help required please

[mike24]

Hi all, im new to the site and have introduced myself on the forum, need a bit of advice on which brake discs to buy, need a full set for my new purchase which is a 2000 w redg elise S1, new to lotus and ive looked and there seems to be endless discs out there, would like to keep it original but a bit more upto date if you get my meaning, any advice please.

[Bibs]

http://www.elise-shop.com/brakes-c-9.html

 

The Motorsport discs on there look great for the money and knowing Yvo they'll be well researched and a good spec! 

 

[mike24]

Thanks Bibs, will check them out,

[jimbo2]

Advice on brakes depends on what you use the car for.

Some general rules are:
Discs – For road use genuine Lotus pads are OK but I like Ultimax Turbo discs (EliseParts, made by EBC?) I’ve achieved an amazing 40,000 miles on the rear including lots of track days. I’m not a fan of drilled discs (apart from cracking, they only improve cooling if you routinely clean out the holes which is quite tedious).

AP racing or Performance Friction floating discs are obviously the ultimate but not needed unless you are racing seriously.

Pads. Always bed in new pads (and fit new pads if fitting new discs). The usual method is to find quiet roads a few miles from home, brake from 60-70mph firmly at c. 50% maximum, drive c. 1 mile to let everything cool, repeat at 75% maximum, repeat, now brake at 95% and drive home slowly trying not to use the brakes. Park in gear with the handbrake off.

Pad options – lots of personal preference & I’ve tried most. For road use genuine Lotus pads are OK. An excellent compromise for working from cold on road & being good on track with good feel & bite is Carbone Lorraine RC5+. Performance Friction  are even better but need a firm initial application. My opinion of EBC pads is not really printable. Mintex are very hard on discs & produce lots of brake dust. Pagid are excellent but noisy & wooden on road, so really only to be recommended for track work.

Calipers. The standard calipers are fine & well balanced, especially the rears with a powerful  handbrake – sticking cables are common but easy to change. Fitting adjustable brake bias isn’t necessary & just gives another variable to add to the confusion.

Brake fade & disc warping.

 

Even for a pure road car use braided hoses, racing brake fluid (ATE blue racing brake fluid or similar), & change it every 1 – 2 years.

General rules for looking after your brakes on track days include:

Always do a cooling down lap at the end of  session, medium speed, minimum use of brakes. Park in gear with the handbrake off & let the car roll slightly on stopping so the pads release properly. If you can be bothered, roll the car a foot every 5 minutes until the brakes have fully cooled.

Braking later and firmer than you would on the road reduces heat build up – braking gentler & longer is not good on track.

 

As ever this is my personal opinion but based on tens of thousands of track miles.

 

Al the best, Jim

[mike24]

Wow thanks Jim, great advice and help, im only using the car as a road car for the moment, but this is really useful and points me in the right direct, many thanks,

 

Regards

 

mike

[gt111]

I use just plain cheap Pagid discs from eurocarparts with Carboine Lorraine RC5+ pads.

 

The RC5's are really good and I've had a few sets now with no issues but as a word of warning a few people have had the material come away from the backing plate which is a bit scary so I wouldn't recommend them for a road car.

 

If its mainly road the Mintex 1144 pad seems a good option.

 

Also remember to get new brake fluid in it... for a road car I would use the Lotus recomendation of Castrol Super DOT4 - this stuff I guess http://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-742-castrol-react-performance-dot-4-formerly-response-super-dot-4-synthetic-brake-fluid.aspx