Review Full Racing Brake 2pc Rotor Upgrade After 100k Miles
12-20-2018, 10:38 PM
#1
Full Racing Brake 2pc Rotor Upgrade After 100k Miles
I haven't logged in for quite a while but figured I'd jump on to post a review of my Racing Brake 2pc rotor upgrade after 100k miles.
Back in 2013, I grew tired of my stock G37S rotors getting build-up and creating a pulsing pedal feeling with steering wheel judder so I upgraded to a full 2-piece rotor kit for front and rear with stainless steel lines and Motul RBF-600 fluid. The RB front rotors are 8 pounds lighter than stock and the rears are 4 pounds lighter than stock. I already had the Akebono calipers so my rotor kit came with the ET-500 pads. I bought that kit in September or October of 2013.
I live in Texas and the summers are blistering hot and the ET-500 pads eventually wound up succumbing to the heat and getting some build up on the rotors, causing a steering wheel judder if I braked from highway speeds. At 2.5 years of use over 62,500 miles of service, I decided it was time for some new pads and I deliberated for months on which pads to get. I will note that after years of use and several thousand miles, I measured my front rotor thickness with digital calipers and they clocked in at 31.86 millimeters thick, so in 62,500 miles, they only wore 14/100ths of a millimeter. Incredible testament to how hard and tough RB's Rotors are. I don't track my car ever, but I would consider myself an extreme enthusiast and I want the best performance and durability that I can get. I can say that if you run the ET-500 brake pads, these rotors will outlive the life of your car.
Back to the pads. I went with XT-970's in the front and XT-960's in the rear. I bedded in the new pads on the rotors (without turning them) from 8-10 hard stops from 80mph down to 20mph and I was shocked at how enormous of a braking performance increase that the new "track pads" offered. Also, the XT970 pads scraped off the build up from the ET500's and the steering wheel judder has disappeared completely. I've been running them for over two years and have 32,500 miles on them and they're still going strong. I live in a major metropolitan area with heavy traffic and unpredictable drivers making stupid moves that could easily cause an accident if not for an RB setup. My Racing Brake setup has never let me down and they've saved me from several close calls that would have definitely resulted in an accident with the stock G37S brake setup.
I will be a Racing Brake customer for life. The braking performance is second to none. By the way, the XT-970 / XT-960 pads seem to love the Texas heat because the hotter they get, the harder and more viciously they bite. The level of confidence that they inspire is awesome because I know my brakes will stop on a dime and give me nine cents change in the most demanding of situations. I've driven these in the 119 degree summers and 8 degree winters like we had this past year and the brakes perform flawlessly, even in extreme cold weather. These pads and rotors feel like they won't ever run out of braking power. I have not been able to get them to fade, even slightly. They also don't squeak a bit in the heat, however, they do squeak a little bit in the cold, but only at drive-through level speeds, which is not enough to be annoying in my book. They do create quite a bit of dust, but I feel those are fair trade offs for the overall performance and value.
I would be remiss in my duties of delivering an honest review if I didn't cover the brake feel. In normal city driving, just the weight of your foot (with heel on the floorboard) is more than enough to brake. If you press any harder, you really get into the part in RB's product description where it says "extremely high brake torque and friction". The friction and brake torque increase exponentially with the slightest additional pedal pressure. The pedal feel is firm and easily modulated, should the need arise for more braking power. These pads always seem to have tons of extra braking capacity in reserve. As a result, when it's stopping time, you are instilled with an extreme sense of control over the vehicle which is what enthusiast driving is about.
Is safety worth it? I think so! I don't mean to sound like a fan boy, but Racing Brake has created a truly exceptional product here. I'm due for some new pads soon, but the last time I checked at the tire store, the pads still had a fair amount of thickness on them and the rotors are in good shape. When it's time, it's going to be another XT-970 / 960 pad setup. The XT-970 / 960 pads are a little bit harder on the rotors and cause a bit more rotor wear but it's easy to replace the outer rotor rings when that time comes around. Very happy with Racing Brake so far.
Back in 2013, I grew tired of my stock G37S rotors getting build-up and creating a pulsing pedal feeling with steering wheel judder so I upgraded to a full 2-piece rotor kit for front and rear with stainless steel lines and Motul RBF-600 fluid. The RB front rotors are 8 pounds lighter than stock and the rears are 4 pounds lighter than stock. I already had the Akebono calipers so my rotor kit came with the ET-500 pads. I bought that kit in September or October of 2013.
I live in Texas and the summers are blistering hot and the ET-500 pads eventually wound up succumbing to the heat and getting some build up on the rotors, causing a steering wheel judder if I braked from highway speeds. At 2.5 years of use over 62,500 miles of service, I decided it was time for some new pads and I deliberated for months on which pads to get. I will note that after years of use and several thousand miles, I measured my front rotor thickness with digital calipers and they clocked in at 31.86 millimeters thick, so in 62,500 miles, they only wore 14/100ths of a millimeter. Incredible testament to how hard and tough RB's Rotors are. I don't track my car ever, but I would consider myself an extreme enthusiast and I want the best performance and durability that I can get. I can say that if you run the ET-500 brake pads, these rotors will outlive the life of your car.
Back to the pads. I went with XT-970's in the front and XT-960's in the rear. I bedded in the new pads on the rotors (without turning them) from 8-10 hard stops from 80mph down to 20mph and I was shocked at how enormous of a braking performance increase that the new "track pads" offered. Also, the XT970 pads scraped off the build up from the ET500's and the steering wheel judder has disappeared completely. I've been running them for over two years and have 32,500 miles on them and they're still going strong. I live in a major metropolitan area with heavy traffic and unpredictable drivers making stupid moves that could easily cause an accident if not for an RB setup. My Racing Brake setup has never let me down and they've saved me from several close calls that would have definitely resulted in an accident with the stock G37S brake setup.
I will be a Racing Brake customer for life. The braking performance is second to none. By the way, the XT-970 / XT-960 pads seem to love the Texas heat because the hotter they get, the harder and more viciously they bite. The level of confidence that they inspire is awesome because I know my brakes will stop on a dime and give me nine cents change in the most demanding of situations. I've driven these in the 119 degree summers and 8 degree winters like we had this past year and the brakes perform flawlessly, even in extreme cold weather. These pads and rotors feel like they won't ever run out of braking power. I have not been able to get them to fade, even slightly. They also don't squeak a bit in the heat, however, they do squeak a little bit in the cold, but only at drive-through level speeds, which is not enough to be annoying in my book. They do create quite a bit of dust, but I feel those are fair trade offs for the overall performance and value.
I would be remiss in my duties of delivering an honest review if I didn't cover the brake feel. In normal city driving, just the weight of your foot (with heel on the floorboard) is more than enough to brake. If you press any harder, you really get into the part in RB's product description where it says "extremely high brake torque and friction". The friction and brake torque increase exponentially with the slightest additional pedal pressure. The pedal feel is firm and easily modulated, should the need arise for more braking power. These pads always seem to have tons of extra braking capacity in reserve. As a result, when it's stopping time, you are instilled with an extreme sense of control over the vehicle which is what enthusiast driving is about.
Is safety worth it? I think so! I don't mean to sound like a fan boy, but Racing Brake has created a truly exceptional product here. I'm due for some new pads soon, but the last time I checked at the tire store, the pads still had a fair amount of thickness on them and the rotors are in good shape. When it's time, it's going to be another XT-970 / 960 pad setup. The XT-970 / 960 pads are a little bit harder on the rotors and cause a bit more rotor wear but it's easy to replace the outer rotor rings when that time comes around. Very happy with Racing Brake so far.
The following 3 users liked this post by twin_snails:
05-17-2019, 06:16 PM
#5
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
bsettles
Brakes, Suspension, Wheels & Tires
10
06-04-2018 08:54 AM
soundmike
Picture Share G Coupe
15
05-30-2010 06:48 PM