!. We really need to be educated on these systems now that we have no choice! Doesn't anyone have REAL knowledge of these systems for us? This stuff should not be left to forensic tests after the next serious episode.Salesmen are salesmen and shouldn't be held accountable for our safety.

 

paperwork

OK, I just got my front brakes from Strange..unlike the rear, the front has paperwork.

some of the highlights from the last page;

pads should be replaced when thickness equals .200 or less
replace rotors when they are .188 or less
rotors wear concave and pads wear convex. measure rotors in the middle and pads in the area where there is no piston

caution;;;keep carbon away from all chemicals..if contamination occurs, the carbon component must be baked for 8 hours at 500 degrees. BAKE CARBON ONLY.remove aluminum hat and hardware before baking- if badly contaminated an odor will occur

note; the hotter the brakes become, the more effective the braking becomes. ...we recommend when you first drive or tow to the starting line you apply the brakes several times to get the feel of carbon at low speeds.......we recommend afew 1/2 or 3/4 passes to become aware of how carbon brakes perform at higher mph.Remember carbon works better at higher temperature. The longer the brakes are applied the more aggressive braking will become.


now thats what I got in the box..I guess I am the only one that read it.and is willing to pass on the information. did anyone get any paperwork with the rear kit?

 

I spoke with an engineer from aerodine who was able to direct my question to an indy car customer who deals with carbon brakes. He said hat they dont typically do much maintenance beyond lightly turning the rotors occasionally within the manufacturers specs if they are warped, and "de-glazing" the shiny layer that can build up on the rotor and pads with emery cloth. If they happen to get any contaminates on the brakes while servicing the car, they thoroughly clean the components with acetone and bake the parts at 250 degrees for three hours. i realize these arent the exact specifics we are lookng for, but hopefully this information is helpful.

Craig Albert TAD 149

 

carbon brakes

Talked to Manzo @ E-Town. He has it down pat. If you are @ a event he is at. Stop by and speak to him. He will help you. I do remember he said NEVER get stuff on them. I run steel strange with 2 calipers. Car is 2210 lbs + stops on a dime. But then I don't run that class. But it will go 230 + Good luck Don