Athought on this air-tubing. At the speeds you will need air travel, the "ram air" effect wont work. You will for sure need a fan, or blowing system.

blue89rs did some calculations, and "ram air" only works at very high speeds. So in stop and go traffic, "ram air" doesnt work.

 

Okay, but think about that for a second- if I'm in traffic and going slow, then why do I need my brakes to be cool?

 

It's not misinformation I posted, it's fact relevant to my shop, we won't turn them. We advise against them because we've damaged bits in the past cutting them. Do what you want with your own machine, we don't have money to throw away on expensive little triangles.......

 

When I'm in traffic, thats when I am/will be using them the most, heating them up.

 

I guess it would really depend on what kind of driving you do the most. I don't sit in traffic a lot, but I have a nice winding mountain road that I go over every weekend. I'm getting a little tired of driving a lifted s-10, yes lifted not lowered, over it and catching up to r*** with the way I drive it...would much rather catch them and pass them with my camaro like last year. I think that just having the ducts would help the brakes in that kind of situation.

 

If I'm not mistaken 91-92 Firebirds with GFX and Trans Ams do have air ducts that somewhat direct air towards the brake rotors. These can be used with some sort of hoses to cool the brakes even more on those models.

 

Notice to all- Your brakes will never get hot enough on the street or even autocross to ever have to worry about brake ducts for cooling. You'd be lucky to reach 600*f most race cars on extended highspeed track use will reach 1000-1200*f.
Just use carbon matrix pads and you'll raise your street fade temp without ducts, and will still cold stop fine.

 

I don't know about that. I have had serious brake fade in my wagon during a car chase that didn't last 20 miles or minutes but I was off n on the brakes the whole time and was standing on them just to slow down towards the end.

I would consider it a very mild car chase but some vents cooling my brakes would of helped.

 

I remember someone telling me their brake fluid boiled while racing in autoX.

 

I've had my brakes fade enough that I definitly had to take it a lot easier going over a winding mountain road here in Virginia.

 

Probably wasn't me, but I boiled my brake fluid and severely overheated the brake pads once. I had SMOKE pouring off both front rotors. It took about 20 minutes of high speed driving using the brakes more often than normal, and then about 5 consecutive nonstop max-speed laps around this little square circuit we set up...but on the 5th lap, 2nd turn, I lost all brakes suddenly and abruptly with no warning....almost put it through the bushes into a tree.

This is with new stock replacement calipers/hoses and remachined rotors, and non-performance pads though. This is on a Mustang, not a third gen, but I imagine they are similar enough for this to be valid. If not, feel free to pimp slap me.

 

You guys that replied and claim to have lost your brakes from overheating are all using low temp standard semi-metallic street pads. Your brakes are fading because you are going beyond their temp operating range- they are standard use pads for old ladies to drive with. I will say again, just upgrade to a higher temp operating range pad (carbon matrix type) and you will not fade or overheat even in autocross. If you are overheating in autocross, then you are overdriving the car- not only loosing time, but also abusing things. You don't need ducts.

Nixon, howeve,r stated that he did his "stunt" on a[ "It took about 20 minutes of high speed driving using the brakes more often than normal, and then about 5 consecutive nonstop max-speed laps around this little square circuit we set up."] course type enviroment, and not traffic light to traffic light turn, go 1 block, then turn again street senerio. this is more of a race course enviroment that would call for not only better pads, but also cooling ducts.

 

I was thinking take some of these, wire them to a switch, run tubing to the brakes, metal tips to the tubes so they don't melt. http://www.3dcool.com/?module=product&sku=Tornado92mm those would push some series air and at $15 each it's not all that expensive. Wouldn't even have to have anything hang down or anything.

 

Yikes! How do You drive in traffic? I take it easy... you're not flooring it and then slamming on the brakes every chance you get, are ya?

Only time I've had brake fade was when I used "Metalazer" cheap pads because I couldn't afford the Bendix semi-met's that I always used. (Now everyone on thirdgen.org is moving to these because they're "Titanium coated"- big freakin' deal. I've run the pads since 1994- part # MKD-154, and the titanium coating is supposed to "help" the bedding/break-in process. It's just a coating that wears off.) Anyway, so I almost bought the big one that day- next day I borrowed $25 off my dad and put the Bendix MKD-154's back on.

But I can't see spending $1000's for larger quad-piston brakes on a V6 f-body, when a cooling duct setup is basically free. That's why I brought this up- and for the scenario that was just described- when you're on a basically "free" road with twists and turns. Or I guess even if you're bored and have some ducting lying around.

 

I'm tired of the bickering. End of discussion, but here's my .02


Look at any company that make slotted and cross drilled rotors. The most expensive and best ones they have are either slotted or cross drilled or both. There's a reason for this. The guys in R&D don't get paid well so that they can give bad ideas to a company that spends millions of dollars just to change one element of a design. What you have here is a situation where every "car guy" thinks they know that they're right. It's just like the old "Will no thermostat make my car run hotter?" Some say yes, some say no, and people will fight about it as long as there are thermostats.

Slotted and cross drilled both have their purposes. Yes the cheap ones may crack, but thats what you get for taking the easy way out. The most important part of your brake system is actually your pads anyways. (I use Bendix Ceramic pads, so ....they're a bitch on the first 2 stops of the day, but the hotter they get, the better they grab...and almost no brake dust.)




BTW, Tom....your idea about break cooling with no rain, it's simple.

Make the tube come UP before it comes down and have a small block off plate to catch the water.
This is a VERY rough drawing, but you get my idea...maybe.
-

 

You'd buy less parts if you hired people who knew how to use the ones you have.

 

Ive been eyeballing a blue TA like this that has sat in dudes yard for a while. It has a salvage title and its sat for 4 years so far.

Wonder if I could talk him out of body parts cheap as the TA nose has some nice built in brake cooling scoops.