Prepping my car for Auto-x and Road course.

[Dukki]

Hey, guys. I'm new to auto x or road racing and I'm using a 93 240 to start with. What is recommanded for brake pads and rotors? I'll be doing the 5lug conversion as well. I'm just loooking for a simple upgrade that'll fit with stock calipers.

I've been lurking around but have the most difficult time picking which pads to go with. The car will be driven daily and driven on the streets mostly, so recommand me a set of brake pads that is good for the street and just as good on the track. Thanks.

[swwifty]

hawk hp+ is a good pad for tracking and daily.

[Dukki]

swwifty, thanks for your input.

After doing some more digging. I've decided to go with the Stoptech stage 2 kit and HP+ pads.

Any other recommandations are welcomed.

[swwifty]

i'd save your money and only upgrade the pads and brake fluid. I only have hawk hp+ pads, and ATE super blue and have not even come close to fading my brakes yet (on the track). The stock braking system on the 240 is quite capable of handling the car on the track or autox (although autox puts like no strain on your brakes) with a few minor upgrades.

[Bubba1]

i'd save your money and only upgrade the pads and brake fluid. I only have hawk hp+ pads, and ATE super blue and have not even come close to fading my brakes yet (on the track). The stock braking system on the 240 is quite capable of handling the car on the track or autox (although autox puts like no strain on your brakes) with a few minor upgrades.

I agree, I ran mostly stock pads in my old stock S13 for HPDE's for a several years. and really had no real issues with brake fade. Of course with a momentum car like a 240sx, you can't slow down . I did upgrade to DOT4 brake fluid and kept it fresh. The fluid is actually more important than the pads. If the fluid gets too old, moisture creeps in and becomes easier to boil.

I have friends that swear by Stoptech and Hawk. I'm still running stock pads on my Z, but I'm planing to upgrade to Brembo once the rotors reach the end of their lives (which is pretty soon).

Enjoy

[sr20goofus]

no need for the stoptech kit at all.....if you want bigger brakes, get used to what yo uhave first with a decent pad and MAYBE brakefluid...

if you end up wanting bigger brakes just get 300zx brakes, chepest upgrade that will last you a LONG LONG time, with the right pad setup those brakes are killer, i use mine for several HPDEs now with no complaints except brake pad upgrade this season to a more agressive race pad.

[Dukki]

Do you guys still recommand me getting stock rotors even when I have to replace them anyways? Time has it, that my rotors and pads are pretty much done for.

[sr20goofus]

dont spend your money on some cross drilled or slotted rotors, just get brembo blanks from http://www.nopionline.com

and just cause yours are shot, doesnt mean its time to upgrade, many people on these forums have spent the money on big big brakes without knowing how well stock or event he 300zx brakes can work with the right setup.

[Dukki]

sr20goofus, I'm a nub with 240s at the moment. Can you tell me roughly how much a front 300zx brake upgrade will cost me?

Also, I don't plan on gettin cross drilled rotors but rather slotted. Any reasons to why you recommand the Brembo blanks than the stoptechs?

thanks

[nismoautoxr]

I concur with sr20goofus ,I do autox almost year round and 3 - 4 HPDE's per year at Road Atlanta and Barbers and I use the stock 240 rotors and hawk blue pads and the car does all I ask of it in the braking zones.Seriously...dont waste money on big brakes when you could spend it on some of the more lacking areas of the car.Put camber and sway bars in the car and its pretty darn good.IMHO.

Ricky

[l0nestar]

I'm in a similar situation, but slightly different circumstances. I have fore-gone the KA24DE and went with the R33 RB25DET. I am interested in everyones opinion / suggestions.

Setup:93 Coupe5-lug conversionZ32TT calipers (Front)R33 GTS-T calipers (Rear)R33 vLSD (stock 4.11:1)

I was suggested to look at the HP+ pads.

Which rotors? (Brembo Blanks or slots?)Already planning on getting ATE Super Blue or equivalent high-temp fluid. I am also planning on stainless steel lines.

I am also needing suggestions for wheels, but that is a different thread :-\

[sr20goofus]

well the slotted and or cross drilled rotoprs act as a cheesegrater....wear down pads fast, there is no way you guys will see a performance difference between the blank rotors and the cross drilled ones. Brembo blanks are basically like stock rotors, cheap and easy to get your hands on.

stock style rotors with Hawk HP+ pads is a good combo for someonw who is learning, and possible SuperBlue Brake fluid (high boiling temp). That setup should last you awhile, and not cost u a bundle by any means.

as for the guy with RB engine, all debates aside, your car is going to nosedive alot more with that big iron block up front, the 300 braks, stainless lines and Hawk HP+ pads is fine, they will do you greta till you are starting to outbreak the car, not just by slammign the brakes, but when the brakes arnt enough for the speed your carrying. I run 300zx Calipers, brembo blank rotors and now i run Carbotech XP-10 pads. Aside from yourset my only difference is the pad, but i am also carrying a greta deal of speed into the corners...some tracks up over 150mph, others around 130.

so keep in mind that you want to learn and advance, so start with something kind of basic so you can get used to it and understand it more, then get something more advanced and learn from that, this styleof upgrading will help your learning curve in Auto-X or road racing.

[Dukki]

Well, in the end. i've decided to go with Brembo blanks front and rear with ate fluid, goodridge lines, and HP+ pads.


Modified by Dukki at 12:00 AM 1/8/2007

[sr20goofus]

do the proper rotor break in ...and pad bedding.....then i msur eyou will love those brakes especially one they heat up....

once you feel those brakes are not enough for your driving style, then upgrade to something bigger.

[Dukki]

Break in for sure:) never over look a break in period.

I'm still dizzy from doing figure 8's for 30 minutes last night for the LSD diff.

[l0nestar]

goofus,

Thanks alot for the confirmations! I accidentally forgot to subscribe to this thread Now the stainless lines are going to cost as much as a caliper..

Oh, did you use the stock 240 master cylinder, or did you upgrade to a Z32? I have the option to use either, so I am open for suggestions on this as well. I heard it is better to use the Z32 (R33 for me) MC since it is better proportioning (and designed for it).

[sr20goofus]

as far as MC's go, only upgrade thto the 1 1/16" MC if you have upgraded your calipers, it REALLY stiffens up your break pedal if you dont use the 300zx brake booster (not neccessary).

The upgrade bolts right in with a once little custom modification, all the lines line right up also, but its not really worth it in my opinion unless you have the larger volume calipers on the car to make up for th extraa pressure the bigger MC makes.

[91rs13]

I ran HP+ at Watkins glen last year--with fresh Super Blue --very good combo. ( But you already heard that) --Although I went to an AutoX a few days later and the Fluid was totally shot ( had to bleed on the spot)

Anyone else had issues like this? It is a turbo car--in a hot spell in the summer--so, I figured a heat shield of some sort near the master might help.

anyone run Porterfields? Either the R4 or R4S?

[Dukki]

Things are coming along smoothly. I'm just waiting for my rotors,lines, and brake fluid to come in.

Now, something I have very very little clue about.....ALIGNMENT. Any one care to give me some basic alignment set ups?

This is what I have so far for suspenstion mods.

Tanabe front and rear sway barsfront tension rodsfront tie rods and tie rod endsrear upper control armsrear toe linksrear traction rodscoilovers

All of them are adjustable.

I'll be running 17x9's on all four corners with 235 up from and 255's in the rear.

Thanks.

[l0nestar]

Dukki,Wow, are you running all Tanabe suspension parts? Sounds slick! I assume you have had the suspension set up for and aligned for 0 (neutral) and you are asking for fine-tuning. I do have a question for you, Why 17x9? Extra contact patch? Did you have to do any mods to put that wide of tires? What wheels and tires (Brand / offset) are you running? Also, is your chassis a Silvia or 180? I'm interested in pics Did you move your battery to the trunk?

[R33GTS-T]

i'm running an s13 coupe with an rb25 17x9 +17 w/235s up front and 255s out back Falken RT-615s.

i'm running the ecr33 front brakes and ecr33/z32 rear brakes with Endless blank rotors and SSS pads and a z32 MC w/ATE Super Blue and of course stainless lines.

for suspension i'm on tein HEs with SPL tension rods w/brake ducts and SPL tie rods. my car does not exhibit any brake dive to speak of

if upgrading to the z32 front calipers i wouldn't recommend it w/o the z32 MC, keep in mind you are now asking your stock 240 MC to push brake fluid with enough pressure to 8 total pistons up front, as opposed to the stock 2 total pistons

i've been in plenty of cars with big brake upgrades as well as bone stock cars with massive brakes i.e. porsche, ferrari, etc. and i can honestly tell you that my car has excellent pedal feel. it is very easy to modulate the brakes and maintain threshold braking while at the track and autoxing. on the street, you'll be hard pressed to find many other cars that can stop much sooner than my car

Dukki, i'd personally recommend a set of OE size rotor blanks and some CarboTech Bobcat pads. they're an excellent street pad and are a great performer while autoxing and attending HPDE events, they are also very rotor friendly and even have good performance when they're cold

here's my alignment specs:Front-3 degrees camber7.5 degrees caster1/8 " toe-inRear-2 degrees camber1/8" toe-in

- Daniel

[Dukki]

lonestar, I'm only running tanabe sway bars. I have Megan coilovers, battle version control arms, rods, link, etc.

My car is a 1993 240sx coupe base model. No exterior pictures right now. but you can refer to this link for pictures of the work i've done so far.

zerothread?id=220355

No mods are required to run 17x9's with 235 and 255's. The battery is in stock location still.

Dukki,Wow, are you running all Tanabe suspension parts? Sounds slick! I assume you have had the suspension set up for and aligned for 0 (neutral) and you are asking for fine-tuning. I do have a question for you, Why 17x9? Extra contact patch? Did you have to do any mods to put that wide of tires? What wheels and tires (Brand / offset) are you running? Also, is your chassis a Silvia or 180? I'm interested in pics Did you move your battery to the trunk?

[Dukki]

My first set of tires for the 240 are the kumho mx's. I've heard good things about them and they were cheap, so I gave them a try. I haven't gotten the wheels on the car yet, so I have no feed back of my own.

Eventually, I will upgrade to a bigger brake kit. But being an amature, I think a stock system with better pads, rotors, lines, and fluid should be good for the time being.

Right now, I have the HPS pads, s/s lines, and brembo OE sized blank rotors are on it's way along with the ate super blue fluid. Carbotechs...hm...i've been recommanded these by a few supra guys. I will have to try them out next time.

Also, I greatly appreciate the alignment specs.

i'm running an s13 coupe with an rb25 17x9 +17 w/235s up front and 255s out back Falken RT-615s.

i'm running the ecr33 front brakes and ecr33/z32 rear brakes with Endless blank rotors and SSS pads and a z32 MC w/ATE Super Blue and of course stainless lines.

for suspension i'm on tein HEs with SPL tension rods w/brake ducts and SPL tie rods. my car does not exhibit any brake dive to speak of

if upgrading to the z32 front calipers i wouldn't recommend it w/o the z32 MC, keep in mind you are now asking your stock 240 MC to push brake fluid with enough pressure to 8 total pistons up front, as opposed to the stock 2 total pistons

i've been in plenty of cars with big brake upgrades as well as bone stock cars with massive brakes i.e. porsche, ferrari, etc. and i can honestly tell you that my car has excellent pedal feel. it is very easy to modulate the brakes and maintain threshold braking while at the track and autoxing. on the street, you'll be hard pressed to find many other cars that can stop much sooner than my car

Dukki, i'd personally recommend a set of OE size rotor blanks and some CarboTech Bobcat pads. they're an excellent street pad and are a great performer while autoxing and attending HPDE events, they are also very rotor friendly and even have good performance when they're cold

here's my alignment specs:Front-3 degrees camber7.5 degrees caster1/8 " toe-inRear-2 degrees camber1/8" toe-in

- Daniel

[l0nestar]

Awesome, so we have the same car! (well, mine is SE trim, but that trim level doesn't really effect the chassis.) I found that link to your build up earlier this morning after I posted to you! Are you running a strut-tower bar? What is the diameter of the front and rear sway bar you are using? I'm considering using the f & r that came on my R33 GTS-T clip and X-Member if they are thicker and will fit. Do you like that Sparco bucket? I was looking at a Corbeau CB-1.

R33GTS-T, do you know if they will fit / work better than the stock S-13 pieces?

Thanks for the info Dukki!
Modified by l0nestar at 7:57 PM 1/11/2007

[seungwoo]

I believe the sway bars are 30mm front and 22mm rears.I'm not running a strut bar right now since I will be doing a motor swap soon and need one that'll clear ether a 2jz or a ls1 motor.The sparco's are nice. Fits me really nice.Keep posted and you'll see more upgrades I do to the car.

Awesome, so we have the same car! (well, mine is SE trim, but that trim level doesn't really effect the chassis.) I found that link to your build up earlier this morning after I posted to you! Are you running a strut-tower bar? What is the diameter of the front and rear sway bar you are using? I'm considering using the f & r that came on my R33 GTS-T clip and X-Member if they are thicker and will fit. Do you like that Sparco bucket? I was looking at a Corbeau CB-1.

R33GTS-T, do you know if they will fit / work better than the stock S-13 pieces?

Thanks for the info Dukki!

[Dukki]

Oops, the above was me. I was at my friend's house and forgot it was logged in as his account.

[l0nestar]

Dukki,

Thanks for the info man! I'll check my bars when I get a chance!

Your thinking about a 2jz or LSx huh. That would be crazy for a track car Sounds awesome though! I can't wait to see more pics!

[R33GTS-T]

here's the link to some pics i just posted up real quick...hope you all enjoy

PICS

- Daniel

[Dukki]

R33, very nice car!!Can you direct me to where I can find a silvia s13 front end kit? I want to do that to my car.

[R33GTS-T]

thanx

Panda Garage will hook you up with everything you need

- Daniel