Post by
AmoebAssassin »
https://forums.nicoclub.com/amoebassassin-u22213.html
Sat Mar 17, 2007 6:32 am
Just FYI, the orange Brembos that you all seem to be raving about are only Brembos in name alone. Brembo was involved in the design work, but the manufacturing and componentry is outsourced to cheaper Asian manufacturers. Physically, the Brembos appear more similar to the R32 and R33 non-Brembo calipers than they do to the higher end genuine Brembo calipers.
What this means is that while the design is sufficient, the castings and material qualities are probably on par with what you see on Z32 AL or Fe calipers, which are also Sumitomo mass produced.
Not only is the casting probably poorer as compared to Wilwood, Baer, genuine Brembo, and other tried and tested packages, but lots of other corners are probably cut as well, for production cost and economy of scale. Think about how many units of these brakes need to be produced yearly - the focus clearly shifts to ease and cost of manufacture and not final quality or design efficiency. I mean, just look at the surface coating on the orange Brembos. Almost every Z or G I've seen tracked exhibits flaking and heat discoloration, and the OLDEST these cars could possibly be is on the order of four or five years (2003 350Z Track model). If they're skimping on things as low down the ladder as paint, imagine what else they found it necessary to skimp on. By the way, the fact that the paint does not hold up to track temperatures should be satisfactory evidence to the intended design arena of the orange Brembos.
You all seem to be expecting these Sumitomo/Brembo calipers to be the end-all-be-all of S-chassis braking, but what you're really finding is just another more expensive OEM upgrade, for only slightly higher quality. ****, if you need the massive rotors, you're economically better off going with Z32 calipers and VR4, Cobra, or Z track rotors.
The argument that you can have a "whole" Brembo package for 1400 is irrelevant. Rear brakes are not a selling point for any well-raced car. If you're a good enough driver to be approaching your max lateral acceleration on a racetrack, you'll be transferring enough load forward and outboard under trail braking and turn in that overpowering your rear brakes with those designed for a 3300lb car will probably lead to a sketchy rear end under braking. You'd be surprised how little rear braking is required in a track environment. For reference, our formula cars have been biased forward about 74-80% in our more recent designs. I seem to remember reading somewhere that the pressure proportioning on a Z32 master cylinder is vaguely similar, but don't quote me on this.
With a Z32 setup, I'd stick with a S chassis rear end. With a Brembo setup, I'd move up to a Z32 rear setup. These are good starting points. If you feel like this yields an undesirable balance under braking on a track, then you'll know how to size your setup to rid yourself of the undesirable condition. Sadly, on a street car, adjusting brake bias is more involved than turning the adjustment on a brake balance bar.
Finally, I find it hypocritical that you're telling the OP not to cut any corners with his Z32 setup, but then tell him to effectively cut corners with an overweight, generic "Brembo" design as opposed to a researched, well designed, and competitively successful brake manufacturer.
When I have the money and need, I'm going Brembo, Baer, or Wilwood.
Modified by AmoebAssassin at 9:45 AM 3/17/2007
